The city centre is an easy walk from Helen and Laurence Beere’s ‘near-faultless’ hotel, in an ‘unsurpassed situation’ within reach of museums, shops and heritage spots. Spread across four freshly refurbished Georgian town houses on a quiet residential street, the hotel strikes a light-hearted note – there are Union flag cushions on velvet club chairs in the bar, and quirky prints in the restaurant. The staff are ‘happy and helpful’; the modern bedrooms ‘nicely proportioned and well equipped’; the cocktails ‘very good indeed’. ‘And the valet parking is a boon.’ Accommodation ranges from club rooms ideal for solo travellers to a junior suite with an enormous four-poster bed, and a chaise longue in the spacious bathroom. There’s no tea tray in the room, but hot drinks are served in the ‘comfy drawing room’ throughout the day. On a sunny afternoon, choose to sit in the ‘charming courtyard garden’ instead. In the basement restaurant, chef Chris Cleghorn’s keenly modern tasting menus might include torched and confit trout, avocado, pink grapefruit; barbecued lamb cutlet, peas, morels, ewe’s cheese. ‘The cooking rightly has a very good reputation among locals.’ (PJ, and others)