Whatley Manor

From the moment your luggage whisked to your room, you know this honeyed Cotswold manor house will deliver cosseting luxury – and star-spangled dining. Impressive public areas are ‘decorated in the best possible taste’, reports our inspector, with wood panelling, rugs on polished floors, paintings, and table lamps creating intimate spaces. Relax in the spa or the gardens, and prepare for dinner. In 2019, Niall Keating gained a second Michelin star for ‘daring and innovative’ cooking which, for The Dining Room’s taster menu, might include chorizo risotto plus scallop and caviar or grilled Wagyu with kimchi. Less costly is Grey’s Brasserie with dishes such as pork belly porchetta. There are vegan and vegetarian menus. Bedrooms are uncluttered but comfortable with all the right touches: good reading lights, fruit, robes, chocolates. Bathrooms, with under-floor heating have ‘candles for romantic bathing’. The ‘very good’ breakfast menu includes ‘perfectly cooked poached eggs’ while ‘the head waiter greets each person by name’. This hotel is a member of Pride of Britain.