The Pear Tree at Purton

A ‘lovely’ country welcome awaits at Anne Young’s ‘outstanding’ small hotel. Standing in a ‘very special’ garden filled with ‘a treasure trove of wild flowers’, the ‘delightful’ 16th-century vicarage is ‘an exceptional place – like a home away from home, or staying with good friends’. ‘Pleasantly quirky, it barely feels like a hotel.’ Alix Baldwin, the owner’s daughter, manages a team of ‘superbly trained’ staff – ‘they seem hand-picked for smiliness, quality and efficiency’. Choose between characterful vicarage rooms in the older part of the building or more spacious executive rooms; all come stocked with fresh fruit and home-made shortbread. In the ‘peaceful’ conservatory restaurant, Adam Conduit’s ‘imaginative’ modern English menu mixes surprising elements, perhaps hake fillet, barley risotto, Cornish salami, cockle vinaigrette. Try the house wine, Cuvée Alix, from the hotel’s own vineyard. Plenty of walks to be had in the ‘extensive’ grounds; dogs are welcomed with treats, a blanket and a basket. (Brian and Gwen Thomas, Josie Mayers, Charles Medawar, Andrew Warren)