The slightly austere facade of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s hotel on the Chatsworth Estate belies the country house comforts within.

An impressive list of famous guests, including both Charles I and Oliver Cromwell, have stayed at this rambling Tudor coaching inn with beams and inglenooks, panelled walls and leaded windows.

In summer, visitors buzz like contented bees around a garden of almost 400 herb varieties at Nicholas Dickinson’s Georgian merchant’s house-turned-hotel.

Exceptional food, exceptional grounds and exceptional decor are all part of the luxurious experience at Hambleton Hall - a romantic Relais & Châteaux retreat in Rutland.

Lewtrenchard Manor is a beautiful country house where the elegant style is perfect for a romantic escape and the sense of luxury makes loved ones feel totally spoiled.

A five star country house hotel with a luxurious spa, Chewton Glen is perfect for romantic escapes, especially if you stay in the impeccable treehouses in a sky high world of your own.

The Francis family’s charismatic hotel, with many historic features, continues to please regulars, mainly for its ‘superb’ hilltop location, genial service and tip-top seafood.

It feels a bit as if you’ve fallen down Alice’s rabbit hole, at this whimsical, dog-friendly hotel with a ‘spectacular bay setting’ by the Coast Path.

The old-fashioned charms of this former 16th-century priory in beautiful cottage gardens sloping down to the River Frome in the centre of Wareham are not lost on readers, who conclude that ‘the hotel is a delight’.

Overlooking the racecourse and surrounded by gardens and parkland, this gem of a William and Mary house with its ‘stunning exterior’ feels deeply rural yet is just over a mile from York.

‘We have always loved the house and gardens and river views,’ say Guide regulars of this ‘very friendly’ hotel in the heart of the Brecon Beacons national park.

Arrive by horse and carriage on this car free island, and take in the exquisite views and exemplary hospitality of La Sablonnerie - it's like escaping to your own romantic world.

This 17th-century manor house of honeyed Cotswold stone looks every bit the smart country house hotel.

This country hotel ticks all the boxes – historic building, beautiful gardens, smart bedrooms, relaxed dining, spa and pool – while retaining a homely feel.

Rising above the reed beds and River Glaven in a pretty village no longer ‘next the sea’, Julian and Carolyn Godlee’s 19th-century windmill offers characterful accommodation.

Built for Hollywood actress Hedda Hopper, Romney Bay House is like arriving in a novel set in the 1920s. Windswept scenery and total escapism await at this achingly romantic retreat.

With its towers and battlements, wood-panelled walls and ornate ceilings, this Victorian-folly castle set in acres of grounds still manages to be ‘very relaxed; we never felt we had to be on our best behaviour’.

Once a bolt hole for wealthy Venetians escaping the summer heat (plus Robert Browning, Freya Stark, Igor Stravinsky et al.), this charming little medieval hill town in the Veneto is known as ‘the town of a hundred horizons’.

A spectacular example of how to update a historic building, Seaham Hall is a historic country house turned contemporary hotel. It was the one time home of Lord Byron and continues his legacy of decadence and seduction.

A ‘beautifully intimate hotel’, a five-minute drive from Windermere, Cedar Manor garners nothing but praise from readers for its luxurious bedrooms, thoughtful touches and spot-on service.

Right on the edge of the water with unrestricted sea views, Cary Arms and Spa combines the warmth of a British inn with the decadent details of a luxury hotel. Little wonder it's a favourite for romantic retreats and proposals.

‘Superbly positioned, with stunning views to the cathedral and the Somerset country beyond, Glastonbury Tor in the distance.

Jacobean splendour meets Arts and Crafts elegance at this gleaming white hotel, set in a leafy glade outside one of Pembrokeshire’s prettiest market towns.

The River Forss loops around this late Georgian Highland retreat in wooded grounds, today a dog-friendly hotel that is ideal for anglers, with shooting, stalking and hiking also on offer.

An exquisitely decorated boutique hotel on a quiet street in Exeter, Southernhay House Hotel has a seductive style with rich colours and sumptuous furnishings as well as an intimate atmosphere.

It may have a medieval pele tower, a 17th-century topiary garden, and now a Michelin-starred restaurant, but Charles Lowther’s ancestral pile also has an unpretentious, relaxed atmosphere.

Hidden away down a ‘long winding track’, Pippa and Willem Vlok’s restaurant-with-rooms has a secluded, ‘away from it all’ feel.

Studied eccentricity abounds at this Georgian house on the market square with most rooms styled on a geographic theme – and a hairdresser and boutique on site.

Once a Victorian hunting lodge, this ‘unpretentious’ hotel makes the most of both its history and its West Highland geography on the banks of Loch Gairloch.

In a ‘lovely position’ by Beauly Firth, this handsome 17th-century mansion stands in large grounds that lead into woodland laced with walking paths – look out for the brown hares and roe deer who like to visit.

In sweeping lawns within acres of woodland, this secluded baronial mansion is a ‘little jewel’.

One of Scotland’s first country house hotels, this turreted 1920s mansion in tranquil, ‘elegant’ gardens is owned by Mark and Christopher Forrester, grandsons of two of the original founders.

The wild Norfolk coast is minutes away from the rustic luxury of Pip and Jonathan Barber’s chic countryside B&B.

In the centre of a historic village, Mindi McLean’s B&B is in a ‘beautifully and tastefully restored’ 200-year-old barn that wins praise from Guide readers – not least for the ‘eggs Benedict made right’.

In a dramatic setting, on a rocky outcrop above the Pembrokeshire landscape, this 12th-century Norman castle reigns over a panorama that takes in St Brides Bay and the Preseli hills.

Luxe details such as a copper roll top bath, add to the romance of The Dunstane Houses, a luxurious get away in Edinburgh where beautiful details are accompanied by exceptional service - ideal for mini breaks, minimoons or a Valentine's Day retreat.

Romantic turrets and towers add to the Scottish country house experience at Murdo and Beth Macleod’s listed baronial building by the shores of Loch Long.

In a perfect location, everything at Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa in Bath is perfectly formed. The elegance in the midst of this genteel city is perfect for an intimate romantic getaway.

A long winding drive leads past a lake to this Victorian mansion, remodelled in the 1940s in the style of a Loire château, with parkland, fountain and 17th-century dovecote.