Owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and sitting within the Chatsworth Estate, this smart hotel is a great base for exploring the Peak District.

‘We have become addicted to this place,’ write trusted readers, following a return visit to this beautiful Elizabethan manor house (Relais & Châteaux).

The herb garden is a major draw at this Georgian country house hotel set amid lawns, orchards and woodlands close to Sandringham.

‘Can only talk in superlatives,’ writes a reader this year of Sue and James Murray’s historic manor house.

With its classic red brick facade, smartly suited doormen and Knightsbridge location, the hotel has offered the same ‘splendid’ intimate hospitality for almost half a century.

Location, location, location: the small but perfectly formed Levin is just a credit card toss from Harrods, close to the designer stores and cultural hubs of Knightsbridge and a stroll from the green lungs of Hyde Park.

After more than 50 years, this country house hotel and spa on the edge of the New Forest still sets the standard for luxury.

‘It’s a lovely place to stay, with great character and charm.’ Readers visiting Jenny Hadfield’s 17th-century B&B ‘as a little treat’ to celebrate an occasion in 2018 ‘were made to feel special and right at home’.

‘High standards are maintained,’ writes a devoted fan, following a New Year stay at the Francis family’s hotel, forged from a 16th-century fortification.

'Tis a very pritty place,' wrote the diarist and former resident, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. After visiting the National Trust’s red brick mansion, Guide readers happily concur.

In the lea of the cliffs, overlooking a private beach on the rugged Galloway coast, Sian and David Ibbotson’s Victorian hunting lodge offers a great sense of escape.

Lavish, ‘prompt and very attentive’ hospitality is the order of the day at this ‘distinguished’ family-run hotel in an ‘imposing’ Regency house surrounded by 36 acres of grounds.

A coat of arms and portraits of past owners set the tone at this honey-hued former rectory, recommended by Guide readers for a ‘welcoming, comfortable, relaxing’ country house experience

Having hosted everyone from Chaplin to Churchill, this ‘superbly refurbished’ Italianate mansion seduces visitors with the prospect of ‘luxurious country house living’.

A romantic Jacobean mansion, first opened as a hotel in 1990 by the late Sir Bernard Ashley, remains home to his ‘fabulous collection of paintings, sculptures and antiques’.

‘We always look forward to staying.’ Miles and Audrey Hunter’s ‘tranquil’ small hotel on the Welsh border received a flurry of praise from new and regular visitors this year.

‘They just keep making it better every year,’ writes a trusted correspondent, of this luxurious country house hotel in Lakeland countryside.

In ‘a splendid location’, Fiona and Richard Trevor’s 18th-century church manse looks out at fishing boats bobbing on the water of a tranquil inlet.

Built for a veteran of Culloden and remodelled in Victorian times, Jane MacFarlane’s stone mansion stands in a breathtaking situation on the shores of Loch Shiel, with views of Ben Nevis and the Glenfinnan Monument.

‘Exquisite’ was the verdict of a regular reader on a belated return visit to this ultra-chic hotel on the resort’s Regency seafront.

Steeped in history, this ‘wonderfully civilised’ coastal Georgian mansion combines ‘style, luxury and high standards’.

‘The physical ambience and sea coast views are wonderful,’ write trusted readers, of this spa hotel overlooking bay and village on the Pembrokeshire coast.

‘We arrived hungry and tired, and came away feeling relaxed, recharged and utterly spoiled.’ Visitors celebrating a special occasion in 2018 at Caroline and Jonathan Kaye’s ‘impressive’ small hotel ‘felt welcome from the moment we walked in’.

‘Five stars’, ‘Highly recommended’, ‘Faultless.’ ‘Frances, Tim and their lovely staff treat guests as if they are treasured members of the family.’ This year’s Guide received plentiful accolades for Tim and Frances Meeres Young’s B&B in an 18th-century coach house.