‘Friendly, smiley staff’ contribute to the ‘extremely enjoyable’ atmosphere of this traditional hotel overlooking the sea.

Arrangements of garden flowers scent the public rooms at this ‘lovely country hotel’, where each of the ‘pretty bedrooms’ is named after a herb.

‘Superb’, ‘excellent’, ‘impressive’, ‘delightful’ – on the edge of the New Forest, this model of a country house hotel and spa is on top form, having celebrated its golden anniversary.

From dolphin-spotting to table tennis, there is plenty to enjoy at Keith Makepeace’s family-friendly hotel, which stands in expansive countryside, with views towards the sea.

‘A cheerful, likeable hotel’, this William and Mary mansion stands in Italianate parkland, with easy access to the city centre.

‘A lovely old house’, this historic mansion on the slopes of Pydew mountain has glorious views of Snowdonia.

On the shores of Lough Swilly, give in to the ‘old-fashioned demeanour’ of the Wheeler family’s hotel, as did guests this year, who found it – and its collection of lough-facing sitting rooms – ‘endearing’.

‘In lush, beautifully tended gardens, this wonderful cliff-top hotel offers a sense of timeless peace and isolation.’

For ‘exceptional service’, a scandalous history, and rich views of the Thames, you’d be hard pressed to better this extensively restored Italianate mansion.

‘Nothing compares to this special place,’ says a Guide reader in 2017 after a return visit to the Cunliffe family’s glamorous country house hotel.

Drive through the ‘splendid’ wrought iron gates and up a ‘beautifully wooded’ path: in ‘meticulously tended’ grounds stands this ‘impressive’ 19th-century Scottish baronial castle.

‘The sun doesn’t have to shine before you get a warm welcome,’ writes a reader in 2017, of this much-loved hotel overlooking Cardigan Bay.

Overlooking Durham’s heritage coast, this Georgian mansion, all sea views and sofas for sinking into, is ‘a wonderful place, combining luxury and style with a friendly, relaxed approach’.

‘The sea views, over Saundersfoot Bay, are wonderful and exceptional’ at this family-friendly hotel, perched above a village in the Pembrokeshire Coast national park.

Atop a tree-lined drive, arrive to a ‘cheerful welcome’ at Jan and Adam Moore’s ‘excellent’ hotel, in an 18th-century hunting and fishing lodge.

Step out of your yacht, if you have it, and on to the private jetty at Lana de Savary’s cliff-face hotel, on a ‘fabulously secluded’ cove; the rest of us will descend the winding road and admire the wide vista over the Teign estuary.

Patricia Roberts’s stylish town house hotel sits in a row of Georgian terraces in the centre of town, nearly within paint-splattering distance of the art gallery.

‘We felt we were staying at a grand house rather than a hotel,’ say regular Guide correspondents this year of Charles Lowther and his family'’s Grade I listed ancestral home, built around a medieval pele tower and brimming with the owners’ personality.

Find a spot for quiet contemplation, as did Guide readers this year, in the expertly maintained gardens or graceful public rooms of this ‘lovely place’ on the edge of the Cairngorms national park.

‘There’s plenty to look at’ in this ‘eclectic, imaginative’ hotel, say visitors in 2017, ‘from prize-winning artwork to collections of glass, Victorian calling cards and Beswick dogs.’

The lush grounds surrounding this luxury hotel and spa incorporate secluded arbours, outdoor sculptures, woodland trails and wild flower meadows, ideal for a wander or a picnic on a summer’s day.

A ‘country house feel’ imbues the Robinson family’s stately Jacobean manor which stands in walled gardens, with farmland sprawling beyond.

Above Woolacombe Bay, this former Edwardian gentleman’s retreat is today a ‘comfortable, relaxed’ hotel owned by Amanda James.

A riot of Tudor black and white, with 17th- and 19th-century additions, David Elliston’s ancient coaching inn–turned–spa hotel has been receiving guests since the reign of Elizabeth I.