With distant views to the Orkney Islands, and with the ferry just half a mile away, this unusual, eco-friendly, dog-friendly B&B is perfect for guests who want space, privacy and imaginative food morning and evening.

Hidden in a back street of Padstow's old town, these sybaritic B&B suites, created by chef Paul Ainsworth and his wife, are an ideal retreat for foodies.

'An exceptional seaside hotel', with views from the rooms and terrace to secluded Combesgate beach below, this family-friendly hotel is a former Edwardian gentleman's retreat.

'Hotel settings don't get much more spectacular than the Polurrian's, on the cliff edge overlooking its own beach,' writes a guide insider. The relaxed family and dog-friendly hotel makes the most of the coastal views.

In the heart of the Gloucestershire countryside, this one-time Saxon hunting lodge, rebuilt over centuries and rich in Tudor detail, is an intimate B&B, with large and characterful bedrooms, welcoming hosts, and a Cordon Bleu dinner cooked by arrangement on Fridays and Saturdays.

You can dine in style in the Grand Ballroom or hunker down in the cosy old Pilchard inn at this extraordinary Art Deco hotel on a tidal island just a sea tractor ride from the 21st century.

Just four minutes by train from arty downtown St Ives, this adults-only 1930s hotel is a serene refuge from the bustle, with views over the clear waters of St Ives Bay.

Where Exmoor meets the Bristol Channel, this foodie retreat that oozes personality and style has 'very comfortable rooms with lovely sea views; the food is up there with many Michelin-starred restaurants'.

On the Coastal Causeway Route, overlooking Ballygally Bay, this traditional hotel, occupying a much-extended 16th-century castle, is a welcoming, comfortable base from which to tour Game of Thrones countryside.

The Chambers family run their unpretentious, family-friendly hotel in a 19th-century house set in expansive grounds a short stroll uphill from the boats in the harbour.

Set on a private sandy beach, this dog friendly, Barbados-inspired hotel has a terrific mix of rooms, suites and beach cabins as well as a sea-facing restaurant and beach bar and grill.

On the north-west coast of the Isle of Lewis, Elaine Fothergill and Richard Inger invite you to their traditional Hebridean farmhouse to switch off, unwind and relax.

Above a sandy surfer's beach, this Victorian gabled hotel has a youthful vibe, with cool New England styling, contemporary comforts, a cocktail bar, sun terrace, modern bistro-style cooking, and now a sister hotel, The Edge of the Beach, next door.

Guests are invited to join hosts Huw and Sam Rees-Prosser for aperitifs and canapés before an imaginative dinner of locally sourced produce at this former rectory in an isolated hamlet on the edge of Exmoor National Park, where bedrooms mix contemporary and period style, and have spring water on tap.

Overlooking St Bride's Bay, a 19th-century windmill tower forms the centrepiece and unlikely setting of this contemporary art hotel, where the 100-plus works on show may divide opinion, but the well-supplied and stylish bedrooms, friendly service and creative, modern dishes in the restaurant win unanimous approval.

If you don't see owners Amanda and Niall Leveson Gower around their small hotel, they may be at sister venture Hamersay House, or out diving for scallops and gathering mussels for supper.

The restaurant, terrace and many of the New England-style bedrooms overlook South Sands beach at this contemporary hotel, where you can bring your dog, dine alfresco on Fowey mussels or crab linguine, and sleep within sight and sound of the waves.

Each of the beautiful, uncluttered bedrooms has a sea view at Susan Stuart's Georgian house B&B in a subtropical garden, overlooking the harbour and Mount's Bay, where guests are free to drop into the kitchen for coffee and cake, and breakfast is exceptional.

A stroll from Northumberland's award-winning beaches, this family-friendly hotel offers a mix of individually designed bedrooms, a fun, quirky bar, and a restaurant serving locally sourced, hearty, gastropub-style cooking for walkers and their dogs.

A short stroll from the sands, behind a Georgian facade, the seventh Pig in the litter has dramatic medieval and Jacobean interiors, with bedrooms in the main house, the annexe and in garden wagons, and a restaurant making abundant use of local fish, shellfish and kitchen-garden produce.

There are great views of the Camel Estuary from this 1920s, family-friendly hotel that is virtually on the famous golf course and comes with stylish bedrooms and brasserie food.

Overlooking an iconic surfers' beach, this adults-only spa hotel has a wide choice of rooms from very affordable to luxurious with sea-view balcony.

Occupying the entire second floor of a Victorian house just yards from the beach, this chic B&B offers privacy and plenty of space.

A landmark Victorian building above Fistral Bay, this hotel is a mix of the grand and contemporary, with pools and spa treatments, a golf course, surf school, bedrooms in coastal colours, plus refined and informal dining on the waterfront terrace, restaurant and poolside.