Overlooking the water towards Mull, in a 'wonderful location near the sea and harbour', this hotel on the Hebridean island of Iona has a deserved reputation for its warm welcome, fresh and creative food, and feel of restorative peace.

The gardens are the great glory of John and Sue Cushing's Georgian manor house deep in dairy country, with abundant home-grown produce featuring on menus, and light summer lunches served on the rose garden terrace.

Chef-proprietors Guy and Brittany Manning have brought skills honed at triple-Michelin-starred Per Se in Midtown Manhattan to this thatched gastropub on the edge of Salisbury Plain, with 'stupendous' food in the bar/restaurant and garden, and stylish guest bedrooms across the road, with decking from which to watch the ducks on the River Avon.

A former coaching inn, this top-notch B&B with secluded back garden combines hotel-quality accommodation with the warmth and intimacy of an owner-run guest house.

There's a huge sense of fun at this stylish hotel, whose logo is Vanity Fair's caricature of the 9th Marquess of Queensberry, Oscar Wilde's Nemesis. Laurence and Helen Beere's hotel, a quirky combination of four townhouses has pugilism-themed jokes throughout; the decor is knockout too.

Behind the solid exterior of an Edwardian park-side villa lies a Scandi-chic boutique hotel and popular drop-in restaurant.

Amid 1,000 acres of historically important gardens, pleasure grounds and woodland, this romantic Elizabethan manor house, built by an ironmaster for his bride, forms an impressive backdrop for Michelin-starred cuisine.

In a former smithy, shop and barns overlooking the village duck pond, this popular hotel and restaurant is undergoing refurbishment and expansion under new owners the Rockliffe Hall Group.

Lakeland luxury at its finest comes courtesy of Gilpin, with its Michelin-starred dining, private hot tubs in the majority of its indulgent rooms and attentive staff. Its flagship rooms are extravagantly large glass-cube spa suites that extend over a pond and offer private garden, spa room and circular bath.

Leave the fuss and fret of the AI(M) at Scotch Corner to reconnect with the land at this idyllic hotel, centred on a Georgian coach house amid gardens, parkland and woodland.

In a market town between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, this pub with rooms deftly mixes historic charm – beams, crackling fires and exposed stonework – with an updated, modern touch.

Former Gleneagles pastry chefs Phillip Skinazi and Andrew Mackay are enthusiastic hands-on owners at this former coaching inn in a conservation village, now an excellent restaurant with stylish, well-equipped rooms.

An Edwardian homage to 17th-century style, this beautiful manor house with rich Jacobean-inspired interiors is run as a luxury hotel with fine-dining restaurant where you can enjoy a 'truly memorable meal'.

Formerly Barnsley House, this 17th-century stone manor house became part of the Pig group in the summer of 2024, offering the expected interesting mix of rooms and hideaways, a 25-mile menu using an abundance of home-grown produce, and the bonus of beautiful gardens created by the renowned Rosemary Verey.

In sub-tropical gardens with views over Lyme Bay, this family-run hotel offers a wide choice of accommodation, and imaginative, locally sourced food.

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.

Country-house luxury is given a bold modern spin at this Georgian manor house overlooking Durham's rugged coast, with tranquil Serenity Spa, garden rooms with hot tubs, magnificent house suites, fine dining in the restaurant, and Japanese-inspired light bites.

With golf, tennis, kayaking and powerboating, indoor pool and outdoor hot tub, this spa hotel in 65 acres of garden and woodland on the Helford river is a holiday resort in its own right.

The wonky charms of this timber-frame 15th-century coaching inn combine with smart bedrooms retaining original features, and estate-to-plate dining in the bar, restaurant and courtyard.

At the heart of Wordsworth country, this Victorian Gothic mansion in 43 acres is home to a cool, super-luxury hotel, where chef Paul Leonard draws inspiration from the Lakeland landscape to compose Michelin-starred menus using produce from the walled kitchen garden and Cumbria's abundant larder.

Hannah and Paddy Flynn are welcoming hosts at their fabulous Palladian villa in native woodland, filled with heirlooms and auction finds, where guitar-strumming chef Paddy cooks a nightly menu, breakfast eggs are from the resident hens, and a library in the coach house is devoted to the study of civilisation.

Solitary Nephin, Ireland's highest stand-alone mountain, provides a dramatic backdrop to this classic, pink-washed Georgian country house in wooded grounds on Lough Conn.

Tucked away amid woodlands in the Wye valley, Chris and Kirsty Harrod's restaurant with rooms is lauded for Chris's extraordinary Michelin-starred menus of home-grown, locally produced and foraged ingredients, including a vegetarian tasting menu.

Overlooked by the dramatic landmark of Arthur's Seat, this period gem of a Victorian villa with fine original details and handsome furnishings is now run as a friendly B&B with imaginative breakfast choices. It's just ten minutes from the city centre.

The Banks family's old drovers' inn, on a quiet country lane overlooking farmland in the North York Moors, is firmly on the foodie map, with Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks creating unforgettable menus using kitchen garden, locally sourced and foraged ingredients.

Scottish culture and celebration are at the heart of the Urquhart family's low-built, whitewashed hotel, bookshop, art gallery, café/bar, restaurant and music venue near the ferry terminal on Loch Broom, a social hub with simple bedrooms, enthusiastic young staff, short and interesting locally sourced menus, and a bunkhouse for those on a budget.

Centred on a Georgian farmhouse in Arts and Crafts ornamental gardens, with a spa, gym, cinema and contemporary bedrooms, this honeyed-stone luxury country-house hotel holds a Michelin star for Ricki Weston's inspired tasting menus in The Dining Room, while guests can dine more informally on small plates in Grey's, or from an all-day lounge menu.

Rooms are a quirky mix of rusticity, wit and chic at this 18th-century watermill on the River Bain, complete with mill machinery, where breakfast brings free-range eggs from a neighbour's hens.

Celebrity chef Rick Stein's famous fish restaurant and seafood bar, with coastal-inspired bedrooms, is the flagship of a mini ‘Padstein’ empire that includes a cookery school, a gift shop, fishmonger's and deli.

Set on a 300-acre working farm, this legendary country-house hotel began life in 1964 as a restaurant run by farmer's wife Myrtle Allen, using produce from the farm and walled kitchen garden, and has grown into a thriving business, with cookery school, café and arts venue ,while keeping faith with its founding principles.