Abundant wildlife, dark skies, a scenic golf course and white-sand beaches attract guests to this owner-run island guest house with large, comfortable bedrooms and excellent cooking.

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.

Deep in Thomas Hardy country, this picture-perfect thatched cottage is a popular restaurant with rooms run with great charm by Ariane Jones and her husband, Jamie.

The ancient stone-built Bath Arms in woodlands on the Longleat estate gets a big thumbs up from readers for its 'excellent, attentive and pleasant staff', 'appealing menus', real ales and great-value, well-decorated rooms.

This Victorian gothic mansion might appear a little forbidding, but step inside and you are overwhelmed by a warm ambience and beautiful interiors, while some guests choose to sleep in the woods in a timber-lined 'hive' or treehouse.

Following a stunning redesign, this family-friendly, luxury New Forest hotel and spa continues to set the standard for country-house comfort, romance, fun and superb food.

Ship-owner Allan Hughes chose the perfect site for this handsome Lutyens-style Edwardian country house, on high ground, with panoramic views across Exmoor to the coast, the approach awash with daffodils in springtime.

There are mesmerising views of medieval Alnwick Castle from the Duchy of Northumberland's new hotel, occupying the Georgian Commissioner's house and former school, with further rooms in a modern extension, and 'top-notch' cooking in the restaurant.

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.

Overlooking the River Hodder in the Forest of Bowland, this sprawling 18th-century manor house is joyously traditional, with stone-flagged floors, open fires, bags of atmosphere and great food.

Within a medieval castle and Georgian house above the Sound of Mull, this remote restaurant with rooms has four fantastic suites, spectacular views, and no less memorable cooking by chef-proprietor Colin Nicholson.

Fiona and Richard Trevor are perfect hands-on hosts at this former manse with breathtaking views across Badcall Bay to Assynt, immaculate, comfortable bedrooms, imaginative cooking and a truly warm, hospitable vibe.

Guests are made to feel like old friends at this wisteria-clad, light-filled 1960s house with its peerless views over gardens to the Howardian hills.

With the sea to the fore and Tennyson Down rising up behind, this hotel has spectacular views and scarcely less impressive cooking in the revamped restaurant.

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.

Free-roaming ponies and donkeys wander past the garden gates of this Arts and Crafts-style single-storey house in the magical surroundings of the New Forest.

Huddled below wooded hills, beside a stone bridge over the River Monnow, this whitewashed former 17th-century coaching inn serves delicious food and has great walks from the door to help you justify eating it.

From the oak-panelled hall and portrait gallery to the commodious bars and lounges, this Victorian country house abounds in solid traditional charms, with hunting, shooting and fishing on offer, and local and home-grown produce on the menu.

Readers return time and again to Gary and Donna MacRae's small, adults-only country-house hotel in woodland gardens, with immaculate bedrooms, fell views, and outstanding nightly set-price dinner, preceded by aperitifs and canapés in the lounge.

The team from Covent Garden restaurant Native has taken over this exceptional restaurant with rooms, continuing the ethos of sustainability and localism with wonderfully creative cooking.

Birdwatchers and bon vivants beat a path to Tracy and Galton Blackiston's Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in a flint farmhouse with Blakeney nature reserve on the doorstep.

A traditional farmhouse B&B with just two bedrooms as well as self-catering cottages, Thistleyhaugh is in the capable hands of the Nelless family's second-generation of hosts.

Made over in the Signet Collection's signature style, this country-house hotel in a picturesque South Downs village has a relaxed ambience, chic, affordable bedrooms, a boutique spa, and imaginative brasserie fare with good plant-based options.

A Regency beauty with spectacular views from the balconies, this stylish, dog-friendly country-house hotel has a relaxed vibe, beautifully designed bedrooms, and a fine-dining restaurant.

The neon sign outside this former steward's house in a 1,000-acre deer park sets the tone for what to expect in this unique and interesting pub owned by art dealer Ivor Braka, with provocative works by artists such as Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst on display within.

In the magical setting of Britain's highest mountain forest, with breathtaking views, this Michelin starred restaurant with rooms continues to build on its reputation for a warm welcome and fabulous food under new owners Beth and Jack Bond.

You could imagine you were staying in the cherished home of old and dear friends when you book into Walter and Nuala Sweeney's five-star B&B, a handsome Georgian house filled with antiques and artworks, carriage clocks, curios and crammed bookshelves, and with fine original features.

There's a romantic air to the setting of this Scottish baronial mansion overlooking Loch Oich with the ruins of Invergarry Castle in the grounds.

With walks from the doorstep, views of Peak District hills, a peaceful garden, breakfast feasts and restful bedrooms, it's no surprise that Underleigh wins so much praise.

The River Rothay runs past the back garden of this small country-house hotel with attractive, individually styled bedrooms and good food.