Some hotels remain at the top of the tree year in, year out. Others aren't quite so lucky, slipping down the rankings or even closing down.
Others, meanwhile, pull themselves up with a combination of great service, decor, location and dining to earn a spot among the best in Britain. We asked the editors of the Good Hotel Guide to name their personal favourites from among the new places to make the list in the latest edition, the 2019 Good Hotel Guide.
The Salutation – Sandwich, Kent
This Queen Anne house has been given a luxury makeover by new owners John and Dorothy Fothergill who have created a sumptuous but stylish escape for visitors to Kent. Step from the fusion of sympathetic contemporary artworks and soft furnishings inside, to the revived beauty of the historic gardens and it is abundantly clear that, here, the devil is in the detail.
They have considered everything from the toiletries to the food with careful attention, but it is the warm welcome that’s really the cherry on top of this magical destination, and the reason that not only is The Salutation a new feature in this year’s Guide, but also the winner of one of its 10 coveted Cesar Awards.
Kinloch Lodge – Skye, Scotland
Another Cesar Award winner this year, Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye is a former hunting lodge that has really treasured its sense of history. You will find here a framed letter from Queen Victoria to one of the lodge’s former tenants, while charming details, including the honesty bar, set the tone in the lounge.
Food is a big part of the experience, so in addition to dining on local produce, you can also take part in cookery courses, or go fishing or stalking with the lodge’s ghillie.
Pentonbridge Inn – Carlisle, Cumbria
A pub with rooms that looks out onto the Scottish moors, proprietors Gerald and Margo Smith have brought this formerly run down pub back to life and turned Pentonbridge Inn into another Cesar Award winner this year.
All the creature comforts are present here - it’s all freshly baked biscuits and fresh flowers peppered throughout. Nonetheless, food is at the heart of the property with a daily changing menu and many of the vegetables from the kitchen garden at the estate’s accompanying manor house, Netherby Hall.
Book a room at the Pentonbridge Inn
Bayards Cove Inn – Dartmouth, Devon
This medieval merchant’s house turned pub-with-rooms is in the coastal town of Dartmouth in Devon, perfectly located for a wander along the quay. Check in at the bar and head up a winding staircase to your rooms, which enjoy the character of the historic building but all the details of good modern hospitality - exceptionally comfortable beds, local tweed soft furnishings and a good stock of tea and shortbread to hand.
Book a room at the Bayards Cove Inn
The Pointer – Brill, Buckinghamshire
Situated on the farm of new owner Harry Aubrey-Fletcher, The Pointer is a village pub and restaurant with rooms that has earned a reputation for being simple, stylish and comfortable.
With its agricultural heritage it comes and little surprise that food is both impeccably fresh and delightful, letting the ingredients from the farm speak for themselves in rustic dishes that warm the soul and definitely leave you feeling suitable sated as well.
Lympstone Manor – Exmouth, Devon
Michael Caines’ manor house hotel in the Exe estuary has undergone the most wonderful of transformations from the run down property it once was, to the sophisticated foodie haven that it is today.
There is a sense of old world grandeur as you sip gin, tea or coffee (all are readily available when you arrive) in your elegantly appointed bedroom and take in the views of the Devon countryside. The property has recently added its own vineyard to the grounds, and of course, food is central to the experience with Mr Caines at the helm.
Book a room at Lympstone Manor
Twr y Felin Hotel – St David’s, Wales
Billing itself as ‘Wales’s first contemporary art hotel’, Twr y Felin Hotel is built around a working windmill and has been the recipient of a catalogue of awards in the last year.
Its unique design lends it a sense of character while a recent renovation has provided it with all the style and service a modern traveller could ask for - lending a sense of city chic to this rural location. Views of St David’s peninsula are certainly mesmerising, but it is the artwork that will really catch your eye.
Book at room at the Twr y Felin Hotel
The Timble Inn – Timble, Yorkshire
A family-run gastropub with rooms, The Timble Inn sits in a peaceful location in the Washburn valley, and fuses traditional and contemporary design inside with optimum flair.
There is a sense of sumptuousness with its four poster beds and deep baths - an idyllic place to go for a lengthy stroll and return to hearty meals and a good long soak in the tub.
The Angel Inn – Hetton, Yorkshire
Whatever the weather you are guaranteed a warm welcome that makes you feel right at home at The Angel Inn in Yorkshire. Stylish bedrooms are in converted outbuildings complete with beautiful details such as fresh milk in the minibar, a welcome note, a box of chocolates and ice are all present when you arrive. Naturally, food is the essence of this inn and so meals are a sumptuous feast of favourites such as lobster Thermidor followed by raspberry parfait with Chantilly cream.
The Lygon Arms – Broadway, Worcestershire
A 16th century coaching inn built of Cotswold stone, The Lygon Arms has taken all its historic charm and enhanced it in the best possible ways. Very much a place for relaxing, there are several lounge areas and a choice of bedrooms ranging from courtyard suites with their own terraces to the cavernous Great Chamber Suite.
Food is indulgent and plentiful, and little nuggets of historic interest make the location evermore fascinating - for example, the property hosted both Charles I and Oliver Cromwell during the Civil War.
Book at room at The Lygon Arms
The 2019 Good Hotel Guide is out now – you can buy a copy at www.goodhotelguide.com/buy-the-guide.
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