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The UK’s hotels and inns of the year — exclusively revealed by the Mail
Aromantic island hotel r eached by horse-drawn carriage, a stylish, halftimbered B&B and a restaurant-with-rooms serving great value food are among this year’s winners of the Good Hotel Guide’s césar awards.
the 2021 oscars of the hotel industry, as revealed exclusively by the Daily mail, have been chosen by the guide’s editorial team based on readers’ reports and anonymous inspections.
Shakespeare country NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Delicious food and good value don’t always go together. But restaurant-with-rooms Baraset Barn, stratford- upon- avon, achieves this with aplomb.
the hotel is atmospheric, with f l agstone f l oors and vaulted ceilings. the menu features prime steaks, classic salads, f resh seafood and ice cream sundaes.
Part of the gastro group lovely Pubs, it has 16 bedrooms looking on to a meadow. those at the top have a balcony; those at the bottom a terrace. DON’T MISS: Borrow a bike and explore stratford-upon-avon. DETAILS: B&B £99 to £180 ( baraset barn.co.uk).
Sark’s big hitter
ISLAND HOTEL OF THE YEAR elizaBetH Perrée’s 400year- old farmhouse la sablonnerie, on sark, is as charming as its owner, whose family has run it since 1948. a horse- drawn carriage is the best way to arrive at this rose- smothered, whitewashed channel island hotel.
take a dip in the turquoise waters of nearby Venus Pool — a naturally-formed swimming spot surrounded by towering granite cliffs — before returning to tuck into local lobster and scallops.
Bedrooms have a rustic simplicity. Past guests include Vivien leigh and laurence olivier. DON’T MISS: the honey at breakfast made from local bees feeding on gorse. DETAILS: B&B £97.50 to £195 ( sablonneriesark.com).
South Coast winner BEST B&B
tHe historic mixes with the hip at swan House, a tudor, halftimbered B& Bin Hastings, sussex, which has been given a stylish makeover.
Brendan mcDonagh gets as much praise for his warm welcome and delicious breakfasts (smoked salmon, kippers, fresh orange juice) as his partner, lionel copley, does for his elegant bedrooms.
there is a courtyard garden in the rear, which is close to an ancient church. DON’T MISS: the fishermen’s huts on the stade, and the modern art gallery nearby. DETAILS: B&B £120 to £150 (swan househastings.co.uk).
Five-star pub grub INN OF THE YEAR
micHelin-starreD food and l ocal ales are served i n this landmark Dales pub with sublime views, creeper-covered stonework, log fires and 15th-century beams.
the angel at Hetton in Yorkshire is where chef/patron michael Wignall and his wife Johanna serve l ocally- sourced, but globally inspired dishes such as Yorkshire salt-aged duck with pumpkin.
rustic bedrooms are in converted barns, some with a roll-top bath or a private patio. DON’T MISS: the opera dessert — orange, candied zest, cardamom and aerated chocolate. DETAILS: B& B: £ 265 to £ 345 ( angelhetton.co.uk).
Eco retreat GREEN HOTEL OF THE YEAR
in 30 acres of private woodland on the edge of snowdonia, sara and richard Parry- Jones’s hotel, coes Faen, in Barmouth, opens to a glass staircase built into the Gwynedd hillside.
it has both sustainability and style with biomass and solar water heating, estate log burning fires, stables for guests’ horses and sheep wool insulation.
each bedroom has a special feature; one has a terrace with a hot tub, another is reached by a tunnel and has a cocktail bar.
DON’T MISS: Mountain biking at Coed y Brenin. DETAILS: B& B £ 195 to £ 325 ( coesfaen.co.uk).
Glories of Grasmere COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL OF THE YEAR
Walks from the doorstep and sweeping views of Helm Crag make this small Victorian country house hotel — The Grasmere, in Broadgate, Cumbria — a winner.
Run in relaxed style by kevin Winsland and his wife Nicki and their two daughters, the hotel has log fires, where you can nibble canapes before dinner.
The menu is imaginative with dishes such as oak- smoked wild lakeland venison. kippers, salmon and haddock are on offer at breakfast. The 11 bedrooms are each named after a lake poet. DON’T MISS: The River Rothay, packed with trout, at the bottom of the garden. DETAILS: B& B £ 132 to £ 168 ( grasmerehotel. co.uk).
Michelin-starred SCOTTISH RESTAURANT-WITHROOMS OF THE YEAR
THe Peat Inn, Cupar, a former coaching inn in a Fife hamlet in the middle of nowhere, has gained a big reputation thanks to its Michelin- starred chef/ patron Geoffrey smeddle. He and his wife katherine have created a comfortable retreat for food lovers, with cosy rooms, a well-tended garden and impeccable service.
The menus range from threecourse l unches to six- course tastings and include dishes such as pastrami of sea trout, loin of deer, or herb-roasted guinea fowl. DON’T MISS: st andrews, the university town with the world’s most celebrated golf course. DETAILS: B&B £235 to £260, set dinner £58 ( thepeatinn.co.uk).
On the beach
SEASIDE HOTEL OF THE YEAR THIs chic, adults- only, modern hotel is popular thanks to its winning combination of ocean views, tranquillity and good food.
Choose between dips i n the atlantic, an outdoor hot tub or the ayurvedic-inspired spa, or relax in the hotel’s meadow gardens.
some bedrooms at The scarlet in Cornwall’s Mawgan Porth have a private garden, terrace or balcony with sea views.
Mike Francis’s locally- sourced menus include pan-fried pollock and beef with crispy oyster. DON’T MISS: Catch some waves with the local surf school. DETAILS: B&B £220 to £480 ( scarlethotel.co.uk).
Love is in the air
ROMANTIC HOTEL OF THE YEAR LEWTRENCHARD Manor in lewdown, devon, stands in gardens laid out by Walter sarel and is a Jacobean- style manor house with Renaissance woodwork, ornate ceilings, rococo fireplace and a gallery with two pianos.
locally- sourced dishes include grilled brill fillet, Cornish pasties and mussels.
after dinner, sleigh beds and four posters await in antique-filled bedrooms with oil paintings. DON’T MISS: The manor’s hunting hawks being exercised. DETAILS: B& B £ 175 to £ 280 ( lewtrenchard.co.uk).
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