Once the village blacksmiths, the 16th-century building is now a peaceful B&B with a TV, fridge, hairdryer, radio alarm, and tea- and coffee-making facilities in contemporary bedrooms. For breakfast, local and homemade produce is served in a large open-plan kitchen. A picnic area at the front is set beside the river bank where the Kennet flows past. In a small village, 5 miles W of Marlborough.

By the river, a modern hotel in Sonning-on-Thames, 3½ miles E of Reading. Stylish, with a retro edge, bedrooms are in separate buildings – some in a converted coach house and clock tower. Open from breakfast until late at night, Coppa Club bar/restaurant features a long, curved pewter bar, original fireplaces, velvet sofas and separate workspace. Large gardens, and a covered terrace overlooks lawns going down to the water.

Within its own lovely garden and grounds, an immaculate B&B in a Grade II listed house, where arriving guests are greeted with tempting tea-time treats. Part of a working farm, much of the food for breakfast (home-made granola, banana bread, jams and marmalade, fresh fruit salad, honey) comes from just a few steps away. A full English Wiltshire breakfast is cooked on the Aga. Supper trays may be pre-ordered; local pubs and restaurants are nearby. Cookery workshops are held. In a little hamlet, 2 miles from Swindon.

Inside a Georgian town house, an elegant bar, restaurant and hotel, overlooking the high street of a charming market town. Some of the ‘high’-dubbed bedrooms retain an antique fireplace and have an eye-catching feature wall. Evening menus in the modern restaurant include European dishes such as chicken and mushroom Stroganoff or king prawn and crayfish risotto. A wide choice of light bites, sharing boards, burgers is available at lunchtime; roasts on Sundays. An enclosed, sunny courtyard has tables, chairs and parasols. Six miles N-E of Swindon town centre.

Ten minutes from Ascot Racecourse, this 18th-century red-brick pub is a cert for equine devotees and rural inn-seekers alike. There are nooks and crannies, tweedy fabrics. original stone floors and a welcoming open fire in cooler months. Some of the comfortable bedrooms have views over the peaceful garden which has plenty of seating and a cosy Cabana for the ultimate outdoor dining experience. Traditional pub fare is supplemented with dishes such as Wild Boar sausages, mash, lentils and savoy cabbage or braised rabbit, mustard root vegetables and tarragon.

Jutting out over a private marina, this ocean liner-like hotel is ship-shape inside, with porthole-shaped mirrors, vintage glass fish floats and nautical bits and pieces. Bedrooms and suites, several with a Juliet balcony, are cheerily decorated with some retro touches, and supplied with decanters of gin and sherry. The buzzy sixth-floor bar has harbour views. Jetty restaurant pairs locally caught seafood with seasonal produce, eaten on the terrace in welcoming weather.

Within the Bowood Estate, a purpose-built country house with adjacent golf facilities and an award-winning spa (infinity swimming pool, gym, rock sauna, crystal steam room, aromatherapy shower and relaxation room, and treatments. The Shelburne Restaurant, Bar & Library have all-day dining and parkland views. Guests receive complimentary access to Bowood House & Gardens (April to October). Chippenham is a 6-mile drive away.

In fifteen acres of landscaped grounds, a red-brick Queen Anne mansion that was originally built for the Churchill family. Afternoon tea is served in The Polo Bar and Lounge or outside on the terrace. FORK restaurant (casual dining), and some of the modern bedrooms have views over the lovely garden, where outdoor activities include a croquet lawn, tennis courts, shooting hoops and giant snakes and ladders. Part of Exclusive Collection.

Just across the bridge in Eton, this refurbished Georgian inn is on a corner of the high street. Simply furnished bedrooms have wood furniture, comfortable beds and crisp bedlinen; some rooms have a view of Windsor Castle or the river. The pub dishes and daily blackboard specials are cooked using local, seasonal produce, much of it sourced from the royal farm estate. At the rear, the inn’s owners (Windsor and Eton Brewery) have created a smart decked garden for eating and drinking outside in warmer months.

In the thick of things, a large, modern hotel on the cobbled high street. Public spaces are vibrantly furnished or bright with colourful prints. Food and drink is available throughout the day; HarSpa has a whirlpool, sauna, steam room and small open-air heated pool.

Set in seven acres of beautiful grounds, a historic house listed in the Domesday Book, and once owned by Elizabeth I’s Lord Treasurer, Lord Burghley. Rebuilt in 1840, it still features an original fireplace in the galleried hall. Casual dining, snacks and afternoon tea are served in the Restaurant and on the large terrace overlooking the garden. The hotel is in the village of Stanton Saint Quintin, four miles from Chippenham.

An elegantly updated Queen Anne-style mansion in lovely gardens. Lavish afternoon teas are served on the terrace, fine dinners in an oak-panelled room. Soothing treatments for face, body and nails can be booked. Guildford Station is a 10 minutes’ drive.

Small and personal, with a stylish interior, this hotel (part of the Mercer Collection) is in a restored Edwardian house retaining many of its original features. A short stroll from the seafront and the group’s gastropub, The Florence Arms (home-cooked food, ales, ciders, gins and fine wines).

In an unassuming house on a quiet Southsea street close to the beach and amenities, this hotel is unexpectedly funky inside. There is a bar and room service for drinks, light meals and snacks.