'It's ‘fiercely expensive’, but this Relais & Châteaux hotel in a chocolate-box village doesn’t stint on the traditional country house luxuries, drapes, stripes, sofas and chandeliers, florals, antiques, paintings.

With its Tuscan columns and pedimented gable, this coaching inn appears solidly Georgian, but the interiors are contemporary, with well-equipped bedrooms, a clubby bar and dining room serving wood-fired pizzas and bistro-style dishes.

A Georgian manor house above Chesil Beach, this is a dog- and people-friendly hotel designed for holidays and fun, catering to everyone from tinies to grown-ups with sophisticated tastes.

Eclectic menus and stellar cooking are a big attraction at this 14th-century clergy house, now a restaurant-led hotel with recently renovated bedrooms that combine pale paint finishes with designer wallpaper.

Little has changed at this restaurant-with-rooms in its three decades, but spotless bedrooms with thoughtful touches, and a slightly retro gourmet dining experience have their own appeal.

Berthed on the banks of the Stour since 2006, this child-friendly, dog-friendly, glass-and-steel hotel, with the sleek lines of a cruise liner, was built for leisure.

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

Thomas Hardy fans will be in their element at this local watering hole in Dorset, which was the model for 'The Sow and Acorn’ in Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

There is a hint of Castle Gormenghast about this fairytale 1820s marine villa, with its jumble of roofs, gables, gargoyles, towers and dormers, in gardens running down to a sandy beach.

A playful mix of Edward Hopper’s Cape Cod and Edwardian seaside hotel, this white-painted villa above Chesil Beach has an easy-going stylishness, conducive to fun.

Dorset House describes itself as a ‘breakfast with rooms’, which is a clue that the morning feast in this eco-friendly, cream-washed Georgian house is a bit out of the ordinary.

Smarter than the average Bear, this handsome bow-fronted Georgian coaching inn with a distinctive bear statue on a balcony is a fun hotel and local hangout, revamped in contemporary style