Burleigh Court

‘We call it The Happy Place,’ wrote a reader in praise of this manor house hotel in ‘Cider with Rosie’ country, and our inspector’s stay was happy indeed. The Georgian building, remodelled by Clough Williams-Ellis, has ‘beautifully decorated’ interiors. ‘A friendly welcome from Wendy’ set the tone for an agreeable stay. Bedrooms range from ‘cosy to top notch’ (some with a spa bath, a four-poster). ‘Our room had a lovely coffee tray, biscuits, bespoke bathroom products, a very comfortable bed, classic antique furnishings’, a ‘clean and modern’ bathroom. Downstairs, a ‘very nice sitting room’ had ‘lots of seating, an old gramophone, a games cupboard’. At dinner in the panelled dining room, there was home-baked bread, ‘delicious cashew pâté, perfectly tender chateaubriand’, vegetables from the kitchen garden, white chocolate mousse with rhubarb sorbet, ‘all beautifully presented’. The breakfast buffet was standard fare, but there was also home-made jam, honey from the hives, ‘perfect smashed avocado with poached eggs, and wild mushrooms on toast’. The gardens have stunning valley views and an ‘Art Deco dipping pool’. (Dawn Driscoll, and others)