Lime Wood

‘Laid-back luxury at its very best’, this New Forest bolt-hole has an easy glamour, romantic and family-friendly rooms, heartwarming Italian food and a top-notch spa. Public rooms in the Georgian main house mix panelled walls and checkerboard-tiled floors with leather chairs and modern art. The glass-ceilinged courtyard bar is particularly impressive. Bedrooms in a chic country-house style radiate comfort, and range from main-house rooms with woodland views and a bath by the window to rustic cottages and cabins in the grounds, perhaps with an open fire. The Lake Cabin is the ultimate in privacy with a wraparound balcony over the water. After a walk in the New Forest (there are trails from the door), head to the forest-inspired Herb House Spa with its choice of pools, wooded views from the sauna, and yoga on the roof. The Raw & Cured café here offers nutritious dishes such as home-cured salmon, and borlotti bean salad, but save room for the main foodie event at Hartnett Holder & Co. Here, Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder serve tasty dishes that might include prawn risotto and butter-roasted monkfish with Ligurian fish stew.