The Lygon Arms

History, grand rooms and antiques rub shoulders with a thoroughly modern spa and 21st-century luxuries in this sprawling honey-stone building with its tall chimneys and leaded windows. The Cotswold town former coaching inn is a maze of snugs and lounges that blend original panelling, inglenooks and beams with rich colours and contemporary and antique furniture. ‘When we’re there we feel very much at home,’ said a reader. So too did Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, Edward VII, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, among others. In Grill by James Martin dine in a room with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and minstrels’ gallery on dishes inspired by artisanal and seasonal produce; or for good pub snacks and small dishes, along with a fine local ale, try Tavern by James Martin, the new pub set on the high street. Bedrooms range from quirkily shaped rooms in the main house and adjoining cottages to contemporary annexe rooms and open-plan courtyard suites overlooking a landscaped terraced garden. All are furnished with bright coloured plaids, a mix of contemporary and antique Gordon Russell furniture, and original artwork. Modern bathrooms mostly have both bath and shower.