The Pig at Combe in Devon – the group’s fifth outpost – is
arguably the best of the litter. Quintessentially British with a
modern twist, Robin Hutson’s shabby-chic country house retreats are
heaven sent. Nestled in the Otter Valley, this secluded spot
stretches some 3,500 acres. Inside the Grade I-listed Elizabethan
manor, flagstone flooring, stained-glass windows and comfortable
beds provide sumptuous quarters in which to cosy down. Treat
yourself to a “piggy massage” at the Potting Shed spa and follow
with dinner at the Folly, a restored dining room with original
features serving wood-fired pizza (which can be eaten in bed).

Formerly a 17th-century chapel, this boutique residence consists
of eight contemporary bedrooms to squirrel away in. In the morning,
fresh croissants are brought straight to your room from the on-site
bakery; your nose will preempt the knock at your door. Breakfast
aside, the food is plate-scrapingly good across the board, with a
relaxed Mediterranean approach to British ingredients. Art lovers
should note that the guest house is just five minutes from Hauser
& Wirth in Bruton, which supplies the hotel with a rotating
selection of art.

Killiehuntly, a decidedly slick Nordic retreat near Inverness,
seems something of an oxymoron. The hybrid design coined as
“Scandi-Scot” incorporates minimal Danish with Scottish farmhouse
traditions. Located on a working farm, which dates back to around
1850, every inch of the 4,000 acre estate is considered and
well-cared for. You can rest assured the food at Killiehuntly is
fresh, organic and wholesome.

Part of the Lucky Onion group – other properties include The
Wheatsheaf Inn and 131 in Cheltenham’s centre – this Georgian
mansion houses one particularly stylish B&B. An art-filled
haven, No38 richly coloured wallpaper and stucco ceilings provide
the perfect backdrop to prized works by British artists including
David Hockney and Sir Peter Blake. Individually decorated bedrooms
carry through similar artistic notes and guests can expect cosy
quarters plus en suites complete with claw-foot bathtubs. Enjoy a
generous breakfast spread in the atrium and grab a green bench seat
by the folding glass doors to catch the morning light.

This 16th-century inn has five luxurious bedrooms nestled under
its homely thatch. Choose from the “Rabbit Hole” or the spacious
“Barn Suite” with all rooms finished with a trademark mix of
antiquary and bohemian styling. Downstairs, Mr Hanbury’s Mason
Arms, designed in collaboration with artists The Connor Brothers,
is a welcoming country pub. While we can’t imagine ever wanting to
leave this place, Artist Residence is conveniently located near
Blenheim Palace, Bicester Village and Daylesford cookery school,
should the notion take you.

Purchased by Lord Beaverbrook – a great friend of Winston
Churchill – in 1910, this historic property was sold in 2002 and
reopened in 2007 following a £90 million makeover. Located in the
heart of the rolling Surrey Hills, Beaverbrook seems to have it all. Complete with
home cinema, sleek hotel bar and Japanese restaurant, there is also
a real sense of fun about the place. Stately rooms are offset with
modern pieces, injecting spontaneity into an otherwise classical
aesthetic. Generously sized bedrooms named after illustrious guests
such as Ian Fleming and Elizabeth Taylor are pure folly – and the
bathrooms are large enough to run laps in.

Less than five-minutes walk to the beach and Turner
Contemporary, it’s no wonder The Reading Rooms is a popular posting
among a hip crowd. Margate’s magnetism fluctuates from season to
season but this cosy Georgian townhouse is welcoming year-round.
Built in the 1760s, the house’s original architectural features
have been preserved. The three spacious guest rooms, each covering
an entire floor, with windows overlooking the tree-lined Georgian
square offer guests sedate surroundings in which to truly unwind.
Breakfast is served in-room on a large antique butler tray; eat it
in bed or by the window with views over the square.

The family-run Shepherd House is a beautiful, zanily decorated
Georgian townhouse in Faversham. Bold yet tasteful colour
combinations overrun the premises; guests are likely to find an
assorted palette of delicate pink walls paired with dinosaur
etchings, monochrome bath tiles and mandarin-coloured upholstery.
For a seaside weekend away, Shepherd House is a solid choice, with
the option of an evening walk along the beach at Whitstable
followed by a shellfish dinner at the Whitstable Oyster Fishery
Company.

If you and your beau typically prefer clean lines and urban buzz
over majestic pomp, The Newt in
Somerset might just be the perfect country-house romantic break
for you. Checking in to The Newt is like checking out of modern
civilisation and into a romantic novel from time past – one with
extensive modcons, we should add. At this Georgian country pile,
oil paintings hang above modernist sofas and big contemporary
glassy structures are set beside old Palladian mouldings. The
mansion was recently revamped by Karen Roos, former editor of Elle
Decoration South Africa and one half of the brains behind South
Africa’s eminently stylish farm hotel,
Babylonstoren.

Located in the secluded farmland on the
Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, Pensons is a Michelin-starred
restaurant with rooms rather than a full-blown hotel. To be clear,
Pensons is actually the name of the restaurant which takes fruit
and veg grown in its extensive kitchen garden and refashions it by
some form of culinary alchemy into exquisite dishes – an approach
it calls “estate to plate”. From this intimate setting, it’s a
short roll across the restaurant courtyard to a cosy, comfortable
bedroom with bespoke interiors. It’s a terribly exclusive set-up so
book ahead.

More is more at this exuberant Highlands hotel. Every room is
plastered with whimsical arts-and-crafts wallpaper and hung with
the contemporary art world’s most weird and wonderful outpourings.
It’s the love child of the Swiss gallerists behind Hauser &
Wirth, and not far from the higgledy-piggledy village of Braemar
which is teeming with history. Some might find it dizzying, most
will find it a sumptuous, romantic retreat.

It’s hard to believe that this cossetting place is just a
15-minute drive from the hustle and bustle of Belfast. Surrounded
by forests, glens, meadows and rippling rivers, Clandeboye Lodge
Hotel offers luxurious lodgings and tranquil indulgence aplenty. If
you’re the kind that would rather swap rose petals and massages for
long, hearty treks in the great outdoors, this is your perfect base
in Northern Ireland. The hotel’s Date with Nature
package, comprising a one-night stay, dinner and bottle of wine,
costs from £200 for two guests.

This grown-up seaside hotel is the ultimate destination for city
escapees, delighting with the 12th-century chapel nestled in its
grounds, and mesmerising view of the historic holy island of
Caldey. Glance at its imposing stone facade and you might presume
interiors to be dark and dated, but, on the contrary, the 12
guestrooms are bright and airy, featuring whitewashed walls
punctuated by a sprinkling of pastels. Days are best spent working
up an appetite by strolling the medieval town of Tenby or
meandering along the windswept Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, before
dinner à deux at the hotel’s Rhosyn restaurant – all mahogany
furnishings and ornate chandeliers. Linger over an indulgent array
of home-cooked dishes such as Welsh rarebit tart, rump of lamb and
roast halibut.