Beaverbrook is a portal to a long-gone era of British high society and old-world luxury. It ticks all of the "country house hotel" boxes. Historic mansion? Check. Swathing grounds? There's 470 acres of them, in fact. Charming service? Again, tick. Art abounds, too. The spa here is a masterpiece of modern stained-glass by Brian Clarke, while walls throughout are adorned with the Victorian painting collection of Lord Beaverbrook, the property's original owner.

With just 13 bedrooms and no restaurant of its own, Hurtwood Hotel functions more like a boutique B&B than a hotel - which is not to say it's any less worth a visit. It's based in the tumbling village of Peaslake which makes a charming antidote to city living and a good starting point for cycling or walking tours of the Surrey Hills. Denbies Wine Estate is nearby, too. Oh, and it would be rude to leave without trying the seasonal tasting menu at the adjoining pub, Hurtwood Inn.

Perched just outside the Royal Deer Park, this 14-room boutique hotel is about as close to a night's stay at Hampton Court Palace as one can get. Guests lucky enough to snag a bedroom on the right-hand side of this period property will have a front-row view of the famous palace maze. The hotel restaurant serves traditional British dishes - wild rabbit, lamb rump and battered haddock - and spills onto the garden terrace in summer.

Londoners will be only too familiar with José Pizarro, the Spanish tapas maestro whose restaurants in Bermondsey and Broadgate routinely fill out come rush hour. His latest venture, in the village of Claygate, is a must for foodies looking to explore Surrey's great outdoors. Bushy Park (the second largest Royal Park, after Richmond Park) is nearby, as is the exquisitely clipped Claremont Landscape Garden. Rooms aren't in the pub itself, but in a barn conversion just behind.

The White Horse Hotel's history stretches back to 1278, when the building was first used as a coaching inn. Today, it's a different story. Shrubby pot plants fill The Dozen, its bar and deli-concept which serves an encyclopedic array of Surrey produce. As for the rooms? Expect Scandi-style wood panelling and retro flourishes including rotary-dial telephones. Golfers will delight in the handful of courses right on the hotel's doorstep.

The Orange Tree is a pub-meets-boutique-hotel slap bang in the middle of Richmond. It's a prime spot for exploring the town's natural bounty - Kew Gardens, Richmond Park and the stylish emporium Petersham Nurseries are all 10 minutes away by foot - and a favourite hangout among rugby fans, too. On summertime match days the hotel's pub becomes a huge viewing party with drop-down screens and sizzling barbecue food served from 10am.

Yes, it's an Elizabethan mansion with tennis courts, a spa and 50 acres of landscaped parkland, but the real selling point of the Great Fosters is its Michelin-starred restaurant. Headed by chef Tony Parkin, The Tudor Room is a tour de force of British fine dining which seats only 20 at any one time. Those looking to fully immerse themselves in this most British of hotels can reserve a Historic Suite replete with original 18th-century tapestries or Jacobean carvings.

Rumour has it that the grounds of Wotton House were once home to kangaroos. It's but one of many stories from this 16th-century pile's eccentric history. The River Tillingbourne still scores the estate's Italian Renaissance-style gardens like a romantic painting but, today, the surreal quirks of the past have been swapped for simple luxury. It has a tech-y gym, pools and a hearty British restaurant. Our favourite features, however, are the boot room stuffed with Hunter wellies and the fleet of freshly pumped bicycles. Venture into the Surrey Hills in style.

Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth's quite splendiferous residence, might be 20 minutes away by car, but Pennyhill Park isn't short on regal pomp. Built around a grand 18th-century house, its corridors are decked in chandeliers and earthy floor-to-ceiling tapestries. Hungry guests can choose between The Latymer, the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, and the two AA-Rosette-awarded, The Brasserie.

British whimsy is the order of the day at The Hand & Spear where botanical arts and crafts-style wallpaper, brassy art-deco ornaments and blue-willow porcelain sit together, cacophonously. This jubilant, home-away-from-home sensibility carries through to the hotel's restaurant, a casual pub set up with a menu of locally grown, fuss-free grub. Surrey Hills and Sandown Park Racecourse are a short drive away, as is Brooklands Museum with its purpose-built motor racing circuit.