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.