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Short Breaks

ABBEY HOTEL
Llanthony, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 7NN. Tel: 01873 890487, web: www.llanthonyprioryhotel.co.uk
• Situated at the foot of the Black Mountains, the hotel was originally part of the Priory, built by Augustinian Monks in the 12th century. With its narrow spiral stairs leading up to the tower bedrooms, a visit is like stepping back in time, and with the Offa’s Dyke Trail close by it’s the perfect stop-off for walkers and cyclists, whether for a quiet drink, an evening meal or an overnight stay. No kids under 10, no dogs. Rooms from £65pn.

ACORN INN
Evershot, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 0JW. Tel: 01935 83228, web: www.acorn-inn.co.uk
• Set in Thomas Hardy country, the Acorn is steeped in history. The name comes from ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles’, and the feel of the past is everywhere, with extensive oak panelling, open fires, beamed ceilings and flagstone floors. Lovingly refurbished, with 10 guest rooms, including a private loft suite: some have fabric-lined walls, others have four-poster beds. The intimate restaurant seats 36, and there’s a separate breakfast room also used for private dining. Locally grown produce is used whenever possible, and the menu is complemented by a carefully selected list of fine wines. The perfect jumping-off place for exploring the surrounding area. From £135 for a double room.

BEAR HOTEL
Crickhowell, Powys NP8 1BW. Tel: 01873 810408, web: www.bearhotel.co.uk
• Famous far and wide for its welcoming atmosphere, historic character, convivial surroundings and good food. Dating back to 1432, the cobbled forecourt, archway into the inner courtyard and 19th-century stagecoach timetable in the bar, are all reminders of the Bear’s former role as a coaching inn. The bar menu, heavy with local specialities, offers diners an excellent choice of food, ranging from a simple sandwich or baguette to a home-cooked brasserie-style three-course meal, and the two dining rooms have won the hotel clutches of awards. Local and national real ales, with seasonal guests making an appearance. Stunning location, close to the Brecon Beacons, with 36 rooms, all overlooking either the courtyard or garden. Double room with breakfast from £80.

THE BELL AT SKENFRITH
Skenfrith, Monmouthshire NP7 8UH. Tel: 01600 750235, web: www.skenfrith.co.uk
• A winding drive from Monmouth or Abergavenny through the Marches takes you to one of the best boutique hotels in Wales, the Bell at Skenfrith. Inside, the lush feel of the countryside is complemented by the luxury of the perfectly executed rooms, two of which have four-poster beds. Upstairs, attention to detail means that guests should never be left wanting, while, downstairs, a meal in the restaurant is a rare treat. From £105pn (double).

BOSKERRIS HOTEL
Boskerris Road, Carbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall TR26 2NQ. Tel: 01736 795259, web: www.boskerrishotel.co.uk
• Extremely comfortable surroundings and an incredible, extended sea view - panoramic in the luxury rooms - that can be enjoyed just as much from the terrace. The menu combines mouthwatering Mediterranean-style dishes with local produce, and being only 10 minutes by train (or a one-mile hike) from St Ives allows guests to enjoy the galleries and restaurants offered by the charming little town. From £85pn (sleeps two) mid-season, no pets, kids under 15 half-price.

THE CASTLE INN
Castle Combe, Somerset SN14 7HN. Tel: 01249 783030, web: www.castle-inn.info/index.html
• This lovingly restored 12th-century building has 11 highly comfortable rooms and such luxuries as whirlpool bathrooms, a Victorian slipper bath, flatscreen TVs and personal tea- and coffee-making facilities. Set right in the heart of Castle Combe, and a perfect place to stay after watching the car races. Cosy, rustic bar with a fine selection of real ales. From £110pn for a standard double.

CELTIC MANOR
Newport, Gwent NP18 1HQ. Tel: 01633 413 000, web: www.celtic-manor.com
• Vast, imposing building which you cannot miss as you take the M4 through South Wales. Set in 1,400 acres of parkland in the Usk valley, the Celtic Manor Resort offers a host of facilities to help you relax and unwind, including two championship golf courses, a Golf Academy, a spa with 16 treatment rooms, two health clubs and a choice of restaurants. Activities include a children’s club, tennis, mountain biking, walking and running trails. Clay pigeon shooting and fishing are available nearby.

CHARLTON HOUSE
Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 4PR. Tel: 01749 342 008, web: www.charltonhouse.com
• A country hotel with inexorable style, Charlton House is set among the rolling landscapes of the Mendip Hills. The 25 boutique rooms are done out in Mulberry fabrics and antique furniture, and one even comes with a private terrace and garden views - the Secret Garden Room. The laudable menu in the hotel’s restaurant is based on produce from the Charlton House farm, Sharpham Park, while Monty’s Spa offers a decadent retreat for those who want pampering. From £170pn (double).

COMBE HOUSE
Gittisham, Honiton, nr Exeter, Devon EX14 3AD. Tel: 01404 540400, web: www.thishotel.com
• The Good Hotel Guide UK Country Hotel 2007, Combe House occupies a grade I Elizabethan Manor hidden away in wooded Devonshire countryside. But there are no airs and graces here; owners Ruth and Ken Hunt welcome guests into their home with familiarity and ease. Expect roaring log fires, the smell of freshly baked bread, handmade quilts on four-poster beds, compelling scenery and candlelit dinners. What’s more, the wine cellar contains over 200 carefully chosen vintages, largely from France and Australia. From £125pn.

CRAZY BEAR AND RAGGED STAFF
Bear Lane, Stadhampton, Oxfordshire OX44 7UR. Tel: 01865 890714, web: www.crazybeargroup.co.uk
• Should you really want or need to get in the good books of your loved one, a swift drive down the M4 to Oxford for a stay at the gorgeous Crazy Bear should do the trick. It really is breathtaking. The restaurant is, quite simply, fantastic, while the bar and beer garden area are magnificent, and the rooms are flawlessly romantic. This is rustic charm at its most resplendent. We’ve run out of adjectives now. Blow the budget and book yourself into the Infinity Suite, with its crushed velvet walls, leather floors and a bath that fills from the ceiling, from £225 midweek. An art deco double starts at £115 midweek.

THE FORESTER INN
Lower St, Donhead St Andrew, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 9EE. Tel: 01747 828038, web: www.foresterinndonheadstandrew.co.uk
• “Attentive yet unpretentious” service in a quintessential country inn, with original 16th-century beams, thatched roof and inglenook fireplace. The atmosphere is simple and relaxed, and the two spacious rooms have antique iron beds, reclaimed wood furniture and fine linen. Brilliant, extensive wine list. One of the AA’s Top 200 B&Bs. Double rooms from £75pn.

GREYHOUND INN
Llantrissant, Usk, Monmouthshire NP15 1LE. Tel: 01291 672505, web: www.greyhound-inn.com
• 17th-century Welsh longhouse, surrounded by the woodland and pastures of the beautiful Usk valley. 10 ensuite rooms situated in an old stone stable-block, two adapted for disabled visitors, and all finished to the same high standard. Lovely rustic bar, all food produced from local ingredients. Rooms from £76 per night for double occupancy, special offers available for longer stays.

HALF MOON INN
Llanthony, nr Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 7NN. Tel: 01873 890611, web: www.llanthony.co.uk
• The Half Moon Inn is just the place for pony trekkers and walkers, offering you the chance to get out and see some real countryside with Llanthony Riding & Trekking in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Don’t be misled by the name - this is a proper, unspoilt B&B in a pub with proper ales, hearty food and some bracing walks in any direction from your front door. The hospitality is second to none, and don’t be surprised if you get challenged on the local bar billiards table either. From £47 for a double, £26 for a single.

HARTLAND QUAY HOTEL
Hartland, Bideford, North Devon EX39 6DU. Tel: 01237 441218, web: www.hartlandquayhotel.com
• Lovely wild rocky place right on the North Devon/Cornwall border. Spectacular rock action, wildlife walks and convenient for visiting lots of interesting places. Stay here: the hotel has its own museum of shipwrecks, gift shop and wood-panelled Wreckers Retreat bar. From 35pppn.

INN WITH THE WELL
Marlborough Rd, Ogbourne St George, Marlborough, Wilts SN8 1SQ. Tel: 01672 841445, web: www.theinnwiththewell.com
• A tranquil retreat - no pool table, jukebox or gaming machines - in the heart of the rolling Marlborough Downs. Set in the midst of the Ridgeway path, Europe’s oldest highway. Accommodation comprises six rooms with ensuite bathrooms (and a duck!). Doubles from £55pn.

KINGS HEAD INN
Bledington, Oxfordshire OX7 6QX. Tel: 01608 658365, web: www.kingsheadinn.net
• A 16th-century cider house on the village green, complete with brook and ducks, and, inside, the original inglenook fireplace. With old oak beams, Cotswold stone walls and low ceilings, the bar exudes warmth and charm. The bedrooms are beautifully furnished to complement the inn’s historical character, and the restaurant is famous in the Cotswolds for its quality food, with local meat, game and homegrown vegetables. Double rooms from £70pn.

LAMB OF RHOS COUNTRY INN
Llandysul, Carmarthen SA44 5EE. Tel: 01559 370055
• Halfway between Carmarthen and Cardigan, this country inn is perfect if you’re trying to escape the stresses and strains of life. There are no phones in the rooms, and they even advertise the fact that they’ll put off anyone who tries to reach you by pretending they’ve never heard of you. Just five letting rooms, with doubles from a mere £53 a night.

LUCKNAM PARK
Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts SN14 8AZ. Tel: 01225 742777, web: www.lucknampark.co.uk
• Bored with middling hotels and fancy upping the stakes somewhat? Then try this adapted country home, with its Michelin-starred restaurant, riding facilities (with lessons available), massage service and spa treatments and lavishly furnished rooms with every imaginable extra thrown in. The décor skilfully avoids falling into twee hum-drumity, but instead oozes nigh-regal grace; hence prices begin at £245pn.

THE LUGGER HOTEL
Portloe, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5RD. Tel: 01872 501 691, web: www.luggerhotel.co.uk
• A Cornish fishing village classic, the recently revamped Lugger Hotel sits on the harbourside at Portloe on the beautiful Roseland Peninsula. Occupying an old smugglers’ inn and two stone cottages, there are 22 rooms to choose from, many with sea views and all with deep baths and deluge showers. The Lugger is also home to the lovely Seboni Spa, which uses herbs and flowers found along the Cornish coastline in its treatments and products. From £160pn (double).

THE MASON’S ARMS
Branscombe Village, Devon EX12 3BH. Tel: 01297 680300, web: www.masonsarms.co.uk
• Roaring log fires and quaint thatched cottages: this is rural village life at its best. There are loads of great clifftop walks and you can work up a real appetite for the fantastic locally sourced food provided at the inn. Double rooms vary from £80 for the budget rooms to £165 for the luxury four-poster rooms, with massive discounts for out-of-season stays.

MILLHOUSE INN
Trebarwith Strand, nr Tintagel, Cornwall. Tel: 01840 770200, web: www.themillhouseinn.co.uk
• One of the Top Five places to eat in Cornwall, according to the Observer. Dating back to 1760, it’s a former stone and slate corn mill, situated in a secluded wooded valley. The decor is all battered leather sofas and snug bedrooms. Restaurant menus are changed regularly and concentrate on the use of the best fresh fish, meat, produce and other ingredients, all sourced locally. Sharps ales and an unusual and creative wine list complement both lunch and dinner menus. The nine rooms on offer are all ensuite, with prices starting at just £40pppn.

THE MUSEUM INN
Farnham, nr Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 8DE. Tel: 01705 516261, web: www.museuminn.co.uk
• Voted English Inn of the Year by the Good Hotel Guide in 2005, this place has been top-rated by just about every guide and reviewer imaginable. This is an inn that believes in comfort, providing you with everything from homemade biscuits and organic chocolate to power showers in the private bathrooms. The bar has a very cosy, traditional atmosphere with its low ceilings, flagged floors and great fire. Real ale fans will be especially happy here, as will cider-heads. From £95pn.

THE QUARRYMAN’S ARMS
Box Hill, Corsham, Wilts SN13 8HN. Tel: 01225 743569, web: http://fp.quarrymans.plus.com
• A friendly country pub with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, catering equally well to single guests, family holidays and business trips. The rooms are large and luxurious, the food is great, and the recent addition of a beer garden with handmade local benches adds further to the ambience. Ensuite doubles from £65.

RED LION HOTEL
Clovelly, North Devon EX39 5TF. Tel: 01237 431237, web: www.clovelly.co.uk
• Step back in time at this 18th-century hostelry on the 14th-century quayside. The 11 rooms all enjoy either a sea or harbour view, and because of the age of the building, each has its own special character. Beautifully decorated on a whimsical nautical theme, B&B from £56pppn.

THE ROSE AND CROWN INN
Tintern, nr Chepstow, Monmouthshire NP16 6SE. Tel: 01291 689254, web: www.tintern.org.uk/rose.htm
• A short trip over the bridge lurks The Rose and Crown Inn in the heart of this lovely village, run by rugby nut and all-round jovial chap Dave Stafford. As well as providing a proper warm Welsh welcome (and doing a mean breakfast), this delightful B&B is family-, dog- and children-friendly and provides a great spot from which to trot up the river Wye, the Tintern Trail or just mooch around the shops in this area of outstanding natural beauty. Live music every Friday night. £20pp/pn.starts at £54.50pppn.

THE SALUTATION INN
Market Pitch, Weobley, Herefordshire HR4 8SJ. Tel: 01544 318443, web: www.thesalutationinn.co.uk
• They might have dropped the ‘Ye Olde’ from the name, but the combination of an old ale and cider house with an adjoining 500-year-old cottage still makes for a comfortable and traditional place to stay, eat and drink. The food, with both a la carte and bar menus available, has won several awards, attracting loyal guests back year after year. Rooms are cosy and individually furnished, with access to a luxurious Victorian bathroom. Double ensuite rooms from £83pn.

SKIRRID MOUNTAIN INN
Llanfihangel Crucorney, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 8DH. Tel: 01873 890258, web: myweb.tiscali.co.uk/skirrid
• Affectionately known as ‘The Skirrid’ - which means broken - this inn is reputedly the oldest pub in Wales with a history that can be traced back to the Norman Conquest. Some vaguely supernatural myths surround the Skirrid (they used to hang people here, and the inn has featured on TV’s ‘Most Haunted’) but the truth is this is a very comfortable, warmly hospitable spot with rich history and close proximity to Abergavenny. The home-cooked Welsh breakfast is excellent fuel as well. From £85 (for two). Three double ensuite rooms, all at £85 a night.

SLIPWAY HOTEL
Port Isaac, Cornwall PL29 3RH. Tel: 01208 880264, web: www.cornwall-online.co.uk/slipway-hotel
• Right in the thick of it - well, as ‘thick’ as Port Isaac’s village life can get, anyway - you’ll find this small, family-run hotel and seafood restaurant overlooking the Platt, centre of all village life. Parts of the building date back to 1527, with original beams, panelling and stonework. The Lifeboat Suite is a must for families or groups of friends, with its two bedrooms, separate bathrooms and, piece de resistance, large lounge overlooking the quay, with panoramic views of the beach and harbour. From under £30pppn.

STAR INN
Talybont-on-Usk, nr Brecon, Powys LD3 7YX. Tel: 01874 676635
• A former CAMRA pub of the year, this is your archetypal Welsh inn and B&B, with a reputation for serving top-quality real ales (up to 12 at any one time) and good homecooked food. It also happens to have the Brecon and Monmouth Canal running beside the garden. Just two letting rooms, from £50 per double.

TOM COBLEY
Spreyton, Devon EX17 5AL. Tel: 01647 231314
• In this guide principally because they were voted national Pub of the Year in the 2007 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, the inn has four upstairs letting bedrooms, with three more planned, providing a charming base for touring this lovely part of the world. The historic market towns of Crediton and Okehampton offer plenty to interest visitors, and the rugged expanses of Dartmoor stretch to the south, with wonderful walks and stunning scenery. Eight regular ales, although there’s usually four on hand pump and anything up to 10 on gravity. A thriving village pub, with a modest bar and a spacious dining room at the rear, it’s as popular for food as beer with locals and others in the know.

WHATLEY MANOR
Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 0RB. Tel: 01666 822888, web: www.whatleymanor.com
• Just three years old this July, Whatley Manor has already established itself has one of the top country stays in the South West. Although the building is traditional English manor, the décor is eclectic contemporary European. As well as two restaurants, a private cinema and the Aquarias Spa, the hotel also incorporates 12 acres of gardens with sculptures, fountains, rose gardens, woodland and meadows - and all this within a few minutes’ drive of Bristol and Bath. From £280pn (double).

WHITE LION INN
High St, Bourton, Dorset SP8 5AT. Tel: 01747 840866
• On the main street in the middle of this charming Dorset town is the most northerly inn in the county, a large, 18th-century coaching house with a beautiful garden. Beers include London Pride, Greene King IPA and a guest from Hopback Brewery. A good-value a la carte and bar menu available. Child-friendly, with full disabled access and facilities. Letting rooms from around £50 a night.

YARN MARKET HOTEL
25 High Street, Dunster, Minehead, Somerset TA24 6SF. Tel: 01643 821425 web: www.yarnmarkethotel.co.uk
• Superficially, this hotel might not leap out of the ordinary at you - sure, they have minibus hire available, four-poster beds, family suites, and a conference venue for business travellers. But unlike other places, the Yarn Market allows dogs everywhere at no extra charge, as well as having an enviable location within Exmoor National Park and near Dunster Castle. Themed breaks throughout the year, including music and art workshops. From £30pn.

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