Summer lodge Hotel

9 Fore Street, Evershot, Dorset

Wine aficionados take note: at this cosy Relais & Châteaux country house in picturesque Evershot, you’ll find one of the UK’s most extensive wine lists and one of its top sommeliers. The cellar’s holdings are matched by fine classic fare in the restaurant, and service both in and out of the dining room is second to none. A spa, pool, croquet lawn and walking trails provide distraction between meals; all 24 of the elegantly chintzy rooms and suites are the picture of a Thomas Hardy-era manor (in fact, he designed part of the building). You’ll want to return here time and again. Doubles from £320.