Bankside Hotel Southbank, London

Firmly within the orbit of London’s creative solar system – Tate Modern, National Theatre and Borough Market are all within easy reach – plush pad Bankside launched in October 2018. It’s the refreshing way it has brought art to the fore without taking itself too seriously that caught our eye. Wander the corridors to spot the Mona Lisa sporting a graffiti wig, or Shakespeare with a skateboard, in homage to the nearby Globe Theatre and skatepark. Expect mid-century modern design with a mood board of textures: think thick alpaca throws, waxy leathers, and ribbed walnut. Of the 161 rooms and seven suites, the ‘Biggest Suite’ (£609) comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect of an SE1 postcode, and is worth the splurge.

University Arms Cambridge

The highly anticipated restoration of this historic inn didn’t disappoint when it flung open its doors last August. Architect John Simpson and designer Martin Brudnizki have fused Edwardian elegance with nods to the city’s academic spirit. Parquet floors, fireplaces and panelling evoke a professor’s study, while 192 rooms in a palette of mustard and Cambridge blue are bolstered by writing desks and piles of books. We were taken, too, by the dishes served at collegiate communal tables in Parker’s Tavern and the free bikes for guests to explore, student-style.

Heckfield Place Hampshire

Urbanites looking to flee to the country have just one address circled on their maps this year: the bucolic Heckfield Place. The 18th-century pile stole our hearts when it opened back in September, with its ancient woodlands, walled gardens and home-from-home vibe. There’s a pastoral calm to the 47 bedrooms, each furnished in muted, heritage tones warmed by choice furnishings. Expect an innovative food offering by chef Skye Gyngell, too. Of the two restaurants, our pick is Hearth, where country fowl and root veg are charred over open fires.

Kimpton Fitzroy Bloomsbury, London

The Grade II-listed exterior and decadent interiors planted Kimpton Fitzroy firmly on the list of London’s most beautiful hotels when it opened in October. From the ostrich feather plumes and twinkly chandeliers in Jazz Age-inspired Fitz’s Bar to rippling restored marble columns, high ceilings and an Italian mosaic-tile floor in reception, it simply exudes fin de siècle style. Upstairs, the aesthetic gives way to 334 rooms of more muted tones. Pull up a rattan seat at peach-hued Neptune’s oyster bar and order a fresh dozen and champagne to toast your good taste.

Whitworth Locke Manchester

Set between the cultural hub of Spinningfields and the edgy Northern Quarter, this hip aparthotel in a former cotton mill opened its doors last November, after New York-based designers Grzywinski+Pons transformed the industrial space into a pastel palace. Expect blush-pink walls, stormy grey kitchenettes, pistachio sofas and super-comfortable king-sized beds in the 160 spacious apartments. Whether you opt to whip up something in your room, order in, or head down to FDN Whitworth for a flavoursome feast, there’s no wrong decision.

Vintry and Mercer The City, London

When the sister hotel to South Kensington’s Ampersand opened this February, we instantly warmed to the geometric aqua tiles found in the bathrooms, the silks draped across the walls in the 92 rooms and clusters of potted palms that fill the airy interiors. More than just an elegant place to bed down, it’s also a fine place to eat. Up at the Mercer Roof Terrace, chicken comes doused in honey and jasmine, Dorset blue lobster is drowning in butter and juicy steaks are whipped straight from the Josper grill. Wine, meanwhile, is poured straight from the barrel, or is available by the glass in the Vintry Kitchen downstairs.

The Fife Arms Braemar

Surrounded by Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park, this old hunting lodge channels du Maurier’s Manderley with its gothic maximalism. Think Farringdon’s The Rookery meets the love-child of William Morris and Picasso on an Irn Bru sugar high and you get the picture. The use of heavy velvets, regal colours and curios across the 46 rooms is spellbinding: you’d be forgiven for expecting to see Lord Byron tucking into a seared red deer haunch in The Clunie Dining Room. While keen sporting types head out with the ghillie, homebodies will find days are best spent at the spa– or soporifically stroking the resident Great Dane.

Best of the Rest

131 House, Cheltenham

Hotel No.131 was already racing ahead when it came to thoroughbred lodgings in Cheltenham, but with the March arrival of this eight-room townhouse extension, the boutique pad has widened its lead. Ash windows and ottomans juxtapose art from the likes of Tracey Emin and Banksy for the win. Doubles from £160.

The Dixon, Tower Bridge

One of the newest properties on our list – open since last December – The Dixon earned its spot with its devilish design details. The 193-room converted courthouse has reclaimed holding-cell benches as tables and, in the lobby, a 1.8m chandelier with handcuffs cheekily hung from its core. The sharp bedrooms with mod cons aplenty ensure you won’t mind being held captive for a night or two.

L'Oscar, Holborn

This lavish 39-room bolthole makes our list for its unapologetically hedonistic approach. Inside the Grade II-listed former Baptist church, open since last June, everything from the crockery to the candles has been custom-made by London’s finest artisans. Lather yourself in the bespoke his ‘n’ hers scents by Roja Dove before painting the town red.

The Talbot, Malton

Welcoming the well-refined, the rogues and the rascals since its coaching-inn days in the 1700s, The Talbot has recently been made-over into a chic country abode. Four-poster beds, dreamy tubs and roaring fires are standard in the 26 rooms, but what really stands out is the food. Menus burst with English classics such as double bone-in rib of Yorkshire beef.