Bishopstrow Hotel & Spa

This country hotel offers a playful and refreshing reinvention of the manor house experience. Georgian elegance is balanced with modern-day sass in bedrooms packed with delicious colours, quirky features and lush views.

The jumping-off point for any visit here, however, is a meal at The Garden Grill, a farm-to-fork restaurant with a no-dig garden at its heart. Seasonal fruit, veg and herbs are grown using organic and sustainable methods, providing flavour and freshness all year round.

The restaurant is headed up by Philip Lewis, a man with swanky creds: he has previously cheffed at British hotel institutions The Balmoral in Edinburgh and Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair.

While the menu is invitingly relaxed (several dishes can be ordered as starters or mains), there is ample opportunity to worship at the tasty altar of old-school posh grub, too.

That said, this is also a fantastic spot for enjoying simple but beautifully prepared dishes such as South West scallops, ultra-fresh chicory, fig and pear salad, or a pillowy comforting classic in the form of Godminster cheese soufflé.

Notwithstanding the fine food, Bishopstrow attains bougie Wiltshire getaway status with its boutique spa. Unwind with a soothing treatment, then get hot and unbothered in the steam and sauna room before sliding down to the restaurant, relaxed to the max.

Trencherman’s tip

This spot is worth a stopover. Stay the night in a room with a private outdoor jacuzzi, explore the 18th-century temple and walled garden, and take a riverside stroll in a pair of Le Chameau boots from the welly wall.