Llangoed Hall – Llyswen, Powys

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One of the best country-house hotels in Britain, with numerous awards to prove it, Llangoed Hall has never felt better. Won by a previous owner in a card game, it was Sir Bernard Ashley, widower of Laura, who later bought and restored the Jacobean mansion – redesigned by Clough Williams-Ellis in 1912 – as a showcase for his wife’s fabrics and wallpapers. Today it is still managed by the excellent Calum Milne and filled with Sir Bernard’s furniture and fine collection of mainly early 20th-century British art. The bedrooms are particularly lovely, full of personal touches and pretty accessories, with views of the Wye Valley and Black Mountains. Dinner is a real treat, courtesy of head chef Nick Brodie: imaginative and intricately presented, yet rooted in local produce, much of it from his burgeoning kitchen garden, where there are also ducks, hens, quail, bees and even a maze. You can wander the hotel, playing snooker, admiring the paintings, tinkling on the piano and feeling thoroughly at home.

Doubles from £150

+44 (0)1874 754525; llangoedhall.com

Want to find out more? Visit the hotel's website.