Kentisbury Grange

Kentisbury Grange is a place that should not be overlooked. Not only for its location right on the edge of Exmoor, and its position close to the fabulous beaches of the North Devon coast. But also because it's the epitome of comfort, in a part of the world where, to be honest, genuinely stylish hotels with good restaurants are in rather short supply.  Come here for a luxury country retreat, beautifully landscaped grounds, good food and a choice of regular double rooms and separate lodges and cottage suites.

From the outside, this grey-stoned Victorian manor house doesn't look like anything special, but inside it's incredibly comfortable, with a mixture of elegant rooms furnished in a classic yet contemporary style and a handful of well-appointed, slick self-catering lodges located in the hotel's beautifully landscaped grounds. It's a rather chic place all in all, with a up-to-date vibe that's also manifest in the cool Coach House restaurant, which serves up a menu based solidly on local ingredients: fish and seafood from Lundy Island, pork and duck from Exmoor farms and local 'Weytown' beef, all flavoured with herbs from the restaurant garden. They have a lovely, well-priced bar menu too.

To be honest, it's hard to think of a nicer place to finish the day after a walk on the moors or a trip at the seaside – and there are plenty of nearby attractions to choose from. Most obviously, you are perfectly placed to join one of the most spectacular sections of the South West Coast Path, which edges the cliffs of North Devon as they drop almost vertically into the sea. The moors and deep wooded valleys of Exmoor are also nearby, as are resorts like Lynton, Lynmouth and Ilfracombe, beyond which lie the magnificent beaches of Woolacombe and Croyde. You could spend two weeks here and not run out of places to see or things to do.