Dannah Farm

This beautiful boutique B&B is situated on the edge of the Peak District in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales, looking down onto the Ecclesbourne Valley. The elegant late-18th-century farmhouse lies at the centre of a 154-acre working farm on the Chatsworth Estate at Shottle, and although it's easy to reach, it's a very rural place to stay, with levels of luxury that compare favourably to a top-end hotel but in a gloriously informal setting. We also like it because it's a proper family business, begun by Joan and Martin Slack back in the mid-1980s and now – along with its sister businesses Dannah Cottages – run by them, their sons and daughters-in-law, all of whom have pitched in as the business (and they) have grown.

There are eight large rooms and suites, and all have flatscreen TVs, wifi, tea and coffee-making facilities and large well-equipped bathrooms, but there the similarities end, because each room is utterly individual, varying from large two-level suites with a private sitting room and hot tub to spacious doubles with four-poster beds. One has an en-suite bathroom complete with flatscreen TV, another is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom suite that is big enough for a family or small group of friends, but throughout it all, a distinct emphasis is made on space, luxury and comfort.

True lotus-eaters can also book the 'Secret Garden' for the duration of their stay: a deliciously enclosed space equipped with a hot tub from which to enjoy the views of the countryside all around. Breakfasts are the other thing worth leaving your room for: generous affairs featuring homemade bread, free-range eggs and excellent local bacon, sausage and black pudding; veggies are well catered for too. And if you can't tear yourself away in the evening either, Joan and Martin can also provide a sumptuous supper platter to enjoy in your room. If there is a more comfortable family-run place to stay in this part of Derbyshire, then we have yet to find it.