Bovey Castle

Bovey Castle is a country house hotel with bells on. Standing in a 275-acre estate within Dartmoor National Park, it has a spa, restaurant and cocktail bar alongside facilities for tennis, golf and croquet. The staff don’t just wait on you, they’ll park your car and carry your luggage too. If you’re looking for a five-star stay, hotels don’t get much better. And you don’t have to just take our word for it: you can take that of the AA, whose inspectors call this an exceptional hotel with an outstanding restaurant. It has five red stars – and if you’ve not heard of the red-star scheme before, that’s because it’s reserved for the very best of the best. At the last count, Bovey Castle was one of just 51 English hotels to hold this prestigious award.

Behind the neo-Victorian facade of this grand mansion are 60 bedrooms and suites ranging from the more modest Mews Bedrooms to Grand State Rooms with dining tables and roll-top baths. There’s one to suit pretty much every type of guest, from couples on honeymoon to those who are travelling with children or dogs in tow. Whichever you choose, your room will come with coffee- and tea-making facilities (including Nespresso machines), fluffy robes and slippers as well as top-quality towels. You’ll want those robes as you head down to the spa, if you’ve booked yourself in for a treatment or fancy a dip in the pool or whirlpool bath.

Service and style are top-notch, but above all, it's a friendly and welcoming place, where you can also choose to self-cater in one of the Luxury Lodges which stand a short walk away in the grounds. Wherever you’re staying, there’s a choice of two restaurants for dinner. Head for Smith’s Brasserie for Mediterranean dishes or the three-rosette Great Western Grill for elegant á la carte dining.

If you’re staying for more than one night, once relaxation, dinner and drinks are taken care of, you might find yourself wondering what else there is to do. But you won’t be pondering for long. All guests can make use of a putting green and croquet lawn, not to mention the hotel's long-standing championship golf course, and there’s a free-to-watch falconry display on most days. There are complimentary bikes for wider exploration of the grounds, and younger guests will enjoy visiting the estate's chickens and ferrets. But, should you want more, there’s plenty of optional extras too, from clay pigeon shooting and beekeeping experiences to tours of the deer park and also further afield into Dartmoor.