£9.74 (RRP £14.99)
This trusted guide is now in its ninth edition. All of the places are inspected and are good value (dozens under £100), whether remote and simple or wrapped in luxury. The selection will provide plenty of inspiration for a weekend away, a family holiday and even a business trip. There is a smugglers' inn, a cliff-top castle, a 16th-century priory, a 21st-century French-inspired local, a 1735 mansion on the River Wye, a Palladian masterpiece (where James Bond played Goldfinger at golf) and one of the best hotels in the country for walking, set in 38 acres of blissful Dartmoor silence.
From the thoroughly traditional to state-of-the-art 'boutique', over 300 places are listed. New to this edition are a grand old bank in Oxford, an elegantly revived inn in Rye and a beach cafe on Slapton Sands. We also celebrate the imaginative and hard work of many of our owners to reduce their impact on the planet by highlighting a selection of places with particularly good green credentials with a double page spread. Our fresh and lively write-ups, full-colour photographs, clear symbols, excellent maps, clear directions and quick reference indices paint an accurate picture to help you to discover the place that is best for you.
“I need divine intervention, but reach for the next best thing, an Alastair Sawday guidebook.”
The Guardian
“Evocative descriptions of characterful places”
The Daily Telegraph
“The hotel bible”
Independent on Sunday
“If you want a weekend away and need advice on a special place to stay then Alastair Sawday's guides are exactly what you need.”
Good Book Guide
“The Sawday guide comes up with more imaginative recommendations. Descriptions are crisply informative and the colour photographs provide a good idea of what to expect.”
Mail on Sunday
Tom Bell has a flair for rooting out special places. He has also written guides for Australia and New Zealand and contributed to many travel web sites.
