Special Places to Stay - More than a bed for the night

You arrive in style: a fine sweep though the Fonthill estate and under the Triumphal Arch. Wash up at this country-house inn and expect to be seduced; after a severe fire it has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes. Outside, a half-acre garden is ridiculously pretty – hammocks in the trees, parasols on the terrace, church spire soaring to the heavens; – but this Georgian house is equally sublime, an inn for all seasons. Inside: a drawing room where facing sofas are warmed by a roaring fire; a restaurant with a wall of glass that opens onto the terrace; a bar with parquet flooring for an excellent local pint. Follow your nose and chance upon the odd chandelier, roaming wisteria, logs piled high inside and out and a rather grand mahogany table in the private dining room. Bedrooms are small but perfectly formed with prices to match: white walls, the best linen, sisal matting, super bathrooms. As for the food, there's much to please, perhaps marrow fritters with lemon mayo, local partridge with bread sauce, chocolate bread and butter pudding. There are film nights most Sundays, the cricket team comes to celebrate.