8 Best Hotels in The West Country, England

With the grandeur of a country estate and the amenities of a modern hotel, Bovey Castle, built in 1906 for Viscount Hambleden, has it all, including guest rooms and self-catering lodges. On its vast grounds are an outstanding golf course and 24 miles of riverbank that can be used for salmon fishing. There's a resident pianist, falconry displays, and a spa center, and children have a barn filled with activities. Enormous fireplaces and oak-panel rooms give a sense of early-20th-century pomp to the public rooms; bedrooms are luxurious, and even some of the bathrooms have great views across the valley.

Under the auspices of hotelier Olga Polizzi, the Endsleigh has become one of the country's best-loved hotels, nestled in a fold of the Tamar Valley with the river itself rolling serenely by at the bottom of the garden, which has been cited as one of the world's most romantic. Built as a hunting lodge, with grounds designed by Humphry Repton, the atmosphere is secluded and select, with log fires in winter and acres of grounds to explore in summer. Guest rooms are palatial but cozy, with none of the drafty windows or creaking floors that often go with the country-house experience, and some feature antique, hand-painted wallpaper. There's a two-night minimum stay at weekends. The paneled restaurant draws enthusiasts from far and wide for its traditional but inventive cuisine. It's located 8 miles from Tavistock.

It's the Cornish Riviera, Italian style—this former yachtsman's club, owned by hotelier Olga Polizzi, makes for a luxuriously relaxed stay. Decorated in stately, muted tones, with terra-cotta pots on the terrace, the Tresanton is a meeting of classic English and warm Mediterranean styles, and the terraced Beach Club and the yacht available to guests in summer reinforces the jet-set spirit. In the restaurant, the Italian-inspired menu includes local oysters, lobster, gnocchi, and beef fillet.

An impressive lodging, Thornbury has everything a genuine 16th-century Tudor castle needs—huge fireplaces, moody paintings, mullioned windows, and a large garden. There's also plenty of history as Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Mary Tudor all spent time here. The standards of comfort are famous, and the pampering touches in the "bedchambers" include complimentary decanters of sherry. Guests come from all over to dine in the restaurant, where you'll find sophisticated fare that makes use of local venison, duck, and halibut. The hotel is 12 miles north of Bristol.

Squeezed into a narrow space at the bottom of a steep lane just outside Torquay, this secluded coastal spot lies just feet from the rocky shore and the waters of Babbacombe Bay, where dolphins and seals are occasional visitors. There's a view-laden lounge, a cozy pub-restaurant with open fires in winter, and plenty of outside seating. Guest rooms are spacious and there are also luxury beach huts and self-catering cottages away from the main building. If you're not tempted by Babbacombe Beach, you can indulge in the hydrotherapy pool, sauna, and treatment rooms instead. Valet parking takes the stress away from negotiating the steep approach road.

A showy Victorian edifice, all turrets and elaborate plasterwork, this hotel with 5 acres of gardens, a spa, and a pool was the original inspiration for Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows. It's a great place for families—most rooms are spacious enough for several people, and there are excellent facilities for the kids. Modernizations have successfully melded vintage character with contemporary pizzazz. The relaxed dining room, which opens onto a terrace, is open to nonguests.

Rolling parkland surrounds this stately Elizabethan manor house, which is 16 miles east of Exeter and has been converted into a hipster retreat run with energy and enthusiasm. "Fun not formality" is the guiding principle, evident from the moment you step into the grand entrance that now holds a lively bar. Public rooms have a shabby-chic coziness, with blazing fires and deep, soft sofas, while the individually decorated guest rooms are spacious and have fabulous views, as well as bathrooms equipped with roll-top baths and powerful showers. The two restaurants—including one in the garden—use produce sourced from the kitchen gardens or from within a 25-mile radius, which then create such dishes as black truffle risotto, pigeon breast, rump steak, and hake fillet. A range of treatments is offered at the Potting Shed, and you can explore nearby Gittisham, once described as "the ideal English village" by King Charles III.