5 Best Hotels in Exeter, The West Country

The owner of this quirky B&B, set in a quiet neighborhood a 10-minute walk from the center, was previously an antiques dealer and has decorated the Victorian building with period furnishings, fascinating artwork (including a collection of prints by Bob Dylan), and a trove of objects that invite lingering. There's no sense of clutter, however; rooms are scrupulously clean and the breakfasts are superb.

Close to the cathedral on the distinguished Southernhay, this graceful Georgian hotel with a secluded garden was once the home of an East India Company merchant, so its spacious, elegantly furnished guest rooms are named for wares (Silk, Cotton, Ivory, Spice, Opium, etc.) that made the company's fortune. Public areas have the atmosphere of an intimate club, and the whole hotel has an understated, boutiquey feel. There's a good selection of modern European dishes on the menu in the airy restaurant, and there are also snacks available in the bar along with an impressive list of cocktails. There's no on-site parking, but there are plenty of public spaces nearby.

This former hospital has been reimagined as a modish hotel with a zippy, happening vibe and add-ons that include a heated indoor-outdoor pool and spa treatments. Any residual institutional feel has been dispelled by the contemporary decor of the guest rooms, the walled garden, and a pavilion-like bistro-restaurant that offers a superb range of Mediterranean-style dishes. The location isn't auspicious (it's on the edge of the old town by an intersection), but it's only a few minutes' walk from the center. Hotel parking should be booked ahead.

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.

Guests have been welcomed to this inn since the 15th century (it's even said that Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses here), and the main building retains all the period trappings—cobbled entrance, beams, stone walls, courtyard—while the bedrooms, both in the main building and in a separate wing, are relatively modern. The hotel has a casual but atmospheric bar-restaurant where you can order such dishes as steak-and-ale pie, curries, and burgers; guests who book accommodation direct receive a 20% discount on the restaurant bill.