3 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.

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.

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.