Want to stay somewhere really special this summer? The AA has you covered. The motoring association (and all-round hospitality experts) have revealed the best B&Bs in the country, from old-fashioned inns to modern hideaways. And the winners are just as spectacular as you’d expect.
First up, there’s the winner of the English Guest Accommodation of the Year award: Highcliffe House in Lynton, Devon. It’s an elegant, adults-only Victorian residence, complete with six double bedrooms decked out in Laura Ashley designs. Guests are treated to luxury toiletries, fluffy towels and hot water bottles. And the breakfast menu includes blueberry pancakes, a full English (of course), smoked salmon and freshly lain eggs, plus homemade granola. The house also has incredible views of the north Devon coastline.
The charming Meikleour Arms won in Scotland, while the traditional Bear Hotel nabbed the title in Wales. Both were noted for their ‘successful mixing of old and new’.
If you’re all about that second B, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to the Breakfast of the Year awards. Dorset House in Lyme Regis won in England, thanks to its freshly ground coffee, meat sourced from a ‘slow-rearing’ local farm and homemade bread. The fruit compotes, made daily at the Arden Country House in Linlithgow, clinched it the Scottish prize, and the Welsh rarebit was a favourite at Peterstone Court in Powys.
The perfect B&B, though, has the perfect hosts. And The Hideaway at Windermere, in – you guessed it – Windermere, won the Friendliest B&B sward. The owners said they try to run the place with a ‘smile on their faces’, which, let’s face it, must require whole load of patience. We reckon you should plan a weekend away there ASAP.
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