Lympstone Manor

Michael Caines spent years looking for the right house before buying this Georgian mansion above the Exe Estuary and rebuilding it as a five-star hotel. It opened in 2017 and has held a Michelin star since its first year.

The twenty-odd rooms and suites are named after estuary birds, and the best have terraces or balconies angled at the water. Commissioned murals and hand-painted details replace the usual country-house chintz. Six shepherd's huts in the grounds offer a more informal alternative with hot tubs and the same view.

Around the house, nearly eleven acres have been planted with vines producing traditional-method sparkling wine, and there are walks down towards the estuary shore. The Jurassic Coast starts a short drive south at Exmouth.