Plan an extravagant getaway to Bovey Castle

This is our kind of place: all the trimmings of a country house hotel – minus the stuffiness. Tucked away in Dartmoor National Park, the land was originally owned by Britain’s most famous newsagent William Henry Smith (or “WH” as we like to call him) and in 1907 his son built the place as a manor house.Like many of England’s grandest pads, it’s witnessed a fair few changes over the years – becoming a convalescent home in WW1, then a military hospital in WW2 – but today it’s known as home to one of the finest golf courses in the country.

Although the house is beautiful and crammed with elegant furniture, there’s nothing stuffy or pretentious about it. Warm, welcoming and eminently kid-friendly (there’s even a ‘Bovey Rangers’ programme of outdoor activities and a playroom to keep them out of your hair for a few hours), it’s the sort of place where you feel instantly at home.The rooms are pretty swish, too – ranging from singles (with flat-screen TVs and woodland views) to the bells-and-whistles Grand State Room, which has a huge living and dining area, plus a private balcony looking out across the Dartmoor hills.

Provided you can tear yourself away, there’s all sorts you could be doing while you’re here, including golf (obviously), archery, fly-fishing and tennis or – if you’re in need of indulgence – going for a dip in the rather splendid indoor pool followed by some pampering treatments at the spa. Like we said, it’s our kind of place.