Martin's Six of the Best – November

First stop was the Devonshire Estate's Cavendish Hotel, which received a multimillion-pound makeover this year but has always been a comfortable place to stay – good for a romantic weekend escape while still being the sort of place you could bring your mum. Overseen by designer Nicola Harding and the duchess herself, they have brought a contemporary note to the hotel while retaining every ounce of its country house charm, adding a whole slew of art from the Chatsworth collection to the walls, extending the south-facing outside terrace and giving the rooms the kind of amenities we've come to expect from a hotel of this calibre. Based around the produce from the estate, the food is great too, and they're offering some tempting winter deals between January and March.

One of the benefits of staying at the Cavendish is that you are a short walk from the grand stately home at the centre of the Chatsworth Estate – the benefits of which are often bundled up with the cost of your room. Right now is a great time to stay to experience the estate's very popular Christmas Market, not to mention the house itself, which is a must for families at this time of year, with magical lights and playful installations on their Christmas Trail. You can also wander the gardens and grounds to your heart's content, winding up at the estate's farm shop or one of their cosy pubs for a warming glass of mulled wine.

Down in the south of Derbyshire, just outside the boundaries of the National Park, Dannah Farm is a unique and rather luxurious B&B on a working farm, with a handful of extremely spacious rooms and suites, each with its own hot tub (one even has its own sauna). Like all the coolest places, it's a family-run business, very welcoming with the comfiest of beds and superb breakfasts to set you up for some proper winter walking. They also have two beautifully renovated self-catering cottages nearby – right opposite a good pub and also both provided with hot tubs and a sauna! Maybe it's a Derbyshire thing?

At the other, wilder, higher end of the Peak District – the so-called 'Dark Peak' – Losehill House  is another family-run spot where you can have a bit of a hot tub wallow, in this case after swimming a few lengths of their lovely indoor pool. Exactly midway between Manchester and Sheffield, Losehill House is a tranquil hideaway from both, with a really good restaurant and views to die for. Perfectly placed for exploring the dramatic landscapes of the Hope Valley and Edale, it also has a train station in the nearby village so you don't even need to bring the car – just your walking boots!

A lot of people ask what we mean when we refer to a 'cool place': well, the Lord Crewe Arms is what! A utterly unique place to stay on the Northumberland/Durham border that blends a few centuries of history with a couple of dozen comfortable and stylish rooms and a restaurant serving terrific, locally-sourced food. If you are trekking across the moors on a foggy night (not uncommon in these parts), then the Lord Crewe and its picture-perfect village are exactly the sort of place you want to arrive. Formerly a monastery, once you've drunk a pint of local ale in the wildly atmospheric Crypt bar, eaten in the equally evocative Bishop's Dining Room and staggered off to your comfy room, you probably won't want to leave. That's the definition of a Cool Place!

A perfect pocket of peace, Blackbird began life as a traditional narrow boat and has been re-imagined as a coolly elegant retreat for two on a serene lake in a glorious corner of northwest Devon. With a wood-burning stove, a contemporary and very stylish interior, and your own 20 acres of woodland teeming with wildlife, it would be hard to find a more romantic winter escape for a couple – and the good news is you can stay here for 25% off the usual price until the end of January 2025. 

Find more great places to stay in: