The William Cecil

Situated on the edge of Stamford in Lincolnshire, this hotel is named after the eponymous advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, one of the shrewdest men of his time, who became First Baron Burghley and built the nearby Burghley House. The sand-coloured stonework of the hotel matches its surroundings perfectly, although it’s actually an amalgamation of buildings of different centuries. The interior has a pristine country-house appearance, with period furnishings and fittings, though perhaps no room is as appealing as the large conservatory. There are 27 guest rooms, divided between ‘Classic’, ‘Chic’ and ‘Luxury’ and all with a range of tip-top facilities, including the likes of roll-top baths, rain-forest showers and Egyptian cotton sheets. The hotel restaurant is excellent, too, featuring a Modern British menu in which care is taken to source things local and seasonally whenever possible, and they serve a cream-laden afternoon tea as well. Dogs are very welcome at the hotel and your canine pal will even have the chance to enjoy its own doggie room-service – choose from pork sausages with gravy to organic chicken breast; it’s just a shame that most dogs can’t handle a knife and fork.