Fiona Duncan

Tyddyn Llan has a new chef and redecorated bedrooms, but gastronomic standards remain high

As thousands of pubs close their doors, a new wave of passionate publicans are stepping in to revive Britain’s most cherished institution, says Fiona

You know what they say: less is more. (Or, in this case, smaller is better.) From Cotswold coaching inns and Pembrokeshire bolt-holes to Lake District

I think people fall into two categories: those who love hotels – the whole concept of them; the hospitality and the havens they provide – and those

There are two subjects that dominate the time I spend surfing the internet. One is dog breeds: though I yearn for the perfect pooch, I know that because

It’s lucky I met Mark Goldberg early on in my stay at the Royal Bell, otherwise I might have continued to think that I had entered the first circle of hell (reserved for the virtuous who dwell in eternal longing – in my case, longing for the insistent music and raucous laughter of after-work punters on the hotel’s garden terrace to stop).

High time, once more, for me to scratch my head in disbelief. Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, has revealed its Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards for 2026, celebrating this year’s highest-rated hotels worldwide, according to the platform’s global users.

Birdsong in the hedgerows, the clink of china teacups on the lawn, the clunk of mallet on croquet ball, the pop of a pickleball. These are the sounds of summer at our finest country house hotels – quintessentially British, with gloriously landscaped grounds and lovely views where life spills out on to umbrella-shaded terraces, cooling parterres and sheltered arbours.

Fiona Duncan I'm smitten. The old heart has skipped a beat.

To some it may be irreverent, kitsch and a cynical bid for Instagram success, but to me it's funny, different and lifts my spirits.