Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Bowness-on-Windermere, Lake District

A speedy 20 minutes from the M6, the hotel is set back from the road in its own considerable grounds - including a field of pet llamas. Although the honeypots of Bowness and Lake Windermere are less than three miles, they feel a world away. Lake House, the hotel's nearby satellite property wrapped amongst woodland, feels even more like a sanctuary. Bowness, with its lake cruises and gift shops, is nearby, as is Beatrix Potter's home and Grizedale forest.

By car: The hotel is 1 hour 30 mins from Manchester, 3 hours from Edinburgh and just under 5 hours from London. Free private parking is available on-site.

By train: Trains run from Manchester Piccadilly (just over 1 hour), London Euston (3 hours) and Edinburgh (2 hours) to Oxenholme Lake District station. The Gilpin is a 20-minute taxi ride from the station. Book trains to Oxenholme Lake District.

At its core, this is a deeply comfortable country-house hotel - enveloping sofas, glossy books, hefty table lamps - but one pimped with a keen, contemporary edge. There's a startlingly bright bar, a colourful Asian restaurant, a roof-top spa garden and a discreet sprawl of Scandi-cool lodges and suites. Lake House is more homely, in an old-school antique sort of way.

If you're looking to recharge, you've come to the right place. With gardens, a field of llamas - at Lake House, woodland and the eponymous lake - terraces and well-upholstered lounges, you'll always find quiet corners and restful views. There are two small spas plus Lake House guests benefit from an indoor pool. Staff manage that tricky balance of being discreet yet always there when needed.

• Two restaurants
• Bar
• Terrace
• Gardens
• Spa
• Free parking
• Wi-Fi (charges apply)

Rooms range from bright contemporary country-house in the Edwardian villa and scandi-cool garden suites to chic private lodges with picture windows, ponds, freestanding baths and even saunas and steam rooms. Most rooms have hot tubs.

Room types: Classic Bedrooms, Master Bedrooms, Junior Suites, Garden Suites, Spa Lodges, The Lake House (6 boutique rooms)

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom with Pure Lakes toiletries, seating area, TV, tea and coffee facilities, minibar

A choice of three restaurants, even amongst the high culinary standards of Lake District country-house hotels, is unusual. Michelin-starred SOURCE, led by Ollie Bridgwater (ex-Fat Duck) offers a finely-crafted tasting menu while Knipe Grill serves punchy dishes cooked over wood and charcoal and Gilpin Spice has an open kitchen and tapas-style Asian dishes.

SOURCE: Michelin-starred, focusing on locally sourced, seasonal and sustainable ingredients. Tasting menus from £120pp.

Gilpin Spice: informal atmosphere, open kitchen, pan-Asian small plates.