NEW ZEALAND

The tour company we used for our visit to New Zealand (APT) chose our accommodation and all the hotels were excellent. I would particularly recommend:

North Island:

In the Bay of Islands: The Paihia Pacific Resort Hotel. Go for the suites which are enormous!

In Rotorua: The Park Heritage. It's a 'classy', but friendly, hotel next to some hot volcanic mud pools (you soon get used to the smell of sulphur!). There is a really good Maori Cultural show in an evening at the hotel.

South Island:

In Te Anau: The Village Inn; themed rooms in 'wild west style'.

In Queenstown: The Copthorne Lakefront Hotel. Once you get used to the arrangement of the floors and lifts, this is a great place to stay, above the hustle of the town.

COUPEVILLE, WASHINGTON STATE, USA

The best place by far to stay is The Anchorage Inn on North Main Street. It's a classic B and B where you will be sure of a terrific welcome from Dave and Dianne Binder. Our favourite room is the Crow's Nest which has views across Penn Cove.

ORCAS ISLAND (WASHINGTON STATE, USA)

Welcome to the Anchorage Inn!

We've only ever stayed at the Anchorage Inn B and B on Orcas. It sits on East Sound along a private road opposite the town of Eastsound and has its own small beach. There are just 3 letting rooms in a separate building from the owner's house. Our favourite room is Ocean View. Here you can sit on your private deck and, if you are lucky, watch Bald Eagles in the trees. There is a hot tub in the woods. Each room has its own small kitchen area and breakfast is brought to you the day before with full cooking instructions which means you can start your day as early (or late as you like). From the Inn it's a 5 minute drive into town.

The view from the private beach.

LAKE DISTRICT (CUMBRIA), UK

For a real treat stay at Ees Wyke Country House in Near Sawrey. It was once the holiday home of Beatrix Potter and is just down the road from Hill Top, the farm she made her home. Richard and Margaret Lee are excellent hosts. Some of the en-suite bath/shower rooms are on the small size but the bedrooms have lovely views, comfortable beds and are spotlessly clean. Dinner is served in the dining room which overlooks the lake (Esthwaite Water). Richard is the chef and the five course dinners are sensational! The photo above shows the view from the hotel towards Esthwaite Water. The one below shows Ees Wyke from across the lake.

If you are looking for a cottage to rent, especially in the Southern Lake District, I recommend that you start by visiting the Lakeland Cottage Company's website. They are a very good company, with a wide range of properties, and you can check availability on-line. Another company I recommend is Heart of the Lakes, though beware that they add a compulsory cancellation insurance premium to the costs and for anyone with annual travel insurance this is an unnecessary expense. For a real treat, look at the excellent apartments in Ambleside offered by Luxury in the Lakes.

SCOTLAND

In the Cairngorms area we always stay in Carr-Bridge. It's just north of Aviemore and is a 'proper' village quite unlike the 'concrete jungle' and artificiality that is Aviemore these days. Stay at Fairwinds Hotel and Chalets. Alison and Lindsay will make you very welcome, and chef Lindsay's evening meals are always very special. You eat dinner and breakfast in the conservatory, and if you are lucky you can watch red squirrels whilst you eat.

There are no hotels or bed and breakfasts in Kishorn, but there are cottages for rent. For instance Opposite Skye Cottages or John and Sally Parker's cottages in Achintraid overlooking the loch. An alternative, is to stay in nearby Lochcarron.

KANDERSTEG (SWITZERLAND)

We always stay at the Hotel Victoria-Ritter in the centre of the village, just a three minute walk from the railway station. It is owned by the Platzer family and Muriel and Casi are excellent hosts; in fact one of the best things about the Victoria is the friendliness of all the staff. I would recommend that you ask for one of the larger 'Ritter' rooms. The dining room has lovely views of the mountains. The buffet breakfast is sumptuous and for the evening meal you choose in the morning from the table d'hote menu. You can also eat 'a la carte' in the Ritter restaurant. We've never had a disappointing meal at this hotel. Once a week there is a fondue evening arranged for guests and on another evening Casi will take you on a torchlight stroll through the woods.

WALES

Just two recommendations so far in Wales. The Harbourmaster Hotel in Aberaeron has received a great deal of national coverage recently which is no surprise. It is on the Cardigan Bay coast and Glyn and Menna Heulyn have created a very modern small hotel from a Grade II listed building dating from 1811. As the name suggests it has a wonderful harbourside location. There is no residents lounge so you have to make do by relaxing in the bar which is very popular with locals. The restaurant is a real highlight; plenty of seafood plus some of the best Welsh Black beef we've ever tasted.

Hotel Accommodation in Shropshire

My other recommendation is actually in Shropshire, but walk 100 metres down the drive and you arrive in Wales. Pen-y-Dyffryn Country Hotel is just west of the market town of Oswestry close to Offa's Dyke. The main building is a Georgian ex-rectory; we stayed in a Coach House room which was very private and had it's own small patio area. As with many of my favourite hotels, what makes Pen-y-Dyffryn special is the quality of the welcome and overall service provided by Miles and Audrey Hunter and their, mainly young, staff. It is not a cheap place to stay, but 'you get what you pay for'! There is a folder of local walks available in reception and two comfortable lounges where you can collapse after you have been out for the day.