Where to stay: ENGLAND

With a distinctive theme – inspired by historic trading guilds – and a swanky speakeasy bar, Vintry & Mercer injects pizzazz into the City’s buttoned-up hotel scene. Such a unique theme would have been enough to capture your imagination, but the hotel also mixes in trendy, Pinterest-friendly elements, from a swirling copper and marble staircase beneath a cloud-like lighting fixture, to the menagerie of potted plants in the lobby.

What was formerly The Arch hotel has been totally overhauled by high-end Japanese brand Prince Hotels for its first foray into Europe. While you might not quite believe you've been transported to Tokyo – the bones of the hotel are a Georgian townhouse – the £3million makeover has reimagined the hotel as a Japanese-inspired minimalist sanctuary, and it certainly offers something a little different for the London hotel scene.

Deeply rooted in its surrounding area, The Lost Poet comes from the team at Cubic Studios – a local property design studio, born and bred in Notting Hill. The townhouse is a poetic love letter to the area, celebrating its creativity and dynamism through four individually designed bedrooms. Guests will find modern art, bold wallpapers and bespoke furniture sitting in juxtaposition with antique trinkets and reclaimed wood panelling created from old school science labs.

The Half Moon Street address pays tribute to the frilly artistic folk of the 19th century. There’s a playful dose of Alice-in-Wonderland-meets-Oscar-Wilde, with nods to the flamboyance of characters from The Importance of Being Earnest, and quirky colored graphic art playing with motifs from down the rabbit hole. It could all add up to something distinctly gimmicky but a sense of restraint and a Claridges-esque appreciation for Art Deco has resulted in rooms that are moody, masculine and…

Billing itself as London’s first mindful hotel, the 88-room property unfolds over six Georgian townhouses stitched together by Holland Harvey Architects, in a leafy patch of Paddington, to include facilities like a Meditation Pod, Yoga Atrium, a gym with a Peloton indoor cycling bike, and a Clearlight Infrared Sauna.

Named for the section of a song where new, contrasting material is traditionally introduced, Middle Eight aims to do something similar for Covent Garden: adding something vibrant and memorable to the neighborhood that’s nevertheless recognizably a part of its surroundings. The immediate setting, Great Queen Street, lies just beyond the end of Long Acre, Covent Garden’s main drag, and places the hotel within walking distance of no end of shops, restaurants, bars, and theatres.

Originally built in 1899 as a boarding house for Revenue & Customs to house their officers, it was later sold on as a bed and breakfast and has been run as such ever since. Owner Freyja Ducker has masterfully renovated it into the boutique townhouse it is today, styling the house using her own vision where simplicity of style meets modern comfort.

Hotelier and designer Olga Polizzi spent two years re-designing the hotel, which opened in the summer of 1998. Tresanton still stands as a reflection of her personal style. Olga’s vision combines antiques, art, sculpture and colour pops of fabrics to evoke a stylish, relaxed and welcoming coastal retreat, with an eclectic mix of antique and contemporary furnishings, as well as artwork and sculpture from Cornish artists including Barbara Hepworth.

The Cornish Pig is the latest to impress in this small chain of seven unstuffy country house hotels. Set among fields of wildflowers above Harlyn Bay, with views of the Camel Estuary, the house combines histrionic interiors with countrified class – in the most effortless, but effective, down-to-earth and homely way.

A traditional bucket-and-spade holiday hotel since the 1970s, Watergate Bay now, run by the next generation of the same family, does its job of appealing to all ages with great style and its Extreme Academy for watersports makes the most of its location on one of Cornwall’s best surfing beaches. Interiors are cleverly designed to draw on the landscape and views.

Charismatic staff and funky décor in an exhilaratingly unpretentious hotel, whose quirkiness perfectly reflects that of eccentric and arty Penzance. Its bar-lounge, with wood-burner, log-piles, super-comfy retro sofas, and salvaged tables is a hub of town life, attracting people of all ages. With some rooms designed by artists, and others looking like an upscale rum shack, the style is resolutely eccentric.

A collaboration between owner Susan Stuart and architect Keith Bell, saw a two-and-a-half-year renovation project transform an 18th-century Georgian townhouse into a stylish boutique guest house. With its classic, light-filled Georgian proportions, simple lines and symmetry, period furnishings fuse with mid-century modern, creating a clean aesthetic to a backdrop of blues and grey hues. It's a serene retreat that is comfortable and welcoming.

Expect harbour views and culinary thrills at this beautifully renovated Victorian townhouse-turned-hotel. Previously a Seamen's Mission, it retains much of its original character, offering a backdrop to relax over champagne, seafood and striking river vistas, in one of Cornwall's liveliest harbour towns.

Designed to reflect Brighton’s iconic ocean-front location and the city’s creative spirit, interior designer Tola Ojuolape collaborated closely with Selina’s workshop team, using materials that represent and embrace the community, and each of the rooms has been given a quirky and whimsical twist.

Groovy yet grown up, Artist Residence is easily one of Brighton's most stylish boutique hotels. With the feel of a cosy boho club, its look mixes retro furnishings with densely pigmented colours and hip artwork. Come here for clever cocktails, on-trend tasting menus and dreamy bedside sea views.

This double-fronted Georgian merchants house is more guest house than hotel (you are asked to ring on the doorbell on arrival). The look is a combo of original features and wall-to-wall Farrow & Ball, with a nod to Bristol’s seafaring history (trunks, chests, bulk-head lamps and the odd maritime painting). An interesting collection of old and new furniture includes gilded mirrors, wing-back chairs, old pictures, splashy modern art and a David Hockney piece in the downstairs loo.

Rooms of the Fish Hotel are dotted across a wide area, some near a small lake, others variously up a steep hill commanding majestic views over Broadway and across the Vale of Evesham. Key to the operation is The Lodge, a modern chalet-style building which is the dining, bar, lounge and general activity hub. It’s a relaxing, welcoming space, with Scandi-cool furnishings, clean lines, clever lighting and big windows.

Historic, honey-hued Oxfordshire hideaway the Double Red Duke is a rare breed. Owners Sam and Georgie Pearman have nurtured many a fine stay with their Lucky Onion and Country Creatures hotel brands, and for this latest they seem to have taken a cue from the Arts and Crafts movement, creating colourful, characterful interiors using wallpapers, bathroom fittings, textiles and paints from heritage craftsmen across the country.

Well located in one of the Cotswolds’ most appealing little towns, The Painswick is a boutique hotel in a handsome, 18th-century property with Arts & Crafts additions. It has 16 stylish bedrooms, an arty vibe in its generous lounges and, best of all, a treat of a restaurant. Decked in a medley of greys, blues and greens and with striking prints and graphic artworks on the walls, The Painswick exudes chic comfort.