1 York & Albany, London

Gordon Ramsay's ever-growing empire takes a new turn on 29 September with the opening of his first hotel, the York and Albany in Camden, London. This early 19th-century John Nash townhouse has been reworked to provide a restaurant, bar and deli with 10 hotel rooms, two of which are suites overlooking Regents Park. The dining rooms will serve seasonal and uncomplicated dishes, while the deli, in the former stables, will sell cured meats, cheeses, jams and ice creams made on site (perfect for impromptu picnics in the park). Ramsay gave Escape a sneak preview last week, and we can report that it's already looking impressive. The bedrooms, created by British fashion designer Russell Sage, are all highly individual, with dark-wood antiques, lavish bedding, and fabulous old four-posters in some rooms. Ramsay said he'd 'get this one right' before opening more hotels, but let slip he was considering another in Oxford.

· 127-129 Parkway, London, NW1 7PS; gordonramsay.com/yorkandalbany; doubles from £155

2 Rogan and Company, Cumbria

Chef Simon Rogan put the sleepy market town of Cartmel in the Lake District on the map with his Michelin-starred menu at L'Enclume. This year he has opened a second, less formal and less expensive eatery in the town called Rogan and Company, a 16th-century inn oozing charm with log fires, beamed ceilings, whitewashed walls and welcoming leather tub chairs. Completing Rogan's domination of Cartmel, he has slowly opened bedrooms for his guests around the town: seven above L'Enclume, and two others next to the new brasserie.
· The Square, Cartmel, Cumbria; 01539 535917; roganandcompany.co.uk; doubles from £100

3 Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons, Oxfordshire

A very French air pervades at the quintessentially English manor house that houses Raymond Blanc's two Michelin star restaurant and hotel. The result of his love affair with England, Le Manoir marries perfect French dishes with top British ingredients and vegetables from his own two-acre kitchen garden. Formal English lawns are lined with Provençal lavender, lavish oak beds are complemented by gorgeous soaps from Marseille and bedrooms are inspired by Blanc's favourite flowers and flavours.

· Great Milton, Oxfordshire; 01844 278881; manoir.com; doubles from £395

4 Gidleigh Park, Devon

The idyllic rolling North Teign valley makes a soothing soundtrack that can be heard from the rooms of Gidleigh Park, the 54-acre estate in the Dartmoor national park where chef Michael Caines has achieved two Michelin stars for his innovative modern European cuisine. Each of the 24 classic rooms is an essay in understated sophistication; as with Caines's cooking, the attention to detail is impeccable. Enormous roll-top baths fill at lightning speed, port and fruit greet you in your room, and a fully stocked pantry - should you feel hungry after Caines's eight-course extravaganza - is on each floor.

· Chagford, Devon; 01647 432367; gidleigh.com; doubles from £480 including dinner for two and breakfast

5 Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham,

5In the heart of bustling Nottingham, Sat and Amanda Bains have created a secluded boutique retreat. 'One of our driving passions is to give our guests something unique,' says Bains of his eight-room hotel and restaurant. The bedrooms are all chocolate and cream, and berry red hues, with touches such as antique wooden bedsteads, open fireplaces and free-standing slipper baths. A very romantic B&B indeed.

· Lenton Lane, Nottingham; 0115 986 6566; restaurantsatbains.com; dinner, bed and breakfast from £99pp

6 The new Angel, Dartmouth

Overlooking the River Dart, John Burton Race's modern French menu showcases the best in local and seasonal ingredients - try Cornish cod, potato puree and a light chicken juice spiked with capers and lemon. Upstairs, the six contemporary rooms combine pastel walls with soft woods and Molton Brown bath treats. Mount Boone, up its own private staircase, and occupying the whole of the top floor, is the most indulgent. Complimentary wine, biscuits and snacks are in your room just in case you feel peckish.

· 2 South Embankment, Dartmouth, Devon; 01803 839425; thenewangel.co.uk; doubles from £130

7 Waterside Inn, Bray

The legendary Roux brothers have been conjuring up exquisite, unashamedly French food since 1972. A homely mix of snug lounges, smart dining rooms, summerhouses and riverside terraces, the Waterside Inn, in the pretty village of Bray, offers dishes such as pan-fried lobster medallion with a white port sauce and ginger-flavoured vegetable julienne. The 11 elegant bedrooms mix traditional and contemporary style. Many overlook the Thames, offering a romantic retreat - and the chance to sample the brothers' cooking twice. Breakfast has never tasted better.

· Ferry Road, Bray, Berkshire; 01628 620691; waterside-inn.co.uk;doubles from £190

8 The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny

Chef Shaun Hill has refurbished the famous Walnut Tree and offers a return to dining in an informal setting, as its simple, rustic chic interior confirms. The eclectic menu is based on Hill's personal taste, cooking techniques and local ingredients, such as pigeon breast pastilla, and Aylesbury duck steamed then crisp fried with root vegetable puree. Across the garden is the newly renovated Ivy Cottage, with two double bedrooms, a lounge and conservatory that looks onto the restaurant's kitchen garden. Rooms have a French country house feel, with lots of Farrow and Ball. Best of all the fridge is stocked with goodies from the restaurant for the duration of your stay.

· Llandewi Skirrid, Abergavenny, Wales; 01873 852797; thewalnuttreeinn.com; self-catering cottage from £160 for two, four people £240

9 The Foxhunter, Monmouthshire

Michelin-trained Matt Tebbutt has returned from London to his native Wales and transformed an old stationmaster's house and former pub into a modern British country restaurant, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons national park. His wife, Lisa, has breathed new life into the Victorian interior, coupling the original features, such as Welsh flagstone floors, with log-burning stoves and handmade furniture. The gutsy menu changes daily, reflecting local, organic and seasonal produce, both bought and foraged; think pappardelle, braised longhorn short ribs, osso bucco style, wild sea trout, razor clams, samphire, broad beans, dill beurre blanc. The Foxhunter Cottage and the Old Stable (sleeping three and two respectively) are a stone's throw from the restaurant and have a rustic, contemporary Welsh look.

· Nantyderry, Monmouthshire; 01873 881101; thefoxhunter.com; self-catering cottages from £125 a night

10 Simpsons, Birmingham

After training at the Ritz and the Dorchester, chef Andreas Antona headed to Birmingham, where he has converted a Grade II-listed Georgian mansion in leafy Edgbaston into a Michelin-starred restaurant with four bedrooms, surrounded by stylish gardens. His French food - try loin of Finnebrogue venison, Manor Farm beetroot, chervil root puree, juniper sauce - is an exercise in artistic precision and panache. Above, the rooms are individually themed - the Oriental, the French, the Colonial, the Venetian.

· 20 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham; 0121 454 3434; www.simpsons
doubles from £160

11 Mr Underhill's Ludlow, Shropshire

Self-taught chef Christopher Bradley and his wife, Judy, have single-handedly made Ludlow a food mecca. Sitting on the banks of the Teme, their bright, airy restaurant has full-length windows looking onto a scene almost as picturesque as the seven courses on their daily tasting menu: the fillet of Mortimer Forest wild venison, served with wine, elderberry and thyme, and baked potato mash with chive, comes from just across the river. Rooms are refreshingly simple.

· Dinham Weir, Ludlow, Shropshire; 01584 874431; mr-underhills.co.uk; doubles from £140

12 The Victoria, Sheen

Reviving the concept of the inn, Paul Merrett has just opened a gourmet pub with seven bedrooms near Richmond Park. The oak-framed conservatory dining room serves everything from steak sandwiches and traditional roasts to home-made cakes and weekend brunch, with a wine list created by Olly Smith. The relaxed vibe continues through the bar area and into the bedrooms, which are simple and contemporary with large beds, woollen throws and Egyptian cotton sheets.

· 10 West Temple Street, Sheen, London; 020 8876 4238; thevictoria.net; doubles from £115

13 The Hambrough, Isle of Wight

Ex-head chef at Cliveden, Robert Thompson won his first Michelin star aged 23. He fulfilled his dream of owning his own restaurant when he took over the Hambrough, a 26-seat restaurant and boutique seafront hotel in Ventnor. The restaurant uses fresh, local produce to create imaginative modern British dishes, while the sleek, contemporary rooms in shades of mocha and cream have sea views, roll-top baths and underfloor heating.

· Hambrough Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight; 01983 856333; thehambrough.com; doubles from £100

14 Elbulli Hotel, Seville

The original mad scientist of cooking, Ferran Adrià has renovated a Moorish 10th-century farmhouse into a hotel that lives up to the same standard that won him three Michelin stars and a two-year waiting list for his restaurant. One of the best ways to guarantee a table at La Alqueria, his new two Michelin star restaurant, is to book into the 44-room hotel, decorated with antiques, works of art and complete with walled gardens and an outdoor pool.

· 41800 Sanlúcar La Mayor, Seville, Spain; 00 34 955 703344; www.
elbullihotel.com; doubles from £275

15 Michel Bras, Laguiole

Miles from anywhere, on a rural French hilltop, sits this jaw-dropping post-postmodern temple of cuisine, all glass and steel like a Bond villain's lair. The food is equally avant-garde, though tres Français none the less. Bagging a table isn't easy, so book a room at Michel Bras itself.

· Route de L'Aubrac, Laguiole, France; 00 33 5 65 511820; michel-bras.com; doubles from £220

16 L'Andana, Tuscany

Alain Ducasse, the chef crowned with the most Michelin stars in the world, has a new hobby: opening chic B&Bs. L'Andana in Tuscany is a converted hunting lodge, set in classic Italian gardens and surrounded by Tuscan vine-swathed countryside. The rooms are understated yet grand with wooden floors and period features; outside is a pool and gardens of cypress trees and umbrella pines; and there's an Espa spa. But it's Ducasse's surprisingly affordable Michelin-starred Trattoria Toscana that draws the crowds.

·> Tenuta la Badiola, Badiola, Italy; 00 39 0564 944800; andana.it; doubles from £275

17 La Colline du Colombier, Iguerande, France

The latest outpost of Jean and Pierre Troisgros's ever-expanding empire is Le Colombier, a restaurant and hotel overlooking the Loire. They have converted a large barn into an inn serving 60 diners, and the farmhouse and dovecote, which now houses two four-person suites. Higher up on the hillside, the Troisgros have built three cabins on stilts that have a wall of glass offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding farmland; inside they feel like eco-tents. While the family have held three Michelin stars for a generation, the welcome is honest and laidback, and the simple French country food reflects the environment, as does the price - the set menu is just £27.

· Iguerande, Roanne, France; 00 33 3 8584 0724; troisgros.com; doubles from £590 for three nights (minimum stay)

18 Kasteel Withof, Belgium

A fairytale white castle set in four hectares of parkland, Kasteel Withof has six rooms each with their own style, furnished with 18th-century antiques and Bulgari products in the bathrooms; a half bottle of champagne and a free minibar are a welcome extra. Downstairs, chef Peter Coucquyt, who gained his first Michelin star this year, presides over intricate dishes such as Oosterschelde eel, raw-baked fennel with tarragon and peach. In winter the burgundy-walled lounge is a snug place to hole up, while the terrace is a fabulous spot in summer.

· Bredabaan 906, 2930 Brasschaat, Belgium; 00 32 3 670 0220; kasteelwithof.be; doubles from £256

19 Librije's Hotel and Librije's Zusje, Holland

In 2004 Jonnie and Thérèse Boer's restaurant De Librije, in Zwolle, received its third Michelin star. Wanting a bigger challenge, in May they opened a hotel with a restaurant and cookery school in a historic former prison around the corner. The 20 rooms hint at the building's past; bars on the windows and heavy cell doors remain. Jonnie and Thérèse designed the furniture and monochrome decor themselves. The new restaurant, which translates as Librije's little sister, serves up classics from the original, such as pike-perch with black treacle, salt pork terrine and foie gras, red mullet with flaked sausage or sole with smoked butter.

· Spinhuisplein 1, Zwolle, Holland; 00 31 38 421 2083; librije.com; doubles from £220

20 Garzon Hotel and restaurant, Uruguay

Francis Mallman, South America's most famous and flamboyant chef, has taken his Andean griddling technique to Uruguay, where he has created a restaurant and boutique hotel in the converted old general store of the ghost town Garzon, three hours from the capital Montevideo. His latest addition is a row of posh teepees, and next he plans to open Los Negros restaurant with his most expensive menu ever, also in Garzon.

· Garzon, Uruguay; 00 589 410 2811; restaurantgarzon.com; doubles from £240 including meals and drinks, horse riding, driving tours and laundry