Knockinaam Lodge, Portpatrick, United Kingdom

Churchill retreated to the quiet seclusion of Knockinaam Lodge to plan the Allied campaigns of the closing stages of the Second World War. The room where he slept retains its charming period furniture and the adjoining bathroom, with its immense bath tub, offers enchanting sea views.

The hotel, built in the second half of the 19th century as a hunting lodge, is in 30 acres of gardens and woodland on the shores of the Irish Sea. During the summer, you can sunbathe on the Lodge`s private beach or enjoy tea and shortbread by the boathouse. During the winter, you can watch the setting sun from the dining room while enjoying roast fillet of Aberdeen Angus.

The Lodge`s kitchen uses only the finest and freshest local produce for its French-influenced cuisine. The huge wine list,with over 400 labels, provides the ideal accompaniment to the meal. After dinner, guests can sit in front of the log-fire in the wood-panelled bar and sample the home-made petit fours or try a dram from one of the largest collections of single malt whiskies in Scotland. The food is of the highest order, whatever you choose: there are home-baked croissants for breakfast, canapés with the cocktails and specially prepared picnics for al fresco dining.

Should you find the time to explore the countryside, then you can enjoy your specially-prepared champagne picnic in the Mull of Galloway and marvel at some of Scotland`s most dramatic cliffs.