Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton, United Kingdom

In the Oxfordshire village of Great Milton stands Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons. A beautifully proportioned fifteenth-century manor house, built with honey-coloured stone and set snugly amidst elegantly structured grounds, Le Manoir is one of the most sumptuous country house hotels in Great Britain, its restaurant critically acclaimed as the country's finest. Bristling with assorted stars, rosettes, medals and toques, this delightful retreat is also one of only nine hotels in the world, and the only one in Great Britain, to hold both the Gold and Red shields of the prestigious Relais et Chateaux chain - their highest classification for a hotel and restaurant.

The dream and inspiration of one man, chef-proprietor Raymond Blanc, Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons carries off with consummate skill and artistry that devilishly perilous balancing act of maintaining both a supremely rated hotel and a world-renowned restaurant. The result, for its fortunate guests, is little short of a stunning tour de force. The drawing rooms are splendidly accoutred, the 19 bedrooms individually designed and lavishly furnished and its restaurant is, simply, second to none. With unexpected Gallic restraint, Monsieur Blanc describes Le Manoir as "the perfect classic marriage between a beautiful English house and French cuisine." If ever there was a marriage blessed in heaven, this is surely it.