Tatler

"Kumu Beach is a seafront hotel with soul on the west coast of Sri Lanka, encapsulating the style and spirit of a world that existed before package tourism discovered the Island of Serendipity. The main house sits above a secluded bay, onto which the surf breaks noisily and into which the sun melts every evening. You are but a short stroll away from a turtle-nesting beach and a quick drive from Sri Lanka’s largest reclining Buddha at Galagoda. Without a hint of gimmickry or any sense of trying too hard, Kumu Beach is an ideal place to decompress."

"Prince Charles spent much of his childhood at the Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey. No wonder then that His Royal Highness was keen to share the area’s wild magic, opening this charming B&B last year. It is housed in a renovated 17th-century granary, with ten elegant bedrooms, blazing fires and deliciously comfortable living rooms with sea views. The dining room is enchanting and low key, filled with a collection of antique grandfather clocks – as beautiful as you would expect. But a highlight of a stay here is the unparalleled access to the nearby castle and gardens for after-hours tours or a private dinner party in the royal dining room."

"In remote eastern Nepal, coloured prayer flags flap invitingly over a brightly painted stone house. This was the famous mountaineer Edmund Hillary’s self-proclaimed ‘Happy House’, though it’s recently reverted back to its original owners – descendants of the Sherpa family who migrated from Tibet in 1530. It’s an incredible base from which to explore the wild Solu Khumbu region, which, according to Buddhist belief, is one of the few untainted sacred spots in the world."

"To stock up on picnic essentials, head to Bayley & Sage for rosé, cheese and Scotch eggs."

"This was the last residence of Sicily’s most celebrated author, Prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. His ancestral home on Via Butera, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, is completely bewitching. Its romantic and wild garden beckons with lemon trees, jasmine, wild roses and a fountain pond (now home to turtles, including Lighea, named after a mermaid in a short story of Lampedusa’s). Here, the rhythm of a more elegant era is conjured by its current owners, Gioacchino and Nicoletta Lanza Tomasi, Duke and Duchess of Palma, who run a charmed B&B occupying various floors of the historic Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, where the antique-filled bedrooms have high ceilings and parquet floors, and some come with their own terraces."

"So you've walked Snowdonia (well done you) and, as a result, turned into a hot, sweaty mess. What to do? Jump into Llyn Cau, the melted glacier slap-bang in the middle of the crater of Cadair Idris, that's what. The 1,150-foot ascent will have you gagging for a chilling dip, even if you're surrounded by freshly fallen snow."

"No visit to Chatsworth is complete without a swim in the River Derwent. Wander downstream from the main bridge to make sure you're away from the prying eyes of visitors, then it**'** s an easy stroll down the grass bank into the river. Or, if you feel like making more of a splash, jump in via one of the tree swings."

"Wimbledon is not short of bars and pubs. If you’re looking for a quintessentially English pub, make a beeline for The Crooked Billet or Hand-in-Hand pubs which are located right next door to each other, on the edge of the Common. They overlook a pretty green where deckchairs and alfresco tables filled with well-heeled locals and their pedigrees await."

"To sit and eat pistachio ice cream underneath the chandeliers of this hotel’s ineffably opulent gilded, mirrored ballroom is just sublime. This is a grand hotel of the old school, an art nouveau beauty that has recently been restored and revamped by Rocco Forte hotels, who have breathed life into an ageing grande dame. Renowned interior designer Olga Polizzi has filled the hotel with incredibly tasteful linens, onyx sculptures, jewel-coloured fabrics and some fabulous antiques, particularly in the George V suite (named for George V, who took up residence here in the summer of 1925). There is a glistening pool, flanked by ancient stone ruins and rows of palm trees, which makes for the happiest swim after a long, languid lunch at restaurant Florio, where you can indulge in their take on Sicilian classics such as pasta alla Norma and more ice cream."

"The River Wharfe is a picturesque spot in front of the spectacular Bolton Abbey ruins. It's the ultimate place for living out to your period-drama fantasies."