A 15-minute drive from Winchester, Lainston House stands at the end of an impressive avenue of lime trees surrounded by parkland. Rooms in the 17th-century mansion are elegant and traditional; the best are the loggia suites, which open onto the garden, and the hot tub suite with a terrace overlooking the chapel ruins.

Everything about the Montagu Arms, in the charming village of Beaulieu on the edge of the New Forest, is understated and geared towards encouraging guests to unwind.

Just outside Lyndhurst in the New Forest national park, this country house hotel has Susie Atkinson interiors and coveted cottages and cabins in the grounds (those in the forest are ideal for families; the lake cabin, which is cantilevered over the water and has an outdoor tub, is for couples).

In the heart of the New Forest, this is the original Pig hotel. The rural dream, it has a wildflower meadow orchard, pigs, chickens, beehives and a walled kitchen garden that provides ingredients for the plot-to-plate greenhouse restaurant (the rest is sourced from within a 25-mile radius).

An urban boutique hotel within Southampton’s medieval walls, this is the smallest in the Pig group. Twelve rooms range from Snug, in the eaves, to Spacious; the latter come with a modern four-poster and roll-top bath.

This restored 18th-century manor sits on a 500-acre estate where guests can try their hand at all kinds of country pursuits, from falconry and clay pigeon shooting to riding and archery.

There’s nothing remotely stuffy about this 18th-century manor house in the New Forest, which has an unexpected Asian twist.

The closest you can get to being at sea while on dry land, this hotel in the Ocean Village Marina resembles a yacht, with tiered deck-like terraces facing the Solent (the Harbour Hotel group is known for its properties in sailing locations).

Although this historic Stockbridge hotel has had a revamp, its link to horse racing remains, with winners of the 19th-century jockey owner etched into the wood-panelled walls of the Danebury Lounge — the spot for afternoon tea.