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.

Sustainability and a connection to the landscape are integral to Heckfield Place, from the organic farm and biodynamic market garden that feed into Skye Gyngell’s destination green Michelin-star restaurant, Marle, to the natural skincare line used for treatments in the Bothy by Wildsmith.

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.

This grade II listed boutique hotel on Lymington’s high street is a hit with locals who flock here to sip negronis in the light-filled orangery and eat supper at Samphire restaurant, where seafood gets top billing and the doors open onto the garden.

A quintessential country house hotel, Chewton Glen was the first to introduce next-level treehouses — with a wraparound deck and outdoor hot tub — as an alternative to sleeping in the main house.

This Tudor-Gothic pile just outside Brockenhurst is as palatial inside as its stately exterior suggests. Gardens feature Italianate fountains, ornamental ponds, manicured lawns — even a Hornbeam maze.

Housed in a red-brick Georgian building a few minutes’ walk from Winchester Cathedral, this is the original Hotel du Vin (when it launched nearly 30 years ago, the boutique hotel concept was a revelation).