The official base rate was reduced by 0.65 percentage points last month to 0.1 per cent, but savers face bigger cuts.

There may be chicer, more contemporary and certainly less expensive hotels in Dublin than The Westbury - but few can be better positioned or more established, says our impressed Inspector.

Upscale accommodation chain Hotel du Vin is the latest operator to try to bring some pizzazz to Cannizaro House on Wimbledon Common. Our Inspector is not sure it will manage to work wonders.

What to do when you find yourself in possession of the old family home, but don't want to sell it. In the case of one enterprising couple in Deal, you turn it into a boutique B&B. The Inspector checks in.

Few hotels come with quite the 'naughty' reputation of Cliveden in Berkshire. But after a careful refurbishment, this grand old dame is now as intriguing as its back story, says The Inspector.

When you have been stuck on the M4 for what seems like forever, you want a cosy pitstop where you can recharge your batteries. The Inspector finds exactly this at The George at Backwell.

Once upon a time, the Hoste Arms in North Norfolk was a simple pub. Now it has The Vine House, an accommodation annexe where the prices are not cheap. The Inspector takes a look.

What does £720 a night buy you? If you are staying at uber-luxurious London hotel The Lanesborough, a double room for the night - but no breakfast. The Inspector ponders whether the cost is worth it...

If you travel to Baughurst in Hampshire you'll find an old shooting lodge, The Wellington Arms. With only three rooms, and exquisite attention to detail, to stay and eat in the B&B is a joy.

Fisher folk, golf enthusiasts, grouse and pheasant shooters will all feel at home at The Roxburghe in Kelso. There’s even a spa in this hotel in the Scottish Borders.

The Great House in Lavenham, Suffolk, is celebrating its 30th anniversary under its current stewardship and is well worth a visit. Dinner is a treat, with impeccable service throughout.

Sometimes, you don't need swish modernity and gleaming innovation. You just want a hotel that is clean and comfy. The Crown in Mundford does not excel - but it will do fine, says The Inspector.

There is something happily quaint about the Chequers Inn in Lincolnshire that is maybe summed up by the slope on the nearby cricket pitch. The Inspector beds down for a one-night innings.

The Fish is a village-style resort set in Cotswolds woodland, with much of the accommodation (47 rooms) in refurbished farm buildings a short walk from the main lodge, where guests can unwind.

The west London hotel occupies five stucco-fronted townhouses and has many of the trappings of a self-consciously trendy hang-out - except that no one seems to be hanging out much.

Slap-bang next to the A12 in Dedham is the 15-bedroom Milsoms hotel but thankfully you won't hear the road due to the bar and brasserie throwing up its own cacophony of noise.

The Grand Hotel was built in 1875. It's known as the White Palace but its huge lobby and even bigger main dining room had a cruise feel and there were children running around.

The Inspector loves the looks of this Leicestershire enterprise from the outside, but inside finds the service slow, the food disappointing and the interior charmless in places.

The Crab & Boar in Berkshire has changed hands twice in recent times, but is now part of the expanding Epicurean Collection - so it was only fair to give it another go, writes the Inspector.

If someone could just open all the windows and replace it with something fresh, then the Bedford Swan could become something of a destination hotel rather than a place to stay en route.

A quiet transformation of four Victorian buildings in London’s South Kensington is complete. The result is The Kensington, a member of the Irish-owned Doyle Collection.

Privately owned, The Crown sits in Constable Country in the Dedham Vale. This homely village pub, with 11 rooms in a separate hotel building next door, offers dinner, bed and breakfast.

Recently revamped No. 11 Cadogan Gardens hotel in London is filled with old portraits and chandeliers. For food, Tartufo specialises in truffle-infused dishes of exceptional quality.

This famous Thames-side restaurant with 31 rooms has a museum-like quality to it, albeit a dusty one in need of a cash injection. But it also offers guests the chance to graze on a slice of culinary history.

The Crown at Woodbridge is made up of ten light and airy rooms with lots of powder blue wood panelling, two sash windows and a large comfy bed.

The Pembroke Arms in Wilton is a handsome boozer that is located on the outskirts of Salisbury and offers nine rooms and a 'spacious and informal' bar and restaurant area.

Premier Inn at Gatwick North is just a short amble from the terminal building and it's heaving on a Friday night with those who are getting early flights out.

The Hawk in the sleepy village of Amport is so-named because of the hawk centre nearby. The first phase of the renovation has been completed but there's work to be done.

Lewtrenchard Manor would never describe itself as modern. But this grand old property in Okehampton, Devon, does not need to change with the times, says the Daily Mail's hotel inspector.

Blakes has long been a haven of upmarket accommodation in west London - but the cost may make you raise an eyebrow, says out hotel inspector, as he wonders where his wine went.

The staff are polite and the rooms are comfortable at One Warwick Park in Tunbridge Wells but The Inspector says that the new hotel is best suited for businessmen.

The Inspector issues a five-star rating to The Chapel House in Cornwall's Penzance, a six-room B&B opposite the church, housed in a magnificent brick-and-stone 1790s building.

The Inspector called in at The Bank House in King's Lynn, a former Georgian merchant banker’s residence. He found it made for a fascinating break.

The Arundell Arms in Dartmoor has a reputation mainly as a fishing hotel and anglers will love it. The decor is traditionally English, as is the food by master chef Steven Pidgeon.

The Cringletie House Hotel is a 19th Century home is now a 17-room hotel owned by an elderly Dutch couple, where fuss-free luxury and perfectly cooked haggis comes at a bargain.

The King’s Head at Letheringsett, just outside Holt - where the Duchess of Cambridge likes to shop suffers a general lack of love, according to The Inspector.

The Daily Mail's hotel inspector was impressed by the brilliant food at The Bell in Horndon-on-the-Hill, Essex, but underwhelmed by its grim and dusty accommodation.

The Inspector checked into The Carnarvon Arms, a country inn in Newbury, and found its rooms unimaginative and the breakfast no more inspiring.

Everything is pristine at Hurley House Hotel in Berkshire; the staff are dedicated; there’s lots of outdoor space with a barbecue area and the food is sensational.

The Inspector checked into the second outpost from The Hoxton in London and found the place buzzy and alive with activity. But, it helps to be under 30 and beautiful.

The Crown in Amersham has a claim to fame - it was the setting for a key scene in Four Weddings And A Funeral. Nice - but this pricey bolthole could, and should, be better, says our hotel inspector.

The Inspector called into The Franklin hotel in London's Knightsbridge, designed by Anouska Hempel, and found the decor divine but the Italian food to be disappointing and overpriced.

Barnett Hill Hotel, just outside Guildford, Surrey, is in the throes of a huge refurbishment, and while the noise wasn't ideal, The Inspector was extremely impressed by the high level of service.

The Inspector called in at Number One Port Hill, a quirky, Grade II-listed, Georgian end-of-terrace B&B, located a short walk from the centre of Hertford - and found it to be utterly charming.

The Inspector called in at The Inn West End near Woking, in Surrey, where he was pleasantly surprised by its warm atmosphere, newly-built rooms and excellent value food.

The Inspector called in at The Mill at Gordleton hotel in the New Forest, where he found the staff to be charming and the food plentiful but uninspiring.

The Inspector investigated the Crowne Plaza on Gerrads Cross, Bucks, where he was deeply underwhelmed by its layout and general lack of character, but pleasantly surprised by its breakfast.

Overlooking Chesil Beach, Seaside Boarding House is a friendly, eight-bedroom retreat opened by Mary-Lou Sturridge, a former managing director of the Groucho Club in London.

The Inspector checked in to investigate The Athenaeum Hotel on Piccadilly in London following its multi-million-pound refurb, and was disappointed with its food, service and decor.

The Daily Mail's hotel inspector called in Three Daggers in the south Wiltshire village of Edington, a warm establishment with its own farm shop, library and micro-brewery.