New Finds: Recent additions to thehotelguru.com

The Horn of Plenty and the Arundell Arms, Devon

Salmon stocks on the Tamar may have fallen in recent years, but this Devon river remains one of the loveliest in the country, and there are no less than three special places to stay where you can take full advantage of it. We’ve loved Hotel Endsleigh, with the river running through its wonderful grounds, since it was opened last year by Olga Polizzi, but Fiona Duncan has recently stayed at the charming restaurant with (very elegant) rooms The Horn of Plenty, overlooking the Tamar valley at its most majestic, and the delightful Arundell Arms, a traditional fishing and shooting inn with 20 miles of fishing on the Tamar and its tributaries – and happily added them to our Devon list of recommended hotels.

The Well House, Cornwall

Further west, near the pretty village of Looe and close to the Eden Project and other fine Cornish gardens, The Well House, tucked inland in a secluded position with lovely views, has recently changed hands. Its new owner, Richard Farrow, is an ex-marketing man and has dreamed up some really imaginative weekend breaks for guests, from one-to-one cookery lessons with the gifted chef to having your own classic car for the duration or taking helicopter rides to the Scillies. Anyone for tennis? Bring your tennis four to Well House for exclusive use of the court, plus fine dining and a good rest.

Pongwe Beach, Zanzibar

Our Zanzibar list of recommended hotels has been put together for us by Zanzibar expert Simone Topolski. Another Zanzibar expert, Julian Carter Manning from tailor-made travel company Tanzania Travel, added one more hotel to the list: low key and secluded Pongwe Beach, which he declared one of his favourite hotels in the world – “a piece of paradise”.

Alta Bay, Cape Town

A recent trip to Cape Town (great for a short break as there’s only a couple of hours’ time change) introduced us to several superb hotels and guesthouses, not least Alta Bay in leafy Higgovale, with fabulous views over city and bay far below and only a short distance from the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. As a chic, understated place to stay it ticks all the boxes.