Take your partner to the Ritz and you'll pay $375 for bed and full English breakfast. Stay at a stylish boarding house in Chiswick, west London, and you could pay less than $90.
Traditional bed and breakfast is gentle on the pocket without compromising on comfort. Warm and welcoming with a personal touch, the best B&B is like being offered country membership of the family that runs the establishment.The British ability to compromise between the professional and the amateur is seen at its best in this curious business of providing accommodation for strangers in one's own home.
You can find B&Bs in smart town mansions, country houses or comfortable farmhouses from around $22 a night. But choose carefully. Not all the 12,000 B&Bs in England (never mind Scotland and Wales) have been evaluated.
Look for tourist board gradings. The crowns, which denote the facilities offered, don't necessarily paint an appropriate picture: who is looking for the luggage stand necessary for a three crown listing?
The more helpful gradings range from "listed" to "highly commended`' and "deluxe" and are awarded for a welcoming atmosphere and attractive furnishings.
Look for one or two crown, highly commended B&Bs, which are among the best.
My ideal B&B costs less than $30 per person and is run by a couple whose children have left home or by farmers who have diversified; people who are putting a well-loved family house to best use.
But the English Tourist Board nominated three more professional B&Bs at around $45 a night as the finalists in its England for Excellence awards.
This selection, all personally tested, reflects both styles. Prices are per person per night based on two sharing a double room. Charges often go down for stays of two days or more.
HOLLY LODGE in the Georgian city of Bath (famous for its hot springs and Roman remains).
The guests' drawing room in this Victorian house within walking distance of the town is filled with fragrant flowers and fine pieces of furniture. Four en suite bedrooms - one single - are beautifully color coordinated. Breakfast in the spring-fresh conservatory, which overlooks Bath, is a highlight. From $57. Telephone: 011-44-225-339187.
Carrolle Sellick was a finalist in the 1993 England for Excellence awards.
LOW BARNS, Corbridge, Northumberland (the northernmost county in England, with many Roman remains, including Hadrian's Wall).
A gleaming white Aga stove, a 12-foot pine table and a grandfather clock and dresser dominate the kitchen of these former farm buildings. Sue Jones has her own hens, lambs and vegetable plot and cooks for dinner parties. Book an evening meal; bring your own wine. Historic Corbridge is close to Hadrian's Wall and halfway between York and Edinburgh. From $30, dinner $21. Tel: 011-44-434 632408.
More accommodation in Bed & Breakfast Touring Map - North of England, free from the North of England Tourist Board (tel: 011-44-91 3846905).
HUNDALEE HOUSE, Jedburgh, Borders (hilly region in South Scotland).
This handsome 18th century house on the Jedburgh estate with scrunchy gravel drive and neatly trimmed shrubs was a tenanted farm before Sheila and Peter Whittaker bought it in a run-down state seven years ago. The Whittakers have gone for a Victorian style with floral and dark plain wallpaper and modern comforts such as central heating, television sets and good quality beds. From $23. Tel: 011-44-835-863011.
HALFWAY HOUSE, Crayke, North Yorkshire (close to York and the North Yorks Moors National Park). Elegant south-facing guests' drawing room and atmospheric candlelit dinners in the oak-paneled dining room. One of the three guest bedrooms in this square brick-built Victorian farmhouse has a four-poster bed and a striking black and white bathroom. Guests may use the new hard tennis court in the grounds. $45 and dinner $27. Tel: 011-44-347 822614.
Peter and Belle Hepworth are members of Wolsey Lodges, a collection of private houses offering high quality hospitality (011-44-449 741771).
Winners of the 1993 England for Excellence awards.
WEST LODGE FARM, Desborough, Northamptonshire (county in central England).
Visitors from London seeking the country air or planning to visit the old stone towns of Oundle and Stamford linger over the Sunday papers in the warm conservatory. Guests have their own dining and sitting room in the former servants' quarters of this big George IV farmhouse. Margaret and Tony Dee run a 200-acre arable farm. From $27. Tel: 011-44-536 760 552.
More B&B and self-catering in Northamptonshire Farm Holidays (011-44-604 770990).
CHISWICK, West London. The large private bathroom was country fresh with white inside shutters, sparkling bath and pale lemon walls. There was an original cast iron fireplace and a polished 19th-century chest of drawers in the quiet bedroom. Many of Maggie Dobson's 60 or so London B&Bs are in the quieter streets of Chiswick, others are in Knightsbridge, Kensington, Bayswater and central London. Maggie provides B&B for singles, couples or families in private houses mostly owned by professional people. From $40 dollars, At Home in London (011-44-81 748 1943).
THE BECKFORD ARMS, Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire (southern England).
This is the place for a quiet weekend in the English countryside. There are thatched villages nearby; Salisbury and Stonehenge are close. The breakfast room looks on to a rare and ancient weeping ash. The seven en suite bedrooms - two four posters, one single - are newly decorated. Local food includes game pie in season. From $37 and $16 for dinner. Tel: 011-44-747 870 385.
THE DOWER HOUSE, Winster, Derbyshire (Peak District).
Welcoming house in the center of an attractive stone village in the Derbyshire Peak National Park. Helen Bastin, a Blue Badge tour guide for Derbyshire, and her partner Geoffrey Dalton have furnished this fine Elizabethan house beautifully. Old earthen jugs stand on stone flags, polished floors are occasionally covered by Oriental rugs, a soft cushion lies along a church pew in the hall. Bedrooms are huge and warm and there are homemade marmalades and jams at breakfast. From pounds $34. Tel: 011-44-629 650213.
More places to stay in the Derbyshire Dales from Matlock Tourist Information Center (tel: 011-44-629 550 82).
MEATHE HOUSE, Lavenham, Suffolk (rural east of England where John Constable lived and painted).
This spacious modern house with internal brick walls and lots of stained pine is a mile outside Lavenham, a village built by 15th-century cloth merchants. There are playing cards and board games, a TV set, easy chairs and lots of local information in the guests' long sitting-dining room. Three bedrooms - one single - are simply but well furnished. Constable country is close; from $27. Ken and Margaret Yates (tel: 011-44-787 247 809).
Other B&Bs in the same price range in Bed & Breakfast Touring Map - East of England from East Midlands Tourist Board (tel: 011-44-522 531 521).
PENTWYN FARM, Little Mill, Pontypool, Gwent (south Wales, close to Brecon Beacons National Park).
Drinks round an open fire smelling sweetly of ash logs followed by a good dinner in the big square dining room. The large sitting room is warm and informal with books, flowers, family photographs and comfortable chintz armchairs. This cherished home on the edge of the Brecon Beacons has wooden latched doors, and prettily furnished bedrooms. Ann Bradley is noted locally for her cooking. From $21 with dinner $15. Tel: 011-44-495 785249.
More exceptional places in Wales - Great Little Places (011-44-686 668 030).
CYFIE FARM, Llanfihangel, Powys (central Wales).
Traditional Welsh farmhouse facing south towards Welshpool over the fertile Meifod valley. The drive up narrow country lanes is well rewarded. Each year George and Lynn Jenkins plow money back into their ivy-clad home. First came the wide stone terrace where guests can eat outdoors. Last year a new dining room was added and the garden extended into the woods. From $27, dinner $14.50. Tel: 011-44-0691 648 451.
CURDON MILL, Lower Vellow, Stogumber, Somerset (five miles from coast between the Quantock Hills and the Exmoor National Park.)
Creeper-clad mill at the base of the Quantock Hills renowned for its good food and welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant, overlooking the mill stream and complete with the old machinery, runs the length of the building. The six guest bedrooms and sitting room are pretty and chintzy. There is a swimming pool in the large garden. Richard Criddle runs the 200-acre farm, Daphne the restaurant and the B&B. From $46, dinner $25. Tel: 011-44-984 565222.
Curdon Mill is a member of Distinctly Different, a selection of B&Bs in unusual buildings (tel: 011-44-225 866842).
OLD LAMB HOUSE, Marnhull, Dorset (Thomas Hardy country of southern England).
The two big guest bedrooms of this Georgian house look across Blackmore Vale to Cranbourne Chase. Easy chairs on the landing, a kind of mini sitting room, face the same way. Jenny Chilcott started B&B four years ago when the last of her four children left home - the happy family atmosphere is still apparent. This is Hardy country; Old Lamb House could be Rollivers in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. $24. Tel: 011-44-258 820 491.
THE ANCIENT CAMP, Ruckhall, near Hereford (west England).
Simplicity, style and wonderful views over the Wye River in the evocative Golden Valley. From $36. Tel: 011-44-981 250449.