We Londoners are notoriously hard to please when it comes to getting out of town, even for just a few days. We want all the at-your-fingertips trappings of city life without the over-designed and over-priced weekend accomodation that routinely disappoints.

Which is why we're feeling the stunning Higher Westcott Farm, a 300-year old granite walled Devon longhouse in the middle of Dartmoor National Park. This new boutique guest-house delivers comfort and style without the unnecessary design-for-design's sake that has become the unfortunate hallmark for many country guest-houses aimed at the London market.

Owners Sam and Jo - the latter a former manager of chic London restaurant Le Coq D'Argent - have gone for a contemporary yet rustic style with wood-buring stoves, leather sofas flatscreen TVs and stylish bedroom suites. Breakfast and dinner is - of course - locally sourced using organic produce and the well-stocked bar has a selection of aged rums, malt whiskeys, cognacs and champagne. Shooting and fishing can also be arranged with the yield of the day cooked and prepared for dinner.