Cool place of the week: Hampton Manor, Warwickshire

Situated in the green and pleasant hinterland of the UK's second city, this 19th-century Gothic manor house is the former home of Robert Peel, and was acquired by Jan and Derrick Hill just over a decade ago. Since then their son James and his wife Fiona have been busy reinventing it as a grand but also rather funky destination for food and rooms that's perfectly in tune with the times and does a pretty good job of luring trendy folk from nearby Birmingham out into the countryside.

Despite the grandeur of the building, with its chinoiserie and sweeping main staircase, they've turned it into a homely sort of place, with a newly Michelin-starred restaurant – Peel's – at its heart, and 15 very comfortable bedrooms to retire to at the end of the evening.

The emphasis is on confident, nothing-is-too-much-trouble service, together with a food offering that is seasonal and organic, partly based on ingredients from the hotel's own kitchen garden, which find their way into simple yet very contemporary dishes served in an intimate restaurant that seats just 28 diners.

As for the rooms, they are all different, but the common denominator is the Arts-and-Crafts movement, with bold patterns and colours, well-stacked bookshelves and a mix of classic and contemporary furniture. Most have big bathrooms with monsoon showers and robes and toiletries, and it's nice that they all have baths, if not in the bathroom then in the room itself so you can luxuriate while admiring the views over the sumptuous grounds.