Cool Place of the Day: Montagu Arms, Hampshire

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

Part of the same group that owns the nearby Careys Manor spa hotel, the Montagu Arms is a bit of a favourite of ours, because it ticks all the boxes we usually look for in a good country hotel. It's in a fabulous location, right in Beaulieu Village and so in the heart of the New Forest; it occupies a nice old building with lovely gardens that feels a bit special while still being suitable relaxed and informal; and it has an excellent restaurant, so if you're feeling lazy, you don't have to stray very far in search of sustenance.

In fact, the nice thing about the Montagu Arms is that you can leave your car keys in your pocket while you're here, venturing out into the forest on long walks and cycle rides during the day – the two-mile walk from the hotel along the river to Buckler's Hard on an easy gravelled path is a popular one – and collapsing into the arms of the hotel in the evening, where the cosy bar and Michelin-starred Terrace Restaurant will take care of your needs before you stagger up to your well-appointed room.

The rooms are comfortable and traditional but not fussy in style, a couple have four-posters, and all have spacious en-suite bathrooms with robes and toiletries and flatscreen TVs. All in all it's a very nice place to enjoy the serenity and nature of the New Forest national park – and a perfect base for this week’s New Forest and Hampshire County Show.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk).