Hotel du Vin Henley

While the capital has been for obvious reasons the center of most of the innovation in English hospitality, the Hotel du Vin group has made a line for itself in bringing boutique style to towns outside the capital — towns like the well-off bedroom community of Henley-on Thames, some 35 miles to the west of central London, where picturesque Oxfordshire begins.

Here a historically listed red-brick Georgian brewery building has been converted into a striking and contemporary small hotel. Despite its industrial past, it’s plentifully supplied with light — rooms get plenty of sun, and the split-level suites look out through double-height windows. And while this is a country town, the Hotel du Vin feels a bit more like a city club, with three private dining rooms to add to its French bistro, its billiards room and its champagne bar.

The wine selection is serious and deep, as it ought to be in a place called the Hotel du Vin. And the good life spills out onto the river — the Bateau du Vin is a skippered motor launch, a mobile venue for drinks and canapés on the Thames. Just the thing for Regatta Week, provided you plan well ahead.