THE Dunkery Beacon Hotel in Wootton Courtenay has been voted the ninth best hotel in the country in an award scheme decided solely by visitors.

The bed and breakfast scooped the top ten accolade in the eighth annual TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards, which honoured establishments around the globe.

Run by Rebecca and Derek Brown, the Dunkery Beacon Hotel received some 50 reviews on the TripAdvisor internet site, 98 per cent of which could not find fault with the service, rooms, location or breakfast.

One reviewer described their stay at the Dunkery Beacon as "magical" while another said it was "the best short break ever".

The couple have run the hotel for five years and a decision to stop serving lunch and dinner to "concentrate on our guests" has now paid dividends.

Rebecca told the Free Press she was thrilled by the award - although she was among the last to know about it!

Their success was featured in most of the national newspapers but before she had time to pick one up, Rebecca received a telephone call from her son.

"I didn't know a thing about it until my son, who lives in London, called to say we were in the paper and I couldn't quite believe it," she said.

Not a single London hotel made it into the top ten, while the stately Rudding Park in Harrogate was voted number one.

Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, said: "Inspired by the millions of trusted traveller reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor.com, the Travellers' Choice awards have once again highlighted the finest hotels in the world.

"From remarkable bargains to the trendiest hotels, travellers worldwide are recognising more than 700 hotels for their outstanding service, value and quality."

Photo: Steve Guscott.