Cool Place of the Day: Ilchester Arms, Dorset

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

This town centre pub with rooms, right behind Dorset's famous Chesil beach, was recently taken over by the Harrison family, who have put their heart and soul into turning it not only into an award-winning foodie haunt but also a place to lay your head, with nine sweet and simple rooms upstairs and across the beautiful courtyard and garden.

The rooms – each named after a flower – have all been recently renovated and come with en-suite bathrooms and satellite TV, complimentary toiletries, plus two of the rooms in the courtyard are dog-friendly.

Downstairs, the characterful circular bar is a wonderfully informal and inviting place to hang out, with a thoughtfully chosen wine list and a great selection of real ales and ciders, plus big squishy sofas to sink into and board games to keep you entertained.

When it comes to food, everything is locally sourced and homemade – from hearty and well-portioned pub grub to delicate and refreshing afternoon teas. The a la carte dinner menu changes daily depending on what's delivered fresh that day, and you may be lucky enough to catch one of their popular wine-tasting nights or specialist meat and fish taster menus during your stay.

After you have filled your boots with all the delicious grub on offer (and treated yourself to a bottle of their delicious jam-flavoured vodka to take home), you'll be only too glad your bed is only a short flight of stairs away.

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)