Address: Crab Manor, Asenby, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 3QL.
Tel: 01845 577286.
Web address: www.crabandlobster.co.uk

First impressions: Rare combination of friendliness, luxury and eccentricity. What looks at first like a cluttered Georgian country house is actually an endearingly weird upmarket theme hotel where the theme is - hotels.

What are the rooms like? Each is decorated and furnished in the style of one of the world's great hotels: the Cape Town Mount Nelson, Marrakesh's La Mamounia, the Cipriani Palace in Venice, Raffles in Singapore and five more.

The bed test: Four-poster perfection, complete with drapes, teddy bears and the ubiquitous cherubs.

The bathroom test: A vast free-standing tub, marble tiles, authentic Cumbrian wallpaper.

The restaurant: The Crab and Lobster is an esteemed seafood restaurant in its own right, serving, among many other options, a delectable mixed fish grill. Meals with a starter weigh in at around £22 a head, not including wine.

The lounge: Unsurprisingly bizarre, with several garages-full of random objects suspended from the ceiling.

What is there to see within walking distance? Seven acres of Alice-in-Wonderland grounds should keep you busy: a golf hole with practice tee, a hot tub and sauna, numerous romantic bowers.

What is there to see within a 20-minute drive? Thirsk, with its racecourse, James Herriot heritage, vaguely twee shops and branch of the world-famous Yorkshire tea rooms Betty's.

How much a night? Rooms start at £100 a night, including breakfast, and go up to £120.

Would you go back? Absolutely - and then try to impress my friends by reeling off the great world hotels I've stayed in (without mentioning that they were all outside Thirsk).