Drama in a Georgian manor

It's been open for less than a year but already the Whitehouse in Devon is one of Britain's favourite boltholes. Just months after welcoming its first guests in February last year, the hotel was lauded as the "ultimate hideaway" in British Vogue's annual Don't Miss list. Not bad for a venture dreamed up by three university friends with a shared passion for the hospitality business.

So what is the secret of the Whitehouse's charm? Being a beautiful Georgian house set in stunning gardens is a good start. From the moment you arrive, you feel at home. OK, it's considerably grander than the average home but the atmosphere is very much "kick off your shoes and relax" rather than "hand over your credit card". Matthew Hall, 25, the youngest of the trio behind the hotel, puts it this way: "Whitehouse, our house, your house." And he means it. All three of the owners live on site, leaving just six rooms for paying guests. Not that they look like guests, as they lounge on sofas, pad around in their bare feet and take it upon themselves to put another log on the fire. "It has all the benefits of a five-star hotel but in the surrounds of a luxury home," says Hall. It's a tricky balance. You want to feel relaxed but not so relaxed that you're not being spoilt at the same time. After all, what's the point of paying five-star room rates if you could just as easily lie on the sofa at home?

A night at the Whitehouse doesn't come cheap. It may be in the heart of the Devon countryside but at £200 ($408) for a double room, including breakfast, the hotel is charging London prices. Hall is convinced there is a market for the sort of boutique luxury the hotel is providing. There is nowhere else nearby offering such an attractive combination of style and service and certainly nowhere that would make the Vogue hot-list grade.

The bedrooms alone are pure theatre. Never before have I slept in a two metre-wide handmade wooden bed, or swung in a sheepskin-lined basket chair suspended from the ceiling - yes, swung! The flat screen television has satellite recording to ensure you don't miss your favourite programmes and forget the traditional minibar, Whitehouse guests have their very own esky, filled with everything from champagne to organic milk.

The dramatic interior design continues with the mix of modern and antique furniture in the two sitting rooms. Huge leather sofas sit alongside old wooden butcher's blocks, an oversized angle poise lamp is placed next to a wall adorned with deer antlers, while chandeliers hang overhead and fires burn in every room.

Not that you'll want to spend all of your stay indoors. This is prime English countryside after all and there's plenty to see. Walk for 30 minutes along the footpath that starts at the hotel's front door and you'll pass pretty thatched cottages before ending up by the sea at Slapton Sands. A bit further afield, Hall can point you in the direction of his favourite Devon villages, Slapton and Sharpham. He'll even reveal the whereabouts of tiny hidden bays along the coastline and send you off with a Whitehouse picnic to enjoy.

Ah yes, the food. When a bag of mussels, fresh out of the River Dart, is delivered by one of the hotel's many local suppliers, you know you're in for a delicious visit. The Whitehouse takes this side of the business very seriously. Allyson Wray, at 49 the oldest of the hotel's trio (36-year-old Tamara Costin completes the set), is in charge of the kitchen and has time spent in Australia to thank for her love of fresh, simple flavours.

Cooking in Victoria taught her the value of passionate local suppliers and it's something she has championed at the Whitehouse. Not only are guests served the very best organic food and drink but the hotel organises food tours to meet the producers. From a simple tapas board of Devon cheeses to crab from nearby Start Bay to a locally reared sirloin steak, the food is faultless - not something that can always be said of an English country hotel.