Monsal Head Hotel is a place to watch in the Peak District … for both B&B and fine food

It's easy to have a fabulous travel experience when you follow recommendations in fashionable magazines, stick to four- or five-star ratings and splash out the cash.  It's far more challenging to find similar delights at lower price points and star levels.  And far more rewarding, both to your budget and your sense of adventure, when you find a humble place that punches above its weight.

The Monsal Head Hotel delivers superb value for money in a stunning location in the heart of the Peak District.  Its Victorian bones are creaky and in need of renovation, its decor basic, but its food is on par with any fancy gastropub-with-rooms and the service levels of its cheerful team equal upscale boutique hotels.  New managers Keith and Hannah have only been in place for six months and have been hard at work improving the basics.  Hearing their plans for the future, I'd bet this place joins the ranks of posher, more fashionable neighbours in a couple years.  Get in now while it's still an undiscovered deal.

Monsal Head is a promontory jutting above the deep, idyllically green valley of Monsal Dale, bisected by a Victorian rail bridge and the glistening River Wye.  Sheep dot the hills, cows graze the valley basin, the sun sets behind a single, dramatic tree on an otherwise bare hilltop across the valley.  It's a view straight out of the tourist brochures, and four of the hotel's seven rooms look over it from cozy, enclosed balconies.  (Ours had two comfy wicker chairs; I assume the rest do as well.)  You do have to put up with a small short-term car park immediately below, but this is only noisy at peak hours of the day and clears out completely from dusk to early morning.  We spent several exquisite hours curled up in these chairs in the sun trap of the balcony, reading, sipping on a pint brought up from the bar below and pausing often to take in the extraordinary view.  You're positioned for spectacular sunsets.

The furniture is basic (mostly dark wood early-20th century stuff, in keeping with the feel of the place) but comfortable.  They've clearly paid attention to the one place you can't skimp:  the mattresses are good.  The biggest difference between this and posher places is the bathroom: sink in the room itself, blocking a fireplace that would have been an attractive design feature; toilet and shower in a tiny separate room.  The latter is the only place you'll really grit your teeth and wish you'd booked up a level.  The '80s lino floor you can live with, but a "power shower" that spits a weak drizzle of water is not what you want after a long hike in the country.  (Bathroom upgrades are on Keith's priority list.)  It's worth putting up with, however, to scrub up for a nice dinner.

We dined here three nights (as part of our package) and had lunch from the same kitchen twice, and were happy with each meal.  Somebody's clearly been watching Masterchef.  Dishes were modern European with influences from Asia or North Africa.  The best dish of the stay was a lamb fillet with hints of Morrocan spice served on a squash puree and topped with parsnip crisps.  Starters of chicken liver pate and confit duck leg showed confidence with the classics, and several fish dishes came out perfectly cooked.  All with presentation far more beautiful than the bare bones dining room would lead you to expect.  A small but pleasantly diverse wine list offered plenty of reasonably-priced matching options, and Keith knew his stuff when it came to making recommendations.

The lounge across the lobby from the restaurant will be a woeful place until it gets renovated, but there's an adjoining pub out the back door if you want to relax somewhere before or after dining.  This has loads of character.  It was once the stables and now has tables tucked into the horse boxes, with  plenty of outdoor dining space if the weather is good.  For people who like beer and ales, they had a range of craft and local stuff of which they were proud.

This is a walker's paradise.  You can set off on multiple trails from the hotel itself, and they'll pack a lunch to send you on your way.  You're also within a short drive of some blockbuster stately homes and plenty of cute villages.  They also welcome dogs for a small extra fee, which was a critical factor for a long weekend in the country.

I don't get up to the Peak District that often, but I have pencilled in a return trip in two or three years just to see how Keith and Hannah do with the hotel.  There's abundant potential, and they seem to be on the right track to exploit all of it.  Check it out now, while it's great value for money.  Our 3-night Easter package was £150 a night for the two of us, with B&B, 3-course dinners, one packed lunch, a bottle of champagne for the two of us and Easter eggs.  Hard to beat.