IT would be oh so easy to get carried away with compliments when writing about The Crab at Chieveley. This is the sort of estabishment that makes entertaining look effortless while at the same time scaling heights of standards which would make most hoteliers dizzy.

Situated just off the M4 near Newbury, The Crab is well known as one of the UK's leading fish and seafood restaurants, but it is also the ideal location for weekend getaways and romantic retreats (the nearby countryside is perfect for walking and visiting Newbury and its racecourse).

With 22 individually designed bedrooms, all themed and named after exotic resorts around the world, you can travel to Treetops of royal honeymoon fame, the colonial grandeur of Raffles, Sandy Lane, Barbados or The Cipriani, Venice or one of the other luxurious locations on site.

The rooms are all exquisite, with lavish fabrics, vibrant colour schemes, carefully selected objets d'art, unusual lighting, handcrafted tiles, over-sized plasma TVs and DVDs and cappuccino coffee machines. All the ground floor rooms have the added surprise of a private courtyard garden and hot tub.

We stayed in Bora Bora room, a vibrant pink room with thick bamboo furniture and tropical plants, and we spent hours wallowing in the private spa pool which added a whole new dimension to our relaxing weekend. Seven new bedrooms, a gym, tennis courts and a driving range are all due to be completed by early 2008.

The privately owned Crab at Chieveley has won the coveted AA Best Seafood Restaurant award twice, as well as numerous other fish awards that recognise the quality and consistency of this unique boutique hotel and restaurant.

With fresh deliveries coming in six days a week from Newlyn and Brixham, the seafood at The Crab is as fresh as it can be, and is complemented beautifully by home grown vegetables picked from its acres of land.

To solve the dilemma some guests may have when faced with a menu where everything sounds wonderful, The Crab has devised a new eight-course all-fish tasting menu, so you can try a bit of everything without looking greedy!

David Horridge, the head chef at The Crab, has been working on the tasting menu alongside evolving his à la carte menu, perfecting the ingredients and flavours that see guests starting with a lobster lasagne and enjoying oysters, crab and sea bass before finishing with a delectable chocolate fondant and Guinness ice cream.

The Tasting Menu costs £65 per person and includes coffee and petits fours. It's available seven days a week at lunchtime and in the evenings.

We selected our meal from the à la carte which is surely a fish-lover's dream. While selecting our choices we gazed around the rapidly filling restaurant which comprises a maze of cosy rooms.

Everywhere you turn there is something to see. The ceiling is bedecked with fishing nets containing a splendid collection of fishing floats and crab shells, the walls are packed with paintings and artwork and there is an eclectic mix of nick-nacks all around.

The menu is packed with tempting sounding dishes from oysters or potted crab, to crispy squid, lobster or whole crab (with several different sauces) and a staggering range of fish dishes. I selected the cauliflower and crayfish risotto (rich, creamy and packed with flavour and chunks of juicy crayfish) to start with and hubby Kim went for the sardines on the daily specials list. This was actually one large sardine, cooked well and accompanied by a tasty homemade mango salsa, but a little lacking in seasoning.

His main course more than made up for this. He ordered a whole crab, which came with an array of implements to crunch the limbs and scrape away the juicy flesh. A side order of goose fat chips and a tartare sauce (several other sauces were offered) completed his feast and kept him happy for quite some time. I too opted for a special of the day - lemon sole cooked au meuniere. Delicious and served with new potatoes and a crispy side salad.

Desserts sounded wonderful but we were far too full to attempt another course and retired to Bora Bora for a moonlight wallow in the spa pool. Sheer bliss.

The Crab at Chieveley, Wantage Road, Newbury, Berkshire (01635 247550)
You could win an overnight stay for two at The Crab (dinner and breakfast included), simply answer the following question and send your entry by the closing date of October 31.