TWO West Devon hotels are celebrating scooping prestigous awards in the annual Good Hotel Guide 2006 published this week. The Arundell Arms at Lifton has won the sporting hotel of the year and Browns Hotel in Tavistock has been named town hotel of the year in the guide, the leading independent publication dealing in hotels of character and quality in Great Britain and Ireland. Anne Voss-Bark, owner of the Arundell Arms, said to win a ?Cesar award? was ?very special?. She said: ?It?s truly independent, there?s no advertising, no money involved. It?s very special for us. There are not very many sporting hotels left in the country now so we?re rather unique, although we also have the restaurant.? Ann said she thought a combination of aspects had won the hotel its coveted award. ?It?s a team effort, there?s no question about that. It?s also about making people really welcome and this is something people do comment on, that the staff are so friendly. ?We really do want people to enjoy their stay ? and it gives us huge pleasure that they come back.? In describing the Arundell Arms, the guide states: ?Non-sporting visitors as well as fisher folk are welcomed at this creeper-covered hotel, where Anne Voss-Bark has presided for many years, with old world charm, dedication and lack of pretension.? David Jenkins, head chef at Browns Hotel in Tavistock, said staff at the hotel were delighted to win such a prestigious national award. He said: ?It?s absolutely brilliant news, really excellent. It?s an award given because of the people who have come here and reported back, it?s not about inspectors, and it?s people we are catering for, so it means much more. ?It?s given everyone here a real boost. The day we found out about it, there was a massive buzz in the kitchen ? when something like this crops up, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.? The Good Hotel Guide said of Browns: ?In their old market town coaching inn, Peter Brown and Martin Ball have established an elegant, welcoming hotel brasserie with thoughtful touches ? the cooking is outstanding.? Desmond Balmer, joint editor of The Good Hotel Guide, said: ?Every year we choose the ten hotels that have caught our eye. When we found that four of these came from Devon this year, we thought: ?Why not?? Devon has always been a hot spot for the sort of family-owned and managed places we like.? The country hotel of the year was named as Blagdon Manor at Ashwater ? best breakfast of the year was awarded to Bark House at Bampton. The Good Hotel Guide?s Cesar awards are named after Cesar Ritz, the most celebrated of hoteliers. They are for a mixed selection of establishments, each of which is considered to be outstanding in its own class. The awards were presented to the winning hotels at a special reception held in London on Monday.