The contest begins at The Grange in Oxfordshire, where Graham Neil and his wife Cherry offer a picture-framing course and a morning bagpipe wake-up call. The competing guests are from South Wales, Edinburgh and Abingdon.

The competition reaches its second day, and the group visits the village of Llandysul, South Wales, to enjoy the hospitality of Katie Clamp and husband Andy. Edinburgh guesthouse manager Tony Costa is not happy to find dog hairs on his bed, and Graham Neil is unimpressed after taking a dip in the hot tub. Things seem to get worse when efforts to prepare a hearty breakfast backfire, leading to chaos in the kitchen.

Tony and Dawn Ann Costa, owners of the five star Amar Agua in Edinburgh, pride themselves on their high standards. They decide to entertain their guests with a meal at a leading restaurant, and a visit to a subterranean museum, but Katie keeps complaining and Tony and Dawn Ann struggle to keep calm.

Terry and Peter Boswell welcome the group to their Abbey Guest House in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. They organise a day trip to the Thames, but Tony and Katie are still feuding, and the situation only gets worse at dinner as the evening ends in tears.

The four sets of owners discover what the other competitors thought of their businesses by opening the cash-filled envelopes, which they filled with what they believed their hosts should receive. They meet for one last time to learn who has won the best value B&B of the week.