[baldrick]

My wife and I have just moved to the US for 18 months and I was looking into the various options for US/UK communications. In the end I've gone for the full Skype:

$9.95/month unlimited calling plan
$30/year 'Skype in' UK number
$140 Netgear Skype Phone

With all of that we have a wifi enabled stand-alone handset that's logged into our Skype account. Via the calling plan we can call any landline/mobile in the US and any landline in the UK for 'free' (UK mobiles are $0.25/min).

The Skype In number is an 0208 number that friends/family can call in the UK which will ring the Netgear phone in our place here.

Finally we have a 'Skype to go' number which is a local US number we can call from mobiles/other phones which links through to our Skype account and allows us to make calls to the UK etc... as part of our subscription service.

The Skype account also has voicemail so we're complete contactable for very little cost!

So far it appears to work exceptionally well!

[Cliff]

Sounds like you have set up a good system. No doubt you posted for comments?
Well, here goes!. The alternative is to use a SIP based phone. I use Freespeech.co.uk, but there are many others out there. Vonage being the most famous.
What is the advantage over Skype? the main one is that can use a VOIP box connected to your broadband connection and the house phones are plugged into this. Set the box up so local phones use your normal telecoms provider and anything else is routed via the internet.

You do not have to use an expensive WiFi phone or a special Skype phone- just plug in the whole of your house phone network and every one can use the VOIP without fuss. Most of the features you mention are available
Any way its horses for courses...