Bart's Best of: The Best of the Cotswolds (UK)
The Cotswolds are the reason we can endlessly feed ourselves with hotel inspiration. Green hills, villages full of honey-colored cottages, roses on facades, and pubs where you could easily linger all day. Perfectly styled country houses, but also places where children can run around (and dogs: everything is equally dog-friendly). Not that it's only fun with kids (and/or a dog): it's just as enjoyable without, but it's certainly no reason not to go. So, here's a list of tips for the best and most enjoyable things to do in The Cotswolds (UK).
And for convenience, we created a Google My Maps: the map we use ourselves. You'll find it here.
So everything can be found in Google Maps – very handy and here you can find it again.
But we would like to name our top favorites here:
The Double Red Duke (sleeping, but also eating alone)
The Fish Hotel (sleeping, very cool, especially in spring/summer)
The Bell Inn Langford (mainly for eating, but also for sleeping)
The Village Pub (mainly for eating, but also for sleeping)
There are hotels where we arrive with a long to-do list for the surrounding area. That list can be crossed off at Hyll, deep in the Cotswolds. A 16th-century manor house that was recently reinvented and now feels like someone's home. Someone with exceptionally good taste and a healthy aversion to haste. Soft light everywhere, tactile materials, windows that frame the landscape.
Hyll was designed by Youth Studio (in collaboration with Tim Groom Architects). There's no sterile, minimalist design here; instead, there's warmth, layers, and lived-in character with limestone walls, linen, wood that's allowed to age, and colors that complement the surroundings. The rooms, on the other hand, are deliberately kept understated, with oak cabinets stocked with linens, quiet reading nooks, and bathrooms stocked with Verden products. If you're traveling with a dog or children, the more spacious courtyard rooms with a lounge or garden are a perfect solution.
The restaurant is all about the seasons and local ingredients. Breakfast is included (always good), lunch is light but tempting, and dinner is warm. At the bar, you can order a cocktail, a glass of wine, or simply a pot of tea.
We love the Cotswolds, you love the Cotswolds (yes, even if you’ve never been) and your dog will too. Most places to stay in the area welcome four-legged friends, including those on this list of pet-friendly places to stay in the Cotswolds.
Too much to fit in here, so this topic got a separate article.
There are many roads to Rome, yes, and that also applies to the English Cotswolds. Flying, trains, through the tunnel with your own car... And LeShuttle! Absolutely our choice because it's the fastest (half an hour!), most flexible (with the Flexi ticket, you can take all shuttles on your departure day), and most comfortable (because you can do it in the comfort of your own car) crossing between the continent (from Calais, France) and the United Kingdom. And you can even bring your dog along, just like you can load so many things. So what does that look like, see shuttle? Essentially, you drive your vehicle into a large—sort of—shipping container: this is the shuttle train. It's locked and then shuttles you across in half an hour while you watch a movie in your car. Easy does it!
Good to know? Just apply for your own ETA and your microchip + dog passport – it's also very easy via an app and you usually receive the ETA within 2 hours.
One of the nicest facts about the typical but stylish pub that is the Potting Shed Pub is that it is one of the permanent date nightaddresses belongs to none other than Kate and William. Yes. And if it's good enough (okay it was, they obviously don't come around that often these days) for the British royals… well. You would expect the reputation of this one date night spot has not done the pub any good, but nothing could be further from the truth. Thanks to both the looks and the quality of the simple pub food, we find it difficult to leave on every visit.
Call it a farming Neverland, a ninety-minute drive from London, set in a hundred hectares of land.
The Swan Inn (Ascott-under-Wychwood) is a wonderful base for exploring the Cotswolds. Located in tiny Ascott-under-Wychwood, south of Chipping Norton, The Swan Inn is a truly charming English pub where you can snuggle up by the fire before rolling into bed. Even if you're not staying put, it's highly recommended for a meal, a drink, and simply soaking up the atmosphere. Friendly staff, delicious food, and a truly English interior. Don't miss the garden; from April to October, they cook in the outdoor kitchen, making it a wonderful place to relax.
The iconic Daylesford farm shop near Kingham is perhaps an even bigger favorite. The enormous grocery store, stocked with vegetables, fruit, soup, homemade cheese, bread, jams and chutneys, oils, and herbs, now boasts an all-day café. Right next to it is a large courtyard with a perpetually burning fire, a flower and plant shop, and a clothing store. But as mentioned, you'll mainly be there for breakfast or brunch: Daylesford is famous for its bread and cheeses.
Book your entire trip in one place. Did you know that through Booking.com you can book not only accommodations, but also flights, attractions, rental cars, and airport taxis?
This hotel is elegant, comfy and informal at the same time. The interior definitely gets a big ten (read: fireplaces and earthy tones). The hotel has 19 rooms, all equally beautiful and unique. In the summer you can sit outside on the terrace by the garden. Oxford is a half hour drive, but in the hotel you will not miss anything. The surroundings are beautiful with lots of nature and nice sightseeing nearby. And you can also have a delicious dinner here (even as a non-hotel guest). For example, book 'The Chef's Counter' for one wood fired dinner with a look into the kitchen. The staff is fantastic and ensures that you have the stay of your dreams. In short: a true gem in this list.
Right across the street from The Potting Shed in another idyllic street - but that's all in the area - is the brand new The Rectory Hotel. Hotel, hotel… a cross between a stately mansion (new money) and an old estate (old English upper class) is better defined, and all on a spacious and rust-colored site. The hotel bar looks like a photo, so perfect, and a lunch, afternoon tea or drinks, when the sun is just peeking in in the greenhouse on the side of the hotel, is both chic and cozy. Please note: the threshold here is many times higher than at the pub across the street. You are always welcome to take a pee and you can immediately see the attractive toilets.
This Cotswolds hotel is famous, located in the heart of the picturesque town of Broadway and its extensive surroundings. Because of its unprecedented history and because of a guest book in which, among others, King Charles the First and Oliver Cromwell (although perhaps not quite of the same caliber) scribbled. Despite the long history and the size of the hotel (large!), it is never unpleasant or impersonal. Not so long ago, extensive and tasteful renovations took place and the staff were dressed in casual jeans. And there are many of them: you only have to look around in despair for a moment and someone will come to the rescue. Fine. Step outside and the most beautiful walks are at your doorstep, although the hotel spa is a reason not to leave the house, as are the countless cozy-chic corners with fireplaces that are familiar to the hotel. But we went to dinner, that's true.
You may not have known, but The Old Bell in Malmesbury is the oldest hotel in England and that alone makes you want to go there, right? It's a sweet thing, we can't say anything else. If you go (you should), make sure you sleep in the old part - The Old Bell also has about 20 rooms in what they call 'the Coach House', but honestly you want to stay there actually not sitting... Also nice, but too ordinary compared to the rest of the age-old place. Furthermore, it is exactly what you want oldskool England, and therefore The Cotswolds, hopes: from that dusty, from that honey-colored and from that correct. And that exactly right. The hotel itself has countless lovely sitting areas and a genuinely very good kitchen where classic English food is prepared. Big plates, no bullshit. And a delicious breakfast. Oh, also important: lovely old-fashioned rooms. If you like a dose of classic, then take your chance here.
The most important thing to remember is that every hotel is a pub and almost every pub is a hotel. Wherever you can sleep, unlike us, it is also a good place to stay if you are not going to nap. This is certainly the case at The Close in the beautiful village of Tetbury (which is super fun to visit anyway: there is such a cozy stream running through the village and everything is picturesque). This also applies to Hotel The Close, a small castle on the edge of the village and oh so truly beautiful. In front of the old building there is a beautiful, raked lawn where beach chairs beckon on nice days. Here too, the kitchen is more than good and the rooms are old-fashioned. As a hotel should be. Although some things may be slightly less 'dirty' than what was described above. Titty, but cool, but shabby, so to speak.
If the British set up a club, they will do it well. Think of the Soho Groupers, De Hoxton-ettes, The Pigs and also The Lucky Union club, although much smaller than the other three. If you go to the Cotswolds, you would do well to at least check the group's website: The Lucky Union has some of the nicest, well-priced contemporary-yet-classic-pubs-with-rooms in the package , of which No. 131 and The Wheatsheaf Inn are favourites. The first, No 131, is a boutique hotel in an imposing lodge on the edge of the Imperial Gardens of the Cheltenham area. An airy former office building with two floors and only eleven romantic rooms that beckon above the excellent restaurant.
Eight bedrooms, a mega kitchen, several fireplaces, a beautiful garden, a swimming pool, in short: ultimate luxury and completely private - that is Pye Corner. A seventeenth century Cotswold country house with Oriental influences (Yes, there is a gong in the hallway - this way you wake everyone up at the same time for breakfast). If you want to cook, you can pick your own herbs and fruit in the vegpatch and let loose in the kitchen, which is larger than many apartments in Amsterdam. Don't feel like cooking? Of course you can, just walk to the Broadway Deli, because you want to eat everything they have there.
Knife to the throat, then The Bull has to be one of my top favorites. 1) dogs welcome (and how). 2) Beautiful wallpaper EVERYWHERE, beautiful curtains, beautiful pillows and so on. 3) you sleep in your own house (read: lots of privacy) and 4) very nice people.
More tips
-
A place you won't want to leave: Chapel House, Penzance in England
-
A list of London – where we want to eat and drink all day long
-
Brownscombe Luxury Glamping, Devon England
-
Fforest Farm, not your usual campsite in Wales
-
Hop hop, to Hull: this town in Northern England is perfect for your mini getaway