Searching for the best hotels in the Cotswolds may sound like an easy task – luxury hotels in the Cotswolds seems to be everywhere! But with so many great hotels to chose from, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. The best hotels in the Cotswolds don’t come cheap, and with most insisting on a two-night stay at weekends, you want to be assured that you’re spending your money wisely.
At the very least, you want a warm welcome, stylish bedrooms, free parking, free wifi and great food at a boutique hotel and a guarantee that you are going to have a truly memorable stay. I’ve stayed in many of the best hotels in the Cotswolds and here’s my pick of the very best the Cotswolds has to offer – let me know what you think!
Best hotels in the Cotswolds
Barnsley House, Gloucestershire
Barnsley House boutique Cotswolds hotels is a cosy, relaxing, intimate treat
Barnsley House is a gorgeously cosy and charming boutique hotel in a beautiful little Cotswolds village, with Rosemary Verey gardens, spa and private cinema. With 18 rooms, a spa, private cinema, landscaped gardens and superb restaurant, you are practically guaranteed a fabulous stay at Barnsley House. The rooms are beautifully decorated in a simple but classic style, the staff are friendly and efficient, the food is first-class and the cinema (which you can hire for free) is really indulgent, with leather seats and freshly popped popcorn. The grounds aren’t vast and the spa isn’t the biggest in the hotels on my list, but there is a style and charm about Barnsley House which is impossible to resist. The hotel also owns the Village Pub which is just a short walk away.
Barnsley House review
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Whatley Manor, Malmesbury
Whatley Manor is set in 12 acres of gardens and has a Michelin star restaurant
If it’s indulgence you’re after, then you’ve come to the right place. Whatley Manor is right on the edge of the Cotswolds, but you won’t be leaving here to go sight-seeing – there’s too much relaxing to be done in this opulent, luxury hotel. The spa is surprisingly extensive, with a hydrotherapy pool, four separate sauna/steam rooms, outdoor loungers, treatment rooms and even a mud chamber – you could easily spend the day here. When you’re done relaxing there are 12 acres of gardens to explore, plus a private cinema. There are two restaurants – one with a Michelin star – and a surprisingly large amount of space inside, so you’ll always be able to find a secluded reading spot.
Whatley Manor review
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Dormy House hotel
The modern luxury spa at Dormy House
Dormy House has one of the best spas in the Cotswolds, with a 20 metre indoor infinity pool, saunas, steam rooms and an outdoor hot tub. Inside the hotel itself, originally a 17th century farmhouse, it’s all roaring log fires and relaxed boutique-chic design, with 38 individually-designed rooms, two restaurants and rather handily, just a few minutes’s drive from the beautiful village of Broadway, often called the heart of the Cotswolds.
Dormy House review
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The Painswick
The Painswick is has the classic Cotswolds hotel look and is cosy and welcoming inside
Looking classically Cotswolds in the traditional Cotswolds stone, The Painswick doesn’t have a multi-million pound spa, acres of stunning gardens, a Michelin-starred restaurant or a private cinema but for those looking for a friendly, cosy break where you feel instantly at home, where staff will offer to pick you up from the local pubs after a country walk and where you can fall asleep on the lounge sofa in front of the fire, The Painswick is perfect. It’s immaculate throughout, with a boutique hotel/country house vibe, and has an excellent restaurant and is ideally located for those Cotswolds walks.
The Painswick review
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Manor House, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
The Manor House in Castle Combe is set in stunning gardens
If your idea of a perfect summer’s day is afternoon tea in the Cotswolds on a beautiful lawn in the sunshine, The Manor House luxury hotel in the pretty village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire, is the place to be. A circle of little hills wraps around The Manor House’s 365 acres, making the hotel feel cosy and protected from the outside world, with luxury bedrooms, a championship golf course and award-winning restaurant.
Manor House review
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Calcot Manor, Gloucestershire
Calcot Manor is a traditional, family-friendly hotel in the Cotswolds with a luxury spa and indoor and outdoor hotel pools
Calcot Manor is set in 220 acres of beautiful Cotswolds countryside and has ample space for a whole family to enjoy themselves, from the luxury spa and swimming pool to stylish bedrooms and friendly, informal restaurant and pub.
Calcot Manor review
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The Lygon Arms, Worcestershire
The Lygon Arms is charming, traditional and right in the heart of the Cotswolds
The Lygon Arms (pronounced Liggon) is a four-star luxury coaching inn in the middle of Broadway, the town right at the heart of the Cotswolds. Owned by the Iconic Luxury Hotels group which also owns Cliveden and Chewton Glen, The Lygon Arms isn’t as grand as either of those hotels but is full of traditional Cotswolds charm, including an excellent restaurant, spa and indoor pool, a pretty courtyard and lots of original historical features.
Lygon Arms review
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Bowood hotel, spa and golf, Wiltshire
Bowood hotel, golf and spa is set within the beautiful Bowood estate
Bowood hotel, spa and golf is a smart, modern golf and spa hotel on the beautiful Bowood Estate next to Bowood House stately home – so close that staff will run you there and back in its fleet of golf buggys. Golf fans will love the championship golf course while others will enjoy the spa, informal dining and splendid views from the sunny terrace.
Bowood hotel review
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The Bay Tree hotel, Sheep Street, Burford, Oxfordshire
01993 822791
More of an upmarket pub with rooms, The Bay Tree was one of the first places I stayed at in the Cotswolds and still a firm favourite. Just a few steps from the centre of Burford, one of the prettiest towns in the Cotswolds, The Bay Tree, like its neighbour and sister hotel The Lamb, is relaxed, friendly and cosy, with smart rooms, a light and airy restaurant and a lovely large garden which is perfect for whiling away a sunny Sunday afternoon. The hotel, like others owned by Cotswold Inns, does a great Sublime Sunday offer where two people sharing a double room each get a three-course Sunday lunch with a glass of wine and breakfast the next morning for just £70 each.
Rooms from £119 a night
The Feathers hotel, Market Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
01993 812 291
The Feathers Hotel Woodstock
Few hotels are better located than The Feathers hotel, which is right in the heart of the beautiful village of Woodstock and just a stone’s throw from Blenheim Palace. Once you’ve tired of shopping and sight-seeing you can retreat to the Feathers walled garden to work your way through some of the 200 gins on offer before dining in its smart restaurant. However if it’s a rural retreat you’re after, then its sister hotel Lords of the Manor is just the thing – a grand, 17th century country house tucked away in the village of Upper Slaughter, which is rivalled for Cotswold beauty only by its neighbour, Lower Slaughter. With 8 acres of lush gardens, Lords of the Manor is a traditional hotel with a Michelin-starred dining room and an abundance of tranquility.