Searching for the best Cotswolds hotels 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 Cotswolds hotels 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
Burleigh Court, Stroud
The hotel: Boutique Cotswolds hotel Burleigh Court hotel near Stroud in the western end of the Cotswolds has 18 bedrooms – including some pet-friendly rooms with dog-themed wallpaper in the coach house next to the main building – and three acres of landscaped gardens with stunning views across Stroud valley. Burleigh Court is a relaxing retreat away from the real world, where you can pad downstairs to read a book or have afternoon tea by one of several open fires, have a drink or two in the cosy bar or retreat upstairs to enjoy the view from your bedroom window.
Burleigh Court review
Book Burleigh Court at Booking.com
Visit Burleigh Court on Tripadvisor
The King’s Head Inn, Bledington
The King’s Head Inn has 12 bedroom and is located in the pretty Cotswolds village of Bledington
The hotel: The King’s Head Inn is in the heart of the Cotswolds, in the middle of the triangle created by Chipping Norton, Stow-on-the-Wold and Burford. It is just a few minutes’ drive from famous Cotswolds icons including Daylesford Organics, Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm shop and Kingham, home to celebrity-favoured pubs The Kingham Plough and The Wild Rabbit. This traditional pub with 12 bedrooms serves excellent food and drink, and has stone floors, open fires and low beamed ceilings like the very best English pubs.
The King’s Head Inn review
Book the Kings Head Inn on Booking.com
Visit The Kings Inn Head on Tripadvisor
Whatley Manor, Malmesbury
Whatley Manor is set in 12 acres of gardens and has a Michelin star restaurant
The hotel: 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’ve finished in the spa, 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
Book Whatley Manor at Booking.com
Visit Whatley Manor on Tripadvisor
Dormy House hotel
The modern luxury spa at Dormy House
The hotel: 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 minute’s drive from the beautiful village of Broadway, often called the heart of the Cotswolds.
Dormy House review
Visit Dormy House on Tripadvisor
The Painswick
The Painswick is has the classic Cotswolds hotel look and is cosy and welcoming inside
The hotel: 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
Book The Painswick at Expedia.com
Visit The Painswick on Tripadvisor
Manor House, Castle Combe, Wiltshire
The Manor House in Castle Combe is set in stunning gardens
The hotel: 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
Book Manor House at Booking.com
Visit Manor House on Tripadvisor
Calcot Manor, Gloucestershire
Calcot Manor is a traditional, family-friendly hotel in the Cotswolds with a luxury spa and indoor and outdoor hotel pools
The hotel: 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
Visit Calcot Manor on Tripadvisor
The Lygon Arms, Worcestershire
The Lygon Arms is charming, traditional and right in the heart of the Cotswolds
The hotel: 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
Book the Lygon Arms at Booking.com
Visit the The Lygon Arms on Tripadvisor
Bowood hotel, spa and golf, Wiltshire
Bowood hotel, golf and spa is set within the beautiful Bowood estate
The hotel: 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
Book Bowood hotel at Booking.com
Visit Bowood House on Tripadvisor
The Bay Tree hotel, Burford, Oxfordshire
The hotel: 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, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
The Feathers Hotel Woodstock
The hotel: Few hotels are better located than The Feathers hotel, the closest hotel to Blenheim Palace located right in the heart of the beautiful village of Woodstock. 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.
