Home Hotel reviewsCountry house hotels Battlefields and a summer’s evening at Tewkesbury Park

Battlefields and a summer’s evening at Tewkesbury Park

Just outside the historic town of Tewkesbury is a four-star hotel with spa and golf course

by Sarah Bridge

A stay at Tewkesbury Park hotel

First impressions on arriving at a hotel go a long way to setting the tone of the entire stay, so it was lovely to be greeted at the entrance to Tewkesbury Park hotel by a sign which read: ‘Relax – you’ve made it!’

I duly relaxed as we made our way along the long, sweeping drive through the golf course up to the hotel entrance and were instantly welcomed by the friendly and efficient staff on reception. The relaxing could begin in earnest now.

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Arriving at Tewkesbury Park hotel

Tewkesbury Park hotel is a 93-bedroom, four-star hotel on the north-west edge of the Cotswolds, just north of Cheltenham.

While the hotel itself is fairly modern in design and décor, it is surrounded in history, with town of Tewkesbury boasting an impressive number of half-timbered medieval and Tudor buildings. During our visit, many were decked out on in flags bearing coats of arms ahead of an annual medieval festive. If you want even more history, the site of the Battle of Tewkesbury, one of the decisive points in the Wars of the Roses, is just by the hotel’s entrance gates.

Tewkesbury Park hotel gates

The gates which signal that you’ve arrived at Tewkesbury Park hotel

site of the Battle of Tewkesbury

Just outside the entrance to Tewkesbury Park is the site of the Battle of Tewkesbury, one of the most decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses

Bloody battles are a world away from the tranquil air that surrounds Tewkesbury Park hotel. The hotel building is perched on top of a hill, surrounded by acres of parkland, golf course and views for miles, so to sit outside in the sunshine with a drink on a Saturday afternoon, watching children play on the putting green and practising their croquet was a welcome break from real life.

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The view from the terrace of Tewkesbury Park hotel

The view from the terrace of Tewkesbury Park hotel stretches for miles on a clear day

Tewkesbury Park bedrooms

There are a range of rooms at Tewkesbury Park and I’d say it’s definitely worth shelling out a little extra if you can, if you want to make your stay really special. We were first given a ‘Touch of Class’ room (one grade up from ‘Just Right’) on one of the hotel’s wings – meaning you had to walk outside to get to the main hotel building – and while it was charming, with a little outside terrace, it was on the cosy side and felt a little cramped, with a small shower/WC.

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Touch of Class bedroom Tewkesbury Park hotel

Our Touch of Class bedroom was thoughtfully designed with a little terrace space just outside

Spend just a little more though, and you can transform your hotel break with either an Indulgence room or an Opulence room. We ended up in the lovely Margaret of Anjou room on the first floor of the main hotel building, just few steps from the restaurant and bar, and it really made our stay special.

Margaret of Anjou bedroom

The spacious Margaret of Anjou bedroom has a King-sized bed, large bay windows and a copper bath in the corner of the bedroom

The room was light and spacious, with a large bay window embracing the views across the grounds, a King-sized bed, armchairs, a desk and large bathroom with walk-in shower.

Our new room was spacious and made the most of those great views

Our new room was spacious and made the most of those great views

Best of all, there was a vast but fast-filling copper bath tub in the bay window so you could soak away your cares while soaking up the views (and a G&T) and all of a sudden we had changed from having a hotel room which you just sleep in to one in which you could happily spend a whole weekend.

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Activities at Tewkesbury Park hotel

With two golf courses – one 18 hole, one 9 – at the hotel, golf is a big draw for the hotel, and there were many happy groups of golfers working their way along the fairways or the clubhouse bar during our stay.

The hotel works as for non-golfers too though, with a decent-sized indoor swimming pool (which we had to ourselves on the Sunday morning), outdoor hot tub, sauna, steam and large, well-equipped gym.

indoor swimming pool at Tewkesbury Park hotel

We had the large indoor swimming pool to ourselves on the Sunday morning

The hotel will provide you with an excellent map of the grounds and its facilities so you don’t miss out on anything during your stay. You can go for a long walk around the grounds and along the banks of the River Severn which runs along the edge of the estate (there was a large range of wellingtons to borrow in reception), through the battlefield and into town if you like, or, like us, you can just enjoy the views from the hotel’s grassy terrace.

Tewkesbury Park hotel

The main hotel building contains the reception, bar, restaurant and some of the historic and opulent rooms

boots to borrow for exploring the grounds

The hotel reception has lots of boots to borrow for exploring the grounds

Tewkesbury Park restaurant

Afternoon tea is hugely popular at Tewkesbury Park, so there is a nice buzz about the place during the day. We had saved our appetites for evening dinner, and, like the football which was also on that day, it was definitely a tale of two halves.

The hotel's restaurant was smart and modern and made the most of the views across the park

The hotel’s restaurant was smart and modern and made the most of the views across the park

The menu was wide-ranging and looked promising, with a range of bite-sized and full-sized starter portions, main plates, curries, pasta, salads and meat dishes.

Things started off really well, with an excellent starter of sashimi-cut Scottish smoked salmon with avocado and rye bread – the little dots of sauces were full of flavour – while the bite-sized goat’s cheese cornetto and crab croquette were tasty and interestingly presented.

sashimi-cut Scottish smoked salmon with avocado and rye bread

Sashimi-cut Scottish smoked salmon with avocado and rye bread

bite-sized goat's cheese cornetto and crab croquette

The bite-sized goat’s cheese cornetto and crab croquette were uniquely plated

The quality sadly fell off a bit with the main course though, with the sea bass special being incredibly dry, and the Cajun-spiced burger lacking in flavour. We should have gone for the Himalayan goat curry instead which was being enjoyed by the group on the next table. Things picked up with the arrival of mini-puds of dark chocolate and salted caramel tart and passion fruit and mascarpone mousse dome – both inexplicably arriving on a bed of coffee beans – and I’m sure the local cheese plate would have been lovely, if only we’d had room.

Breakfast at Tewkesbury Park hotel

After a great night’s sleep and yet another bath in the lovely Margaret of Anjou bath tub, we actually made it to the swimming pool before breakfast, a rare event (we always plan to but love having a lie-in too much) and were delighted to have it all to ourselves, including the outdoor hot tub, sauna and steam room.

Breakfast was in the same restaurant as dinner and was, like dinner, a mixed affair. It was mainly buffet, which offered a large choice of bread, pastries, cereals, fruit, yoghurt, cheese and so on, plus a range of cooked options on hot plates, but it was laid out in the seating area which made it a big difficult to find everything and meant you had to choose your food items while negotiating your path through other diners.

Breakfast menu at Tewkesbury Park hotel

Breakfast menu at Tewkesbury Park hotel

We weren’t offered a menu when we arrived, but when we found one we discovered that there were several a la carte options too, which made it feel like a proper hotel breakfast – although it was a bit strange being charged for any coffees other than filter coffee, as (in my opinion) a decent espresso or flat white is part of any smart hotel breakfast offering.

poached eggs with avocado on toast

My poached eggs with avocado on toast

The Tewkesbury Park hotel experience

Small issues with the restaurant aside, what makes a stay at Tewkesbury Park hotel a relaxing break is the sheer space. Being surrounded by parkland and golf courses certainly makes it feel very calm, and the hotel interiors are full of nice design touches.

The welcoming reception at Tewkesbury Park hotel

The welcoming reception at Tewkesbury Park hotel

Whether you have come for the golf, the spa, to explore Tewkesbury, or just a place in which to relax for a night or two, Tewkesbury Park has a lot to offer, and if you can splash out on an opulent room like Margaret of Anjou then I don’t think you’d regret it.

Hotel info and how to book Tewkesbury Park hotel

Rooms at Tewkesbury Park start from £140 per night on a bed & breakfast basis and Suites from £260.

Check out Tewkesbury Park’s short break offers

Tewkesbury Park hotel on Tripadvisor

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