Best Hotels In The Cotswolds

In our opinion, these are 8 of the best hotels & Boutique Stays In The Cotswolds.

#1 Cowley Manor

There is something almost mythical about arriving at Cowley Manor, tucked deep in the Cotswolds’ rolling green. The drive winds past stone villages and meadowland until, suddenly, the manor reveals itself: a striking 19th-century Italianate house, its honey-hued stone reflected in a tranquil lake, framed by 55 acres of Grade II–listed gardens. It feels less like checking into a hotel and more like stepping onto the set of an English pastoral dream.

Cowley Manor has long been a storied retreat, once the playground of artists and aristocrats, rumoured to have inspired Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today, under the curation of the Experimental Group, the estate has been reimagined with a Parisian wink. The bones are heritage; the spirit, irreverent. Step inside and you'll find bold, jewel-toned interiors, velvet banquettes, sculptural lighting, and playful contemporary art, all set against grand staircases and original plasterwork. It’s a dialogue between past and present that feels both surprising and utterly natural.

The bedrooms, a total of 36, are scattered between the main house and the outbuildings. Each has its own personality, but all marry comfort with a touch of eccentricity. Deeply saturated walls, patterned textiles, freestanding bathtubs, and sprawling views across the gardens make them as inviting on a rainy afternoon as they are on a summer morning. There’s a sensuality to the design here: moody lighting, oversized beds layered with linens, and details that encourage lingering rather than rushing. It’s the kind of place where you unpack once and suddenly feel you could stay a week.

Food and drink are at the heart of Cowley’s new identity. The restaurant, helmed by chef Jackson Boxer, takes a modern, hyper-seasonal approach to British cuisine, drawing directly from the surrounding land. Expect wood-fired game, just-dug root vegetables, and inventive desserts that surprise without pretension. In true Experimental fashion, the cocktail program is a highlight: the bar hums with an energy that feels more Soho than sleepy countryside, where mixologists pour drinks as theatrical as they are delicious.

No less impressive is the C-Side Spa, hidden like a contemporary grotto within the grounds. Its design is sleek and minimalist, all stone and glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the greenery outside. Two swimming pools, one indoor, one outdoor, invite year-round dips, while treatment rooms offer a range of services, from classic massages to more adventurous therapies. Emerging from a steam session here, then walking out into the manicured lawns, feels like a gentle reset.

What elevates Cowley Manor, though, is its setting. The gardens, originally designed in the 1860s, are among the most beautiful in England, featuring terraced lawns, cascades, lakes, and secret paths that unfurl into pockets of wildness. In summer, guests lounge with picnics beneath ancient trees; in winter, mist rolls across the water and the house glows like a lantern.

And yet, for all its grandeur, the experience never feels stuffy. Staff are polished yet easygoing, service is thoughtful without being formal, and the overall atmosphere is one of playful indulgence.

To stay at Cowley Manor is to experience the English countryside reimagined: historic, whimsical, and deliciously unexpected. It's both a traditional manor house and a playground for modern creativity, one of the best Cotswolds hotels, in our opinion. Read the full review

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#2 The Lygon Arms

In the heart of Broadway, the postcard-perfect Cotswolds village of honey-stone cottages and bunting-lined high street, stands The Lygon Arms Hotel, a place where England’s layered history and modern hospitality meet in rare harmony. This isn’t simply a hotel; it’s a storybook woven into stone, one that has hosted royalty, rebels, and romantics over the course of six centuries.

The building itself is a Tudor coaching inn, all oak beams, mullioned windows, and heavy doors polished by the passage of centuries. Its history is illustrious, almost improbable: both Oliver Cromwell and King Charles I stayed here during the English Civil War, pausing on opposite sides of a nation in conflict. Today, the battles fought at the Lygon are far gentler, over scones at afternoon tea or the last glass of claret by the fire.

Step inside, and the past is tangible. Low-beamed ceilings, stone fireplaces large enough to walk into, and flagstone floors create a sense of timelessness. Yet under the care of Iconic Luxury Hotels, the interiors have been refreshed with sensitivity. Plush armchairs in jewel-tone velvets, antique chests paired with contemporary art, and beds dressed in crisp Frette linens balance the inn’s history with modern comfort. The effect is atmospheric without being museum-like; you're meant to live here, not tiptoe through it.

Rooms are scattered between the historic main house and more contemporary wings. Each carries its own charm: panelled suites with four-poster beds and deep soaking tubs for those who want to steep in tradition; sleeker rooms with clean lines and muted palettes for travellers drawn to modern minimalism. Whichever you choose, the sense of being enveloped is the same, the thick walls hush the world outside, the windows open onto gardens or the village street, and every detail feels both thoughtful and indulgent.

At the heart of the hotel is the Lygon Bar & Grill, housed in a grand hall with a vaulted ceiling and blazing fireplace. Here, the menu celebrates the best of British seasonality, locally raised meats, garden-fresh vegetables, and comforting roasts elevated by finesse. Breakfast feels just as indulgent, a leisurely affair of flaky pastries, smoked salmon, and farm-fresh eggs, best savoured over the papers. The Lygon Wine Bar, by contrast, has a more relaxed European bistro feel, perfect for small plates and a glass of something sparkling before a wander down Broadway’s lantern-lit high street.

The spa is an unexpected delight: a contemporary sanctuary tucked away behind historic walls. A 13-meter pool, saunas, and treatments provide a welcome counterpoint to long walks through the Cotswold hills. Emerging into the gardens after a swim, the manor’s honey stone glowing against the sky, is as restorative as the treatments themselves.

What makes the Lygon Arms unforgettable is its dual identity. It's both deeply rooted in history and vibrantly of the present, a place where you might curl up beside a fire in a room where kings once plotted, then wander into a spa designed for twenty-first-century indulgence.

To stay here is to experience the Cotswolds at its most enchanting: a hotel that embodies the region’s beauty, heritage, and charm, while wrapping you in wonderful hospitality that feels utterly timeless. Read the full review

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#3 The Double Red Duke

Some country inns feel like retreats; others, like stages. The Double Red Duke, in the Oxfordshire village of Clanfield, manages to be both a 17th-century coaching inn reborn as one of Britain’s most charismatic boutique hotels. It is at once deeply rooted in its Cotswolds setting and effortlessly stylish, the sort of place where you arrive for a quiet weekend and leave wondering how it managed to feel so alive.

The first impression is all warmth: the honey-stone façade softened by climbing greenery, the low eaves and mullioned windows glowing with candlelight at dusk. Step inside and the atmosphere blooms. The interiors, by designers Clements and Church, are richly layered, with painted panelling in deep greens and reds, low-slung armchairs by roaring fires, patterned textiles, and walls hung with contemporary art that nudges the inn’s history forward. It feels more like the home of a well-travelled friend than a hotel.

Upstairs, 19 bedrooms continue the sense of relaxed luxury. Each one is characterful, some tucked beneath timber beams, others with window seats overlooking the garden. The palette is warm and earthy, with antique finds offset by indulgent touches: freestanding copper bathtubs, cashmere throws, and Roberts radios. Bathrooms are a highlight, generous in scale and stocked with fragrant British bath products that make even a quick shower feel decadent. It’s the sort of space you relish returning to after a muddy countryside walk.

But if the rooms are welcoming, the heart of the Double Red Duke is its restaurant, led by chef Richard Turner. The inn is unapologetically built around the theatre of live-fire cooking, with open hearths and grills filling the dining rooms with the perfume of wood smoke. The menu celebrates hearty British fare elevated to something memorable: rare-breed steaks seared over flames, whole turbot roasted on the bone, comforting pies with golden pastry lids. Even the vegetables are kissed by the grill, their simplicity amplified by the fire.

The bar, meanwhile, buzzes with conviviality. Locals mingle with weekenders over craft ales and a wine list that balances Old World depth with a splash of natural funk. Cocktails are unfussy but expertly made, Negronis, martinis, whisky sours, served by bartenders who remember your order by the second night. In summer, the garden becomes an extension of the bar, a leafy enclave where Aperol spritzes and pints flow until the sun dips.

For all its swagger, the Double Red Duke is also a place to slow down. The inn offers curated spa treatments in garden rooms, morning yoga, and guided walks into the surrounding Oxfordshire countryside. Bicycles can be arranged, and the staff are attentive, unfailingly warm, and quick with recommendations, whether for a woodland ramble or a detour to a nearby antiques shop.

What makes the Double Red Duke unforgettable is its character. It doesn’t trade in nostalgia, nor does it feel like a formulaic “boutique” concept. Instead, it's wholly itself: bold, irreverent, and deeply comforting all at once.

To stay here is to rediscover the joy of the English inn, reimagined for modern travellers but anchored in centuries of hospitality, an escape where fire, food, and friendship take centre stage, a wonderful stay.

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#4 Estelle Manor

There are country house hotels, and then there is Estelle Manor, a 60-acre Oxfordshire estate that manages to feel both like a private fantasy and a destination in its own right. Sister to Hong Kong’s Maison Estelle, it takes the traditional English manor house blueprint and reimagines it with a seductive, international flourish. The result is part stately home, part members’ club, and entirely unlike anywhere else in the English countryside.

The approach sets the tone. Past rolling parkland and ancient trees, the honey-stone manor rises into view, a handsome Grade II–listed pile that hints at heritage. Yet step inside and the interiors reveal a different story: moody, glamorous spaces swathed in velvet and silk, flickering candlelight bouncing off lacquered woods, contemporary art hung against panelled walls. The design is theatrical but never overwhelming, at once deeply English and knowingly cosmopolitan.

The 108 bedrooms and suites are scattered across the main house and surrounding buildings, each one dressed with individuality. Some are cosy, firelit retreats with antique chests and four-poster beds; others are sleek, high-ceilinged sanctuaries with dramatic bathrooms clad in marble and brass. Thoughtful details, a perfectly placed armchair beside a bay window, an unexpected pop of jewel-toned fabric, and art books curated on bedside tables, give the rooms personality rather than uniformity. To stay here feels less like checking into a hotel and more like being granted access to a world that is usually private.

If the bedrooms invite retreat, the public spaces invite spectacle. Estelle Manor’s dining is spread across multiple venues, each with its own personality. The wood-panelled offers refined comfort, steaks, seafood, and seasonal British dishes served beneath carved ceilings. The Glasshouse, flooded with light and opening onto gardens, celebrates hyper-seasonal produce in a setting that feels equal parts greenhouse and salon. Cocktails are an art form here too, mixed with theatrical flair in bars where the atmosphere seems to shift with the hour, from afternoon serenity to midnight glamour.

The beating heart of Estelle Manor, however, is its wellness and leisure offering, which rivals that of any urban members’ club. A Roman-inspired bathhouse, complete with tepidarium and caldarium, transports you far from the Oxfordshire landscape outside. The spa, vast and cocooning, offers everything from traditional massages to more experimental therapies, while outdoor pools invite languid summer afternoons. There are also padel courts, yoga sessions, and trails through the estate’s woodland, a reminder that the countryside is not just a backdrop but integral to the experience.

What makes Estelle Manor remarkable is its ability to combine grandeur with intimacy. Yes, it dazzles with scale and spectacle, gala dinners, sprawling gardens, a sense of aristocratic theatre, but the service is warm, intuitive, and quietly personal. Staff seem to anticipate moods rather than merely requests: an extra blanket by the fire, a glass of champagne appearing just when the evening seems to call for it.

To stay here is to step into a modern mythology of the English country house, one that values indulgence as much as authenticity. Estelle Manor doesn’t simply host you; it envelops you, allowing you to inhabit a world that is both storied and strikingly contemporary.

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#5 The Old Bell

England is full of coaching inns and centuries-old taverns, but few can rival the pedigree of The Old Bell Hotel in Malmesbury, often cited as the oldest hotel in England. Dating back to 1220, it sits in the shadow of Malmesbury Abbey, its honeyed stone façade softened by ivy and time. To arrive here is to step into a living slice of history, yet one that has been polished, refreshed, and subtly modernised into a destination that feels as glamorous as it does grounded.

The approach alone is charming: a winding drive through the Wiltshire countryside, past stone cottages and market greens, until you arrive at the hotel’s medieval frontage. Inside, the interiors are a playful blend of ancient bones and bold design. Original fireplaces and timber beams anchor the building’s history, while jewel-toned walls, contemporary artwork, and richly upholstered furniture lend a sense of drama. It’s the kind of layering that makes you smile, yes, the ghosts of monks and nobles might wander these halls, but they would likely approve of the velvet banquettes and glittering chandeliers.

The Old Bell offers 34 rooms, each uniquely styled. Some embrace the inn’s history with creaky floorboards, leaded windows, and canopy beds, while others lean into a more contemporary aesthetic with patterned wallpapers and modern bathrooms. What unites them is their individuality; no two rooms feel the same, and all are suffused with that elusive combination of comfort and personality. My room overlooked the Abbey gardens, the bells tolling softly in the morning as light poured across the stone. It was, in every sense, atmospheric.

Downstairs, the restaurant and bar buzz with a convivial energy that draws both locals and travellers. The Refectory, with its vaulted ceiling and dramatic design, serves a menu rooted in seasonality, think roast Cotswold lamb, foraged mushrooms, and puddings that feel like proper indulgences. The bar, with its gleaming brass and deep armchairs, is the kind of place where conversations stretch late into the evening over craft cocktails and local ales. In summer, the walled garden is an idyllic spot for afternoon tea, complete with scones and clotted cream beneath the whisper of old trees.

The sense of history here is inescapable. Walk the corridors and you’ll find nooks and crannies, portraits staring out across centuries, and beams that predate most of modern England. Yet what keeps The Old Bell from being a museum piece is its vibrancy. The design is fearless, unexpected bursts of colour, cheeky details, and a kind of confident eclecticism that makes the ancient feel alive again.

Service, too, is impeccable without ever being fussy. Staff are quick with recommendations for walks along the River Avon or detours to Westonbirt Arboretum, and just as quick to remember your preferred nightcap.

To stay at The Old Bell is to immerse yourself in a narrative that spans 800 years, monks, royals, travellers, rebels, and now you. It is the Cotswolds at its most enchanting: historic, atmospheric, but with a pulse of modern energy that makes it unforgettable.

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#6 Dormy House Hotel

Perched high above the village of Broadway, on the Farncombe Estate, the Dormy House Hotel & Spa is the kind of retreat that feels instantly restorative. Once a 17th-century farmhouse, it has been transformed into one of the Cotswolds’ most beloved hideaways, equal parts rustic charm and contemporary indulgence. To arrive here is to exhale. The rolling hills, honey-stone cottages, and winding lanes seem to conspire with the house itself to slow time down.

The approach sets the tone: a sweeping drive past sheep-dotted fields until the manor comes into view, its golden stone glowing warmly in the late afternoon light. Inside, the atmosphere is less “grand country house” and more “home of a stylish friend.” Interiors mix flagstone floors and oak beams with velvet sofas, patterned wallpapers, and roaring fires. There is character in every corner, yet nothing feels fussy. This is the Cotswolds as you imagine it, romantic, cosy, but with a quietly luxurious polish.

The hotel’s 38 rooms and suites carry that same ethos. Some are tucked beneath sloping eaves, with exposed beams and nooks that feel made for curling up with a book. Others are airy, with oversized beds, freestanding tubs, and views across the hills. All are layered with thoughtful touches: Roberts radios, baskets of homemade biscuits, throws in tactile wools. My room had a window seat that framed the countryside like a painting; in the mornings, mist clung to the fields, and by evening, the horizon glowed pink.

At the heart of Dormy House is its spa, one of the finest in the region. Sleek and contemporary, it contrasts the rustic charm of the manor with clean lines, pale stone, and a sense of cocooning calm. Facilities include a 16-metre infinity pool, an outdoor hydrotherapy hot tub with valley views, and thermal suites that range from lavender-scented saunas to a soothing salt-infused steam room. Treatments lean on both traditional techniques and holistic therapies, delivered in hushed, candlelit rooms. Emerging from a massage into the poolside lounge, tea in hand, is the essence of unhurried indulgence.

Food and drink are equally considered. The Back Garden, the hotel’s main restaurant, celebrates hyper-seasonal produce from the estate and local farms. Expect wood-fired meats, freshly foraged greens, and dishes that are both comforting and inventive. For something more relaxed, The Potting Shed is a lively, pub-style space where you can sink into leather armchairs with a pint and a plate of fish and chips. Breakfast, meanwhile, is an event in itself: flaky pastries, farm eggs, smoked salmon, and freshly pressed juices that set the tone for long days exploring the countryside.

What makes Dormy House so special, however, is its atmosphere. Despite its style and polish, it never tips into formality. Staff are warm and unfailingly attentive, remembering names, preferences, and even how you take your coffee. The mood is of easy generosity, as if you’ve been welcomed into an old friend’s home, albeit one with a world-class spa and award-winning dining.

To stay here is to experience the Cotswolds at its most enchanting: a retreat that balances heritage with modern luxury, and indulgence with genuine warmth. Dormy House doesn’t just host you, it embraces you, leaving you refreshed, restored, and reluctant to leave.

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#7 Wild Thyme & Honey

Some hotels win you over with grandeur; others with history. Wild Thyme & Honey, a boutique retreat tucked into the village of Ampney Crucis near Cirencester, charms with intimacy. It feels like stumbling upon a secret, a riverside sanctuary where Cotswold stone walls meet contemporary country chic, and where every corner whispers of slowing down and savouring the moment.

The approach is unassuming: a cluster of honey-hued buildings beside a bubbling brook, with a pretty stone bridge leading to the entrance. Yet once inside, the inn reveals its quietly luxurious personality. Interiors are layered with texture, linen sofas, oak beams, woven rugs, and warm earth tones that echo the surrounding countryside. The design manages to feel both rustic and refined, with enough character to be cosy and enough polish to be memorable.

The hotel’s 24 rooms and suites each carry a sense of thoughtful individuality. Some overlook the River Ampney, their windows framing willows and water meadows; others open onto the pretty courtyard. Details stand out: freestanding tubs made for long soaks, antique chests paired with modern lighting, throws in tactile wools and linens. The No. 3 London Road Suite, with its private terrace and outdoor hot tub, epitomises the inn’s ethos, laid-back luxury that feels indulgent but never overdone.

The Crown at Ampney Brook, the inn’s adjoining restaurant and pub, is the heart of the experience. With its open fires, stone walls, and lively atmosphere, it draws both locals and travellers. The menu leans into modern British comfort: wood-fired flatbreads, seasonal game, fresh fish, and hearty Sunday roasts that linger long into the afternoon. The bar, meanwhile, pours local ales, excellent wines, and inventive cocktails that feel more Mayfair than countryside. It’s this blend, village warmth with urban sophistication, that makes the dining so memorable.

Beyond the food and the rooms, what makes Wild Thyme & Honey sing is its sense of place. Step outside and you are in the heart of the Cotswolds, with walking paths threading through meadows and chocolate-box villages a short drive away. Cirencester, with its Roman history and vibrant market square, is minutes down the road, while Bibury’s famed Arlington Row is just beyond. Yet returning to the inn always feels like the highlight: crossing that little stone bridge, hearing the rush of the brook, and slipping back into the cocoon of its easy elegance.

Service is warm and unpretentious, striking the balance between polished and personable. Staff seem genuinely invested in your stay, offering local tips, a hidden antiques barn, a riverside walk known mostly to villagers, alongside the essentials of hospitality. Nothing feels rehearsed; everything feels considered.

Wild Thyme & Honey doesn’t try to compete with the region’s grand manor houses or historic coaching inns. Instead, it offers something more intimate: a boutique bolthole where rustic charm and modern comfort entwine. It is stylish without being showy, romantic without being saccharine, and unmistakably Cotswold in its rhythm.

To stay here is to experience the countryside not as a visitor passing through, but as a guest welcomed home. Read the full review

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#8 The Pig In The Cotswolds

There’s always a certain alchemy to THE PIG hotels, equal parts country house charm, kitchen-garden abundance, and a disarming sense of fun. Their long-anticipated arrival in the Cotswolds, set within the honey-stone elegance of a Grade II–listed manor near Barnsley, feels like the most natural fit yet. Here, amid rolling hills and dry-stone walls, THE PIG – in the Cotswolds manages to be both thoroughly of the landscape and refreshingly irreverent, a hotel that delights in the small details as much as the sweeping gestures.

The approach alone sets the stage: a winding drive through sheep-speckled fields, until the manor comes into view, its golden façade softened by ivy and age. Inside, the familiar PIG DNA unfolds. Interiors mix battered leather sofas, antique portraits, mismatched lamps, and kitchen-garden florals with a light touch, creating a lived-in aesthetic that feels more beloved than curated. There is grandeur here, certainly, but it’s softened by an unfussy, fireside warmth that invites muddy boots and long conversations over a glass of something local.

The bedrooms, just over 40 of them, are scattered between the manor and outbuildings, each one infused with personality. Some are tucked under timber beams with window seats overlooking meadows; others are larger, with four-posters, freestanding tubs, and garden views. In true PIG style, minibars are stocked with local treats, Roberts radios hum quietly in the background, and bathrooms are layered with Bramley products whose scents seem to bottle the countryside itself. My room overlooked the kitchen garden, where the day’s ingredients were already being gathered as the sun came up.

And it is, of course, the kitchen garden that anchors the experience. At THE PIG, the mantra is “25 miles, 25 minutes,” menus shaped almost entirely by what’s grown on-site or sourced nearby. Here in the Cotswolds, that means plates brimming with heritage vegetables, game from local estates, and cheeses from Gloucestershire dairies. Dinner is an occasion without pretension: wood-fired meats, just-picked salads, and puddings that feel like they’ve come straight from a grandmother’s recipe book, albeit refined by a deft kitchen hand.

The Greenhouse restaurant is the heart of it all, filled with mismatched furniture, potted herbs, and the scent of wood smoke curling into the air. It is a space that hums with conviviality, equally suited to a romantic supper or a long, lazy lunch with friends. And if you only pop in for a drink, the bar, with its shelves of homemade infusions and local gins, feels like the best kind of village pub, only more polished.

Outside, the estate is made for meandering. Walled gardens, orchards, and wildflower meadows give way to rolling countryside that begs to be explored on foot. After a bracing walk, the hotel’s Potting Shed treatment rooms, tucked into the garden, offer massages that feel rooted in the land itself.

What makes THE PIG in the Cotswolds special is the way it channels the spirit of the region without artifice. It isn’t trying to out-grand the grand manors or out-pedigree the coaching inns. Instead, it offers something more relaxed, more intimate: a place where luxury is measured in warmth, generosity, and the joy of eating what’s been grown just beyond your window.

To stay here is to experience the Cotswolds at its most deliciously unbuttoned, historic, grounded, and full of quiet pleasures.

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All hotels & resorts on The Five Star Edit are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive a small commission from advertisers when using our affiliate links.