Wild Thyme & Honey
- Nick, Editor
- Sep 11
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
a daydream boutique countryside retreat in the cotswolds
Article summary>>
In this article, you will get our unbiased, independent review and thoughts on Wild Thyme & Honey Hotel in the Cotswolds
Rooms & suites
Food & Drink
Amenities
Service
Vibe
Location
Thoughts
Booking
On the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds sits a 16th-century coaching inn reborn as The Crown at Ampney Brook, a locally highly regarded pub and restaurant that pulls in locals and tourists year-round by the droves. Paired with this social and culinary hotspot is Wild Thyme & Honey, a wonderful boutique hotel well known for its take on luxury country living with a tastefully high-end rustic aesthetic. Now it's fair to say I spend a fair amount of time in country hotels, and I do have a weakness for places that strike the balance between social and culinary fun and a quiet luxury bolthole you can retreat to on a moment's notice. Thankfully, this duo delivers that perfectly.
A modern inn with old bones: Wild Thyme & Honey
Let’s orient you. The hotel sits in Ampney Crucis, a few minutes east of Cirencester; driving is straightforward off the A419, but if you’re coming by train, the useful stops are Kemble (15 minutes by taxi) or Swindon (30 minutes; quickest trains to Paddington). That matters if you plan a car-free weekend of walks, antiques, and lazy lunches. Check-in is 3 pm; check-out, 11 am. The front desk will usually try and get you in earlier if possible.
Design is the house’s calling card. The rooms are layered with tactile materials, Cotswold stone, reclaimed timber, wool and linen, and kitted out with the sort of comforts travellers actually use: king beds, strong showers, Nespresso machines, 24-hour pantries for fresh milk and snacks. Several room categories notch up the indulgence with freestanding bathtubs in the bedroom; all come with smart, rainfall-shower bathrooms. It reads as “modern rural”: pretty but practical, country without pastiche.
If you’re celebrating, No. 3 London Road is the money-shot suite: a super-king four-poster, dressing room, copper tub, and a private terrace with hot tub and barrel sauna looking towards the brook. It’s the suite that tempts you to cancel dinner and order champagne to the deck. Accessibility is thought through, too: Serenity is a partially assisted, ground-floor room with a low-level bed and adapted bathroom. Families should tap the Ampney Hills rooms for interconnecting options. Dogs are welcome in designated rooms (there’s a flat £35 pet charge per visit), with Barbour beds, bowls and treats; the team are well-versed in where four paws can and can’t follow.
Eating & drinking:
Wild Thyme & Honey’s heart beats through The Crown at Ampney Brook, which manages to be both a locals’ pub and a destination restaurant. Downstairs is the pubby comfort, wooden beams, a proper fire, and menus that swing from fish finger sandwiches and loaded burgers to carefully composed plates; upstairs is the more refined dining room for date-night dinners and the (very popular) Sunday roasts. The overall programme is seasonal, British, and produce-led, with trusted suppliers like Aubrey Allen for meat and a wine list curated so you can drink by the glass. Cocktails are classic-forward and well executed.
Breakfast is a point of pride, hearty Full English, lighter options also available, brunch menu is well thought out. In warmer months, the Garden Menu shifts the action outside on weekends, while Steak Night each Friday scratches the carnivorous itch. Afternoon tea leans celebratory without being stiff; aperitivo is encouraged (and gently dangerous if you’re on the terrace at sunset). If you’re here to mark a milestone, the private-dining spaces (The Hide; The Secret Garden; The Eaves) are a recommendation.
A useful thing: the Hives, those transparent dining domes along the brook, book out fast in cooler weather because they extend the outdoorsy romance into autumn. They’re toasty, a little theatrical, and, yes, wonderfully photogenic.
Scene & service:
This is not an aloof “country house” with cloak-and-dagger corridors; it’s a boutique inn with polish. On any given weekend, you’ll find couples doing the Cirencester-plus-Bibury circuit, small groups celebrating birthdays under the canopy of the courtyard fireplace, and Londoners road-testing wellies on the riverside path. Staff skew local and warm, the sort who remember your dog’s name and your aperitif preferences by night two. It’s no surprise the hotel has popped up on Top 50 Boutique Hotels lists and picked up a Condé Nast Johansens nod (not least for being brilliantly dog-friendly).
What to do from here:
Cirencester, the “Capital of the Cotswolds”, is five to ten minutes by car and a pleasure to wander. Start at the Corinium Museum, which packs a heavyweight Roman collection (mosaics galore), then stroll Cirencester Park in the Bathurst Estate, a grand slice of landscaped calm whose avenues pull you towards Queen Anne’s Monument. The park operates a simple day-pass system and is open daily; it’s the place to walk off that Sunday roast dinner.
From the hotel, it’s also an easy loop to Bibury and Arlington Row, the Grade-I-listed weavers’ cottages whose image you’ve seen on passport endpapers and countless tea towels. Go early or late to dodge tour-bus time, and walk on to the Rack Isle water meadow if you want a quieter pocket.
If you like your heritage with a little archaeology, point the car to Chedworth Roman Villa: a National Trust site with hypocausts, mosaics and a countryside setting that makes the Romans feel oddly close; allow a slow two hours.
Craving water? The Cotswold Water Park sprawls with options, but Lake 32 is the darling for open-water swims and activities (weather permitting)
Garden lovers will want Barnsley House for Rosemary Verey’s legacy plantings, four acres of elegant lessons in proportion, and, depending on season, Westonbirt Arboretum (for autumn colour), a little farther west.
Rooms to book:
For maximum romance: Riverside or Waterside Suites with bathtubs in the bedroom and dreamy views (brook or cricket pitch, respectively). They’re the ones you’ve seen on Instagram, and with good reason.
For privacy + bells & whistles: No. 3 London Road, hot tub, sauna, copper tub, terrace; the full show.
For families: Ampney Hills rooms (interconnecting) or a Riverside paired with an Ampney Hills next door; the team will steer you.
With a dog: request a ground-floor, dog-friendly category; there’s a £35 pet charge and house rules, but the welcome is real.
If accessibility matters: Serenity has the adapted layout you’ll want.
Little touches worth noting: those 24-hour pantries for top-ups (fresh milk, biscuits, sometimes midnight-crisis crisps), and Nespresso machines in every room. The bathrooms use Verden products (nice touch), and underfloor heating keeps toes happy after a wet winter walk.
Value & rates:
Rates flex with season and day of week, but recent spot-checks for upcoming dates have shown entry prices from roughly £150–£200 for doubles, rising for suites and peak weekends. The sweet spot, unsurprisingly, is mid-week shoulder season when the Hives are easier to snag and rates feel gentler. For more information and to book a stay, click here
My weekend stay went something like this:
Friday, roll in before sunset, detour to the courtyard fireplace for a Negroni, and sink into the pace of the place. Dinner upstairs at The Crown, Friday Steak Night and a glass of English fizz, and then an early night with the windows cracked to hear the brook.
Saturday, breakfast with intent (Full English), then Cirencester for an hour at the Corinium Museum and a slow loop in Cirencester Park. Back for afternoon tea on the terrace, and then a power nap before settling in to a Hive dome for the evening for drinks and snacks and watching the fairy-lights come on along the water. Sunday, check out with boots on and drive the short hop to Bibury before the crowds; wander, photograph shamelessly, and vow to return in a different season.
Why it works:
Because it has a sense of itself. Wild Thyme & Honey isn’t trying to be a stately home or a spa monastery. It’s a modern inn: good beds, good food, a pretty setting, and unfussy service, plus thoughtful frills like domed riverside dining and a near-obsessive attention to small comforts. It’s also refreshingly well located, quiet enough to be restorative, close enough to Cirencester, Bibury, Chedworth and the Water Park for easy day-trip geometry. And if you travel with a dog, the Johansens' award for pet-friendliness will be a blessing.
Pros & cons:
Pros:
Intimate 24-room scale with design that feels collected, not themed; plenty of small, thoughtful touches (pantries, Nespresso, underfloor heat).
Strong, flexible dining anchored by The Crown: seasonal menus, Friday Steak Night, alfresco Garden Menu, credible cocktails and by-the-glass wine.
Hives riverside domes extend outdoor dining and romance well into the autumn seasons.
Dog-friendly; winner of Condé Nast Johansens Best Dog-Friendly (UK, Europe & Med) 2025.
Easy base for Cirencester Park, Corinium Museum, Bibury/Arlington Row, Chedworth Roman Villa, and Lake 32 at the Water Park.
Cons:
No destination spa; wellness here is fresh air, good sleep and long walks.
With only 24 rooms, popular dates and Hives book up early; spontaneity can be punished on sunny weekends, so plan ahead.
Rates step up on peak Saturdays and for signature suites; better value mid-week or outside school holidays.
Key facts at a glance:
Location: Ampney Crucis, Cirencester, GL7 5RS. Drive via the A419; trains to Kemble (15 min by taxi) or Swindon (30 min) for fastest Paddington links.
Hotel rating: Boutique independent; named in Top 50 Boutique Hotels (2022) and Condé Nast Johansens Awards winner (2025).
Hotel vibe: “Modern rural”, a contemporary inn aesthetic (stone, timber, linen) with polished service and convivial public spaces.
Food & drink: The Crown at Ampney Brook (pub downstairs, dining room upstairs). Breakfast daily; brunch Saturdays; Garden Menu outdoors on fair-weather weekends; Steak Night Fridays; Afternoon Tea; proper cocktails and a good wine list by the glass.
Hotel amenities: Courtyard with fireplace; Hives domes by the brook; private-dining rooms; 24-hour pantries; Nespresso; dog-friendly set-up; event spaces; free parking. No. 3 London Road adds a private hot tub + barrel sauna.
How many rooms: 24 rooms & suites across categories (Waterside, Riverside, Ampney Hills, Serenity, plus the flagship suite).
Pricing: from roughly £150–£200 mid-week, depending on date and room type.
Location recommendations & attractions:
Cirencester Park (Bathurst Estate) - stately avenues; open daily with simple pass options.
Corinium Museum - heavyweight Roman collection at the heart of Cirencester.
Bibury & Arlington Row - Grade-I weavers’ cottages; go early/late.
Chedworth Roman Villa (National Trust) - mosaics, hypocausts, countryside hush.
Lake 32, Cotswold Water Park - SUP, open-water swims, instructor-led sessions.
Barnsley House gardens - Rosemary Verey’s elegant legacy plantings.
See below for more Cotswolds tours & activities.
The verdict:
Wild Thyme & Honey is the kind of boutique hotel that reminds you why the Cotswolds are a draw for weekender souls: country air, luxury rooms, unpretentious food worth lingering over, and a setting that nudges you outside whatever the season. Come for the Hives and a riverside Cocktail, stay for the easy blend of comfort and charm, and leave plotting how soon you can justify a return. A great weekend bolthole to decompress and relax, eat some good food and breathe in a bit of fresh air. Recommended stay.
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.
Wild Thyme & Honey (Cotswolds) Review 2025
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