Cotswold House Hotel

The Cotswolds present travellers with a dizzying array of country house hotels, from rustic hunting lodges to elegant period pieces to contemporary-styled designer boutiques. How could one more country house possibly hope to stand out?

Cotswold House’s solution is to present a bit of all things to all people — this is an eminently customisable experience, offering separate menus of options for bedding weight, pillow thickness, bath amenities, and minibar items.

And as for the variables you can’t control, well, you’re stuck with the country idyll of the Cotswolds, the picturesque village of Chipping Campden, and the immediate setting of an elegant Regency townhouse that dates back to the early 19th century. The interiors have been renovated, and eschew period preciousness in favor of a more contemporary look — nothing shockingly avant-garde, just a warm and comfortable décor, with none of the look-don’t-touch antique overload on display at some historic country hotels.

There are two restaurants to choose from: Juliana’s, the sophisticated fine dining restaurant, or Hicks’, the rather more dressed-down brasserie, open all day, that serves as the hotel’s social center. When it comes to choosing specific menu items, you’re again on your own, but it’s all fish and game, the finest local produce, and a rather extensive list of vegetarian options.

Next order of business: whether to spend the day sight-seeing, riding, golfing, or just strolling through the gardens….

How to get there:
Cotswold House Hotel is approximately a one-hour drive from Birmingham International Airport (BHX).