The Wheatsheaf Inn

England’s venerable coaching inns are the ancestors of today’s pubs, and the Wheatsheaf Inn, in the Cotswolds town of Northleach, is as true as can be to the classic, slightly utopian ideal of a public house as a welcoming place for a drink, a delicious bite to eat, and an attractive, comfortable room for the night. And if that’s a description the modern pub typically fails by some distance to live up to, well, so much the better for the Wheatsheaf.

Then again it’s not many pubs that offer treatments in a small spa located in the garden. Nor do most of them offer shooting or fishing outings, at least not officially sanctioned ones. And, more to the point, not many come with rooms that are quite so attractive. Each of the 14 bedrooms is different, all with Hypnos beds and Bang & Olufsen televisions, and all decorated in a subtle blend of contemporary town and traditional country. Some come with gorgeous copper tubs, though Americans should note that some lack showers — when in Rome….

Of particular note, naturally, is the food. The Wheatsheaf’s restaurant was here before the rooms, and its popularity drove the owners to expand into overnight hospitality in the first place. The atmosphere is one of casual elegance, and the crowd is stylish without intimidation — Kate Moss is something of a local talisman, and her portrait hangs in the dining room — and the food, a contemporary take on classic English country cooking, is more than capable of living up to its reputation.