Mr & Mrs Smith

Wow. Barnsley House is the ideal place for a chic country weekend break. We spent a memorable Mother's Day evening and enjoyed all the facilities. Even the babysitter was superb. Stay in Room 1 in the main house, perfect and with the largest bathroom I have ever seen. We'll be back.

Absolutely fantastic place. We enjoyed it so much that we stayed an extra night in The Village Pub, which is also owned by the hotel, where we had a wonderful lunch and supper. There is a very extensive DVD library in both the hotel and the pub. Details of the available films are to be found in a purple book in the room. Sadly no one mentioned this to us and we only discovered it as we were checking out.

Fabulous two-night stay. Service was friendly and efficient and we got upgraded to a fabulous room with a four-poster bed and two side-by-side roll top baths. Top tip: take advantage of the hotel's private cinema for a private film screening – a must during your stay. You can take your own DVD or the hotel has hundreds to choose from. If you want to plan it around dinner, think ahead and book a time slot before you arrive.  A very short wander down to the Village Pub for a hot chocolate by the fire is also a must.

Barnsley House is a miniature slice of country-life heaven. Beautiful garden and friendly, unpretentious staff. We stayed in a superior room in the house, which was stunning, wonderful bathroom with a roll top bath and huge walk in shower. Dinner at the Potager restaurant was superb, amazing diver scallops with a curried cauliflower puree, raisin and anchovy jus, and the most mouthwatering tomato tart with fried courgette flower I have ever tasted. Cannot recommend the hotel spa enough, stunning and the most beautiful spa I have ever been to in the UK. Wonderful food and drink at the village pub just down the road too. Wonderful place for some well deserved rest and recuperation.

Barnsley House, what a find this hotel is. I took my wife there on a short break for her 40th birthday and we are so glad we went. We took a chance after reading reviews that put this hotel as a maybe in our shortlist. Not sure if those reviews were worth reading as this is the best hotel both my wife and I have stayed in. We booked the Junior Suite that is separate from the main house and split over two levels. I booked a room, dinner and breakfast deal – worth every penny. You are able to eat in either the Pottager Restarant in the main house or the Village Inn, owned by the hotel. I won't spoil the surprise but both are fantastic and I could not fault either. The staff are very helpful and nothing was a problem, one of the staff even managed to raid his own wine cellar to find me a bottle of my wife's favourite champagne that wasn't on the wine list. If you have the chance to stay here please do – this is the best place I have stayed at in the UK and I will certainly be staying again in the future.

The village pub which is a 2 minute walk from Barnsley House, is excellent with a large menu and excellent wine selection.  A nice, quiet, cosy pub and well worth spending an evening in.

Three miles away is the quaint old village of Bibury, good for a riverside walk.  Then a further 10 miles to very pretty medieval town of Burford - shopping, pubs...The Lamb Inn was nice.

Great Sunday lunch in the Village Pub, opposite Barnsley House and owned by the hotel, so they can sort booking. In advance, book those spa treatments and a slot in the private cinema, there's a list of DVDs in your room. Film from 6.30-8pm then dinner in the excellent hotel restaurant suited us.

Realising that this review should cover everything else in the area apart from the hotel has us stumped. Not because there isn't anything nearby worth visiting (the village setting is picturesque), but because Barnsley House is such a high quality experience in itself, you may not wish to leave the extensive grounds, the outdoor spa, the in-house cinema, the bar, restauraunt or your opulent, classically furnished room with multi-channel TV. So for us the great discovery was Barnsley House – that simple.

We went to the nearby pub, The Catherine Wheel (+44 (0)1285 740250), for dinner and it was amazing! A great menu with classic British food to suit everyone and cooked to perfection. Would definitely recommend.

Fantastic. Great room, fabulous service, exceptional food, amazing countryside - what more do you need! We liked it so much we got married there later in the year and we were not disappointed!

What did you say? Elton John's helicopter sometimes lands here? He quite likes the outdoor spa? We should have realised we arrived when we turned the bend on the sweeping drive and took in the splendour of this converted stately home. To say not a leaf was out of place would be exaggerating, but it felt pretty close. As we have come to expect from Mr & Mrs Smith, the standard of stay was high – this was confirmed by the state of our mouths remaining agape for the whole weekend. The room itself was big and classically furnished, the bathroom was almost as big – we considered hiring a golf cart to get around it! Luxury ablutions were to be found in abundance but this was just tipping the iceberg. When we hit the outdoor spa after negotiating a small leafy path from our room in our luxury bathrobes (yes, we did) we could see why Elton and his entourage might like to chill here. We weren't just taken aback by the stunning views of the landscaped gardens but loved the extended views of the Cotswolds too. Champagne on arrival didn't disappoint, lunch in the restaurant was fantastic, complimentary cocktails were a taste sensation and to cap it all, lunch in the pub the next day was incredible. It was like being trapped in a gastronomic village, where by law every morsel of food must rebirth one's tastebuds. It was one of those rare occasions where we didn't want to go home – ever. We can't thank you enough for this recommendation.

We knew it was going to be good but were amazed at the impact on our senses the moment we walked through the door! The smell of the logs burning, the fresh spring flowers and the flickering candlelight made the whole place magical! We were very pleased to find a complimentary bottle of champagne in the fridge in addition to the Smith offer – this more than compensated for the lack of tea/coffee making facilities! On the second day we went on a long walk recommended by the hotel. It was beautiful but if anyone is planning to do something similar at this time of year, I would definitely take up the offer of wellies! We had to turn back as the fields were more like lakes.

We had a trip into Cirencester during our stay at Barnsley House – a very easy 5 minute drive away – and sought out the butcher Jesse Smith (as I had seen a reference to them in a review of another local Mr & Mrs Smith entry: No 12). We picked up wonderful Cotswold sausages, a chicken and some lamb, all from nearby farmers. We've demolished the lot already (with some help) and it was all top quality. We would go out of our way to go back, as we're always on the look-out for quality, well-reared meat. We tried to sample another Mr & Mrs Smith-related tip – the Rectory Kitchen and Cellar (having greatly enjoyed our stay at the parent hotel) – but it was far too popular and we couldn't get in!

Try the Village Pub in Barnsley: amazing food, great atmosphere, cool without trying too hard...Try it at Christmas like we did, then spend all spring seriously considering moving here! Our stay at Barnsley House was fantastic, the food was excellent and the spa has made me start to enter the lottery again (so I can call the person who designed it and commission one). The best Christmas getaway ever.

We had an absolutely amazing stay at Barnsley House hotel. The staff were very polite and the room itself was perfect. We borrowed bikes on the second day and went on a 10-mile bike ride through the beautiful Cotswolds – wonderful. The hydration pool in the dark was great, as was the whole spa relaxation expereince. The Catherine Wheel pub in the next village proved to be great for a warm, cosy atmoshere in the winter, and the Village Pub in Barnsley served lovely food in the evening.