For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Nestled among the rolling hills are towns and villages including Stow-on-the-Wold, Cheltenham and Chipping Campden, each with its own combination of Cotswolds architecture, beautiful views, fresh local food and antiques and crafts markets. Sit by the banks of the Wye, or go for a stroll through the Forest of Dean and you’ll be bursting with rediscovered love for England (and for your partner, obviously).
If you fancy bottle-feeding lambs or oinking at piglets then head to the Cotswold Farm Park (+44 (0)1451 850307) near Cheltenham. If your hard hearts can’t be melted by the idea of hanging out with farm animals, you could also learn how to drive a tractor…
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Gloucestershire
The ultra-cool modern furniture doesn’t seem remotely out of place in 17th-century Barnsley House; this spa-enhanced boutique hotel is set in beautiful countryside, less than two hours from London.
If you want your country retreat with all the mod cons, then Cotswold House hotel is your dream designer pad, in a breathtaking rural setting. It's a family-friendly hotel, too.
To call the look ‘designer’ doesn’t do justice to Cowley Manor’s funky, flamboyant aesthetic; the exuberant decor is a world away from the usual country-house hotels.
This stately Cotswolds country manor knocks the stuffing out of traditional rural retreats, with all the boutique-hotel trimmings you'd expect of a designer pad in town. At Lower Slaughter Manor, you get your fresh air, fine dining and fabulously romantic weekend away all in one fell swoop…
A beautifully boutique B&B inside a grand Regency townhouse shell, Thirty Two overlooks Cheltenham’s main Imperial Square gardens and is just a short walk from the artistic Montpellier quarter.
Formerly a wool merchant’s house, like the majority of the architecture in this wealthy town, No 12 is suitably grand with a handsome, Cotswold stone façade.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
Situated in a stableyard behind one of Cirencester’s highly respected butchers, this small and relaxed restaurant specialises in fresh meat and fish. In the summer, there’s live jazz in the courtyard (www.jessesbistro.co.uk).
The Stableyard, Black Jack Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 2AA
The two Michelin stars say it all: this is the destination restaurant in the Cotswolds, serving audacious, high-wire dishes in which English and French cuisine collide. Reservations essential.
24–26 Suffolk Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 2AQ
The atmosphere’s as high as the ceilings at this buzzing restaurant that’s set inside a converted art deco cinema, complete with 1920s movie artefacts on the walls. Expect a neat line in mouthwatering modern Anglo-Mediterranean dishes (www.thedaffodil.com).
18–20 Suffolk Parade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 2AE
Set in a honey-coloured former rectory in the gorgeous (and gorgeously named) Cotswolds village of Upper Slaughter, this whisper-quiet, romantic hotel restaurant is known for its on-trend British cuisine. That said, its signature dish of slow-roast beef is a melt-in-the-mouth classic.
Upper Slaughter, near Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire GL54 2JD
With its panelled wooden pews and enthusiastic service, this Chipping Campden hotel restaurant oozes country charm and cheer. The menu combines ‘greatest hits’ Brit dishes with more experimental international fare: try the king prawns flamed in brandy, or the steak and kidney sausages with bubble and squeak.
The Kings Arms Hotel, The Square, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire GL55 6AW
An atmospheric marriage of traditional British pub and classic French bistro, this newly opened eatery in Cheltenham town centre serves seaonal, local produce with a strong emphasis on fresh seafood.
5 Royal Well Place, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 3DN
This well-established restaurant was taken over earlier this year and the reception has been enthusiastic. There is a wonderful vegetarian menu and the wine list, if a little on the pricey side, is encyclopaedic in scope. The mouth-watering dishes include Cornish mullet with Thai risotto and Wild Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagne.
Clarence Parade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3PA
Despite the generic name, this is no average out-in-the-sticks inn – it’s a ‘duck breast on puy lentils’ gastropub where the ale is real (try the Cotwolds’ own Hook Norton). There’s an inventive wine list with almost two dozen by the glass, and bar staff know how to concoct an intriguingly spiced Bloody Mary (www.thevillagepub.co.uk).
High Street, Barnsley, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5EF
In the most idyllic of settings – down a narrow lane and overlooking a valley – this charming pub serves adventurous grub. The madeira-marinated herring crostini and parma-wrapped baked figs stuffed with brie tear strips off the scampi-and-chips fare offered by lesser local boozers (www.green-dragon-inn.co.uk).
Cockleford, near Cowley, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 9NW
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