Printable hotel details
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Cowley, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
GL53 9NL
Cowley Manor
- Style
- Funked-up stately home
- Setting
- Acres of spectacular Cotswolds
To call the look ‘designer’ doesn’t do justice to Cowley’s funky, flamboyant aesthetic; the exuberant decor is a world away from the usual country-house hotels.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 30.
- Rates
- £245–£470, including continental breakfast.
- Check-out
- Midday.
- Facilities
- 55 acres of land, billiards room, spa (the C-Side) with four treatment rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, gym, sauna.
- Children
- Babysitting is available by pre-arrangement. A children’s supper is served between 5.30pm and 6.30pm (at no charge); the hotel asks that the dining room is child-free by 8.30pm.
- Hotel closed
- 1–6 January.
- Also
- CD and DVD library. Wellington boots are provided. Pets welcome in one of the two dog-friendly rooms; £25 charge per pet, a night.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- The stable-block rooms, especially the split-level ones. Half of the Exceptional rooms have own balcony, and the Best room (actual name) has a private terrace, double bath and four-poster bed.
- Packing tips
- Running kit, if you fancy scenic cross-country.
- Also
- Lavender-scented hot-water bottles on request.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- The grand, oak-panelled dining room is formal but candlelit and welcoming. Breakfast is available from 7am to 10.30ish; at weekends, 8am until 11.30am.
- Dress code
- More uptown than dressed down.
- Top table
- By the window, especially in summer.
- Last orders
- Food: 11pm at weekends and 10pm during the week.
- Room service
- 24 hours.
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Smith concierge
If you’d prefer to talk to someone, or you’re having trouble booking online, ring our travel team on 0845 034 0700 (+44 20 8987 4312 from outside the UK). We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Local restaurants
Cheltenham: Le Champignon Sauvage on Suffolk Road in Cheltenham (+44 (0)1242 573449) serves excellent English and French cuisine; the Daffodil on Suffolk Parade (+44 (0)1242 700055) serves Mod Med in art deco surrounds.Local bars
Montpellier Wine Bar at Bayshill Lodge in regency Cheltenham has a lively atmosphere. The Hare and Hounds in Fosse Cross (+44 (0)1285 720288) for delicious gastro food. The Fossebridge Inn near Northleach (+44 (0)1285 720721) is ideal for Sunday lunch: book ahead. The 17th-century Lamb Inn at Great Rissington (+44 (0)1451 820388) has a great garden.Worth getting out of bed for
Hot-air ballooning at Balloon Flights, Cheltenham (01242 675003; www.hot-air-ballooning.ltd.uk). Boutique shopping in Cheltenham’s Montpellier. Cheltenham races, 40 minutes away (01242 537642; www.cheltenham.co.uk). Antiques fair at the racecourse, last Sunday of every month. Clay-pigeon shooting at Chatcombe Estate Shooting School (01242 870391).Diary
March Cheltenham Festival starts Britain’s horse-racing calendar, and hosts the Gold Cup (01242 537642; www.cheltenham.co.uk). July Cheltenham’s Music and Fringe Festival features music concerts, street entertainment, comedy and fireworks; the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford (01285 713300; www.airtattoo.com).
For a full list of bars and restaurants in Cotswolds, click here
Cotswolds, United Kingdom
- Number of people
- 4-60
- Licensed for weddings
- Yes
Wow factor
The beautiful Norman church of St Mary's in Cowley Manor's grounds seats up to 60 and makes a wonderful scenic setting in which to wed.
Need to know
Wedding parties must take the hotel's 30 rooms on an exclusive basis, and larger weddings can only be held Monday to Thursday. The hotel's wedding coordinator can put you in touch with local specialists and the chef can put together a bespoke menu using locally sourced ingredients. Out of consideration for the local community, it's not possible to accommodate noisy entertainments such as firework displays. Marquees are not permitted in the grounds.
Inspiration
Cowley Manor has 55 acres of beautifully landscaped parklands, including four ornamental lakes and a waterfall. Spa treatments, hot air balloon trips and clay-pigeon shooting can all be arranged for the wedding party.
Click here to view more wedding hotels in United Kingdom
Cotswolds, United Kingdom
- Best for
- Children welcome.
Activities
There are 55 acres of grounds to explore. In July, Cheltenham’s Music and Fringe Festival features music concerts, street entertainment, comedy and fireworks; and there's the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford (01285 713300; www.airtattoo.com).
Swimming pool
There are indoor and outdoor pools, but they are more for swimmers and less for splashers.
Meals
A children’s supper is served between 5.30pm and 6.30pm (at no charge); the hotel asks that the dining room is child-free by 8.30pm.
Babysitting
Babysitting is available by pre-arrangement; ring ahead for current prices. Book one and indulge in Cowley's acclaimed spa indulgences.
Also
There's a DVD library to choose films from. Ask for hot-water bottles to warm beds with.
Click here to view more child-friendly hotels in United Kingdom
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