Boutique hotels
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Ellenborough Park
- Style
- Fifteenth-century thoroughbred
- Setting
- Racy Prestbury
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Cowley Manor
- Style
- Funked-up stately home
- Setting
- Acres of spectacular Cotswolds
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Barnsley House
- Style
- Super-stylish manor house
- Setting
- Gorgeous Gloucestershire gardens
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Lower Slaughter Manor
- Style
- Refined country seat
- Setting
- Gloucestershire’s prettiest village
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Cotswold House Hotel & Spa
- Style
- State-of-the-art comfort zone
- Setting
- Charming Chipping Campden
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The Wheatsheaf Inn
- Style
- Chic coaching inn
- Setting
- Northleach market town
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Cotswolds88 Hotel
- Style
- Versace in verdant surrounds
- Setting
- In a quiet country town
Self-catering properties
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The Cheltenham Suite
- Style
- Italian interior-designed apartment
- Setting
- Milan by way of Pittville Circus
Gloucestershire Overview
United Kingdom
- Countryside
- Rolling hills and honey-stone cottages
- Country life
- Romance and tradition in the heart of the Cotswolds
Gloucestershire, with its picture-postcard English towns and countryside, is perfect for a romantic weekend.
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).
Genuinely Gloucestershire
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…Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- Some of the smaller towns have a very limited taxi service, so book well in advance; ask staff at your hotel to book for you – they’ll know the best local companies.
- Tipping culture
- As per the rest of the UK, tipping is discretionary, but 12.5 per cent is appreciated.
- Packing tips
- Take some decent walking boots and a waterproof jacket if you plan to do any exploring, and leave some space in the suitcase for the slabs of cheese and homemade pickles you’ll be tempted by in the local shops.
- Recommended reads
- Laurie Lee’s tale of a childhood in rural Gloucestershire, Cider with Rosie, is a lush, lyrical memoir that’s gorgeously evocative of the area. Great British poet UA Fanthorpe lives in Gloucestershire and writes about the area. Try her Collected Poems or Queuing for the Sun. There's a much-loved poem by Edward Thomas about the pure, unexpected pleasures of a small Gloucester village: 'Adlestrop'.
- Cuisine
- Gloucestershire glows with culinary pride – there’s great local produce and plenty of chefs who know what to do with it.
- Currency
- Pound sterling.
- Dialling codes
- Code for the UK: 44.
- Do go/don't go
- If you want guaranteed sunshine, you’re in the wrong country, even if it’s mid-July. The Cotswolds are always beautiful, though: just wrap up in the winter, avoid tourist traps in the summer, and always take an umbrella.
