Mr & Mrs Smith

We had a lovely stay here for our 4th anniversary. We stayed in a 'Room with a View' and were not expecting too much, but the room was lovely. The delightful little touches really made a difference; a small bag of penny sweets on our evening turndown were very welcome after rather too many whiskies in the bar and I particularly liked the small bag of Molton Brown goodies hanging on our door handle when we returned from dinner. For lunch on the Saturday we went to The Falcon on the high street. The food was lovely and the atmosphere was buzzing. We overheard locals commenting on how different it looked, so we suspect that it might have had a little facelift in recent months. We would recommend The Falcon for a pub lunch during your stay in Painswick.

We stayed at this wonderfully chic hotel in the picture-perfect village of Painswick over New Year 2012. Cotwolds88 proved to be everything we had hoped – a design enthusiast's dream replete with every luxury you could want for, from Jacuzzi bath and Molton Brown toiletries to the supremely comfortable bed in our Detmar room. My wife had a very relaxing aromatherapy massage in the onsite treatment room and our every whim was catered for by the hotel staff . We did eat a slightly lacklustre meal on New Year's Eve but the wine and the service were top class and we both felt that the restaurant may have been at its best on a less busy and formulaic night. One absolute must in Painswick is the hidden gem, Olivas Deli. This is basically a full blown tapas bar and the lively Columbian owner was a wonderful host allowing us to try different wines on offer and loading us up with a huge platter of manchego, jamon iberico and delicious olives for a very reasonable £9.

Great hotel but the set dinner menu at £50 and with a £7.50 supplement for cheese and biscuits not very impressive.

It’s clichéd to talk about a room with a view, but in this case it is worth the mention. Idyllic location and the whole place runs seamlessly. The food is excellent; the à la carte is what I think is called designer food, the design being on execution and presentation, rather than having been created to satisfy the appetite. Dinner at almost £60 a head, including a service charge (discretionary as in mandatory) is a bit OTT. I couldn’t quite get the purpose and/or the benefit of the camera in the restaurant that shows the kitchen. It was a fixed shot, only showing a flat surface, and intermittently a pair of hands doing something with plates. It was impossible to see what was happening without pressing your face to the screen as the picture was black and white and very grainy - not unlike the footage you see on Crimewatch. Perhaps this feature would have appealed if Mrs Smith had been a particularly boring dining companion that night.

All in all, we had a good stay in this hotel. The food was absolutely fantastic and the service was excellent. However, we did notice that the furnishing style is dated now and in many places simply naff; zebra print couches, chandeliers with pearl necklaces hanging off, plaster busts everywhere and a huge metallic statue by the door wearing a pinstripe fedora. Be prepared to hear jazzy, house music at dinner. As I said, I can still recommend this hotel, despite some minor aesthetic niggles, simply because the service and food are so special. But be careful to ask what room you are booking as they are wildly different in style. The first room we were given was full of mumsy nick-nacks, like Wedgwood pottery, a large hen on the windowsill, shabby-chic furniture etc, really not our style. The staff were very helpful however and kindly moved us to the Bowery Room, which was more contemporary in design, and therefore right up our street. If you are going to have such strongly contrasting themes this ought to be made clear at time of booking i.e. at booking the customer can choose rooms from either the Classic or Contemporary collection. To leave this to chance is very risky we were lucky this time that the Bowery room was free in peak season, otherwise we may have left unhappy.

Our stay at Cotswolds88 was so fabulous. The village setting is picture perfect and we were surprised on a weekend to find it so peaceful and quiet. We sat in the wonderful hotel garden, overlooking the valley, and totally relaxed. We did a great 5-mile walk from the hotel, they provided us with a map, which eventually joins the Cotswolds Way with amazing views over to Wales! We had dinner on our second night in the Falcon Inn, which was very nice. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend this hotel to our friends.

Extremely chilled hotel. In reality, the design is less extreme than it looks on the website. The food was also very good. Our favourite thing was chilling in the beautiful garden which has a great view over the valley. The only drawback was that the bathroom fans of other rooms were quite audible in our room. And yes, come with a small car.

Highly recommend afternoon tea in Chipping Campden.

This wonderful hotel has a very good restaurant of its own, but it's worth hearing out to The Bell at Sapperton (www.foodatthebell.co.uk) just a few miles away for a meal.

Take a visit to the New Royal Oak Inn if you would like a broad range of ales and local ciders. We amusingly stumbled across 'Puppy Dog Pie', so named after a row between the villagers of Painswick and those of Stroud. The story is somewhat convoluted, but needless to say there's no actual puppy dog involved in the pie - which was delicious!

Great hotel, suite and food. It's a nice touch having the TV screen in the dining room so you can see the final dish being constructed. Also definitely worth visiting the St. Michael's restaurant opposite the church (be sure to book).

Take the time to walk around Painswick. It is a really stunning little village. There are a few nice little art galleries and craft shops and the Church is the epitome of English countryside. Definitely a quiet break, but worth it. If you opt for the suite with the balcony, you get a great view over the valley, that I recommend you see with a glass of wine or champagne in your hand. Romantic bliss.

Drive down the narrow lane leading to the pretty village of Painswick and there standing in all its glory is Cotswolds88. The hotel with its magnificent, manicured gardens is stunning to say the least. Walk inside and it only gets better. Typical Mrs&Mrs style hits you full on. Stylish bar and dining room both giving you that wow factor!
We had booked "a room with a view" and what a view. Hills and country side that seem to stretch for miles.
We take a stroll through Painswick and its beautiful church, before enjoying diner in the superb restaurant.
Cotswolds88, we look forward to returning very soon.
Mr SilverSmith

My boyfriend and I went to Cotswolds88 as a last-minute birthday treat. We found a great deal on Mr & Mrs Smith and off we went. On arrival, the hotel was beautiful! It looks like an old country manor but is uber modern inside and really quirky. The staff were wonderfully attentive in an unobtrusive way, the room was excellent and really large. The bathroom was full of Molton Brown goodies and when we returned in the evening after a day out the bed had been turned down, there was a little pouch of goodies including Molton Brown eye cream, lip balm and sleep mist which was a lovely surprise. There were also little bags of retro sweets on each pillow. Breakfast the next day was included – also lovely, not just your usual fry-up. I would recommend a little bistro just up the hill from the hotel for dinner. It's run by an Italian couple and although the decor is nothing special, the food was wonderful. All in all a brilliant break in a gorgeous hotel with beautiful views. Would most certainly recommend.

We absolutely loved our stay at Cotsworlds88 Hotel and would happily return. We both loved the decor and the quirkyness of the place. We also found the local area to be very nice – we ate at the hotel restaurant one night which was very nice for a special meal; the next night we went to a lovely local pub (can't remember the name) which was only about a five-minute drive away. I wouldn't overly recommend the nearest town Stroud but some of the local(ish) villages are lovely, Bourton-on-the-Water to name just one. Also, Lower Slaughter is very nice for a walk on the river.

The food in the restaurant was excellent. A really great place to stay. We will definitely be back again. I lived in Stroud as a child and we were always told about the 99 yew trees in the churchyard at Painswick, 100 were grown to supply the locals with wood for their bows. 100 were planted but one always dies, creepy eh? Anyway we went to count them before breakfast! Well maybe we got hungry and skipped a few.

Having planned our trip to the Cotswolds, we were really excited about staying in this interesting looking hotel, with such a stunning setting. Unfortunately, my partner had an accident at work two days before we went which left her on crutches. This meant that we couldn't explore the local village, or countryside as much as we would have liked to. It also wasn’t ideal in the hotel, as there's no lift. Luckily, the staff were extremely helpful which was brilliant.

However, her injury did mean we could take full advantage of all the hotel's facilities. We enjoyed the beautiful food in the restaurant both nights, had a massage each to relax and enjoyed the views from the bar and lounge. It would be hard to have a dull time here. Even with the cold wet weather outside (it was a typical English November weekend), the artwork in the hotel is enough to cheer the soul. I am looking forward to returning and doing all this again, minus the crutches! I would also like to venture further afield to see what the village has to offer.

The hotel was fantastic and the staff very friendly. The only downside (which was a great disappointment) was that we chose this hotel due to its views, but when we arrived there was a massive marquee set up, and we couldn't see the views from our room or the outside bar area. The food in the hotel was good value though and the hotel had a great ambience – a great place to spend a relaxing night away.

The Costwolds88 Hotel was an absolutely fantastic and totally relaxing place to visit. The decor is amazing and really quirky and the staff are very friendly and helpful.

The restaurant in the hotel is also fantastic and very reasonably priced, especially bearing in mind the quiet village location and the possible 'trapped audience' they could exploit.

The menu was superb, with each course somehow being better than the last; we couldn't wait to see what came out next. Definitely recommend this.