Pretty villages of ancient stone houses curl around country lanes, with low hills rolling between. Handsome market towns brim with antique shops and coaching inns. Sweeping over six counties in the south west, the region was made rich in the Middle Ages by the wool trade, and retains an air of unruffled, comfortable respectability. The Cotswolds' quality produce has long been brought to life on menus in hotel restaurants and pubs with rooms, but openings and refurbishments over the past decade have brought a dash of retro cool and playful whimsy to the accommodation scene, too.
Best for local produce
THE PIG IN THE COTSWOLDS
The smell of log fires greets you as you enter The Pig in the Cotswolds, the 10th addition to the hotel group's litter, which opened near Cirencester in Gloucestershire in late 2024. The 17th-century manor house all honey-coloured stone and mullion windows-radiates a sense of homely comfort, from the warmth of the welcome to the simple elegance of bedrooms decorated in florals. That floral theme is brought to life in the arts and crafts-style garden, a legacy of one-time owner and horticulturalist Rosemary Verey. Star of the show is the restaurant's 25 Mile Menu, with all ingredients sourced within a 25-mile radius of the hotel. Fresh herbs and beetroots from the kitchen garden and Cotswold lamb might appear on a changing menu of imaginative dishes served in the rustic dining room. ROOMS: From £250. thepighotel.com
Best for homely elegance
THE RECTORY
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Esta historia es de la edición April 2025 de National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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The Cotswolds fulfils every picture of rural England you might care to conjure.
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