Please note our writer visited the Cotswolds prior to the coronavirus pandemic
In much of the Cotswolds there’s a gentle sense of adventure for visitors of all ages. Bring the children, take the dog; a number of hotels and old inns offer a particularly warm welcome to families. At some there are brilliant facilities, from water sports and swimming pools to croquet, tennis courts and bikes and wellies to borrow. There are, variously, family suites and apartments, special kids’ menus and glorious grounds in which small children can safely run around. At several there’s scope to bring an extended family party. Here’s our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in the Cotswolds, with a range of cost and comfort options.
Unfussy, restful and well priced, The Slaughters Country Inn is a finely devised sanctuary, ideal for families. Expect welcome bags for young guests and special children’s menus in the restaurant, plus special family events are periodically arranged. Once a manor house, this old inn has an informal, generous atmosphere with spacious bedrooms and lots of outdoor space for children to run around in. There’s an impressive choice of family-friendly accommodation (£25 per night per child). Child beds can be set up in the eight Superior rooms; the two Junior suites sleep three people; the six cottages can accommodate two children with their parents; the three Family suites have scope for groups of five.
Calcot & Spa
Tetbury, Cotswolds, England
This beautifully devised haven near Tetbury provides outstanding facilities for families, all in glorious 220-acre grounds. Calcot blends soothing contemporary looks with the appeal of a classic country house hotel – think dreamy cream furnishings, soft sofas and crackling fires. The tranquillity is deftly maintained given that this is a supremely family-friendly hotel. A big part of the equation is space; this is a former farmhouse with converted out-buildings, and there’s a rambling feel. There are plenty of activites, from nature trails and cycling to Saturday morning baking sessions for children. Should parents need child-free time, there’s an Ofsted-registered crèche, Playzone, and above it a space for older children, equipped with games consoles.
Cowley Manor
Cowley, Cotswolds, England
Cowley Manor is an immensely pleasing blend of funky art hotel, country house retreat and family-friendly haven. Although there’s been a manor house here for centuries, the current property is an Italianate building dating from the 1860s. It was based on the Villa Borghese in Rome, and it pioneered a new country mansion style in England. With its idyllic grounds and special children’s events during the school holidays, the hotel is heaven for families. Trundle beds can be added in many rooms and four suites have sofas that can convert into bunk beds (there’s a charge of £40 per child that includes an evening meal). The bar has a menu well tailored for families, with a range of pizzas, burgers and pasta.
The Fish Hotel
Worcestershire, Cotswolds, England
There’s a generous feel to The Fish, which seems spaciously village-like. It’s essentially a group of cosy-chic properties created from an old coach house, stables and a farmhouse, with other contemporary additions. The buildings are dotted across a wide area, some near a small lake, others variously up a steep hill. They’ve pushed the boat out in devising the 63 stylish rooms – and there’s something for everyone, whether families, couples, dog owners or groups of friends. The three super-swish Treehouses offer the most adventurous accommodation for families. Beautifully devised wooden pods on stilts in a small forest area are panelled all over and offer a bedroom suite area, a bunk bedded room and a conventional bathroom as well as a deck with outdoor twin tubs.
This sleek, contemporary resort hotel is set by a lake in a nature reserve and commands dreamy views over water that is all the more picturesque for the antics of moorhens and swans. The hub is a large lobby-lounge decked in grey and cream. Around it are a restaurant, a spa and several private rooms for events. The hotel’s Old Boathouse Pub is similarly styled and set separately on the northern edge of the property. The 328 bedrooms offer an impressive choice of accommodation, including 64 self-catering apartments, which are ideal for small families; there are also several interconnecting bedrooms and children’s beds can be set up in the larger rooms at £10 per night.
Well positioned in the very centre of handsome Cirencester, this historic inn, which dates back to the 14th century, has an appealingly comfy and informal vibe and cleverly incorporates ancient features with contemporary style and furnishings. The young staff are a huge attribute; helpful and charmingly efficient. They inject a gentle buzz to the hotel, arranging cinema and music nights as well as Sunday lunches with a magician on the third weekend of the month. The 46 bedrooms come in all shapes and sizes, devised in keeping with the quirks of the property. Best for families are the five self-catering apartments, with a master bedroom and a sofa bed in the sitting room.
In this age of gastropubs and chic country inns, it is a pleasure to find a traditional old hostelry. The Inn at Fossebridge exudes welcome, serves fulsome meals, pulls pints of carefully selected ales, and offers comfy and (relatively) inexpensive lodgings. Owners Dee Ludlow and Geoff Collins have infused the pub with a spirit of warmth and welcome. She oversees front of house, he masterminds the bar. The three private dining rooms make it an ideal place for family celebrations. With four acres of safe grounds in which to run around, this is a haven for children. There’s one family room with three beds and two self-catering properties: Stable Cottage sleeps six; Lakeside House sleeps 10.
