The Top Cotswolds Hotels?

Last week I asked our Facebook fans what they each thought was the best place to stay in the Cotswolds.  Eleven people responded (one chap listed three, so we have thirteen), and the hotels they cited, along with their quotes, were listed here.  Since then, people have continued to recommend great places to stay, so I'm just adding them on to the list as ideas come in.

Of course, there are plenty of great hotel review sites; but, I’d be inclined to listen to people who are really interested in the area and are proper Cotswolds fans rather than people who may have just have passed through and didn’t find the area to their liking.  Without further ado, the Cotswolds Top Recommended by our fans are:

Hotel:  The Olive Branch in Broadway
Website:  http://www.theolivebranch-broadway.com/
Fan Quote:  The Olive Branch B&B in Broadway. My two-night stay there is one of the most beautiful memories of my whole life, years later!

Hotel:  Gambles Farm in Woodmancote
Website:  http://www.gamblesfarm.co.uk/
Fan Quote:  gambles farm in woodmancote / bottom of cleeves hill fantastic always go back again and again

Hotel:  Bruern Cottages in Burford
Website:  http://www.bruern-holiday-cottages.co.uk/
Fan Quote: Bruern Cottages in Burford

Hotel: Fairview Farmhouse near Stow-On-The-Wold
Website: Not Available.  
Contact details are:
Fairview Farm
Icomb
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL54 1JH
Telephone: 01451 830279
Fan Quote:  Fairview Farmhouse near Stow. Loved it!

Hotel:  Cotland House in Burford
Website:  http://www.cotlandhouse.com/
Fan Quote:  Cotland House, Burford - utterly lovely.

Hotel:  The Swan in Bibury
Website:  http://www.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/property/the_swan_hotel
Fan Quote:  we so enjoyed our stay at The Swan Hotel in Bibury

Hotel: The Ebrington Arms near Chipping Campden
Website:  www.theebringtonarms.co.uk
Fan Quote:  The Ebrington Arms www.theebringtonarms.co.uk

Hotel:  Westward at Sudeley Lodge in Winchcombe
Website:  http://www.westward-sudeley.co.uk/
Fan Quote:  Westward at Sudeley Lodge in Winchcombe. Absolutely fantastic

Hotel:  Hare and Hounds Inn in Fosse Cross
Website:  http://www.hareandhoundsinn.com/
Fan Quote:  I've been at the Hare and Hounds Inn at Fosse Cross and loved it!

Hotel:  Barnsley House near Cirencester
Website:  http://www.barnsleyhouse.com/
Fan Quote:  A three way tie between Barnsley House, The Painswick Hotel and Cardynham House...

Hotel:  The Painswick Hotel (now known as Cotswolds 88) in… erm... Painswick
Website:  http://www.cotswolds88hotel.com/index.shtml

Hotel:  Cardynham House in Painswick
Website:  http://www.cardynham.co.uk/

Hotel:  South Hill Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast
Website:  http://www.southhill.co.uk/index.php
Fan Quote:  South Hill Farmhouse in Stow on the Wold. Lovely place, excellent service. I recommend it 100%! :) Cheers from Argentina.

Hotel:  Lords of the Manor at Upper Slaughter
Website:  http://www.lordsofthemanor.com/
Fan Quote:  Lord of the Manor was an awesome place to stay!

Hotel:  Box Cottage in Broadway
Website:  http://www.bookcottages.com/cottages/100-NU3-box-cottage.htmFan Quote:  We were delighted by Box Cottage in Broadway. Not a hotel, but a wonderful place to stay--and in an absolutely wonderful village.


Hotel:  Lygon Arms in Chipping Campden

Website:  http://www.lygonarms.co.uk/
Fan Quote:  Lygon arms in broadway is wonderful- beautiful old rooms, good service, and walking distance to a few great pubs. See you this summer!

Hotel:  Rose and Crown House in Chipping Campden
Website:  http://www.campdencottages.co.uk/properties/rose_crown.htm
Fan Quote:  We enjoyed our week at the Rose and Crown House in Chipping Campden. Lovely!

Hotel:  Cranbourne House in Bourton-on-the-Water
Website:  http://www.cranbournehousebandb.co.uk/Fan Quote:  Last week, we stayed at Cranbourne House in Bourton on the Water. Absolutely fabulous!! Lin and Sue are wonderful hosts!

Would you like to have your say?  I would love to hear from you, especially about great places you have stayed at in The Cotswolds.

There are so many hotels and B & Bs that are offering outstanding experiences and just don't have the budget to market themselves to the world, so they rely on word-of-mouth advertising from people who have stayed at their establishment and enjoyed their time so much they are compelled to tell others.  If you have been to one of these places, let us know and we'll do our best to spread the word!

Either comment here on this blog or become a 'fan' of our Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/cotswolds/) and join the conversation.

Frolic Amongst the Follies at A Georgian Garden Party

Ridiculous title for a posting, I know, but how else could one describe it?  This year, the Rococo Gardens in Painswick (The Queen of The Cotswolds) will play host to a very extravagant and exclusive garden party.  The gardens are full of Georgian follies and include a hedge maze to rival Hampton Court’s.

20th, 21st & 22nd August
Rococo Garden Party

Frolic as if it were the 18th Century as the garden celebrates local produce, crafts, and as part of the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity, our woodlands.

BBC Radio's Johnnie Amos will be chairing a special Gardeners Question Time and celebrity chef Felice Tocchini will be cooking up a feast in the Orangery.

Treat yourself yourself to the ultimate in garden luxury with Champagne & Cupcakes in the newly restored Red House, which will become an exclusive pre-booked VIP Area during the party.

Garden Party Opening times:  11.ooam - 6.30p.m

Prices:

Adult: £6.00

Adults over 60: £5.00

Children (5 to 16) :£3.00

Family Ticket (2 Adults & 2 Children):£16.00

Pre - booked Groups: (min. 20) will be entitled to a 20% reduction.

Visitors arriving in Georgian costume will gain free entry into the garden.

Programme of events and more information available on the Rococo Garden Party website, please click here.

About the Gardens

Situated outside the beautiful Cotswold town of Painswick, and famous for its snowdrop display, the Rococo Garden is a fascinating step back to a flamboyant and sensual period of English Garden Design. This gem of a garden, which was originally laid out in the early 18th century, is set in a hidden Cotswold valley with magnificent views of the surrounding countryside.


A magazine article of 1753, describing this style of garden, finished with the line:


“.......You are taken to a pompous and gilded building, consecrated to Venus for no other purpose that the squire riots here in vulgar love with a couple of orange wenches from the local play-house.”


Enough said!