If you are looking for a luxury hotel in the Cotswolds with a Michelin starred restaurant, set within the rolling Cotswold hills and surrounded by sheep, trees, and a thousand fields, we have picked 5 of your best options below.
If you plan to book a stay at any luxury hotel, including Whatley Manor hotel, contact our luxury travel concierge to get a quote before booking. We offer free upgrades, free breakfasts, free hotel credit deals, and special benefits.
Well known for its quintessentially English market towns and villages, The Cotswolds is the largest area of outstanding natural beauty in England and Wales, covering nearly 800 square miles across five counties (Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire).
Whether traveling as a couple, a family or as a business traveler, The Cotswolds has a very well-deserved reputation as a foodie paradise thanks to the incredible produce on offer. Host to a number of award-winning hotels and restaurants, we have picked some of the best Michelin Star Hotels in The Cotswolds and beyond.
1. Whatley Manor Hotel & Spa, The Cotswolds
Whatley Manor is a country house hotel in the heart of The Cotswolds countryside. This grand 19th-century farmhouse lies on the eastern fringes of the Cotswolds, situated in a beautifully relaxing location steeped in history just a stone’s throw from the gorgeous market town of Malmesbury, packed with its pubs, coffee shops, and antique shops.
Grounds
With its long drive-through grounds that roll out to fields, Whatley Manor feels a world apart from 21st-century pressures and just oozes character and style with gardens that seem to be straight out of a picture book. From the moment you arrive, you can truly immerse yourself in the luxurious, tranquil surroundings that Whatley Manor has to offer.
Independently owned by the Landolt family, who remain very involved in creating the style and feel of the property, the Whatley Manor Hotel is striking at first sight.
Built out of honey-colored stone and adorned with winding wisteria and roses climbing up the walls, it is set in immaculate rolling 12-acre grounds. Verdant greenery climbs the walls, and the garden is full of color, framing the quintessentially British house. Strolling around the magnificent gardens laid out in 26 distinctly different areas, you experience true peace and tranquillity as there is no noise from passing traffic, just the sound of nature.
Lounges
This picture-perfect hotel is tastefully preserved and has an instantly chilled-out aura. The public areas have a generous feeling of space with a graciously wide main staircase and several comfortable rooms to sit in and relax.
Everywhere you explore within the hotel feels historic, with the floors being a mix of flagstone and wood and each room sporting a majestic fireplace. There is a wooden-clad bar that feels like a small library leading into a spacious and charismatic lounge.
In fact, there are a variety of lounge areas throughout the hotel that give you the opportunity to sit and soak up the ambiance or even to sample an elegantly served Whatley Manor afternoon tea of traditional sandwiches, fluffy scones, and delectable cakes and sweet treats. T
The main lounges offer views across the gardens and doors, which open up enticing you outside; sitting overlooking the regal lawns, fountains, and flower beds bursting with color is truly idyllic.
It’s not just the stunning decor, furnishings, and comfort that make Whatley Manor such a special place. Food is a huge part of the Whatley Manor experience; whether it be for visiting guests, special occasions, or Saturday brunches, unquestionably, it has ‘the wow factor’.
Michelin Star Restaurant
With their long-established relationships with local farms, suppliers, and fishermen, chefs have the pick of fresh local produce and offer some excellent dining options featuring many culinary delights, everything from fabulous fine dining to appealing British comfort cuisine.
Executive Chef, Niall Keating gained a coveted Michelin Star within one year of taking on the role, and his passion and creativity have reinvigorated all of the dining experiences at Whatley Manor. The sleek ‘Greys Brasserie’ offers leisurely lunches, dinner or simply a delicious chilled glass of wine. It serves more conventional, comforting food such as braised lamb shoulder with wild garlic and venison with confit Jerusalem artichokes, all beautifully presented.
However, Niall’s unique cooking style can be sampled most fully in ‘The Dining Room’, where the menu delivers his signature flavors. Boasting 1 Michelin star, it offers a sublime and innovative tasting menu that certainly lives up to its title. It’s very tasty and immaculately presented with great explanations. The smoked eel and the risotto were my highlights when we tried this restaurant a few months ago. It was a fabulous experience being able to speak with the chefs and sommelier about the food and wine, and it really made the gastronomic experience extra special.
The Green Room
The Green Room is an informal venue featuring chefs creating small plates of expertly crafted food right in front of your eyes. Tables are positioned around a central workspace where, at any time of day, chefs produce dishes such as gin-cured mackerel to order.
Breakfast is also served here and brought to the table rather than served as a buffet, with a menu of pastries, cereals, and plenty of cooked options such as eggs Benedict. One thing that is obvious is that all staff are professionally friendly and go out of their way to make your stay special. They pride themselves on attention to detail and really can’t do enough for you.
Rooms
The accommodation upstairs is also full of character. All rooms are very quiet and spacious; even the smallest ‘classic rooms’ have ample space for a desk and comfortable chairs.
Rooms have been refurbished to a very high standard with quality products and comfortable surroundings, giving a modern edge. There are only 23 rooms and suites that are completely unique in style and overlook the gardens and Cotswold countryside.
The spacious suites are bursting with character and feature a super king-size bed handmade in Yorkshire by Harrison Spinks, with thousands of pocket springs to ensure the most comfortable sleep experience.
They have a sitting room and study area and a large, immaculate bathroom featuring heated flooring, a separate bathtub, and a shower stocked with indulgent Molton Brown products. Plenty of delicious treats also await you in your room – homemade biscuits & elderflower cordial, still and sparkling mineral water, Whatley Manor chocolate bar, and coffee and tea-making facilities.
Spa
Hotel amenities also include full use of the award-winning Aquarias Spa throughout your stay to restore your mind and body, to reset and recharge. The beautiful honeystone building exudes a calming and relaxing environment that whispers “switch off” as you walk through the doors.
Open to all adult guests, the extensive spa offers an indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy pool, five treatment rooms, salt scrub showers, aromatic thermal suites, a sauna, and more. With its impressive fully-equipped spa facilities, including an ample list of treatments to enjoy.
All treatments are expertly delivered to provide the ultimate benefits and deliver results, so relax, enjoy the space and tranquillity, and allow yourself the luxury of time to unwind.
The Aquarius Spa is truly one of the most relaxing spa experiences you will find in the heart of the Cotswolds. For something more energetic, The Aquarias Spa gym hosts a variety of equipment and is fully equipped with cardio machines, weights, and an airy studio space.
With genuinely excellent service and high-quality amenities, Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa is the country hotel you have been looking for in the Cotswolds. It oozes character and style but also feels loved and homely. The staff are wonderful, and the food taster menu is an absolute highlight.
2. Lucknam Park, Wiltshire
Situated on a 500-acre estate, Lucknam Park is an elegant and distinguished hotel located just six miles from the historic city of Bath. Boasting 42 individually styled rooms and suites, and a charming three bedroom country cottage, it also features an award-winning spa and wellness center.
The heated outdoor therapy pool overlooking the trees is amazing, plus there are saunas, steam rooms, and a Japanese salt room where guests can fully relax and unwind.
Informal dining is available in ‘The Brasserie’ located in the spa building, or fine dining is not to be missed in the Michelin starred ‘Restaurant Hywel Jones’. Only the best ingredients are used to ensure the fullest flavors and produce is locally sourced wherever possible. Even the herbs are picked fresh from the extensive kitchen garden at the hotel, which helps enhance the subtle flavors of the dishes.
Lucknam Park is a romantic and beautiful place to stay. It is in a wonderful setting, staff are helpful and attentive, and the food is exceptional. There is no shortage of things to do (tennis, croquet, or mastering new techniques in the Cookery School to name but a few), but equally for those wishing to enjoy gourmet dining, fine wines, and relaxation, this is a wonderful hotel in a perfect location.
3. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxford
Nestled amongst beautiful gardens in the rural Cotswolds countryside, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is a luxury hotel located in the picturesque village of Great Milton in Oxfordshire; the quaint streets of Oxford city center being only a 20-minute drive away.
Created by chef Raymond Blanc OBE, it is one of the country’s most cherished manor house hotels, with 32 individually designed guest rooms and suites. Opening in 1984, it was awarded two Michelin stars and has retained them ever since.
The food is French-inspired, using only the best seasonal produce, freshly picked from the hotel’s extensive vegetable and herb gardens, and is a true gastronomic experience. Sitting in the perfectly manicured gardens sampling the seven-course taster menu is out of this world, each course bringing something new, whether it be flavors or textures. Coupled with exemplary service, Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons certainly does not disappoint.
4. The Manor House, Castle Combe
The Manor House is a stunning 14th Century luxury hotel and golf club set in 365 acres of secluded parkland within close proximity to the Cotswolds and Bath.
With 50 individually designed bedrooms, located in either the Main House or the Mews Cottages adjacent to the main building, no two rooms are the same but rest assured they all elude luxury combining the traditional with the modern.
Experience dining in the award-winning Michelin starred ‘Bybrook Restaurant’ with its diverse, imaginative menu, or take a stroll around the picture box village of Castle Combe. The food is well deserving of its Michelin star, and its location makes The Manor House an ideal base for the area.
5. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
Located in the beautiful Georgian town of Marlow, near the Cotswolds in Buckinghamshire, The Hand & Flowers is the only pub in the UK with two Michelin stars. Owned by Tom Kerridge and his wife, it looks like an ordinary pub from the roadside, but you actually check in at the small bar-turned-hotel reception, through which lies the 17th-century dining room.
Guests can stay in any of the 11 off-site individually designed boutique bedrooms situated in three different cottages in the center of Marlow. All rooms are luxurious, cozy, and contemporary with large beds and baths, hot tubs, and rain showers and include a cooked breakfast in the pub.
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