Pack your swimsuit and join the jet set for what might be the chicest spa destination in the UK: the charming Cotswolds. The Cotswolds National Landscape is having a bit of a trendy moment, with Taylor Swift staying here during her Eras tour and the stars Rivals busy filming on the streets of Tetbury. Escaping to the countryside is nothing new, of course – the Cotswolds has long been loved for its golden-hued villages and gentle rolling landscapes – but it’s now also top of the list for hip hotels, and they don’t get much better than these 11 sumptuous stays complete with on-site spas.
You’ll be in good company having a soak here (and we don’t just mean the celebs you spot in the hot tub). To the south of the Cotswolds is the city of Bath, where people have been luxuriating in natural thermal waters since the Romans built the temple complex here around a hot spring in AD70. These days, there are more modern spas dotted across the Cotswolds, from sleek hotels to country piles where you can warm up in a sauna in winter and dip in a heated outdoor pool come summer.
1. Cowley Manor Experimental, Cowley
Cowley aims to stand out from the crowd – this eye-catching country manor is hotel group Experimental’s first foray out of London and has been given an irreverent, modern refit thanks to designer Dorothee Meilichzon, who was inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The bar and restaurant attract a buzzier crowd than some more stuffy hotels and bedrooms are lovely too, with bold patterns and huge, inviting beds. Across the courtyard is the modern C-side spa, which has a sunny outdoor pool in a courtyard, a warm and relaxing indoor pool, a sauna and a steam room, plus a menu of treatments.
Address: Cowley Manor, Cowley, Cheltenham GL53 9NL
Read more: The Cotswolds weekend getaway where you can play your own game of the Traitors
2. Calcot Manor, Tetbury
A golden-hued manor house set in 220 rolling acres, Calcot is great for families and for exploring the best of the Cotswolds, with Highgrove, Tetbury and Westonbirt Arboretum on the doorstep if you’re feeling like being outward bound. Or you could just spend your whole stay cocooned in a bathrobe in Calcot’s lovely spa. The outdoor hot tub next to a crackling open fire is a highlight – order a glass of bubbles and soak in the steam. There’s also an indoor pool, a sauna and a steam room, and the massages are memorably good. Calcot say there’s just one rule here: relax.
Address: Near Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8YJ
Price: From £294
Read more: How to have a Rivals-style stay in the Cotswolds
3. The Greenway Hotel and Spa
Leave a busy road behind and head down a long, treelined avenue straight out of a period drama to find The Greenway. While it may be 400 years old, this Elizabethan manor house has been given a fresh new look this year, with 21 refurbished bedrooms decked out in soothing pastels. The restful Elan Spa and a heated pool make a stay here feel more like a wellness retreat than most – there’s an experiential thermal suite, a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone recliners and salt scrub showers to keep you very busy bathing (although guests do need to book 90-minute slots).
Address: Shurdington Rd, Shurdington, Cheltenham GL51 4UG
Read more: The Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel review
4. Dormy House, Broadway
The ethos at the luxe Dormy House’s spa is great, stating “while there’s a time and a place for oneness and wellbeing, House Spa is all about making you feel absolutely fabulous”. The spa ticks all our boxes for a bougie treat, from the infinity pool to the float tank and Himalayan salt sauna, forest experience shower and a “snow” shower for the brave. The hotel itself, a converted farmhouse, is the last word in quiet luxury, with faultless service and airy bedrooms in the eaves that make a stay here feel more like an escape to a country house than to an impersonal hotel.
Address: Willersey Hill, Broadway WR12 7LF
Read more: The best spa hotels in the UK
5. De Vere Tortworth Court
A lot of the spa hotels on our list don’t come cheap – if you’re after a more affordable retreat, try palatial Tortworth Court, near Wotton-Under-Edge. This sprawling Victorian mansion boasts a beautiful Atrium bar with a soaring glass ceiling ideal for a cocktail or two, plus a small but pleasant spa complete with sauna, steam room, warm indoor pool and a gym. While the spa is a bit on the small and simple side, it’s far more affordable than most corners of the Cotswolds.
Address: Tortworth, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 8HH
Read more: Best boutique hotels in the Cotswolds
6. Whatley Manor, Easton Grey
If you conjured up the quintessential Cotswolds stay it might look rather like Whatley Manor, which has 23 cosy bedrooms upstairs, a Michelin-starred dining room downstairs and the delightful Aquarius spa overlooking lush green gardens to zen out in. The spa holds a gold certification in Sustainable Wellness and proves that going green can look – and feel – simply gorgeous. There’s an infrared sauna, a hydrotherapy pool, heated stone recliners and salt scrub showers, plus treatments such as energising yoga facials and dreamlike floatation pod sessions to choose from.
Address: Easton Grey, Malmesbury SN16 0RB
Read more: Best affordable hotels in the Cotswolds
7. Lucknam Park
Wind down a mile-long avenue of lime and beech trees to reach Lucknam Park, then choose to stay in one of 42 rather regal rooms or your own private cottage in the grounds. Once you’re checked in, don a bathrobe for The Spa, complete with an indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy pool, saunas, steam rooms and a Japanese salt room. Massages use local Natural Spa Factory products, while treatments include non-surgical face lifts, lomi lomi massage, gua sha soothing facials and energising sea salt body scrubs.
Address: Lucknam Park, Chippenham SN14 8AZ
Read more: Castles in the UK where you can enjoy a Traitors-style getaway
8. Thyme, Southrop
A historic country estate brought bang-up-to-date, Thyme is a cluster of honeyed stone properties in the postcard-pretty village of Southrop with a deliciously decadent spa at its heart. The Meadow Spa feels inspired by the bucolic countryside that surrounds it and is a true tonic from city life. Do a slow lap of a heated spring water swimming pool that looks like a slice of the South of France transported to the Cotswolds, then hole up in the Botanical Bothy to try Thyme’s signature treatment based around breathing, massage and herbal bathing.
Address: Southrop, Lechlade GL7 3NX
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9. The Lakes by Yoo, Lechlade
Think “Cotswolds” and you may not picture wide expanses of wild water, but the National Landscape has a wonderful secret for keen wild swimmers – 180 freshwater lakes perfect for dips, water sports and wildlife watching. Explore them from The Lakes, a hotel and clutch of cottages nicknamed the “Hamptons of the Cotswolds”. The spa, complete with heated swimming pool, sauna, steam room and spa garden, has a bit of a scientific bent, with treatments aiming to reduce inflammation and boost your immune system. There are also tempting half-day retreats based around Kate Moss’ delectable COSMOSS products.
Address: High Street, Lechlade GL7 3DT
Read more: Best spa hotels in Dorset
10. The Pig in the Cotswolds, Barnsley
If you think chilling out in a lovely garden is almost as relaxing as a slap-up spa day, make a beeline for the latest offering from The Pig hotels. The Pig in the Cotswolds is a Grade II house looking out over charming ornamental and potager gardens – and there’s an emphasis on the homegrown inside as well, with a restaurant championing local ingredients and bedrooms with a fairytale feel. Hidden away in the garden is the small but perfectly formed Fieldhouse Spa, with a sauna and steam room and an outdoor hydrotherapy pool. It offers treatments based on aromatic products, from brightening facials to hot stone massages.
Address: Barnsley, Cirencester GL7 5EE
Price: From £315
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