Cotswold House Hotel And Spa Review
Finding a dog-friendly hotel that is both affordable, comfy and let’s face it, a little bit upmarket, can maybe be seen as a bit of a tricky task, but it’s a challenge that I am definitely enjoying. When you think of dog-friendly places, you mind might not immediately go to a 4-star hotel in the Cotswolds but we were lucky enough to be invited to stay at Cotswold House Hotel and Spa last month and it was incredible.
The hotel itself is situated in the picturesque village of Chipping Campden, which isn’t a place I’ve visited before, but it was such a gorgeous, typical Cotswold village. When we first arrived, we drove through past beautiful, quaint houses, and found the back of the hotel where the car park was. This was also where the spa was, so I peaked my head around to see what the facilities are like. There was a decent sized pool, loungers, an outside area and rooms for treatments too. If you wanted to use the spa, you had to book a two-hour slot with reception, which is something to bear in mind before your stay.
If you read my post back in 2020 about The Bonham in Edinburgh you’ll know that dog friendly hotels that aren’t your typical B&B are slightly harder to find, but both here and the Cotswold House Hotel and Spa were real gems. I love taking our dog, Rupert, away with us to our UK staycations – it makes for such a memorable trip and he loves travelling around with us and living his best life!
When we were to check in, the staff were so friendly and even went to get a bowl of water for Rupert as it was quite a warm day. We were a little earlier than the check in time (2pm) so our room wasn’t ready. They very kindly let us store our bags in reception while we went for a wander around the streets. If you read my post from last summer about the different villages to visit in the Cotswolds, you’ll see that we tried to fit a fair few in last time we came, so it was nice to not have so much of an agenda this time and stay in one place. Chipping Campden itself I would say it a little bigger than some of the other villages, but has a really lovely community feel about it.
We walked past delis, pubs, tea shops and independent shops and I fell in love with the village – it would definitely be high on my recommendation list for The Cotswolds. Chipping Campden itself was slightly bigger than some of the other villages in the Cotswolds so you maybe wouldn’t need to deviate too far from here. It’s also on the northern side of the Cotswolds so may take less time to get to than some of the other villages if you’re travelling from the north.
When we headed back to the hotel, our room was ready. It was on the first floor and the very kind staff took our bags up as we navigated the sweeping central staircase with Rupert. He made himself right at home by falling asleep on the bed almost immediately, while I made myself a cup of tea with the facilities and ate both sets of biscuits that were left!
Our room was very spacious and looked out onto the back gardens which were perfectly landscaped. It was lovely and quiet, and we spent the next couple of hours reading and chilling out. After we got ready for the evening, we popped out to do a bit of village hopping, and ended up in a local pub before our dinner reservation in the hotel. The restaurant itself (The Fig) wasn’t dog friendly, so we left Rupert upstairs in the room, but if you did want to eat with your fury friend, the bistro next door was, where they served the same menu – so definitely something to bear in mind.
The decor of dining room was gorgeous, and it felt like a proper fine dining establishment. We both went for a Malfy gin and tonic which was very well received. Me being me had had a look at the menu online beforehand, and knew that I wanted to try the scallops with pancetta, whilst Jordan went for the Confit Duck Terrine. We then opted to share the Chateaubriand which was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. It came with triple cooked chips and seasonal veg, and it was just divine. For dessert we shared the deconstructed chocolate brownie with raspberry sorbet and a crème brûlée with pistachio ice cream, both of which were delicious and I was very happy with our choices. After another drink the bistro bar, and putting our room service breakfast order in, we headed up to bed.
The great thing about the Cotswold House Hotel was that the bed was huge – big enough for the two of us plus dog! I had a really good sleep and woke up feeling super refreshed.
Around 9:30 our breakfast order arrived to the room, which I won’t lie, made me feel super bouchee! We had a mixture of sweet and savoury dishes included a fruit salad, porridge and scrambled eggs with juice and hot drinks. I really loved the option of having breakfast in the room as it meant we didn’t have to rush around in the morning. After breakfast, we both got changed into our swimming gear and robes and headed down to the spa.
The spa had to be booked in two hour slots, and if we weren’t leaving that day, I 100% would have got a treatment, but unfortunately we ran out of time – definitely on my next visit! The pool was just us and another couple, and it was nice to just relax with my kindle before heading on the drive home. We stopped to get coffees at the café next door, Huxleys, and made the journey back.
Overall, I couldn’t recommend this place enough. Chipping Campden was just big enough to have enough to do over a weekend break without having to travel too far, and the Cotswold House Hotel was the perfect place to wind down after a day of exploring. Not only were the staff incredible and saw to all our asks, they really went the extra mile to make sure we felt comfortable and Rupert had a good stay too.
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Our visit to the Cotswold House Hotel was complimentary in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.