The Good Family Hotel Guide 8. Calcot Manor, Tetbury, Glos

Mood

A mellow, pale-stone Cotswolds farmhouse, with a converted barn, stables and a range of other outhouses.

Accommodation

Family suites are in the converted granary barn, discrete from the rest of the hotel. Each one has a large room with huge double bed, plus sitting room with sofas and chairs which are transformed into children's beds in the evening, then used as chairs while you have breakfast.

Facilities

Children receive written invitations to "The Playzone", with the instruction to "send your parents away to read the papers". The Playzone is decked out with toys for kids of all ages, but the star attraction is the computer, with an array of games on CD-Rom. There is also an outdoor heated swimming pool, children's adventure playground and tennis court.

In the area

Antique-hunting in Tetbury. Good walking on the Cotswolds Way long-distance footpath. The Westonbirt Arboretum and Slimbridge Wildfowl Trust are also nearby.

Refuelling

The informal, pub-style Gumstool bar serves traditional dishes with modern twists - slow-roasted duck salad with pickled ginger and carrots, for example. The much pricier Conservatory restaurant is all hushed, candlelit elegance; many of the dishes, however, are the same.

Fellow guests

Over weekends, many of the resident guests are professional people from London, with their children. However, many locals drop in to the Gumstool for a pint or a bite, which helps to lend the atmosphere a welcome buzz.

Sample price

Family suites are pounds 160 per night for two adults, including breakfast. Children under three stay for free, under-12s pay a flat-rate pounds 10 each, and over-12s, pounds 25. No further charge is made for meals from the children's menu or, for up to five hours, a day nanny service. Various deals are offered for longer stays.

Address

Calcot Manor is near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8YJ, tel: 01666 890391; fax: 01666 890394