Cool Place of the Day: Calcot Manor, Cotswolds

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

We're a fairly rough-and-ready bunch at Cool Places if we’re honest, but we love a country house hotel, and the great thing about Calcot Manor is that it delivers everything you would expect from a proper country house but it doesn’t stand on ceremony – and doesn’t expect you to do so either.

So, while it occupies around 200 acres of prime Cotswolds countryside and has 35 beautiful guest rooms filled with all manner of luxury items, you don’t have to be on your best behaviour to enjoy it. Plus they positively encourage families, and have all sorts of things for kids to enjoy.

The rooms themselves are airy and spacious and very well equipped, with ultra-comfy beds, satellite TV, fruit and snacks in your room; bathrooms have powerful modern showers, fluffy robes and tellies. The hotel also has a great spa, with an indoor pool, gym, a steam room and sauna and any number of treatments to enjoy. While you’re doing that the kids can enjoy the Playzone (for little ones) or The Mez, which has XBoxes, PlayStations and other activities for older ones, while there’s also an outdoor pool, bikes and horse-riding on offer for more outdoors types.

There’s also an excellent restaurant, The Conservatory, and – a nice touch – a proper in-house pub, The Gumstool, which serves a very decent gastro pub menu, so you never need leave the womb-like confines of Calcot Manor at all.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)