Cool Place of the Day: The Sheep on Sheep Street, Gloucestershire

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

Situated right in the heart of the typically picturesque Cotswolds town of Stow on the Wold, The Sheep is a clever and successful update of a previous business – a restaurant with boutique rooms that has quickly become one of the best places to stay in one of our favourite Cotswolds locations.

Made up of three knocked-together honey-coloured cottages, it's part of the excellent Brakspear group, who have made a speciality of doing up country pubs in contemporary style while sacrificing none of their historic appeal.

They are responsible for the atmospheric Porch House opposite and they've scored another bullseye here, with a funky reception area, a large, bright downstairs restaurant that serves great food and, most importantly, 22 rooms furnished in a classic yet contemporary style that feels both special and cosy at the same time, equipped with king-size beds, TV and wi-fi and lots of rooms treats – tea-and coffee-making facilities, Nespresso machines, mineral water and whatnot.

As for the restaurant, it's a large space featuring a lovely long bar and flickering wood-fired pizza oven, which they don't only use to make excellent pizzas but for cooking much of the meat and fish too. On top of all this, garden outside is the perfect place to enjoy the warm summer days and evenings in the Cotswolds.

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)