Best spa hotels in the Cotswolds for relaxation and wellbeing

In our busy, globalised, modern-day world, sometimes all we want to do is sit back and relax for a while – and what better way to embrace the art of doing nothing than with a spa getaway? And nowadays so many hotels come with a spa attached or offer their own treatments, you’re spolit for choice.

If you want to appreciate the countryside in between treatments, the Cotswolds is the perfect place to do so. The pretty, polished area is one of England’s most outstanding natural beauties, with its honey-stone cottages and creaky country pubs drawing in tourists from all around the globe.

Some say nature nurtures the soul, so if you’re up for a soothing retreat, here’s our pick of the best spa hotels the Cotswolds has to offer. From the Regency elegance of Cheltenham to the quintessential Cotswolds towns of Chipping Campden, Tetbury and Broadway, you’re bound to find the perfect spot for some R&R.

Neighbourhood: Witney

Work up a sweat on the tennis court or book a treatment at the Garden Spa

(Booking.com)

It would be a challenge to find a more idyllic setting. The river Windrush glides through the 65-acre grounds of this ancient-yet-modern property, running beside clipped lawns and abundant wildflower meadows. Set around the remains of an old mill, Minster Mill is an appealingly rambling collection of converted stone barns and purpose-built contemporary annexes. There are 38 sleek bedrooms, a spectacular restaurant (with minstrels’ gallery), tennis court, badminton, riverside walks and more – not to mention the immensely pleasing Garden Spa. Small and elegantly formed, this features an indoor plunge pool, rock sauna, steam room, ice fountain and sunny terrace, with zone-out ESPA treatments offered in three suites.

Neighbourhood: Tetbury

Deeply soothing Aromatherapy Associates treatments are given at the Calcot & Spa

(Calcot & Spa)

What a swan of a venue – all elegance to visit, while, behind the scenes, dexterous hard work ensures Calcot is up to speed with luxury accoutrements. This former farm is a supremely family-friendly country house hotel; its 220-acre grounds contain 35 restful bedrooms, two restaurants, a wonderful children’s zone, tennis courts, croquet, disc golf facilities and terraces with super-stylish seating. There’s even a nature trail through rewilded land. Then there’s the expansive spa, beautifully designed in all-natural materials to enhance a sense of wellbeing. There’s a glorious indoor pool (as well as a serene outdoor pool in a courtyard), steam room, sauna and relaxation area with rural views. Elemis and deeply soothing Aromatherapy Associates treatments are given in seven suitably cocooning rooms.

Price: doubles from £264

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Neighbourhood: Broadway

A tree-filled terrace and much-applauded restaurant will elevate your stay

(The Lygon Arms)

This ancient coaching inn is spot on for its combination of modern luxury and mellow historic features. With its mullion windows, gables and tall chimneys, the landmark building is a magnificent presence on the sweep of Broadway’s beautiful High Street. The interior oozes cosy-chic appeal: there’s a seeming labyrinth of lounges with old stone fireplaces and sofas you can sink into; there are 86 very comfy bedrooms (the Charles I suite is where the doomed king slept in 1649); there are two much-applauded restaurants; there’s a large and lovely tree-filled terrace; and there’s a state-of-the-art spa. Treatments are by Oskia or Elemis and facilities range from sauna, steam room and gym to a café, a sunny terrace and one of the most splendid swimming pools in the region, featuring a retractable roof.

Neighbourhood: Chipping Norton

From theatres to golf, there’s not much you can’t do at this 300-year-old property

(Heythrop hotel)

Golf, spa, brasserie, café-cum-pub, two theatres for daily shows and 440-acre grounds – you name it, they have it at majestic Heythrop Park, which reopened in September 2022 after an all-singing, all-dancing refurb. With 337 bedrooms newly arrayed in soft colours, the stately, 300-year-old property is very much in a world of its own – and is where to head for a break without children. The suitably splendid spa has a 20m pool, outdoor hot tubs and a terrific thermal and sensory suite as well as a gym and studios for (complimentary) yoga and meditation classes. Wonderfully aromatic Temple Spa treatments range from body scrubs to bliss-out hot-stone massages and champagne and truffle indulgence facials.

Price: doubles from £178

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Neighbourhood: Southrop

The outdoor pool at Thyme

(Thyme)

Think of Thyme as a village within a village. Scattered across the 150-acre estate at Southrop Manor, this easy-on-the-eye collection of 17th-century cottages, pub, restaurant, spa, cookery school and more is a glorious haven. Guests are free to roam like Cotswold sheep, flitting from the central bar – set, aptly, in former lambing sheds – to its restful rooms, dotted across the landscaped grounds. But for those in search of utter tranquillity,it’s the superlative Meadow Spa that’s the real draw here, complete with a serene springwater swimming pool. Choose from a range of restorative treatments using Thyme’s all-natural sibling brand Bertioli or Aurelia London probiotic skincare. For the ultimate treat, book in to the Botanical Bothy, a beautiful retreat that opened in 2022 and offers private Bertioli rituals.

Neighbourhood: Chipping Norton

Pick your poison from an extensive list of treatments

(Soho Farmhouse)

It may be slap bang in the countryside, but you’ll find little in the way of actual mud at Soho Farmhouse. Instead, everything gleams like polished treasure, from the timber-clad cabin rooms to the unblemished Hunter wellies worn by well-heeled guests. Hurricane lamps, untreated floorboards and roll-top baths give each of the 40 cabins a distinctly Alpine feel, while the quiet buzz of electric milk floats whizzing guests around the man-made lakes fills the air outside. The excellent, on-site Cowshed spa offers rustic-luxe interiors, 13 treatment rooms, six mani-pedi chairs and an extensive list of treatments, from facials to body therapies. If you’re in the market for a hipster beard trim, you’ll find no better place than the Farmhouse Parlour.

Price: doubles from £395

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Neighbourhood: Cheltenham

This grand hotel dates all the way back to the 15th century

(Ellenborough Park)

With foundations first laid in the late 1400s, Ellenborough Park is one thing above all else: grand. Its great hall – with its oak beams, stone fireplaces and intricate stained glass – also serves as a guest lounge; its restaurant is lined with fabulous panelling; its bedrooms are super-spacious and have heated marble floors in the bathrooms; and its sweeping lawns are dotted with glamorous pods. The spa is similarly swish, with a hot-tub pool, experience showers and personalised treatments using Elemis technologies and products. If you’re strafed by aches and pains, opt for the Elemis freestyle deep-tissue massage, followed by an intensely cleansing ginger salt scrub. You’ll leave thrumming with energy.

Neighbourhood: Farncombe Estate

This award-winning spa has an extensive menu and teatment range

(Dormy House)

The spa at Dormy House has won enough awards to fill one of the hotel’s Scandi-inspired rooms to the rafters. The House Spa menu is extensive, and treatments range from detoxifying mud wraps to facials using champagne, silk and black truffles. There’s also a swoosh-worthy thermal suite, a nail parlour and a designated bathing room with a candlelit indoor infinity pool and outdoor hydrotherapy circuit, designed to soothe muscles even on the frostiest evenings. Spa breaks here are, unsurprisingly, restorative and include accommodation, a champagne lunch in The Greenhouse and dinner in the Back Garden restaurant, which serves the likes of steamed sea bass with lobster bisque – or choose from the dedicated vegan menu.

Price: doubles from £309

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Neighbourhood: Malmesbury

The restaurant at Whatley Manor is overseen by a Michelin-star chef

(Whatley Manor)

Sure, there are 12 rolling acres and a restaurant overseen by a Michelin-star chef at Whatley, but it’s the cutting-edge Aquarius spa for which guests travel far and wide. With a hydrotherapy pool, aromatic thermal suite, a sauna and salt scrub showers, this is the place to while away the hours. Treatments come courtesy of Gaia skincare and NaturaBissé, and there are some pretty high-tech options on offer, including facials that take place in a detoxification tent (filled with 99.9 per cent pure air). After such blissful relaxation, head to the Dining Room restaurant where the innovative menu of chef Ricki Weston showcases the absolute best of British produce, with exquisite dishes such as truffled Baron Bigod cheese with bacon and sourdough.

Neighbourhood: Colerne

Glossy horses trot around the hotel’s on-site stables

(Lucknam Park)

Lucknam is definitely the jock of hotels. There’s very little here that isn’t high-achieving, from its Michelin-star restaurant to the exceptionally glossy horses that trot around its on-site stables. Its spa is no exception,with a raft of treatments from sustainable brand Natural Spa Factory (based just down the road in Bath) and innovative global skincare leader 111Skin that are some of the best in the business. Accommodation comes in the form of slick suites draped in chinoiserie silk, and all guests have access to tennis courts, croquet lawns, manicured gardens and the hotel’s cookery school. The saddle and spa day package is pretty special, allowing guests the chance to ride through 500 acres of lush parkland before a two-course lunch at The Brasserie and an afternoon chilling in the spa.

Neighbourhood: Cirencester

There’s four acres of gardens to explore in between spa treatments

(Booking.com)

Things don’t get much more ‘country chic’ than the spa at Barnsley House. You’ll find it slap bang in the middle of a parsley-fringed dell, in the herb-filled gardens of this pretty hotel. As well as the usual hydrotherapy pool, steam room and sauna, there are plenty of Elemis treatments, and cutting-edge biotec facials. If you want things even more green, there’s a potager, a knot garden and four acres of gardens to explore. Rooms and suites are soothingly neutral – with shades of porridge, coffee and cream – and the elevated pub grub menu at sister enterprise The Boot over the road uses traditional butcher’s cuts from nearby Paddock Farm and seasonal veg from the kitchen garden.

Neighbourhood: Chipping Campden

Cotswold House Hotel's spa is set in a former coach house

(Cotswold House Hotel and Spa)

There’s no two ways about it – honey-stone Chipping Campden is exquisite. Even better, it’s slightly off the beaten track, so doesn’t attract tourist hordes. In prime position in the heart of the town is handsome, gracious Cotswold House Hotel. More than 200 years old, it’s honeycombed with 28 bedrooms, including garden cottages and suites (some with private gardens, hot tubs and satisfyingly chunky limestone baths). Behind the hotel, you’ll find two acres of bushy mature gardens, leading to a spa set in the former coach house. Inside, there’s a hydrotherapy pool and hammam, as well as seven treatment rooms for Natural Spa Factory energising massages and illuminating facials.

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