Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, United Kingdom

Whatley Manor is a boutique hotel in the Cotswolds, so utterly silent at night that Londoners down for the weekend complain that they cannot sleep. It’s an interesting house, surprisingly sprawling, and built in the 1920s. Décor is uncompromisingly contemporary – though not frighteningly so; colours are muted and soothing. Floor-to-ceiling picture windows flood the drawing room-lounge-bar with light and views of green and tranquil Cotswold hills. This boutique hotel’s serene and lovingly detailed character will grow on you so much you won’t want to leave.

The facilities

The Aquarius spa is a destination in its own right and has a stack of awards, and fans, to prove it. White-coated acolytes glide smoothly around the chic-est treatment rooms, and people around the miraculous pool look genuinely blissed-out. Whatley Manor also has a lift installed so that guests can go from room to spa in their robes without venturing outside.

This boutique hotel has two restaurants, with food that comes highly recommended. Head Chef Martin Burge serves up a classic French menu in the Michelin-starred Dining Room and informal Swiss-style brasserie Le Mazot.

Whatley Manor has a great business centre, incorporating a luxury cinema that can be used for corporate events or hired out for private viewing parties.

The rooms


Whatley Manor really comes into its own with its 24 individually-decorated bedrooms. They are spacious, filled with light, and there are more of those lovely views. Fabrics and furnishings are luscious and quietly elegant. Character comes in eclectic bits and pieces – artwork, antiques – sourced from around the world, matched with high-tech luxury such as Bang & Olufsen TVs. The bedrooms also make a feature of the building’s occasional flourishes – a stone arch separating a sitting room from a bedroom in one of the suites, exposed beams in a loft-style upstairs suite.

There are further perks: all guests are issued with a personal manager and a mobile phone, so you can call for a fresh drink or a late-night dvd from anywhere in the grounds or house.