Top 10: the best Cotswolds pubs with rooms
An insider's guide to the best pubs with rooms in the Cotswolds, featuring the top places to stay for good food, excellent walks, period charm, cosy fires and characterful rooms, in locations including Kingham, Tetbury and Winchcombe.
The Wheatsheaf Inn
Northleach, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A creeper-clad coaching inn turned arty, boutique haven. This rambling old property is furnished with immensely pleasing flair – a blend of tradition and contemporary chic. There are open fires, rugs on flagstone, wooden floors and retro school seats as dining chairs. The sophisticated menu offers great flavour combinations, the likes of roast parsnip and fennel salad with chestnuts, and mutton and apple pie with creamed potatoes. If there's space in the bar beforehand try an aperitif of Sloe Negroni. This is good walking country and there are several circular hikes from the doorstep. Read expert review From £85per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Five Alls
Filkins, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A slew of celebrities frequent the hotel, headed by near-neighbour Kate Moss, plus artist Jake Chapman, who is an investor, and others. The old inn has a useful layout, with a large bar area, often crowded at weekends, and a spacious Alpine style sitting area, with sofas in front of a log fire and pine dressers where infused olive oil and homemade fudge are offered for sale. Chef and owner Sebastian Snow has fined tuned the concept of a gastropub, offering the likes of calves liver and bacon with bubble and squeak and beet relish, and chargrilled squid with garlic roasties. Read expert review From £115per night
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The Ebrington Arms
Ebrington, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Creaking with atmosphere, this is a 1640 building with Victorian additions. You walk into a bar/dining room that exudes warmth, with an inglenook fireplace, exposed beams and flagstone and wooden floor. Beyond are two more dining areas – complete with wood burning stove, and settles crafted from old barrels. Chef Ben Dulley offers short, understated menus which reflect his commitment to freshness, with many vegetables straight from surrounding Drinkwater Farm. Yet it's the local spirit that makes this pub particularly special: it's the social hub of the village and hosts live music. Rooms have a decanter of sherry, homemade biscuits and an eclectic mix of hardback books. Read expert review From £165half board Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Bull Inn
Charlbury, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A 16th-century coaching inn; The Bull oozes atmosphere with its inglenook fireplace, stone walls and beams. There's a modern, arty vibe too, with flamboyant furnishings and striking paintings from the Crane Kelman gallery in London. There are four glamorously devised bedrooms above the bar. Each is individually furnished – one has walls hand-painted by artist Fifi McAlpine, another is soothingly deep green. They all have fine linen and fluffy robes. The establishment has its own butchery, and does adventurous starters in the restaurant (red gurnard with verbena harissa anyone?). Read expert review From £89per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Kingham Plough
Kingham, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
A treat of a foodie destination in picture-pretty Kingham. Husband and wife team Emily Watkins and Miles Lampson wanted to keep a 'pubby' element while also celebrating great British cuisine and have devised a relaxing haven with pleasingly comfy décor. There's a well-frequented bar with squishy armchairs, a woodburner at one end and a fireplace at the other. The six bedrooms are different shapes and sizes with flourishes of attractive fabrics. Award-winning food is inspired by local produce; the likes of Windrush Valley goat cheese and pork from Paddock Farm, a few miles away. Read expert review From £110per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Howard Arms
Stratford-upon-Avon, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This appealingly stylish old pub is set in a quiet lane on the outskirts of Ilmington, a pink brick and golden stone Warwickshire village. The pub dates back several centuries and has evolved from a collection of barns. There are snoozy leather armchairs in front of a big stone fireplace, and hunting pictures on the walls. Friday nights are particularly convivial, Sundays too, with a regular quiz in the evening. All of the eight rooms have a sitting area; one has a four-poster, another a canopy bed decked in tartan. From his fennel and pumpkin seed bread, to spiced vegetarian tagine and rump of lamb with pea puree, chef Gareth Rufus offers beautifully presented dishes based largely on local ingredients. Read expert review From £95per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Lion Inn
Winchcombe, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The Lion is a 16th-century coaching inn turned rustic-cool pub with rooms. Set in the heart of Winchcombe, which is regarded as the ‘walking capital’ of the Cotswolds, it makes a fine base for hiking weekends and touring ‒ and serves appealing brasserie food. A modern makeover has cleverly given the interior of this historic property a cosy yet light and bright look. It's a place of bleached wood, exposed stone walls and rugs on flagstone floors. The well-priced menu includes mains such as mushroom tagliatelle with spinach pesto to slow-roasted pork belly with creamed cabbage. Read expert review From £70per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Village Pub
Cirencester, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
The Village Pub certainly does what it says on the tin ‒ it's an inn and local hub. Yet it's also a handsome place of much mellow charm and wide appeal. The central point is a proper bar area with walls snugly decorated in deep aubergine; you can pop in to enjoy a pint of local Windrush ale beside the woodburner, a framed Barnsley cricket club T-shirt above it reflecting pride in local involvement. Yet as with most pubs, this is now principally a restaurant – offering plenty of space. The small, wholesome menu offers big flavours. Beds are clad in crisp cotton and soft checked throws; bathrooms are supplied with Gilchrist & Soames soaps and have showers over tubs. Read expert review From £109per night
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The Plough Inn
Cold Aston, Gloucestershire, England
8Telegraph expert rating
This is a 17th-century Cotswold stone inn with a generous terrace. The Averys have retained the character of the building, particularly the original bar area which is now the dining room. Behind it, a previously unused room has become a sleek new bar area complete with creative flourishes such as stools fashioned from cart wheels. Locals still come for a pint and a chat, and weekenders descend from London, Birmingham and further afield. Much care is taken in sourcing food locally. Brasserie-style dishes range from courgette, sweetcorn and basil risotto to steaks from the charcoal oven. The three simply decorated attic rooms offer cosy comfort. Read expert review From £80per night
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The Royal Oak
Tetbury, Cotswolds, England
8Telegraph expert rating
Husband and wife team Chris York and Kate Lewis have put a lot of effort into creating a community venue, and there's been enthusiastic feedback from locals. Décor has been kept simple so as to show off the character of this old building. There's a warm bar/saloon on the ground floor, complete with two fireplaces, a reconditioned jukebox and a bar fashioned from recycled church panelling. Across a cobbled terrace from the main building, the former skittles alley has been converted into a six-bedroom annexe. All the rooms are kitted out with evocative Bisque Tetro radiators and are decorated in soothing colours. There's a choice of good bistro-style dishes from roast butternut squash salad to real-ale battered cod. Read expert review From £75per night
