A review of Calcot Manor & Spa in the Cotswolds

I was very lucky to be gifted a weekend away to Calcot Manor & Spa in Tetbury by my husband for my birthday. We’ve been to quite a few hotels now in the Cotswolds. It makes a great, relaxing weekend away from the hustle and bustle of London. Here’s my review of Calcot Manor & Spa.

Good things to know

A few ‘good things to know’ about Calcot Manor is that it’s dog friendly and has charging points for electric cars. It’s also one of the few Cotswolds spa hotels that is family friendly. We went as a couple and there were families with children who were staying at the hotel, as well as families who are members of the gym and spa visiting, but it wasn’t an issue for us.

How to get to Calcot Manor & Spa

We got the train from London Paddington to Kemble, which took around and hour and ten minutes. We had asked the hotel to organise a taxi for us from the station, which they did and the taxi was waiting for us when the train pulled in. The hotel is around 11 miles from the train station so took about 20 minutes and cost £40 each way.

Our bedroom at Calcot Manor

There are eight different types of rooms at Calcot Manor, including cottages. My husband had booked a Comfy room, which is one up from the smallest room (called Cosy room), but when we checked in we had been upgraded to a Generous room – lucky us!

The room was beautifully decorated with a large, comfy bed with luxury linens. There was a large window with a window seat with cushions, which had a lovely view of the gardens.

We were delighted to find that there was a complimentary minibar that consisted of soft drinks as well as some fabulous snacks, such as Two Farmers crisps, Tony’s Chocolonely and Joseph’s popcorn. There was also a bowl of fruit and a jar of homemade shortbread (which was delicious!).

There was a good selection of teas, sachets of hot chocolate, and coffee pods for the Nespresso coffee machine. There was no bottled water, however there is a very stylish jug of filtered water next to the bed. I totally understand the move to filtered water, from an environmental perspective, however we really like sparkling water so a couple of bottles of sparkling water in the fridge would’ve been appreciated.

I loved how there was a selection of books in the room as well as a DAB radio. I also loved the colourful, vintage-style telephone next to the bed – complete with a notepad to write down any messages.

The bathroom was large with a sizable walk-in shower, a big bathtub and double sinks. There were plenty of fluffy towels as well as dressing gowns. Sadly no slippers though!

We adore having a bath tub and the one in our room was large and deep – great for a good old soak! The bathroom products are by Aromatherapy Associates, so of course they smelt gorgeous.

Dining options

Calcot Manor & Spa has two restaurants – The Hive and The Brasserie. The Brasserie is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The Hive is open for brunch (from 9am), all day grazing, afternoon tea and is also a cocktail bar from midday.

The Hive

We arrived at the hotel at around 4pm so, after we’d checked in, we headed to The Hive for a drink. It does call itself a Cocktail Bar but personally it didn’t feel very much like a proper bar as it’s in a space that has people enjoying afternoon tea or just having a coffee. Also, The Hive is very family friendly so the bar isn’t in an adult-only space. For the size of the hotel, I do feel like they could have a really nice, sophisticated bar away from families.

The Hive essentially has a number of different seating areas and rooms. One area has tables and chairs and a big fireplace, and is where people enjoy a meal or afternoon tea. Then there are lots of areas with couches and armchairs, where people can relax and enjoy a tea or coffee. Although we did see people having meals in this area too.

One of the seating areas also has a lovely fireplace. In fact, there are numerous fireplaces all over the hotel – including outdoor fireplaces!

The Brasserie

The Brasserie overlooks the grounds and is where hotel guests have breakfast. It’s also open to guests and non-guests for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. It’s a beautiful space with lots of natural light during the day and soft lighting at night.

For breakfast there is a small buffet of cereals, pastries, yoghurt, fruit, and fresh juices which you can help yourself to. The hot breakfast menu includes dishes such as a Full English breakfast (with a vegetarian option) with your choice of eggs, Eggs Benedict, Smashed avocado on sourdough with a poached egg, pancakes and more.

We had dinner both nights at the hotel. I was impressed with the lighting as it was very subtle with candles on the tables. We hate restaurants that are too brightly lit!

Whilst the restaurant doesn’t have a Michelin star, the team brings a Michelin star experience and it’s absolutely reflected in the food. If you go for dinner, you absolutely must order the cheese soufflé – it was insanely good! We actually ordered it both nights. It’s so good that it’s been on the menu for over 15 years! All I can say is thank goodness the menus don’t tell you the calories….

On the first night my husband and I ordered the Chateaubriand for two, which came with a side of broccoli and cauliflower cheese and truffle mashed potato. We asked for chips instead of the mash as we’re not massive fans of truffle-flavoured mash. The meat was perfectly cooked and the broccoli and cauliflower cheese was absolutely delicious.

On the second evening I chose the pork chop for my main and my husband had a steak. Once again the meat was perfectly cooked. The desserts were also fabulous and looked so pretty too.

The ambience, the food and the service at The Brasserie was truly wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed both nights eating at the restaurant. And the best part was, afterwards we just had to walk up the stairs to our room!

What’s there to do at Calcot Manor & Spa?

The good news for those without cars is that there is plenty to do without having to leave the hotel. We did get a taxi into Tetbury on the Saturday to have lunch but if you don’t have transport, there’s still lots that you can do.

Chill at the spa

One of the big draws at Calcot Manor & Spa is of course the spa. And more specifically, the gorgeous outdoor hot tub! It was very hot, which was wonderful as it was pretty cold outside.

Note though that it’s not that big. It fits about six or seven people maximum. And if you’re staying over a weekend, you’re unlikely to have it to yourself – or at least not for long. The hot tub also overlooks a fireplace, where you can sit and relax, and where you can help yourself to flavoured water. This photo was taken before breakfast so there isn’t much of a fire but there was when we went later in the afternoon and it was kept stoked by the staff.

There is also a large 16m indoor heated pool where you can swim lengths. The gym used to located in the spa building but it now has its own building in the hotel grounds called the Grain Store. There are seven treatment rooms so you can book a facial or a massage if you want to pamper yourself. You can also enjoy a light meal at the spa too.

Go for a cycle ride

You can book a bike at the spa and go for a cycle ride along the trail. It’s just a loop around a field but it did get the blood pumping as there were a few uphill bits. It’s not recommended to cycle along the road – especially for people not used to cycling – as cars drive fairly fast.

Go on a nature walk

Over the years, Calcot has been ‘rewilding’ the surrounding area and you can now spot rare and endangered farmland birds, wildflowers, butterflies and moths – thanks to their efforts. Grab a pair of wellies (when we went it was muddy!) and go exploring. There’s 240 acres of woodland to explore!

Play a game of tennis

If you’re a keen tennis player, Calcot Manor has tennis courts, which are located near to their award-winning spa.

The verdict

Calcot Manor & Spa is a wonderful hotel. We loved the spacious bedroom with thoughtful touches, such as the homemade shortbread. The outdoor hot tub at the spa was just what we needed to relax and de-stress. The Brasserie served fantastic food and we enjoyed everything we ate! The staff were really lovely and made us feel at home. The only thing I’d change, if I could, is having a more adult bar area for a drink in the evening. Would I recommend the hotel? Absolutely!

Pin this post