Rooms

The 31 rooms range between Good, Better, Great, Exceptional, Outstanding and Best Rooms. They vary wildly: some have enormous bathrooms; some are split level, some open plan; some with views across the garden. But all have a contemporary feel with bright soft furnishings against a backdrop of modern Scandinavian styling. Wooden furniture is mostly handmade; you can expect wall-mounted CD players, TVs and interesting minibars (with Dairy Milk and Jelly Beans for kids and big kids). Bathrooms are amazing throughout: super spacious with rain shower heads, thick robes and big bottles of Green and Spring toiletries. All but one has a tub, too.

At the top of the pecking order is Best, a one-off with a four-poster bed, very large bathroom with a tub for two, and a balcony with the best views across the countryside. There are also a few bonus extras like a PS2. Outstanding Rooms have large terraces with beautiful countryside views, while Exceptional Rooms have big bathrooms and living areas with pop-up sofabeds for kids, plus some have their own terraces (we liked #18 which has views on both sides of the room). Great Rooms have views across the lake, and a couple can be blocked off together to make a family room.

Better Rooms are in the stable block, and most have a split level set-up with a mezzanine level overlooking the central white gravel courtyard (#14 can take pets). Good Rooms are the smallest but benefit from being closest to the spa.

Features include:

• Fan
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Malt restaurant's high ceilings and ornate wood panelling give a lovely sense of grandeur to your meal. Produce is locally sourced and the menus are proudly British. We enjoyed our slow-roasted duck ceasar salad, and a beer-battered bream with warm tartare sauce. Mains were pork tenderloin with chive potato puree and calvero nero, and a shoulder of lamb on puy lentils, red cabbage and an artichoke and potato purée. Both were decent but unfortunately lacked depth or flavour. Puddings were the highlight of the meal: a chocolate malteser ball, which was drenched in hot chocolate sauce and collapsed dramatically, and a pear and pistachio tart with crème fraîche ice cream.

The breakfast buffet is enormous: pastries, fresh figs, prosciutto, pots of Bircher museli and various homemade breads. Don't feel you need to pay extra for the cooked breakfast, as we were disappointed with ours. The fresh Continental options should keep you going.

For lunch there's a selection of dishes ranging from cider roast ham, buck rabbit or venison sausages which lend a country theme, to Caesar salads or simple Cowley steak burgers. You may want to leave room for their afternoon teas - delicious cakes, fancies and finger sandwiches, served with a Sipsmith G&T or Champagne. You can usually order a picnic in summer months, with four delightfully curated spots to book around the grounds.

Features include:

• Bar
• Kids' meals
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service

Activities

• Bliss out in the C-Side spa. There's a steam room and sauna, and a series of treatment rooms offering massages, wraps and holistic treatments. The Cloud 9 experience (a mix of aromatherapy, Qi energy balancing, reflexology and acupressure) sounds divine, and there's a large range of pregnancy options.
  
• Swim: Two heated pools are side by side (one outdoor). The larger indoor pool is set in a vast pillared building, which is very swanky with huge glass panels bringing in masses of daylight.
  
• Walk in the fabulous grounds or beyond into the beautiful Cotswold countryside; there are wellies to borrow and modern art sculptures to admire.
  
• If you fancy a spin on the clubs, the Star Golf Course takes day players.
  
• The summer months sometimes see al fresco cinematic screenings and theatre performances.
  
• Play billiards, sip cocktails, laze in the lounge with the papers or curl up with a DVD in your room.
  
• Cheltenham is close; admire its Regency houses, shop in its gorgeous one-off boutiques, or time your visit to coincide with one of the festivals.

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Hot air ballooning
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Well being
• Yoga

Kids

Children are welcome and this is a super-popular hotel for families in the school holidays, with fantastic organised activities, and indoor and outdoor heated pools. Wellies can be provided for romping around the extensive parklands, hot water bottles can be provided on request. The extra bed rate includes breakfast and dinner from the kids' menu.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms have big bathrooms with tubs but note that only Great and Exceptional rooms can take extra beds and baby cots. Some individual rooms (including Better, Great, Good, Exceptional and Outstanding options) can interconnect to make a Family Suite, which we think a good option. All Exceptional rooms can have two extra beds and a cot added, some have a bedroom area for parents and a side sitting room with pop-up bunkbeds.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 1 hour
• Hospital: 12 minutes
• Shops: 10 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Cowley is set between Cirencester and Cheltenham in the county of Gloucestershire, central England.

By Air:
London Heathrow (90km) is about 1.5 hours' away, travelling east by car, and Bristol Airport is 45 mins. Alternatively you can arrive by helicopter on their top lawn.

By Train:
The nearest station is Cheltenham Spa, (15 minutes' drive), a 90-minute ride from London Paddington. From here you can take a taxi.

By Car:
The hotel is about 1.5 hours' drive from London and 45 minutes from Bristol. If you need to hire a car, see our car rental recommendations. The hotel can assist with charging your car but you'll need to bring your own chargers and adaptors as there isn't a charging point.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.