Cowley Manor Hotel & Spa ****

🎢A staycation like a perfect fairytale, tucked away in the enchanting Cotswolds. Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon re-imagined the manor with bold colour palettes and signature references to Wonderland (checker-board carpets, rabbit motifs, oversize door knockers). The on-site restaurant is guided by chef Jackson Boxer, serving seasonally-led British cuisine with a subtle French heritage nod. The bar - an outpost of the Experimental Group’s famed cocktail network - is sleek and social, offering curated drinks, weekend DJs.
The “C-Side Spa” is a standout: built partly sunk into the landscape, it features indoor and outdoor heated pools lined with slate, sauna, steam rooms and a fitness area, all integrated into the estate’s natural surroundings. Surrounding the manor are extensive gardens and parkland with Italianate water-terraces, statues, lakes and streams fed by natural springs.

⭐️ The highlight: legend says author Lewis Carroll found inspiration here for Alice in Wonderland.