2 Best Hotels in Castle Combe, Bath and the Cotswolds

Secluded in a 23-acre park on the edge of the village, this partly 14th-century manor house has guest rooms—some in mews cottages—that brim with antique character. Outside, the house is a baronial swirl of solid chimney stacks, carvings, and columns. Inside, a stone frieze depicts characters from Shakespeare's Falstaff plays to commemorate the fact that Sir John Fastolf, thought to be the model for the character, was lord of this manor. The Michelin-starred Bybrook restaurant serves fantastic upscale cuisine with imaginative wine pairings, but you can also dine more affordably in the 12th-century pub, The Castle Inn, nearby. The landscaped setting is soothing, with green vistas on every side and a river running through the grounds, though the village is steps away. An excellent 18-hole golf course is on-site.  

Driving up Lucknam Park’s mile-long avenue of lime and beech trees toward the 18th-century Palladian mansion, you may feel like you’ve bagged an invitation to stay with Jane Austen’s demanding hostess, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, in Pride and Prejudice—though the mansion is now a traditional country-house hotel par excellence. Think Chesterfield sofas, wing chairs, and wood paneling in the public rooms, with swagged window treatments, rich fabrics, and rain-forest showers in the guest rooms. There’s a Michelin-starred formal restaurant, and the attentive service would meet even Lady Catherine’s exacting standards. There's also an equestrian center, which offers lessons for beginners and the more experienced across the hotel’s 500 acres of woods and parkland.