First impressions: narrow winding lanes and ancient merchant houses frame the route to the hotel, on a hillside overlooking the picture-perfect Painswick Valley. The Palladian-style house was built in 1790 as the home of the village rector.

Why it’s special: a country-house hotel with a log-burning fire and croquet lawn but no stiffness — jacket and tie is not required for dinner. Set in the heart of the Cotswolds, the views are worthy of a Jane Austen novel.

Hitting the sack: nineteen bedrooms, some with views of the valley, others with balconies overlooking the croquet lawn and one with twin baths. A decanter of sherry in the corner, a reproduction 1920s radio, dark wood furniture, rich canopied four-poster beds and rubber ducks by the bath.

Sampling the fare: local produce with the emphasis on English and French cuisine. Starters including pressing of ham hock with foie gras and salad of roast quail with beetroot jelly. Mains include West Country brill fillet and clam chowder or slow-roast Cotswold lamb rump. For breakfast there’s porridge with Drambuie and glazed sugar, or locally smoked kipper with lemon.

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Background

• Cotswolds88hotel, Painswick, Gloucestershire

• Dial House, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire

• The New Inn at Coln, Gloucestershire

• The Priory Inn, Tetbury, Gloucestershire

• The Hotel Kandinsky, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Background

• Hotel on the Park, Cheltenham, Gloucs

• Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel, South Cerney, Gloucestershire

• The Kings Head Inn, Bledington, Gloucestershire

• Wild Duck Inn, Ewen, Cirencester, Gloucestershire

• Painswick Hotel & Restaurant, Painswick, Gloucestershire

Background

• The Village Pub, Barnsley, Gloucestershire

Added attractions: children are welcome — there’s a toybox in the library and a baby-listening service. If you don’t have children, grab a cup of rosehip or jasmine tea or a novel and sit on the wistaria- covered balcony. The nearby 14th-century church makes it a perfect wedding venue.

What we think: treat yourself and feel like lord of the manor.

Bottom line: doubles from £140. Minimum two-night stay at weekends.

Need to know: The Painswick Hotel & Restaurant (01452 812160, www.painswickhotel.com ), Kemps Lane, Painswick, Gloucestershire.

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