Where to Stay
Every captivating tailor-made itinerary needs a perfect base. Our team has handpicked this collection of properties to give you luxury options in styles to suit any adventure.
Cotswolds
Picture England in your mind’s eye and you are likely to conjure up an image of the Cotswolds with its honey-coloured houses surrounded by rolling, green hills.
The Cotswolds are the rural heartland of England where traditions are celebrated and outdoor living is in the blood. It is home to an abundance of beautiful gardens, arboretums and manor houses such as Highgrove, built in the 18th century.
There are fascinating market towns and idyllic villages where shopping at a local farmers’ market, drinking a leisurely pint in a 17th-century pub or savouring a meal in a Michelin star restaurant are not to be missed. For walkers and cyclists, the Cotswolds has an abundance of tracks, trails and country lanes that give access to some of the more bucolic and picturesque parts of the region.
Why choose us
Why travel to the Cotswolds with Steppes
We have pulled together several guided experiences in the Cotswolds, led by members of the Steppes team or by people we know well. Like anywhere in the world, somewhere as desirable as the Cotswolds can find itself overrun with visitors at certain times of the year. It is crucial therefore to know where to go to avoid the crowds, but still enjoy a quintessential Cotswold experience. At Steppes Travel, we all live and work in the Cotswolds, so we’d like to think we can show you a side to this place we call home, that others simply do not know about.
Highlights of Cotswolds
Towns, villages and festivals
Cirencester is capital of the Cotswolds and was the second biggest town after London during the Roman occupation in AD2. Over 2,000 years later, it is home to Steppes Travel’s HQ and is full of fascinating Roman history. Many of the small market towns in the Cotswolds were built on the wool trade with 12th century churches and great manor houses standing testament to the wealth that was created.
Talk to us about a walking tour around Malmesbury, Tetbury or Painswick or let us show you some of our favourite, off the tourist-trail villages. The Cotswolds are home to quirky festivals to be found all year round – the horse fair at Stow on the Wold, cheese rolling at Brockworth and the traditional woolsack race in Tetbury are great fun.
Highlights of Cotswolds
Cotswolds – a byword for bucolic
Nobody can describe summer days in the Cotswolds, better than Laurie Lee, a proud Cotswoldian:
‘Bees blew like cake-crumbs through the golden air, white butterflies like sugared wafers, and when it wasn’t raining a diamond dust took over which veiled and yet magnified all things.’
Let us show you some of our favourite walks, following in the footsteps of Laurie Lee and revealing parts of the Cotswolds you won’t find on other trips. Visit nature reserves in secluded dales and woodlands, discover the Five Valleys and learn about the area’s fascinating history or trek across orchid clad escarpments overlooking villages and rivers. After a day spent exploring, a pint of Stroud Brewery ale in Laurie Lee’s favourite pub, The Woolpack, is the perfect end to the day.
Experiences
Tell us what you love doing and we’ll curate a journey that’s perfect for you.
Cotswolds
The Close Hotel
A stone’s throw from Tetbury’s iconic Market House, the Close Hotel dates back to the 16th century, when it was constructed as a private residence. Its fantastic central location means it is within walking distance of…
Cotswolds
The Manor House
A converted 16th-century home, the Manor House exudes Cotswold charm with its traditional design and cosy atmosphere. Located in the heart of Moreton-in-Marsh, it is conveniently located for exploring the northern and central Cotswolds.
Cotswolds
Dormy House
From the 17th century, Dormy House was a working farm whose owners cultivated the surrounding land. In the 1940s, it caught the eye of the neighbouring Broadway Golf Club who bought it and changed the name…
Cotswolds
Lucknam Park Hotel
Situated in 500 acres of parkland, Lucknam Park is the epitome of an English country stately home which effortlessly combines heritage and luxury. Retreat here for unspoilt country-house living at its very best. There are 42…
Meet our experts
A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.
Jim Davies
Having spent a decade working as a guide all around the world, I understand just how important it is to link you with the right people on the ground, helping you immerse yourself more deeply in a place.
Talk with our experts
- 1(800)272-4163
Paul Bird
Clients place their trust in my ideas and knowledge, knowing that I have not only understood their brief but also grasp what can make a holiday truly special. Building rapport and connection is important, but paramount is conveying that what you are purchasing may be one of the best investments you make. It’s often said that you can’t buy a memory – but, invest in a trip with Steppes, and many can be created.
Talk with our experts
- 1(800)272-4163
Paul Craven
Paul is the Conde Nast Traveller chosen Specialist for Central Asia and the Silk Route.
I first travelled to Vietnam in 1988, when tourism was barely a concept, and have been visiting Central Asia since it was still behind the Iron Curtain. Such first-hand experience makes all the difference when talking to clients. I know the importance of asking questions, not taking the first answer as gospel, and matching the right destination to the right person.
Talk with our experts
- 1(800)272-4163
Sue Grimwood
In the late ’90s, I booked myself on an expeditionary voyage into the Antarctic Circle and was instantly hooked. Since then, I’ve returned to Antarctica a number of times and ventured deep into the Arctic – from Svalbard to the Russian and Canadian Arctic – always chasing that same sense of wonder. It’s this rare personal experience of the world’s polar extremes that I bring to every journey I plan.
Talk with our experts
- 1(800)272-4163
Clare Wiggins
My love for Asia began with living there. Based in Vietnam and then Malaysia, I also explored the surrounding regions before eventually finding my way back home via China and the Trans-Siberian railway. At Steppes Travel, I get to share that love for Asia every day, helping clients experience the places I know best as if they were locals themselves.
Talk with our experts
- 1(800)272-4163
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