The best Cotswolds spa hotels, from spring water pools to state-of-the-art treatments

Dormy House is a complete treat of a hotel with very stylish and deeply relaxing décor, terrific food and impeccable service. Its state-of-the-art spa has won armloads of awards. There’s a lavender sauna, salt-infusion steam room, infinity pool and more. Treatments are from cutting-edge brand Natura Bisse, Temple Spa and Pure Massage, whose facials are said to have a better effect than Botox. Rose Cottage is best for romantics and has its own hot tub, while the Courtyard suites particularly emphasise Scandinavian design, and bathrooms are stocked with Temple Spa goodies. The Garden Room offers fabulous afternoon tea.

Whatley Manor is a country house haven set in rolling 12-acre grounds, with magnificent gardens and a terrific reputation for its food. Many come for the cutting-edge spa, however. It is open to all adult guests and offers a hydrotherapy pool, aromatic thermal suites, sauna and more. A range of innovative treatments includes facials that take place in an oxygen tent. Another big draw at Whatley Manor is the heavenly garden, divided into 26 distinctive outdoor ‘rooms’; some have stupendous yew hedges, others glory in vibrant, herbaceous borders. The breakfast buffet is an epicurean spread of cheeses, hams, yoghurts, apricots poached in vanilla, pastries and more.

This historic hotel dates back to the 1500s, and makes a striking first impression, with its sigh-inducingly grand great hall cum lounge. There’s a dreamy outdoor pool and a large, well-devised spa with a hot tub pool, sauna, steam room and juice bar. The extensive range of treatments is based on Ila and Monu skincare products made in the Cotswolds and also on Ishga seaweed lotions from the Hebrides. In The Beaufort restaurant, expect the likes of Old Spot pork belly with apple puree, and ham hock with baby leek soufflé – all beautifully presented. The hotel is about two miles from the handsome Regency centre of Cheltenham.

Barnsley House is an ultra-chic and immensely relaxing retreat for grown-ups with magnificent gardens and an excellent wellness centre. The glorious spa is set in a cow parsley-fringed dell in the garden and is suffused with the scent of drying herbs. It offers an appealing range of facilities, from a soothing outdoor hydrotherapy pool to a steam room and a sauna. Treatments are based on Elemis products and the spa team also offers state-of-the-art Caci (Computer Aided Cosmetology Instrument) facials. There are four acres of greenery including a knot garden and a potager to explore after a relaxing treatment. You’re very much in rural reaches here yet access is easy: Barnsley is just four miles from the centre of Cirencester, and is about an hour and half’s drive from both west London and Birmingham.

An Italianate country house with contemporary-cool interior styling. Cowley Manor has dreamy and extensive grounds, chic interiors, and a wacky bar. The icing on the cake is the exceptional C-side spa. The glass-fronted wellness centre is a beautiful piece of modern design, sunk into a hill to one side. The treatments in the four rooms use the hotel’s own Green & Spring products. There are indoor and outdoor pools and a dedicated manicure and pedicure area, gym, steam room and sauna. Laid-back chic with wry details and funky flourishes, such as cowhide chair covers and bold chandeliers, keeps the hotel vibe relaxed and fun.

A relaxing countryside retreat conjured from an old weathered stone manor house and collection of farm buildings. The service is so good here that it may reduce you to a quivering jelly of abject appreciation, and have you booking another night. The sprawling and spacious spa complements this extensive country house retreat with its relaxing treatment rooms, heated outdoor hot tub and indoor slate lined pool (with separate swimming times for children) as well as large outdoor pool. Treatments include massages, facials, men’s grooming, manicures and pedicures and make use of Aromatherapy Associates, Caci and Skin Regimen, a new scientific, holistic approach to halting the skin’s ageing process.

Set in 100 acres of Oxfordshire countryside, Soho Farmhouse offers a bucolic setting (no troublesome things like mud and farmyard smells here), spacious Nantucket-style accommodation, the facilities of a Center Parcs [sic] on steroids and indulgent food and drink. The result? The ultimate ‘country-lite’ retreat. The facilities are without peer – from the Cowshed spa with sauna, hammam, hot tubs and a broad range of treatments, to the luxurious cinema, cookery school and spacious gym and spinning studio. The sizeable bathrooms are a highlight with an array of full-size Cowshed toiletries and roll-top baths.

This is one of Britain’s best country house hotels. Key enticements include its grand setting in a vast estate, Michelin-starred dining and a very impressive spa complex. The latter includes a 20-metre-long indoor pool, a substantial half indoor, half outdoor hydrotherapy pool, and various thermal cabins. A vast range of treatments is on offer, as are yoga and pilates classes most days in the Wellbeing House, a separate cottage in the grounds where you can also have sunlight therapy and a dry floatation session. There is much else besides, including an equestrian centre with 35 horses that cater to all levels of ability, a cookery school and floodlit tennis courts.

Until recently, this large and historic inn situated in picturesque Broadway was a tired shadow of its former self. It has been soothingly soothingly restored, however, and today exudes a cosy-chic appeal, 86 stylish bedrooms, smart dining and a terrific spa. This latter boasts an indoor pool with retractable roof and spa bath, a steam room, a sauna and a fitness centre; a choice of treatments includes hot stone massages, body scrubs, pedicures and facials, using products such as Oskia, Decléor and Ila. It’s provides perfect respite for walkers keen to take advantage of the hotel’s bucolic surroundings.

Tewkesbury Park – which sits in green glory surrounded by its own 18-hole course – is a winner even if you’re not a golf enthusiast. The spa is partnered with the Natural Spa Factory in Bath; signature treatments include bespoke facials and seaweed wraps. From beauty therapists to receptionists, staff are engagingly enthusiastic. Try and go for one of the most upscale suites for slipper baths and his-and-hers walk-in showers. Quite apart from the 73-par golf course there are two tennis courts, two squash courts, a gym, bike spinning studio and indoor swimming pool, so plenty of options for an active but relaxing weekend away.