There’s something curiously contradictory about the English countryside. All rolling hills and honey-hued cottages, it exudes an air of gentle tradition and timeless calm. Yet hiding behind the stiff upper lips and keep-calm mentalities, there’s something a little bit quirky and brimming with eccentricity lurking beneath.
Nowhere is that quiet whimsy more delightfully distilled than in the Cotswolds, a region that looks like it’s been plucked from a postcard and dusted with just enough oddity to keep things interesting. And nestled in the heart of it all – or more accurately, a scenic 15-minute drive from Cheltenham – is Cowley Manor Experimental, a place where the peculiar and the plush go hand in hand.
Originally opened in 2002 and reimagined in 2023 by the ever-hip Experimental Group – best known for its Parisian cocktail bars and boundary-pushing hotels in London, Ibiza and beyond – Cowley Manor marks the collective’s first foray into the English countryside. It’s a bold departure from your standard country house retreat. Yes, there’s the bucolic setting – fields dotted with sheep, ancient woodlands and a lake straight out of a storybook – but inside, it’s anything but conventional. Think surrealist sculptures hidden in hedgerows, jewel-toned interiors with velvet banquettes and geometric prints, and a cocktail bar that would feel more at home on the Left Bank than in Lower Slaughter.
Author Lewis Carroll lived nearby, and it’s said his Wonderland was inspired by the manor’s vast, landscaped grounds. That sense of surreal charm runs through the property like a thread. Some of it is overt – giant chessboards and playful rabbit motifs courtesy of designer Dorothée Meilichzon – but much of it is subtler. Time, like the White Rabbit’s pocket watch, seems to run differently here: not rushed, not rigid, but joyfully unbothered. It’s a place to meander, linger and lose yourself in a particular kind of daydream.
Cowley Manor Experimental may flirt with fantasy, but its rooms are rooted firmly in contemporary comfort. The 36 bedrooms are housed within the Grade II-listed manor and its Pavilion extension, newly unveiled at the end of 2024, having been imaginatively reinterpreted by architects De Matos Ryan and interior designer Meilichzon, who also brought her signature maximalist style to the rest of the hotel. Each room takes cues from a different chapter of the estate’s storied history, spanning from its 17th-century origins to the modern-day Experimental revival.
Expect bold colour palettes of ochre, terracotta, olive green and jewel-like turquoise. Playful details bridge the classical and the curious: baldaquin beds command attention at the centre of grand bedrooms, framed by blurred maple tones, verdigris accents and gleaming lacquer. There are touches of rattan and checks, sculptural lighting, and the occasional hidden door or oversized motif – a subtle nod to the Wonderland lore. It’s immersive without ever tipping too far down the rabbit hole of thematic dressing.
Every room is equipped with thoughtful touches: a minibar stocked with signature Experimental cocktails, enormous tiled bathtubs built for deep soaks, bathroom amenities including collagen eye masks and bath salts, and while it might not sound especially glamorous, underfloor heating – a small luxury, but one deeply appreciated on chilly English mornings. Some rooms also feature private terraces – a luxurious perch from which to sip a Negroni or simply watch time slow.
For those seeking more space, the Pavilion offers five expansive new suites with interconnecting options ideal for families. Built on the site of the former 1900s Grand Ballroom, the stone-clad extension is contemporary but sympathetic, crafted from locally quarried Cotswold stone and Douglas Fir timber.
At the top end of the offering is the Grand Cowley Manor Suite – a lavish 721-sq-ft residence featuring two bedrooms with king-size beds, an open-plan living room, a claw-foot tub and a private terrace overlooking the gardens. Decadent yet discreet, it captures the escapist spirit of the manor at its most luxurious.
Even if you’re not staying the night, the winding journey through the Cotswolds’ country roads is worth it for a dinner reservation alone. The kitchen is helmed by Jackson Boxer, one of London’s most talked-about chefs and the talent behind Notting Hill’s impossibly cool bistro Dove (formerly Orasay) and the cult-favorite Brunswick House. At Cowley Manor Experimental, Boxer brings his signature style – unfussy, seasonal and quietly confident – to a menu that feels rooted in British terroir without ever straying into twee territory.
Vibrant plates make the most of local produce found right on the manor’s doorstep: Old Spot pork croquettes, grilled Addlington chicken with smoked anchovy butter, or fall-applauding Fallow venison with smoked beetroot and a glossy blackberry sauce that, thankfully, graces the menu year-round. It’s elegant but doesn’t feel overwrought – best rounded off with a plate of freshly baked, still-warm Madeleines.
Naturally, the cocktail bar is a scene-stealer in its own right. The Experimental Group cut its teeth shaking and stirring in Paris and London’s most fashionable enclaves, and that mixology-first mindset remains intact. As the brand’s name would suggest, the menu leans inventive – a coconut-washed Tequila Punch laced with jalapeño oil, an Old Fashioned reimagined with genever and Guinness caramel– and the jewel-toned bar, with its velvet stools and softly glowing lighting aided by the gently roaring fireplace, makes it all too easy to linger a little longer than planned.
For all the whimsy and wonder of the main house, things take a more grounded turn down at the spa – quite literally, in fact, as it’s tucked discreetly at the bottom of the hotel’s car park. But don’t let the humble entrance fool you: inside lies a sleek, slate-hued sanctuary that feels worlds away from the manor’s maximalist charm.
Designed to soothe rather than stimulate the senses, the C-Side Spa is all clean lines and calm energy, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of the surrounding greenery. There’s a moody indoor pool for long, meditative laps; an outdoor one for more glamorous wallowing in the summer or practicing your best Wim Hoff impression in the winter; a steam room, sauna and six treatment rooms offering everything from deep tissue massages to radiance-boosting facials. Treatments use Monu Skin, a British brand known for its naturally active ingredients, and Oskia, a nutri-cosmeceutical beauty brand specializing in pure cellular skin nutrition – though if you’re just here to float and forget time exists, that’s perfectly acceptable too.
Explore
The joy of Cowley Manor is, quite frankly, doing absolutely nothing. Linger over a morning espresso, sink into a velvet armchair with a book you may or may not finish, or lose hours in the games room over a languid round of backgammon. It’s escapist in the sense that you never really want to, well, escape.
But if you do feel the call of the Cotswolds, the hotel’s concierge team has curated a list of charming distractions within easy reach. Spot an alpaca ambling through a nearby field — or, if you fancy taking the reins yourself, the hotel can arrange a guided walk with one of the resident woolly locals. In the warmer months, guests can pack up a picnic and venture into the estate’s 55 acres of landscaped grounds, or set off on a gentle ramble to the local Green Dragon pub, less than 15 minutes away. Of course, you can always return with muddy boots and a conscience cleaned with countryside air, just in time for a nightcap and a long soak in the tub.
Rooms available from £435 (approx. $577) per night. Click here to book now.Elite Traveler may earn commission if you book through the link.
