Temple Guiting Manor, Temple Guiting, The Cotswolds, UK - Explore & Book

"Temple Guiting Manor is an extravagant slice of English paradise, a blissful bubble in much more than a covid sense. Tucked in an enchanted Cotswold valley - bleating sheep, mewing buzzards, rolling woodlands and a lazy stream - are a handsome Jacobean Manor House, a neighbouring Barn (each with five bedrooms), a separate three-bedroom Granary, and a pair of rustic chic outhouses (useful add-ons). Linking them all are gorgeous gardens lined with neatly clipped box hedges and espaliered plum trees, and bursting with peonies, roses and hydrangea. There's a graceful ornamental pond for the Manor, a heated swimming pool for the Barn, and an astro tennis court for everyone to share. Just along the lane is a 'Pantry' serving barista-style coffee and organic teas, light lunches, lazy breakfasts and covetable country gifts to take home.The whole project is the vision of property developer and art aficionado Steven Collins, who initially bought the Manor as his second family home, before adding the outbuildings and filling them all with paintings, sculptures and curios from his travels, not to mention medieval coats of armour, futuristic light installations and gadgets galore (we loved the secret home cinema, the hot tub in a dovecote, and the fabulous 1950s jukebox). The result is a home that feels like a gallery; a self-catering rental with hotel-level concierge services; a National Trust house on helium. So if you can find some friends or family to share it (and the cost) with, then there can be few better places in Britain for an indulgent weekend - or, better still, a week - of celebration. Highs Gavin and Caroline run the whole operation seamlessly, with bulging black books for local chefs, yoga and Pilates teachers, masseurs, nannies and moreThere's tons to do: tennis (with a coach if you want), horse riding, archery, rifles, cooking lessons and glorious countryside walksAnd if it rains: a film library with Sky and surround sound, Xbox, table tennis, foosball, spa treatments and personal trainersThe Pantry is super-handy for lazy breakfasts or snacks, and the hamlet of Temple Guiting has a lovely, sleepy charmYou're 15 minutes from five Cotswold gems: Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold, the Slaughters, Winchcombe and Sudeley Castle Lows As you'd expect, these amazing properties - especially the Manor and the Barn - don't come cheapThe Granary is more affordable, but availability is limited as it's sometimes used by Manor/Barn guests, or by the owner's familyBear in mind that the pool is reserved for guests of the Barn, and the ornamental gardens for the ManorPets are not normally accepted in any of the properties" - Michael Cullen