The Painswick is part of the Calcot Collection and is located in a beautiful part of the Cotswolds. This rural location is wonderfully quaint, and Painswick as a village is full of period properties and characterful buildings which must be explored during your visit. From the moment you pull up on their private driveway you know you are somewhere special. The building offers and abundance of Cotswold stone with so much character and charm. The Painswick is actually rather deceptive from the outside, it’s such a wonderful building, you really do expect to find a traditional hotel inside rather than the quirky furnishings it offers, which wouldn’t look out of place in a private members club in London.
Once inside, our luggage was taken and we were soon checked-in and shown to our ‘Toadsmoor’ room, with a short tour of the hotel on the way making us feel welcome and excited to explore. After reaching our room and being introduced to the various amenities we were left quietly happy to have arrived somewhere so beautiful.
The huge king size bed took centre stage in our room, complete with gorgeous plump, oversized cushions with an embroidered letter P on each cushion to remind you where you are. The bed was incredibly comfortable which did make it very difficult to wake up in the morning, but we did eventually manage. There was also a retro phone on the bedside table, a few wall mounted pieces of art and a small desk with a polished black desk lamp and a DAB radio, which is a nice space should you wish to catch up on some work. There is also a Nespresso machine that we were happy to make use of.
“The Painswick understands hospitality and keeps pace while you take a step back into country life.”
The bathroom was of a good size and boasted a roll-top bath and separate walk-in shower as well as a single wash basin with ‘mine’ and ‘his’ rinsing cups, along with my favourite REN bathroom products which smell divine. Should you be looking to relax, you can take a seat on the sofa and grab yourself one of several books that are dotted around the room.
If you can bring yourself to leave your room, then a walk around the hotel is a must. The public areas in the hotel have been beautifully and individually designed, making each room most inviting and leaves you with a tough decision about where to sit. You will find various lounges and drawing rooms with roaring fires and comfortable sofas and arm chairs, which if you’re not careful you won’t want to leave.
The boot room includes a selection of maps with directions for local walks in the area, so we put a brave face on and embraced a four mile walk to a local pub for a lunchtime pint. The weather was fierce, but it was most enjoyable and we couldn’t wait to return to our warm bedroom to prepare ourselves for dinner in their restaurant. To begin our evening at The Painswick, we enjoyed a few games of pool in their games room, before indulging in a pre-dinner cocktail in their bar area ahead of dinner.
The staff throughout the hotel were very friendly and we were greeted like old friends, with nothing being too much trouble. The Painswick understands hospitality and keeps pace while you take a step back into country life. If you’re looking for a hotel with intrigue and excitement then you won’t be disappointed, we certainly weren’t.