Ingleside House

Bold colours, striking designs and an exuberant style set Ingleside House apart from many other hotels in The Cotswolds. Set in a Grade II-listed building in Cirencester, the exterior may share the honey-coloured hues that’ll be familiar to anyone who’s spent time exploring this pretty part of the world, but step inside and the honey turns to gold. There’s a deliberate Gatsby-esque style to this boutique hotel that makes it less twee and more ta-dah.

This super-stylish place to stay has 11 guest rooms ranging from the relatively simple king rooms to the lavish four-poster suite. But as we say the simplicity is relative here. Although the king rooms are the most compact, they still share the drama of the rest of the hotel with colours, textures, prints and lighting all contributing to a sumptuous feel. Step up to a super-king room for more space and choose “deluxe” for a free-standing bath in your room. Whichever you opt for, the quality of the place is told in the room inclusions: a radio from Roberts, coffee from a Nespresso machine and toiletries from Molten Brown.

All the drama of the rooms is amplified downstairs, where there’s a resident’s lounge, restaurant, piano bar and an associated theatre next door. More on that later, but for now there’s the important business of dinner and cocktails. These can be taken inside in the main Téatro restaurant, where pre-theatre and main menus are served to gold-topped tables, or outside on the heated terrace where a slightly simpler menu is on offer. On Fridays and Saturdays the place is brought alive with live music, but the plush velveteen upholstery, statement wallpaper and quirky object d’art mean it’s never dull in here.

A few steps from the front door, the 200-seater Barn Theatre hosts performances from touring theatre groups on a regular basis. Take a look at their own website for details and tickets. In addition, the shops, eateries and museums of Cirencester are five minutes’ walk away and beyond that, there’s all of the Cotswolds to explore. Country walks, cute villages and long pub lunches await within a short drive. These are the lovely days of a classic Cotswolds holiday — but they come with the promise of a return to something rather more luxe and lavish at Ingleside House.