A couple of weeks ago, Sean and I decided about mid-week that we would be going away for the weekend. We had nothing planned and an itch to get away with Giorgio. And so kicked off our 80 weekends travelling the UK, with a stay at The Fish Hotel.
The Fish Hotel is located in The Cotswolds just outside of Broadway, on Farncombe Estate. The hotel shares the estate with its two sister hotels, Foxhill Manor and Dormy House. I would not call this a luxury hotel, and they do not claim that either! However, it is exactly the type of hotel we look for on a weekend away. It has incredible design throughout, great customer service, and a fantastic property for walking. We felt perfectly fine spending hours relaxing in our room, and loved that we could remain casual through our stay.
The entire hotel has a sort of coastal vibe, with retro accents. It’s designed well while still remaining perfectly cosy for a romantic weekend away.
The Room
We stayed in a Cosy Luxe room, the second size on their spectrum. The room was located in The Stables; the building is just down the hill from the main reception area and has its own parking area. The wifi did not reach our room too well and kept cutting out, but that helped us disconnect and relax.
Our room contained a (very comfy) king size bed, side tables, a writing desk and dresser, and a Flat Screen TV. Instead of a full wardrobe, there are hooks on the wall where you can hang your towels or hangers. I loved the style of this, and it was a perfect alternative for a short stay, but I’m not sure how we would’ve coped with our clothes hanging out in the open for a longer stay, especially if they are mixing with wet jackets and dirty dog towels. The bathroom was simple with a shower/tub combo with a detachable shower head (perfect for washing a muddy dog!) and a perfectly warm towel heater. There were robes and bottles of water in the room at the time of our arrival, and full amenities in the bathroom.
The view from our room. How incredible is this sunset we captured while enjoying our champagne?
The Restaurant
As soon as we arrived, we settled into the room and ordered a bottle of champagne. When we flipped through the room service menu, we were immediately impressed by the range of offerings. There were great options for any budget, unlike many hotels that just push expensive bottles. Our selected bottle was delivered quickly, accompanied by an ice bucket and glasses.
We enjoyed our dinner later that evening in the restaurant. The wine menu was a more extensive version of the room service menu, offering options for every taste and price range, from all over the world. Sean and I shared mussels to start, then each had a steak, some king prawns, steamed vegetables, and chips.
The restaurant offers a casual atmosphere, more like a gastropub than a fine dining space. While the service was decent and the food was delicious, we had to refill our own wine and water throughout the meal, as well as chase down the waitress for the bill at the end. However, when we did not finish our bottle of wine, the waitress tracked down a cap and let us take it with us, allowing us to have a little night cap back in the room.
For breakfast, we opted to have ours delivered to our room. They offer this at a small £5 charge and deliver everything in a picnic basket – adorable! The continental breakfast consisted of slice of ham, cheese, and smoked salmon; fresh bread and pastries; yogurt and granola; and orange juice. Sean claims it was the best orange juice he has ever had. The only downside was that they did not offer coffee alongside the meal; but, we just made some using the kettle in our room! Breakfast is also offered in the bar (dog friendly) and restaurant.
The Grounds
In my opinion, the grounds can make or break it for a country hotel. The idea of being able to walk, explore, and relax all on the same premises is what makes country weekends so great.
Farncombe Estate offers incredible grounds for walking. We planned on walking the Nature Trail, but the signage was not the best so we could not actually find it. Instead, we ended up on the path which takes you across the grounds and into Broadway. Again, there wasn’t the best signage, but we were able to find our way. In reality, we should have just asked for a walking map when they offered one at check in! We walked through cow pastures, up and down hills, under a tunnel, etc. – it was a great walk with the dog that offered stunning views and some good exercise. They recommend wellies when wet, and we couldn’t agree more. We returned back to the hotel with four muddy feet and four muddy paws!
Dog Friendly
The Stables is the part of the hotel with dog friendly rooms. There is a nice grassy bit behind the building for taking dogs out, as well as dog friendly amenities inside the room. These include a dog bed, dog bowls and treats, and even a towel especially for the muddy pup. Giorgio particularly loved going off lead once we were deep inside the grounds, running around not too far from the cows and trying to figure out how the cattle fences worked. He returned to the room a muddy mess, where we then bathed him before wrapping him up in his towel and placing him on his bed.
One of the girls at reception offered to watch Giorgio while we went to dinner so we could eat in the restaurant instead of the dog-friendly bar. He felt right at home the entire time and returned to London utterly exhausted after a weekend running around in the countryside!
Final Thoughts on The Fish Hotel
Our stay was everything we wanted for a one night country getaway. The details really made The Fish Hotel stand out – wellies available for borrowing, staff willing to dog sit at no charge, our waitress preparing our wine so we could take it back to the room, etc. Those are the little touches that you do not always get in city hotels, and part of the reason why we are so excited for more UK weekend getaways.
The Fish Hotel could be more enjoyed on a longer stay, though one night was lovely as well. When staying longer, you have the opportunity to visit the restaurants in the sister hotels, explore more of the grounds, and even go for a round of tennis if you’re feeling it. I definitely see us returning to The Fish Hotel in the future – and would recommend you do, too!
Check out our full recap of our weekend in the Cotswolds to see what we got up to while we were there! Subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a post!
NOTE:
Sean and I booked this hotel last minute. The dog charge of £20 was waived, as well as the two-night minimum stay. We paid for our room in full. All opinions are our own.
Around the UK in 80 Weekends
This trip was part of our mission to go Around the UK in 80 Weekends. Check out where else we have been here.
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What a lovely place! I love that awesome blue phone and the do not disturb sign. I’d definitely stay here. Beautiful surroundings and so much charm. Thanks for sharing!
The little accents were so charming! Let us know if you end up staying there sometime – we’d love to hear your thoughts!