If you are looking for a luxurious, tranquil, relaxing retreat in the heart of the glorious Gloucestershire countryside, look no further than the Burleigh Court Hotel in the Cotswolds. Built from local creamy Cotswold stone, the impressive 19th-century manor house stands on three acres of grounds overlooking the Golden Valley.
Tucked away is a beautiful spot just outside Minchinhampton near Stroud, the hotel is understated in its elegance with laid-back country charm. From the old-fashioned dial phones in each room, the plump cushions and cosy sheepskin rugs in the rooms and lounge, the original features like the bespoke prints, the attention to detail is exquisite.
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The Burleigh Court Hotel
Corinna and James Rae took over the Burleigh Court in 2019 and started renovating the bedrooms and reception rooms. Their aim was to elevate it into a boutique hotel hideaway that feels like a home away from home, and they certainly have achieved it.
With Corinna’s background in design and sense of style, carpets were removed to expose beautiful wooden floors. Mood boards for each room were created in calming colours. The result is a cool, calm sophisticated place to stay without the tweeness of some country hotels.
The Hotel Rooms
Each of the 18 rooms in the Burleigh Court Hotel has been designed and decorated individually. No two rooms are exactly the same, though some elements are similar.
Blending old-world charm with individual contemporary items, the rooms are all spacious, airy and with views over the garden or down the Golden Valley.
At the Burleigh Court, there are five categories of rooms: Classic, Cosy, Superior, Noteworthy and Pet-Friendly. The rooms are split between the manor house and the coach house.
Each room has a super comfy bed with crisp linen. There is a seating area, desk, TV, DVD player, tea and coffee making facilities and delicious cookies to nibble. There is complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel so if you need to be, you are always connected.
Whether you are in the manor house or the coach house, each room has its own en-suite bathroom. Depending on the room, you may have a walk-in shower as well as a bath. Otherwise, there are over-bath showers.
With soft, fluffy towels, dressing gowns, slippers and large bottles of organic own-branded soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash the bathrooms are luxurious, warm and inviting. If you enjoy the bath products, full bottles can be bought from the Reception.
The Manor House
In the manor house, the Cosy and Superior rooms are on the first and second floors including the gorgeous romantic Honeymoon suite, called the Foxglove Room.
The delicate pastel pink walls with white, black and grey crested crane print designed by Italian designer, Amanda Ferragamo sets off the dark wood four-poster bed blending a touch of Tuscan style with Cotswolds charm.
The rest of the furnishings in the room are sumptuous with a soft mauve armchair and toning cushions on the window seat. The carpet has been removed to reveal the beautiful wooden floors.
The light and spaceous bathroom includes a walk-in shower and a bath with spa jets, perfect for indulgent pampering.
The Coach House
Next to the Manor House is the Coach House. The Classic and Noteworthy rooms are in the Coach House including the spacious family suite. Most of the rooms have a private entrance and the ones to the rear have their own private seating areas close to the art-deco summer plunge pool.
Dog-Friendly Rooms
If you would like to bring your dog with you, there are few dog-friendly rooms in the Coach House. These have wooden floors, step-free access, a fridge to keep dog food and dog-friendly furnishings. To make your dog feel at home, there are cosy dog beds, bowls and some healthy dog treats. Note: Do remember to let the hotel know if you are bringing a dog, to make sure you get a room.
Inside The Burleigh Court Hotel
The Reception
The welcoming reception is simple but elegant with parquet flooring and neutral-coloured comfy sofas with a cosy fireplace for when it is cold.
The Lounge
Behind the spacious Reception area is the Lounge. Decorated with panelling and a beautiful wallpaper of birds and flowers, the Lounge is light and cool in the summer and cosy in the winter. The antique furniture is set off with books, round coffee tables and an antique gramophone.
There are several seating areas from intimate corners for a romantic tête-a-tête, to comfy sofas next to the fire or near the large windows looking out over the courtyard and garden, there is always a perfect spot.
Take a seat in the lounge is perfect for a pre or post-dinner drink, relax over afternoon tea or enjoy reading your favourite book.
The Bar
To the left of the reception, is the bar where you can select your drinks. Try something new with the range of carefully selected wines from local boutique vineyards and producers are available. There are also recognised brands as well as a selection of Havana cigars.
The Restaurant at the Burleigh Court
Guests and non-residents are welcome at the Burleigh Court’s two AA-Rosette restaurants. The dark oak-panelled dining room with views over the gardens to the front and the more intimate neutral-toned Private Dining Room which overlooks the courtyard is bright during the day and intimate in the evening.
Using as many locally sourced ingredients as well fresh produce from the hotel’s gardens and greenhouses, the menu is modern British with interesting twists and inspiring vegan and vegetarian dishes.
Breakfast
There is a copy of the breakfast menu in the rooms, so you can decide before you go down what you would like to eat. However, this did not stop me from changing my mind several times.
Maybe I will have porridge with a tot of whisky in it? Or the scrambled eggs with truffle oil on toasted sourdough bread? Or granola and fresh fruit? In the end, I plumped for my favourite avocado on sourdough toast with poached eggs. I wasn’t disappointed.
Normally you would see a photo of my breakfast, but it was so tasty looking I just dived in! The poached eggs were so perfect I didn’t want to break them, but when I did the beautiful orange yolks spilt out. Heaven!
Lunch
Lunch was taken out in the courtyard. As I had been on a Foraging Course run by the hotel, our menu included a few dishes with foraged ingredients.
A simple salad with delicious heritage tomatoes, foraged leaves and salad leaves from the hotel’s gardens was a perfect start.
This was followed by a delicately flavoured pea risotto with mascarpone, tomato and pea shoots and some gentle wild garlic oil.
I was tempted by the plant-based pear and ginger cake with oat Chantilly, but I was good and just had a teaspoon to taste.
Dinner
Although the restaurant is oak-panelled, even in the summer, the dining room is intimate and romantic and with the open windows, it kept cool.
The menu was enticing with a selection of meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan dishes. I am vegetarian but decided to go completely plant-based for my starter and main courses.
The fresh Kohlrabi with pea and avocado, burnt lemon puree and Burleigh garden herbs was an eye-opener. I have never tried Kohlrabi before, but it was crisp and balanced beautifully with the lemon puree and juicy peas. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients and the subtlety of the flavours. Definitely recommended.
My main course was a tart fine of caramelised onions and heritage carrots and beetroot with candied walnuts. A tart fine is a disc of thin crisp pastry. The topping could have been quite sweet with caramelised onions, carrots and beetroot, but it was perfectly seasoned. It was one of those dishes that I ate slowly to savour and didn’t want to finish.
I could not resist the sound of 70% dark chocolate mousse with beurre noisette ice cream and honeycomb. I was not disappointed. The dark chocolate mousse had that slight bittersweetness and married with the creamy beurre noisette and the crunch of the honeycomb it was chocolate heaven.
Afternoon Tea at The Burleigh Court Hotel
From Wednesday to Saturday in the3 pm to 5 pm, Afternoon Tea is served. Depending on the weather you can take it in the Lounge, in the Courtyard or outside on the terrace. You don’t need to be staying at the hotel to enjoy the Afternoon Tea.
I didn’t have time for Afternoon Tea on this visit but did see the beautiful cake-stands laden with sandwiches, scones and cakes. I was pleased to see that the Burleigh Court offer both a vegetarian and a vegan option. Something to look forward to on my next visit!
The Grounds
The Front Gardens
With glorious views over the Golden Valley, the grounds at the Burleigh Court Hotel extend to around 3 acres.
In front of the terrace, the lawns slope gently to right, beautifully laid out with mature trees and formal planting. A flat croquet lawn is to the left with hammocks and large beanbags to relax and watch play.
Behind the group of trees in the middle, there is a small fish pond next to a patch of vibrant wildflowers and two beehives (the honey is available to buy at reception).
Throughout the garden, there are paths and stairways which lead you to enchanting groves and
Take a seat on the terrace at the sofas, tables and chairs and enjoy the stunning views. There are parasols to keep you shaded if you need them. You can have afternoon tea or dinner served here, a pre-dinner drink or sit and relax and enjoy the tranquillity.
On cooler afternoons and evenings the sheepskin rugs and firepits will keep you warm. At night you can enjoy a post-dinner drink or coffee in the gently lit gardens and snuggle up in one of the blankets at the basket by the door.
Wherever you sit, the views are spectacular.
The Grounds at the Rear
The gardens to the rear of the manor house are gently sloped and split into “rooms”. Paths wind through the different areas from the driveway. through to the terraced lawns with pathways cut between the daisies, above the courtyard.
There is seating in the courtyard where you can enjoy your morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or a fresh pizza cooked in the pizza oven.
Past the courtyard, is another terrace with tables and chairs and loungers. The terrace surrounds the Art Deco plunge pool. With a tiled floor, the plunge pool is refreshing, but as it is unheated it can be a bit nippy.
The lawned area behind has seating and loungers so you can top up your tan on sunny days.
Activities at The Burleigh Court Hotel
There is a range of activities and experiences that you can do during your stay at the hotel.
Wild Food Foraging Experience
My favourite is the wild food foraging which is arranged by the hotel. Learn how to recognise edible flowers and plants and what to do with them from pickling to cooking. After your foraging, enjoy lunch with some of the goodies you have found.
The Wild Food Foraging is available on selected days from July to October. The experience costs £60 per person which includes your guided foraging walk and lunch including wild foods.
Other Activities
There are plenty of walks in the valleys and hills surrounding the hotel as well as horse-riding, hacking and mountain e-biking. You can also arrange wine tours and tasting at Woodchester Valley boutique vineyard, which is close to the hotel.
Use the Burleigh Court as a base to explore some of the beautiful Cotswold villages and towns nearby including Stroud, Minchinhampton, Nailsworth and Painswick.
You can also indulge in a luxurious in-room massage to help you feel relaxed and pampered.
The Five Golden Valleys
The Burleigh Court Hotel looks over the Chalford Valley, also known as the Golden Valley due to the wealth that was created in the valley from the processing of wool.
Chalford is the largest of the five Gloucestershire Golden Valleys which converge near Stroud. The others are Painswick Valley, Nailsworth Valley, Slad Valley and Cam Valley. All of them owe their wealth to the local cloth industry and 150 mills in the area that were powered by the river Frome that flowed through the valleys.
COVID-19 Enhancements
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hotels have had to make changes in the way they operate and interact with guests. The following initiatives have been put in place by The Burleigh Hotel.
- All staff with direct interaction with guests wear face masks.
- All staff maintained at least 2 metres away from guests unless serving in the dining rooms.
- Use of cleaning chemicals that are effective against coronavirus.
- Guests are asked to wear face masks when moving around the hotel or when they are not seated or dining.
- Clear signage displaying the Hotel’s policy regarding sanitising and masks.
- Hand sanitising stations at most entry points and throughout the hotel.
- Guest accommodation is disinfected between stays
- Tables in the dining room were well-spaced out.
- Room keys are thoroughly sanitised by staff before being handed to guests.
Getting to The Burleigh Court Hotel, Cotswolds
Arriving to the Hotel by Car/Parking
The postcode for the hotel is GL5 2PF. Head towards Stroud on the M4. At Junction 15 (Swindon), take the A419 until you are past Chalford and continue towards Brimscombe Hill. Take a left up Brimscombe Hill and then left again up The Roundabouts. The entrance to the Burleigh Court is on your right just past the first corner.
Arriving to the Hotel by Train
The train to Stroud from London Paddington takes around an hour and a half. From Stroud station, the easiest way is to get to the hotel is to get a taxi.
The Burleigh Court Hotel – Essential Information
Address: Burleigh Court Hotel, The Roundabouts, Brimscombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2PF
Website: https://www.burleighcourtcotswolds.co.uk/
Price Point: From £149 during the week
Disclosure: I was hosted by The Burleigh Court Hotel, however, all views, opinions and photos are my own and remain the copyright of The Silver Nomad.
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Looks like such a nice getaway! I would love to try that foraging experience with lunch from what you find!
The foraging followed by the lunch was great fun! The whole visit was amazing
If we ever make it to the Gloucestershire countryside we would certainly look to the Burleigh Court Hotel and Restaurant for a little luxury pampering. I love the charm of the rooms and the spaces to relax around the property. And we certainly would eat well!
Linda, you would love it. Excellent food and such a beautiful place to relax