Laughern Hill Estate

We discovered Laughern Hill through Voyage prive and our only regret is not staying 2 nights, it was amazing. The mulberry room is beautiful and the views were such a welcome break for this country girl working in London. The house itself is clean, gorgeous and so warm, and most importantly the bed was incredible, so comfortable. We received a really warm welcome along with a complementary glass of wine each and sharing platter. Breakfast was wonderful, lots of choice apart from cooked breakfast. We didn't want to leave, however we returned home well rested and feeling much healthier after a long walk round Croft Castle (highly recommended) to burn off all the food we ate.

Treat yourself to a little taste of luxury We wanted a few days in the Cotswold area and came across Laughern via a Voyage Prive email offer. I booked it, as it looked lovely on their website and on TA reviews. I didn't realise that it was at the northern end of the Cotswold region when I booked and it is a little way out from the traditional popular Cotswold towns. However, all that was dismissed on arrival. Juli greeted us with boundless enthusiasm and a wonderfully welcoming manner, putting us at ease immediately. The welcome platter for VP guests is a really nice touch and is a well selected choice of meat cheese and pate with fresh bread and crackers along with a refreshing glass of wine. In good weather, this is served outside on the patio. The house has a lovely garden area, a tennis court for the more energetic, and beautiful views over the surrounding area. I strongly recommend that you pack your slippers in a separate bag as the house has a 'no outside shoes inside' rule which works well. This keeps the lovely cream carpets pristine and is easy to get used to. After a short while it's like staying with friends in their house for a few days and of course, you would wear your slippers around the place wouldn't you? There is a fresh milk system in place which is very unusual but very welcome. You can't beat fresh milk with a drink! We stayed in the Holly room for 3 nights with a view over the driveway and part of the rear garden. Other rooms have a complete view of the gardens if preferred. These were full at the time of booking. The only thing I would have changed was the bed, a harder one would be my personal preference along with a Summer quilt rather than the thick one on our bed. There is never a bed as good as your own at home is there? The info pack in the room gives plenty of local eating options and places to visit for all tastes. Breakfast at 9am for everyone, served in the dining room around one very big table. Sounded a bit strange when I first read about this, but it just works. Cereals, fruit juice and a cooked breakfast are very well presented and copious toast and tea/coffee round off a great start to the day. Everyone who served us was very friendly and couldn't do enough to make sure our stay was perfect. Chris, the owner, was always around somewhere and willing to chat and recommend places to visit for meals etc. The house itself is so impressive and is a touch of old fashioned luxury, just not available with run of the mill modern chain hotels. The difference between this and a recent visit to a large Wirral hotel, where a lot of the staff couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge our presence with a nod or greeting, was a gaping chasm in hospitality standards. We found plenty to do in the area and had a wonderfully relaxing break. It just all went far too quickly. My advice would be to treat yourself to a visit to Laughern, you will NOT be disappointed. Stayed September 2014, travelled as a couple

The good: The setting is fantastic. Scenic and quite. The hotel itself is more of a guesthouse as there is a family which lives in the property. Saying that, the host is fantastic, full of character and energy and gave good advice for day trip out. The food was very good - both sharing platter for dinner one night and breakfast. The not-so-good: The communal dining for breakfast can be awkward given not everyone is a morning person and wants to sit with strangers first thing in the morning around a table. Breakfast is at 9AM and there isnt really an option for any other time. The toiletries were on the tight side with only one shower gel and shampoo for two guests. No additional extras. Television was very small for the room size (Hollyroom). Lastly, the magazines in the billiard room were over 3 years old. I'm all for antiques in a house but for reading material - no! Overall I would rate this hotel 8/10 and class this as a 4 star - NOT the 5 star it claims to be. I would recommend the hotel.