I’m lying on my hotel bed, staring up at the mushroom-coloured ceiling, focusing on, well, nothing.
I’m following some advice from a new four-star hotel — arguably the UK’s first “slo-tel” — in the Cotswolds called Hyll, in its “Do Nothing” guide, a copy of which is left in each of its 26 sepia-toned bedrooms.
“When you notice restlessness,” the booklet instructs, “don’t distract yourself. Name it. Then wait.”
Hyll’s invitation to slow down is frankly liberating. Arriving on a very wet afternoon last month with my two children, aged 13 and 10, we were totally up for leaning into a lazy day. With the downpour outside, there was nothing for it but to hunker down in this 17th-century, grade II-listed manor house built in the Cotswolds’ signature blonde limestone.
Hyll is designed for it — its three taupe-toned living rooms are filled with a curated edit of hip mags, unputdownable reads and calming games (all the books have been selected by Borzoi Books in nearby Stow-on-the-Wold, and helpfully come with a quick explainer written by the cult bookstore; you can also order in books that you’re keen to read, or ask ahead for suggestions).
It wasn’t long before all three of us were sitting in quiet, focused contentment, carefully crafting origami figures — a rare event for these bickery siblings. In fact, everything about Hyll is about relaxation. So it’s absolutely the done thing to play a record in the living room, to doze off by the fireplace (blankets provided), or to order breakfast in bed (the WhatsApp hotline for ordering is seamless and efficient, and there’s no extra charge to have it brought to your room).
Located just outside Chipping Campden, Hyll is the first venture from Madfabulous Hotels, founded by entrepreneurs Paul Baker (of bakery brand St Pierre) and Sarah Ramsbottom (who has a hospitality background), and it’s been executed with intelligence and style.
Decoratively, it’s all about soothing the senses. With the interiors designed by Manchester-based design studio Youth, the look feels contemporary yet cosy, and it really does seem to lower the cortisol. There are no pops of colour, no arresting artworks, no disconcerting clashes; instead expect a tranquil palette of creams, caramels, mochas and chocolates, low lighting, and plenty of natural materials — stone, wood, wool, linen.
Eight of the rooms are in the manor house, though we opted for a lounge room, with an additional open-plan seating area, in one of the outbuildings overlooking the courtyard — walking the stone’s throw to the main house was our greatest exertion.
All suites feature Naturalmat’s organic wool mattresses and pillows, a Tivoli radio (set to Radio 3, of course), minibar, smart TV, Dyson hairdryer, clothes steamer, cotton waffle robes, naturally fragranced Verden toiletries and more of those hip mags.
The hushed vibes continue in the restaurant, which is led by chef Mark Coleman serving up elevated comfort food (we had spatchcock poussin with truffle and parmesan potatoes, and roast cod with clam chowder: “Oh my God, this is delicious,” chorused the kids).
The menu is largely built around local produce: for example, vegetables from the neighbouring farm, fruit from Oxford’s orchards and charcuterie from SaltPig in nearby Kingham.
I’m not sure how a rowdy crowd would go down here, given the restrained hum of chatter (despite the extensive wine and cocktail list), but let me tell you, I milked that calm to keep the kids on their best behaviour, and it worked a treat.
The next morning, we woke to a break in the rain, so after a leisurely start that included a long soak in the moodily-lit bathroom, and that room service (you can go trad, with, for example, a locally sourced full English; more international, with, say, Turkish poached eggs with garlicky yoghurt and feta; or luxe buffet options, such as overnight chia, Hyll’s homemade granola, and artisanal patisseries), we forced ourselves to explore.
Fortunately, the hard part of working out what to do had been done for us, with Hyll’s rather charming Do Something booklet (“a gentle guide for when curiosity stirs”). Hyll is located in the sceniest part of the Cotswolds, so it’s a relatively affordable neighbour to the likes of Estelle Manor, Soho Farmhouse and Cowley Manor.
Read more: cosiest hotels in the Cotswolds
It’s also set within 60 acres of meadow, woodland and hills and you can borrow handcrafted Private White VC jackets to explore the grounds and its growing sculpture collection — we also spotted an outdoor cornhole game, and spent some time perfecting our aim to get the little sacks into the target.
Beyond Hyll, reports the guide, is more of its chichi neighbours — for example, the Daylesford Organic empire, Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farmshop (which was overrun with tourists), and Burford Garden Centre, which will sell you almost everything you need to kit out your Cotswolds mansion in good taste, for about the price of one.
However, as soon as we left Hyll, the zen spell suddenly lifted, which saw me spend the rest of our Cotswolds break peace-brokering between the squabbling siblings, and longing to be lying on my Naturalmat bed again, quietly enjoying the ceiling.
Rooms from £215 per night for bed and breakfast. hyllhotel.com
