There’s delightful outside space in beautiful Box, whose ancient streets wind their way past honey-coloured houses and wooden-beamed pubs where open fires waft warmth over homely rugs and flagstones.
On site, you’ll want to make the most of the one-acre grounds. Pack a picnic, try a little croquet or cricket, or just fire up the gas barbie and get the sausages and steaks going. Uncork the wine, light the candles and make a night of it on the terrace.
Bring your towels and slippers and hop into the seven-seater hot tub with waterfall and fountains. Gaze at the stars, keep the wine flowing and swap stories into the early hours.
Once the site of chalk and talk, the main living area at The Residence is now more good wine and fine living. Spread out among the comfy sofas and armchairs, order up from the local Indian, and get a rom-com going on the flatscreen TV with FreeSat and DVD player. Or fire up some friendly competition on the Xbox.
Décor is traditional yet light, bright and welcoming. Cornicing, uplighters and a marble-surround fireplace sit alongside high-speed broadband for streaming video and Netflix. If you’re up late to chat and quaff, get a suitable soundtrack going on the sound system. Or just gather round the piano and create your own.
Looking to escape the hubbub? The library offers plenty of shush time. Get far from the madding crowd in a serene sanctuary, raid the groaning shelves, settle back on a Queen Anne chair and bury your head in a book. Or maybe persuade a pal or two to plunder the board-games cupboard.
Accommodation here is adaptable. The Residence has space for 14 but, with more properties on site, subject to availability, you get more options, more social spaces, more flexibility and even more fun.
The kitchen here’s fully equipped for you to make the most of the fine local fodder. Be sure to stock up the American-style fridge-freezer with Cotswold-style Gloucester Old Spot pork, Tewkesbury mustard, Bibury trout, Stinking Bishop cheese and Hobbs House bread.
To help you in your culinary quest, you’ll also get a drinks fridge, five-burner range cooker and dual oven, plus all the glasses, utensils, pots and pans you could ever need. When you’re done, dump everything in the dishwasher and help yourselves to coffee from the cafetière.
Get together around the huge dining room table, or stay in the heart of the home and eat in the cosy kitchen, close to the heart of the action and the home of the chilled wine. Prefer takeaway? Try Bengal Bear for Indian, Giggling Squid for tapas, Dough Pizza for Italian or Beyond the Kale for healthy vegan.
Eat out at the Indian you can reach in less time than it takes to fry a poppadum, at The Quarryman’s Arms for real food that works with the seasons, at The Longs Arms for modern British classics, or at Merkin’s Farm Café for scones and hot chocolate or a cheerful cheese-and-ham panini.
Let the battles begin for the bedrooms. The large master comes with its own fireplace and delicious en-suite that features a freestanding bath and rain shower. The queen room is also an en-suite with antique wooden bed and bath. Choose the double junior room if you also need a cot. Or the attic if you like the view from a mezzanine.
The complement of bedrooms is complete with a double queen, a single and the sofa bed in the lounge. Wherever you sleep, you’ll enjoy fluffy towels, crisp sheets and classic furnishing. This is the boutique hotel where you pick your own guests.
