BURFORD HOUSE
Olde-worlde place to be coddled in the Cotswolds
SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED, this Tudor house with its low ceilings, leaded windows,
old beams and log fires stands proud in a pretty Cotswold town bursting with antique shops and tea rooms. But there's nothing twee about these luxury lodgings, whose rooms are ravishingly styled with a mix of old oak furniture, books, family pictures and porcelain.
Expect
Tudor-style four-posters and plenty of cushions. Shiny bathrooms are designed for spending time in, with roll-top tubs, power showers and an array of bubbles positively encouraging steamy goings-on. We loved Sherborne, with its tub for two.
There are only eight bedrooms here, so breakfast is an informal rather than a starchy affair, with a feast of local fare. If you're peckish later, light lunches and wicked teas are also on the menu. Think
freshly-baked granary bread and delicious home-made cakes, locally smoked salmon and aged farmhouse cheeses.
Hit the spot
At the heart of bustling Burford.
Bedtime
The Sherborne suite has four-poster bed, huge bathroom and tub for two.
Be savvy
Do book ahead at weekends – this is a sought-after spot.
Be smitten
Rustic beams, creaking floors and a nicely fuzzy echo of times past.
Wicked teas and damson gin
It's also well worth staying in for the evening, when the honesty bar – stocked with
home-made damson gin, quince vodka and a dozen malt whiskies – comes into its own.
But it's the hands-on touch and attention to detail of hosts Ian Hawkins and Stewart Dunkley that makes this stylish abode so special, with
hand-written menus, a resident cat, vases of fresh flowers and classical music creating a relaxed sense of ease. If you can tear yourselves away from the bedrooms, the garden is awash with flowers. (Betrothals are apparently rife here).
Burford House was reviewed for Room for Romance by
Amanda Kingston
Click on any picture to enlarge it and move through the gallery.
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Dining in
The restaurant does not serve dinner but your hosts keep an up-to-date list of great places to eat nearby. Stay in for morning coffee with
toasted crumpets and wicked afternoon teas with homemade scones, cakes and pastries. The light lunchtime menu includes home made spicy Welsh rarebit and Cassoulet. All ingredients come from local suppliers, with granary bread, smoked salmon, clotted cream and fresh garden produce delivered each day are from Cotswold farms.
There’s an honour bar with a fine array of old malts, cognacs and Armagnacs, as well as
home made damson gin and quince vodka. Prefer to stay upstairs? Have drinks served to your bedroom – or bathroom. Enjoy a glass of champers in your bubble filled tub.
Dining out
Numerous top-end restaurants are within easy reach. These include the Swan at Swinbrook, Oxford’s top Thai restaurant Chiang Mai and Le Manor aux Quat’Saisons, just outside the city.
Where?
Burford House dining room
What’s cooking?
Lunchtime fare includes seared salmon fillet, Welsh rarebit and locally smoked duck.
Dress the part
You make the rules – there’s no dress code.
Top table?
Why not dine alfresco in the hotel’s beautiful courtyard garden.
See & Do
Admire the spires and colleges of historic Oxford University, stroll hand in hand along the banks of the River Windrush and take advantage of the hotel’s chauffeured Scenic Drive around the picture perfect Cotswolds.
Shop
If you love trawling for antiques Burford will keep you happy for hours – the High Street is lined with antique emporia. By car you can also easily reach Oxford, Cheltenham and Bicester Village, the designer-outlet centre.
After dark
Guests tend to relax in the sitting rooms or – in summer – in the garden. There’s a well stocked honour bar with tipples for every taste.
Dates
May
Chipping Campden’s music festival in the second half of May has something for everyone.
June
Join the locals at the Burford Festival for a taste of all that’s local.
July
Have a night at the opera – the village of Longborough has a fully fledged opera house, and there’s a 90-minute interval for picnics on the lawn.
GETTING THERE
Location
High Street, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4QA
Parking
There is plenty of free parking in the vicinity
Trains
Charlbury station – eight miles
Taxis
GBP 18 approx from the station
Airport
Heathrow – 60 miles
Rooms and suites
Eight rooms
Special features
Three rooms come with four-poster beds. Most also have roll-top, claw-foot baths.
Also…
The hotel has a courtyard garden and all rooms come with wi-fi access, flat screen TVs and DVD players.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates
From GBP 150
Open/closed
Closed Christmas and two weeks in January
Check-in
1pm
Check-out
10:30am
Minimum night stay?
Two nights at weekends and between May – October.
Breakfast
Full English breakfast is served until 9:30am. Try the smoked haddock, home poached fruit compotes, special-recipe muesli and local honey.
Room service
Available morning and evening.
Children
Welcome
Pets
No
Air conditioning
No
Languages
English
Wedding license?
No, but many guests evidently end up proposing here!
Your Contacts
Ian Hawkins and Stewart Dunkley – owners