Base for the Cotswolds
 

Anyone have a recommendation for a home base while visiting the Cotswolds? I plan on being in that area 5-7 days in Sept. Thanks for any help.

Burford is a great little town to base yourself....

You have to tell us more. Will you have a car (preferable)? Do you want self catering, a B & B, an Inn? Do you want to be in a busy town with restaurants, pubs & shops or someplace quiet? Any place in particular you have in mind to visit?

You can start getting ideas by typing cotswolds AND hotels in the text search. Fodors also has a number of palces listed in the Hotel section for Bath & the Cotswolds.

30 fodorites will give you 30 or 40 different recommendations -- and they will all be right :)

As mclaurie say - it is important to know if you are driving or relying on public transport, etc.

As andy, says -- Burford is a great base. But it is a busy little town with lots of shops, pubs, restaurants - and traffic on the main street. Many people LOVE Burford - me included. But some friends I have sent there have thought it too crowded and busy.

other busy villages include Stow-on-the-Wold, Burton-on-the-water, Chipping Campden, Broadway and several others.

There are many quieter villages, which is restful - but some are too "quiet" especially if you have to drive to any shops or pubs.

You really can't go wrong anywhere in the Cotswolds.

We are driving and will be in that area for awhile. Need a base to settle in and don't care for all the traffic and noise...quiet but close to restaurants,shopping...good central location. Is there such a place?

We stayed in BURFORD at the LAMB'S INN a few years ago and were very pleased. Don't let the comment about traffic throw you off. The town has one main street and we had no problems at all. Plus, we left each day in our car exploring the area. It was a good site to settle in to do this. The LAMB's INN was great and people very nice. Built in the 1400s.

Maybe I should explain my comment further. First of all, I REALLY like Burford and have rented a cottage there several times. But it is not what some people envision when they think of a tiny Cotswold village with quiet lanes and a small local pub.

Burford is the busiest town in the southern Cotswolds. Now - we are not talking about a big city here - just a nice, vibrant little town with several pubs, all kinds of restaurants (including Indian and Chinese), many shops and a magnificent "wool" church.

Compare it with someplace really small like the Swells, the Slaughters, Stanton, Guiting Power, Kingham and other tiny places - it all depends on what you are looking for.

burford is lovely, bourton on the water is nice too and a bit more central....the area is quite small so if you find a place you like it will be easy to get to most all other places....get yourselves a good cotswold map (get it in england not in usa as you will get a better one)...follow all of the small lanes and criss cross all around...we usually stay in little rissington above bourton and just love it....there is a great pub in naughton where we love to have a quiet evening meal...quite upscale...more a restaurant than a pub...stow is also very central and has loads of restaurants and places to stay...it is quite busy....you will not have road noise unless you are staying right on a main road and i doubt that there is much noise there either after 10pm...last time i was in broadway rod stewart was there shopping and having lunch and everyone was talking about him...it is one of the biggest towns with lots of shopping....

We quite like Winchcombe, it is just a few minutes from Stow-on -the wold, and the slaughters and in range of all the cotswold.

Great restaurant at Wesley House, didn't stay in their rooms but will next time we go.

http://www.winchcombe.co.uk/

Morning....

My recommendation is the little medieval village of Stanton! And a great place to stay is at the Stanton Court Cottages, if you want a home base, check out their website at:
http://www.stantoncourt.co.uk/
This is a great base from which to get out and explore the Cotswolds...Broadway, Winchcombe, the Slaughters, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, Bourton-on-the-Water, Great Tew, etc. Away from the hustle and bustle, extremely peaceful, a true off-the-beaten-path, sleepy-little-village type place ...there are no stores in Stanton, just a pub up on the hill!
I have stayed there a few times and absolutely loved it! Flying into London we take the train into Bath, pick up our rental car...Stanton is about a 70 mile (give or take) easy drive!

Hi, pcheesy. Now just in case you'd like to stay in Wiltshire w/in driving distance of places to the south like Lyme Regis and Stourhead, as well as the southern Cotswolds, you might want to consider the b&b called Fern Cottage in Monkton Farleigh, a hamlet near Bradford-on-Avon. We stayed there seven nights and never ran out of places to visit. J.

What a lovely place...Fern Cottage..but no prices can I find.
Stanton Court Cottages are nice also..and I really like them..Your help is invaluable. I must say its fun to plan this trip..but just too many neat places to decide upon.

To Janis
Where would you suggest in Burford?

I second Ginny's suggestion of Stanton. It is right off the Cheltnham road about 5 miles outside of Broadway. The cottages are comfortable and in a wonderful setting. I have stayed there on three different occasions and would definately stay there again.

If you want to stay in Burford, the Lamb Inn is lovely. I've not stayed there but have eaten there & seen the rooms. It's old & charming but very light & freshly decorated. Here's a website that shows a small pic of the main sitting room http://www.sawdays.co.uk/search/display.
php?FileID=BH3013
This is also a good website for viewing other places.

Since you'll have a car, I think I might choose a place just outside a town though, maybe something on a larger property.

Are there places to dine around Stanton?

Thanks JMW...I didn't realize tariff meant room charge..I thought it would be added tax...live and learn.

There are plenty of places to dine around Stanton. Like I mentioned, there is a pub in the town itself that serves food. Broadway is only about 5 minutes up the road, so there are many places to choose there as well as a number of other nearby towns and villages that I also mentioned in my posts. At the cottage, you will have a full kitchen, so you have the option to stock up and eat there, if you'd like. They also have a room with brochures of stuff to do in and around all the Cotswolds. One of the big advantages to renting a cottage is the price...it is by far more economical then staying in hotels, inns and or b&b's...well, that's my opinion. There is much more room, you are not confined to one room, which is a big plus, for me at least, especially after a long day of being out and about!!!!! You are not on a shcedule to make it down to breakfast...I loved just enjoying my coffee in the morning (in Stanton) and watching the people on horseback go by the window. There are laundry facilities, so you can pack light. The list is endless...can you tell I am a big self-catering advocate :-)

I'm already liking the idea...Thanks so much for all the helpful info...