For many luxury hotels, more is more. Built on the belief that well-heeled travellers constantly need to be entertained, the never-ending construction of padel courts, endlessly-changing spa menus, constantly-refreshed restaurants and infinite concierge programmes is pretty much standard for modern hotels. Because God forbid guests get bored. 

But being bored and slowing down are not the same thing – as one boutique 14^th-century manor house situated on 60 serene acres of Cotswolds green and pleasant land is on a mission to prove. Welcome to Hyll: a place where you are told to rest, reset and rejuvenate, not by trying your hand at archery, riding a horse or shaking things up in a cocktail masterclass, but by simply doing nothing. So steadfast is the hotel in this belief that it’s currently in the midst of removing its indoor pool and tennis court – and as a Londoner who is often in the throes of the rat race, how utterly refreshing is it to have simply nothing to do. 

Formerly Charingworth Manor, the concept at this recently refreshed hotel has been pioneered by owners Paul Baker and Sarah Ramsbottom. The butter-hued exterior fools you into expecting a quintessential country house, but step inside to discover interiors that lean more towards Scandinavia than stucco, more Soho House than Sense and Sensibility. Having tapped the creative nous of Manchester-based design studio Youth, decor blends Cotswold character – think yellow stone and weathered timber – with a restrained, modern touch. It’s a clever, thoughtful renovation that speaks to the building’s Grade II-listed status. 

Enter Hyll via a medieval door for an informal check-in in the chic boot room, kitted out with coats and wellies should you wish to romp across the meadows fringing the estate, before heading upstairs to discover a rabbit warren of rooms. The main house hosts eight of the 26 rooms, while the rest of the accommodation can be found in a series of yellow-stone outbuildings. Once a bolthole for TS Eliot, the poet wrote the first of his Four Quartets while staying here in the 1930s as a guest of the local Cresswell family.

My suite in the main house is understated and tactile, decorated in a calming neutral palette inflected with Cotswold stone, aged metals and natural wood throughout. Spanning a quaint lounge, marble ensuite bathroom, featuring a double vanity, rainfall shower and sink-in bath tub, and the master bedroom, it’s a tastefully functional, uncluttered space – one that ensures you don’t have to battle with hi-tech lighting systems or accidentally close all the curtains at the flick of a switch. 

The large, listed windows open up to picturesque hill-filled views. From here, and directly below my room on the terrace, Hyll offers the perfect vantage point to take in five of England’s counties: Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. At the time of visiting, the tiered garden and paved terrace dotted with chairs, table and sunloungers is awash in an autumnal palette of yellows, oranges and reds, painting the perfect Cotswolds postcard. I have no doubt a visit here in the summer would lend itself rather wonderfully to an afternoon whiled away with garden cocktails. 

There are three lounges to hunker down in: two with open fireplaces and one with moody lighting and a turntable to play the hotel’s curated selection of LPs. All feature plenty of plump sofas, board games and baskets of cosy blankets. It’s here that Hyll really encapsulates the home-away-from-home feel, where guests can relax, put their feet up, play music and games, and order a bottle of merlot from the bar that will arrive on a silver tray. It’s like being at home, but you don’t have to lift a finger. 

It’s also the small touches that ensure Hyll offers a stand-out stay. Case in point, guests will find Verden toiletries (including a scent made just for the hotel), Dyson hair dryers, Naturalmat beds, Private White VC walking jackets and Grind coffee machines waiting in their rooms. ‘Do Nothing’ guides remind guests how exactly to slow down (in case they’ve forgotten) – helpful pointers include ‘sit with a cup of tea until it goes cold with no phone’ and ‘find a chair at Hyll and don’t get up until you feel slower’ – and features handpicked local recommendations that include sojourns to nearby Broadway and Chipping Campden, or hopping on the GWSR steam train to Cheltenham. 

When I said there was nothing to do, I was perhaps slightly exaggerating. Wellness specialist Kathryn McCusker has teamed up with Hyll to create a range of in-room guided meditations, sound bath and breathwork sessions, and a partnership with Borzoi Books brings a curated in-room reading menu and supper club series featuring local and not-so-local authors. 

They say a kitchen is the heart of a home; and if Hyll can be compared to one, then its restaurant certainly speaks to this adage. Order classic cocktails or one of Hyll’s signature serves – think rhubarb and raspberry Collins or the hazelnut white Russian – before dining on an ever-changing menu devised by chef Mark Coleman, who sources local produce from nearby farms, mills and distilleries to offer the kind of comfort food you always want to eat. 

The day menu features a refined selection of small plates, ranging from the Hyll toastie – filled with chorizo, smoked ham, Gloucester cheddar and pickles – and Hereford beef sandwich with creamed horseradish to house omelettes and cheese plates. The evening menu, naturally, is more extensive and inventive, with highlights including kedgeree arancini and Devon scallops in hazelnut butter to start, before larger plates of Briar Hill farm lamb, spatchcock chicken with sweet dates and caramelised lemon, and roast cod in clam chowder – all of which can be shared or enjoyed on their own. Pair with crispy crushed potatoes lathered in aioli, parmesan and truffle for the ultimate indulgent side. 

Desserts are not to be overlooked; in fact, I’d say they were my favourite part of the meal (quite the statement from someone who would always opt for savoury rather than sweet). Elderflower panna cotta with poppy seed shortbread is delightfully refreshing, while the honey baklava tart with blood orange sorbet offers a playful twist on the classically rich sweet treat. The highlight? White chocolate profiteroles with pistachio and raspberries. Simple, but seriously effective. Dine in the pared-back, sophisticated and low-lit restaurant – which, during my stay, was buzzing with guests and locals alike – or be served in one of the lounges. Take your pick, and have it your way. 

Which is, quite simply, Hyll’s raison d’être: you choose. Breakfast in bed is highly encouraged – options include a full English, buttermilk pancakes, or my personal favourite, silky Turkish eggs with crispy flatbread – as is flexible check-in and check-outs. The staff make everything as seamless and stress-free as possible. 

Hyll, I’m told, takes its name from the Old English word for an elevated place, and though that’s quite literally true – from the interiors to the small touches, and the food menus to the cocktails – it’s name is also intended to hint at the mood of the place: something that’s calm, unforced, and unrestricted. A space where life slows down and you’re gently encouraged to wallow in it. So few modern hotels encourage you to let relaxation wash over you like this. Embrace it, you won’t regret it. 

From £350 per night. 

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