Dormy House — Hotel in Cotswold District

We recently stayed at Dormy House Hotel as a family of four for three nights, booking two rooms—one king and one twin for our teenagers. After nearly a month of travel (and quite a bit of luggage!), we were welcomed with warmth and ease. The staff were outstanding from the moment we arrived, helping us manage our mountains of bags without even a raised eyebrow. Their friendliness and professionalism truly set the tone for a great stay.||The rooms were beautifully appointed and exceptionally comfortable, with plush beds, fluffy towels, coffee, and all the essentials you'd expect from a luxury hotel. The property is historic, so the effective air conditioning during a heatwave was a very welcome surprise.||Before arrival, we had arranged activities via email—including Falconry and a Tractor Experience. The team thoughtfully adjusted the Falconry session to fit our schedule, which we really appreciated. The Falconry was fascinating, but to our surprise, the Tractor Experience was the unexpected highlight—so much fun driving both classic and modern tractors! A special thanks to the Head of Adventures Callum, who made the experience educational, lighthearted, and unforgettable. We also booked a shooting session via Callum, and again, he was able to slot it in seamlessly the next day.||My wife and daughter had massages at the spa, which they found pleasant overall, but they felt the experience could be improved with a few thoughtful touches. It would have been nicer if time had been set aside before the treatment for changing, consultation, and walking to the room—rather than this being included within the actual massage time. At the end, they were offered a small chocolate on a saucer, which was a quirky detail, but both agreed they would have preferred a more traditional wind-down with a cup of tea in a calm, dedicated relaxation space instead of the two chaise lounges placed in the hallway.||Dining was another highlight of our stay. While we had a reservation at the Garden Room, we ended up cancelling to stay in the bar area with friends, enjoying the more casual bar menu—which was excellent. The following evening, we dined at The Fish, Dormy House’s relaxed-chic sister hotel on the estate. The team kindly arranged for the hotel car to drop us off and pick us up, which made the experience seamless. The food and atmosphere at The Fish were spot on—stylish yet laid back.||We also had the pleasure of dining at MO, the hotel’s intimate Michelin-starred restaurant. With only 12 seats, the setting felt incredibly personal. The food was truly exceptional, and the chefs were both charming and engaging, taking the time to explain the inspiration and stories behind each dish. It was a truly memorable culinary experience.||Dormy House is more than just a beautiful hotel—it offers personalized service, fantastic activities, and a range of dining experiences that cater to every mood. While there are a couple of areas for improvement, particularly in the spa, our stay was overwhelmingly positive, and we wouldn’t...

Where to start. The scenic arrival gives you chance to relax on the approach to Dormy. Upon arrival the hotel doesn't look that big, but it is like a rabbit warren. We loved the informal check in, rather than being stood at a reception desk, you are invited by instantly friendly staff to take a seat, offered a drink and taken through the check in details. Dinner times confirmed, then (and we really loved this touch) a tour of the hotel. As we arrived before check in, we had a drink in the Bar and the lovely lady came to inform us when the room was ready, this is really unusual, in fact I have never had this before. We were then helped with bags and taken to the room, shown more hotel features en route and given information on the room facilities. We stayed in the courtyard hot tub suite, paying £730.00 for one night. To the vast majority of people, this is a LOT of money, whichever way you look at it. Honestly, it was worth every penny. The service was exceptional, the place is beautiful and immaculately clean. The staff can't do more to help you, nothing is too much trouble. As business owners ourselves, we look for staff qualities and fully understand how difficult it is right now to find good staff. We enjoyed being in the Bar and watching a new trainee, being guided by a manager, who was coming along very well. Nice to see. We had an absolutely sensational meal in The Back Garden, my Husband said the Scotch Egg starter was the best thing he's ever eaten. My steak was incredible, fell to pieces and melted in the mouth. Everything just 100% perfect.

In the morning we had enjoyed a much needed lie in (until 9:30am!) and couldn't recall whether breakfast was until 9:45 or 10:30am. We called reception and was told it was 10:30am, but don't worry we will ensure you get a breakfast even if you are after this time. So many Hotels would be taking away self serve breakfasts before the service time has even ended and would be finished at the time they say, not Dormy, want their guests to be relaxed and enjoy their break , whatever it takes.

I'm already thinking of an excuse for a second visit ASAP! Absolutely loved this break. I find it extremely difficult to switch off, not here, it was easy to relax...

We booked a table last minute at The Potting Shed restaurant, they only had one table at 6pm but had to be finished by 8pm. When we arrived the restaurant was very quiet and we were a little early so we decided to have a drink at the bar. The service from the young man behind the bar was very nice, I explained the type of red wine I was looking for and he found one that matched all my needs. We were pleased we came now, sat at the bar relaxing with a glass of wine, partner with a pint, after a very long week.

We had ordered our food at the bar and were seated in a very nice area by the fire. The whole place was well decorated and welcoming, dog friendly as well. This is when the service started to sleep. The young lady that brought our food over just stood over us holding the plates not saying a word, I moved my side dish to allow room and she just plonked them down on the table. She then rushed off. We were given each other’s meals so we did a quick swap. We ordered two steaks which were well cooked (medium rare/rare), mushrooms, tomatoes and chips with sauces. The mushrooms were coated in some type of olive tapenade with garlic granules, absolutely divine. My peppercorn sauce tasted and had the same texture as a jus than peppercorn sauce. The steak was not as flavoursome as one would expect in this type of restaurant and cut of beef (rib-eye).

We had dessert, the special chocolate fondant (well done, no melting middle) with pistachio ice cream and caramel panna cotta with pear sorbet and filo. The pear sorbet was delicious. At this point we realised how busy the place was and after our dessert plates had been taken, we had to sit for another 20-30mins for the bill to be collected. In the end we gave the bill & payment to one of the staff.

Our bill came to around £90 for two courses, 1 glass of red and 2 pints. Overall the meal was good, location and venue was excellent but the service once seated let the whole...