HOTEL ON THE PARK
Extravagant Regency townhouse in genteel Cheltenham
IT'S RATHER LIKE STAYING AT a private gentlemen's club at Hotel on the Park, except that ladies are more than welcome too. Inside this handsome Regency villa with its grand staircase, dramatic black and gold decor and gilded mirrors plucked from a French chateau, there’s a gentle hush but none of the stuffiness that goes with it.
Classically furnished with a bold, contemporary twist, you’ll find dramatically draped windows and all the grandeur of a period residence. But it’s the attention to detail that makes this place fizz: we’re talking mounds of fluffy towels, newspapers hung on poles, board games for lazy afternoons, a collection of teddy bears, a secluded suntrap garden and 12 swish and imaginative bedrooms.
All are done out in an eye-catching mix of Bedouin stripes, Regency cornices, Egyptian linens and Queen Anne furniture. Exotic? Very. You can soak up the splendour from free-standing bathtubs, sink into fabulous four-posters or even turn the heat up in a private aromatherapy steam room.
Hit the spot
Right next to Cheltenham's Pittville Park.
Bedtime
The Joseph Pitt room has a more-ish massaging bed and jacuzzi bath.
Be savvy
This is definitely a place for bathtime before bedtime
Be smitten
Sleek quarters made for wicked weekends
Baths (and beds) for every mood
Choosing your quarters for the night is the hardest bit. Each room has a its own richly decorative theme, set off by the kind of artworks and objets d’art that the owners must have spent a lifetime collecting. All have DVD players and a choice of late-night albums, and there's even a Bedtime Bear at hand for company should your darling decide to throw a huff.
The Josiah Strachan room comes with with oriental-style ornaments and gold and black striped wallpaper, The William Clifford is themed around the nearby racecourse while The Richard Ware has a seaside feel and is populated by a series of ornamental wader birds.
Beds are sumptuous and covered in heaps of cushions. There’s a four-poster in The Duke of Wellington suite, a super king-size in the Catherine Sinclaire room and even a massaging bed in The Thomas Phipps Thomas bedroom.
If your idea of heaven is bathtime rather than bedtime, this is the place for you. Proprietor Darryl Gregory is big on bathrooms, and boy does he have some fabulous ones to choose from.
Thomas Phipps Thomas has an aromatherapy/ chromatherapy bath that lights up the water and releases a concoction of aromatherapy oils to suit your mood. Joseph Pitt has a double whirlpool bath designed in such a way that it’s impossible to sink under the water should you nod off, as well as a separate double power shower. Some rooms even have giant rubber ducks.
There are top of the range walk-in showers, and a piece de resistance infinity bath in Catherine Sinclaire, where you can lie in the suds while water slides over the top and cascades away down the sides. What’s more the water is alight with all the colours of the rainbow and champagne-like bubbles lift you up as if you’re floating.
You could easily be forgiven for skipping dinner in favour of a long soak, but it's well worth dining downstairs. Parker’s Brasserie is smartly furnished in black and white, pictures of singing waiters adorn the walls, the bar glints with glass and as you tuck into your slow braised shank of Cotswold lamb you can admire a mural of the view across to Cheltenham’s famous Pump Room.
Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman and the cast of Harry Potter have parked themselves here while filming. It's a great base for exploring the Cotswolds, having a flutter at Cheltenham races, mellowing out in nearby Cotswold villages or stepping back a few centuries at Warwick Castle.
But then no one would blame you if you spent your entire break here in your bedroom. Room service, anyone?
Hotel on the Park was reviewed for Room for Romance by Tasha Munro
Classically furnished with a bold, contemporary twist, you’ll find dramatically draped windows and all the grandeur of a period residence. But it’s the attention to detail that makes this place fizz: we’re talking mounds of fluffy towels, newspapers hung on poles, board games for lazy afternoons, a collection of teddy bears, a secluded suntrap garden and 12 swish and imaginative bedrooms.
All are done out in an eye-catching mix of Bedouin stripes, Regency cornices, Egyptian linens and Queen Anne furniture. Exotic? Very. You can soak up the splendour from free-standing bathtubs, sink into fabulous four-posters or even turn the heat up in a private aromatherapy steam room.
Hit the spot
Right next to Cheltenham's Pittville Park.
Bedtime
The Joseph Pitt room has a more-ish massaging bed and jacuzzi bath.
Be savvy
This is definitely a place for bathtime before bedtime
Be smitten
Sleek quarters made for wicked weekends
Baths (and beds) for every mood
Choosing your quarters for the night is the hardest bit. Each room has a its own richly decorative theme, set off by the kind of artworks and objets d’art that the owners must have spent a lifetime collecting. All have DVD players and a choice of late-night albums, and there's even a Bedtime Bear at hand for company should your darling decide to throw a huff.
The Josiah Strachan room comes with with oriental-style ornaments and gold and black striped wallpaper, The William Clifford is themed around the nearby racecourse while The Richard Ware has a seaside feel and is populated by a series of ornamental wader birds.
Beds are sumptuous and covered in heaps of cushions. There’s a four-poster in The Duke of Wellington suite, a super king-size in the Catherine Sinclaire room and even a massaging bed in The Thomas Phipps Thomas bedroom.
If your idea of heaven is bathtime rather than bedtime, this is the place for you. Proprietor Darryl Gregory is big on bathrooms, and boy does he have some fabulous ones to choose from.
Thomas Phipps Thomas has an aromatherapy/ chromatherapy bath that lights up the water and releases a concoction of aromatherapy oils to suit your mood. Joseph Pitt has a double whirlpool bath designed in such a way that it’s impossible to sink under the water should you nod off, as well as a separate double power shower. Some rooms even have giant rubber ducks.
There are top of the range walk-in showers, and a piece de resistance infinity bath in Catherine Sinclaire, where you can lie in the suds while water slides over the top and cascades away down the sides. What’s more the water is alight with all the colours of the rainbow and champagne-like bubbles lift you up as if you’re floating.
You could easily be forgiven for skipping dinner in favour of a long soak, but it's well worth dining downstairs. Parker’s Brasserie is smartly furnished in black and white, pictures of singing waiters adorn the walls, the bar glints with glass and as you tuck into your slow braised shank of Cotswold lamb you can admire a mural of the view across to Cheltenham’s famous Pump Room.
Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman and the cast of Harry Potter have parked themselves here while filming. It's a great base for exploring the Cotswolds, having a flutter at Cheltenham races, mellowing out in nearby Cotswold villages or stepping back a few centuries at Warwick Castle.
But then no one would blame you if you spent your entire break here in your bedroom. Room service, anyone?
Hotel on the Park was reviewed for Room for Romance by Tasha Munro
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Dining in
Bright and contemporary Parkers brasserie specialises in modern British cuisine. Try Chinese inspired crab spring rolls or delicious breast and leg of guinea fowl. Finish off with a refreshing mango and passion fruit parfait – or maybe the wicked bitter chocolate tart.
Dining out
If you fancy a night on the town you can’t go wrong with Le Champignon Sauvage, a boldly decorated restaurant with a list of accolades almost as long as its menu.
Where?
Parker's Brasserie
What’s cooking?
Try the duo of duck, guinea fowl and the refreshing mango and passion fruit parfait.
Dress the part
Wear your townie favourites.
Top table?
Tables at the front have views across the road to Pittville Park.
See & Do
Explore nearby Sudeley Castle with its beautiful grounds and appealing line-up of events, sample the famous spa waters at historic Pittville Pump Room, or for a more lively day out head for Cheltenham Races to try and win a bit more spending money.
Shop
With its mix of High Street favourites and independent shops, Cheltenham is great for splashing some cash.
Play
There’s drama, opera and dance on stage at the Playhouse and Everyman theatres. If some hard partying is more your style, Chemistry on St James Square offers four floors of dining, drinking and music until late.
Dates
May
Cheltenham Jazz Festival offers a great mix of trad and contemporary sounds.
October
Cheltenham Literature Festival (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com) attracts some of the biggest names in the book world
March
Join the county set for racing at the National Hunt Festival – culminating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Bright and contemporary Parkers brasserie specialises in modern British cuisine. Try Chinese inspired crab spring rolls or delicious breast and leg of guinea fowl. Finish off with a refreshing mango and passion fruit parfait – or maybe the wicked bitter chocolate tart.
Dining out
If you fancy a night on the town you can’t go wrong with Le Champignon Sauvage, a boldly decorated restaurant with a list of accolades almost as long as its menu.
Where?
Parker's Brasserie
What’s cooking?
Try the duo of duck, guinea fowl and the refreshing mango and passion fruit parfait.
Dress the part
Wear your townie favourites.
Top table?
Tables at the front have views across the road to Pittville Park.
See & Do
Explore nearby Sudeley Castle with its beautiful grounds and appealing line-up of events, sample the famous spa waters at historic Pittville Pump Room, or for a more lively day out head for Cheltenham Races to try and win a bit more spending money.
Shop
With its mix of High Street favourites and independent shops, Cheltenham is great for splashing some cash.
Play
There’s drama, opera and dance on stage at the Playhouse and Everyman theatres. If some hard partying is more your style, Chemistry on St James Square offers four floors of dining, drinking and music until late.
Dates
May
Cheltenham Jazz Festival offers a great mix of trad and contemporary sounds.
October
Cheltenham Literature Festival (www.cheltenhamfestivals.com) attracts some of the biggest names in the book world
March
Join the county set for racing at the National Hunt Festival – culminating in the Cheltenham Gold Cup
GETTING THERE
Location
Evesham Road, Cheltenham GL52 2AH
Parking
There is free guest parking
Trains
Cheltenham station – 3.5 miles
Taxis
GBP 5 from the station
Airport
Birmingham Airport – 50 miles
Rooms and suites
12 rooms – eight with spa bathrooms.
Special features
One room has a four-poster bed, eight have spa bathrooms with either a jacuzzi, whirlpool or infinity bath, and all have a DVD and CD player.
Also…
Free wi-fi is available throughout the property.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
GBP 140 - 220 excluding breakfast.
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
2pm
Check-out
11am
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
Breakfast (charged extra) is served until 9.30am during the week, 10am at weekends.
Room service
Morning and evening
Children
No children under eight in the brasserie. No cots provided.
Pets
No
Air conditioning
No
Languages
English
Wedding license?
No
Your contact
Benjamin Bowen – owner
Location
Evesham Road, Cheltenham GL52 2AH
Parking
There is free guest parking
Trains
Cheltenham station – 3.5 miles
Taxis
GBP 5 from the station
Airport
Birmingham Airport – 50 miles
Rooms and suites
12 rooms – eight with spa bathrooms.
Special features
One room has a four-poster bed, eight have spa bathrooms with either a jacuzzi, whirlpool or infinity bath, and all have a DVD and CD player.
Also…
Free wi-fi is available throughout the property.
ESSENTIAL INFO
Rates guide
GBP 140 - 220 excluding breakfast.
Open/closed
Open all year
Check-in
2pm
Check-out
11am
Minimum night stay?
No
Breakfast
Breakfast (charged extra) is served until 9.30am during the week, 10am at weekends.
Room service
Morning and evening
Children
No children under eight in the brasserie. No cots provided.
Pets
No
Air conditioning
No
Languages
English
Wedding license?
No
Your contact
Benjamin Bowen – owner
