Manor House Hotel and Golf Club

The hotel is a Grade II-listed building with a rich history. It was built on the site of a Norman castle (from which the village takes its name) and William Shakespeare based the character Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV on one of its former residents (Sir John Oldcastle). During the Second World War, the Manor House was the headquarters for the New Zealand Forestry Officers and it was converted into a hotel shortly after the war.

Guests have the choice of staying in the big house or one of the cottages on the estate. This gives you two distinct experiences with the rooms in the manor house giving guests the experience of staying in Downton Abbey and the cottages giving the experience of living in a picture-perfect village.

All rooms are spacious and have comfortable beds, a work desk, a seating area, flat-screen televisions, tea and coffee making facilities and en suite bathrooms. The hotel rooms have mostly traditional-style decor that is in keeping with the historic nature of the manor house.

Many of the hotel’s highlights are in its public areas, which include lovely oak-panelled lounges that look out over the grounds. These lounges are the perfect spot to enjoy a drink or a bite to eat from the hotel’s informal dining menu. You can also enjoy afternoon tea here, although you do pay a premium for afternoon tea in these surroundings.

For something fancier, the hotel’s Bybrook restaurant serves modern British cuisine overseen by executive chef Robert Potter. Reviews overwhelming praise its excellent food although some people complain that it is a bit pricey at £75 for three courses but then these prices are to be expected for any Michelin-starred restaurant.

At £39 for three courses, the traditional Sunday lunch, which is also served in the Bybrook restaurant, is better value. That’s still more expensive than most Sunday lunches elsewhere in England but it is pretty good value for a Michelin-starred lunch.

The menus here are based on local seasonal ingredients with vegetables, pork and even honey produced on the premises. That means that your food is as fresh as possible and zero food miles means that it’s great for the environment too.

The Full Glass Bar, where Margaret Thatcher wrote her memoirs, is the spot to head for a drink (there are around 180 different gins to choose from). The bar has a great atmosphere with oak-panelled walls, comfortable purple leather tub chairs and views of the grounds.

It is set in 147.7ha (365 acres) of expansive grounds that include an Italianate garden as well as a tennis court, a croquet lawn and an 18-hole golf course.

Unlike some golf resorts, the golf course does not dominate the hotel and one would normally take a buggy ride to get to the course. Once at the golf course, there are more options for eating and drinking including an Airstream caravan serving drinks and light snacks at the 10th hole.

Although it is a country house hotel, it is still very much a part of the village and it is only a three-minute walk from the Manor House to the Market Cross in the centre of Castle Combe. Bath is a half-hour drive away and it is a 15-minute drive to Chippenham.