Sometimes you want to just get away without the hassle of flying abroad.

There’s something about a holiday with your own private pool that feels both luxurious and incredibly relaxing. You can spend time by the water however you like, and it’s always nice to spend time in a hotel where you’re not worried about the minutiae of daily life.

But these sorts of hotels are usually associated with the Maldives, Bali, and other far-flung destinations. They normally come with a view, surrounded by mountains , and gorgeous rays of sun.

Sometimes, though, you don’t have a lot of time off and just feel like a break—or perhaps you want to celebrate a special occasion. And at times like these, when none of us know when it will be safe to travel again, sometimes a staycation is ideal.

We wanted a little break one December, and after a bit (OK, a lot) of digging, we found a hotel in the Costwolds that has a room that comes with a fairly large heated private pool. We almost didn’t want to share the details of the hotel to keep the secret! The pool is 20 feet by 10 feet and is typically heated to above 30 degrees celsius.

The nice thing about a hotel in the Cotswolds too means that it’s the perfect staycation—it’s far away enough from big cities to feel different, but it’s also in the countryside so you’re able to go for long hikes during the day in the knowledge that you have a pool that you can come back to and enjoy regardless of the time of the day. You also get access to the lights in the pool for evening use, as well as the added benefit of having pool jets. There’s also a patio area that’s for your exclusive use if you’ve booked the room.

It’s worth mentioning here that you have to go outside the room to enter the pool area, and there’s one window that could be overlooking the pool area during the daytime. For more privacy, it’s best to use the pool once it’s dark, but you can’t be 100% sure that it’s clear of sight. Saying that, we got lucky as we were the only people in the hotel when we went!

Another thing we should say is that the room isn’t cheap, and is typically priced at around £200 per night, although we found a discount when we visited that reduced the price for the one night we stayed, but the hotel owners may also reduce this if you’re staying for a little longer. You can look into the room details here on the Cardynham House website, and it’s called… the Pool Room.

When Covid-19 restrictions start to get lifted, everyone’s going to be itching to be out of their homes—this could be the ideal way to spend a few days away!

*** We didn’t find any halal food options in the area and, heads up, things can be closed on Sundays, so you may need to venture into Stroud for late dinner options.