A stylish staycation with a difference

Located on the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire border, less than two hours from central London, Thyme is a restored historic Cotswold manor and farm, with an enclosed collection of restored 17th century farm buildings, houses and cottages. A haven of calm it's a ‘village within a village’nestled in the Cotswold village of Southrop, a quintessentially English country destination.

Southrop Manor has been the Hibbert family home since 2002 and Thyme's founder, Caryn Hibbert, together with her parents, has conscientiously reignited ‘a love of the land’, bringing new life to both the farm and its buildings, with a hotel, spa, cookery school, restaurant, bar and village pub.

At the restaurant, Ox Barn, you can dine on a menu of seasonal dishes, such as watercress and spinach soup or braised beef, pickled walnut, salsa verde and mash, made with produce fresh from the on-site kitchen garden and farm. For less formal dining or drinking, there's the bar, aptly named 'The Baa' and the pub, The Swan.

The hotel has 31 bedrooms, which are situated in the Georgian rectory, The Lodge, The Farmhouse and the cottages around the courtyard.

Each of the bedrooms has an individual feel and takes inspiration from the botanical names that they have been given such as Lemonbalm, Mallow and English Rose.

For those in need of restoration, there's the Meadow Spa, where you can indulge. Treatment are carried out with award-winning, natural British brand, Aurelia Probiotic Skincare.

The spa also has a pure water swimming pool and a hot spring water tub, as well as a yoga and pilates studio, tennis court and the offer of country pursuits including local walking and cycling routes.

The estate dates from Roman times, but is first clearly defined in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Manor House remains a private home and sits on the eastern side of its Norman church. To the west of the church lie the historic manorial barns, houses and cottages which are at the heart of this medieval estate. Over the past fifteen years, the Hibberts have restored the derelict buildings, protecting the past, whilst giving them a renewed purpose.

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