Why leave the Cotswolds for your holiday when you could visit the blissful Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa?

Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa is the ideal vacation spot. Buried away from the noise of the roads and the nearby houses, the grand Cotswold hotel is snugly situated in its own spacious grounds.

My partner and I visted the hotel earlier this year - determined to see what a holiday would be like in our own home district, rather than venturing far away. After meeting the staff and depositing our belongings in our room, I eagerly dashed to the spa I had heard so much about.

I’m not a frequent spa visitor so I wasn't quite sure what to expect; yet I instantly fell in love. I was treated to an ila Kundalini back massage – my first ever massage treatment – and was just lost in how relaxed and zen-like I felt afterwards.

The hour-long treatment whipped by and soon I padded back to the pool area in my slippers and robe to join my partner, who I found lounging in the pool’s Jacuzzi.

We decided we could spend the rest of our days, quite easily, in that blissful spa. Our whole afternoon consisted of rotating between the turquoise pool, the hot sauna, and the various scented showers.

How had I not known about scented showers before!? We were like schoolchildren again, pressing each button and breathing in the delicious, refreshing jets of water – mint spray, citrus stream and rain water – we remarked to each other as we left that we didn’t think we had ever been so clean.

We were reluctant to ever get out of the pool, but it was the pull of fine dining and our rumbling stomachs which eventually made us hand back our pillow-soft robes and head back to our room to get ready for dinner.

As a rather young reporter, I’d never truly experienced fine dining until I visited Whatley Manor; neither had my partner. We didn’t know quite what to expect. Would it all be tiny portions of foods we had never even heard of?

But it surpassed all our expectations. After enjoying drinks and canapés in the lounge, our table was soon ready and we were led into Whatley Manor’s Michelin two-starred restaurant the Dining Room.

A smiling pair of waiters were there, ready to greet us, and holding our chairs back so we could sit comfortably. We were poured wine to complement each course.

To start I chose pig’s cheek braised in Thai spices, served with caramelized Obsiblue prawn tails and shellfish purée while my partner enjoyed quail breasts pan fried, dressed with its legs boned and farced, served with Morteau sausage, deep fried quail eggs rolled in chicken crumb.

For the main course I opted for roasted loin of venison dressed with game sausage, confit chestnuts and peppered brandy sauce while my partner chose pan fried fillet of John Dory Topped with a light bouillabaisse consommé and served with deep fried cod cheeks and parmesan rouille.

We were served miniature courses in between each dish, including apple and blackberry foam, textures of Clementine served with mandarin sorbet and juniper granite.

We were reeling with delight at such flavours, textures and food pairings we had never experienced before.

Dessert treated us even more. After several moments perusing the menu I finally chose chocolate and praline soufflé served with lemongrass ice cream and my partner opted for chicory mousse layered with bitter coffee and mascarpone cream.

We retired to the lounge again where, after starting a competitive game of Scrabble, I ordered us two after dinner cocktails – a grasshopper for myself and a signature Whatley Espresso Martini for my partner. Only when we could not keep our eyes open any longer did we venture to our room to fall into the plush double bed waiting for us.

A blissful and wonderful stay at a hotel right on our doorstep. Who knew? I will think twice the next time I decide to leave the Cotswolds for a holiday...

The 18th century Whatley Manor is based near Malmesbury, only five miles away from Westonbirt.

To find out more visit whatleymanor.com