Cotswolds 88
This place is loved by 1 members
$$$$
Everything about this unique creation from one time pop star Marchella De Angelis is bloody marvellous. If I come back as a lady in my next life I want to be named Marchella De Angelis please (her pop moment was in “Confucius Says”). Born in Kuala Lumpur, de Angelis was a founding partner of Shoreditch bar Lounge Lover and that shows in the look she has created at Cotswolds88. ‘Quirky’ doesn’t cover it.
The hotel is perched on a hill in the heart of the chocolate box Cotswold village of Painswick (‘the Queen of the Cotswolds’ apparently). Lest we forget this is the chosen countryside hangout of Kate Moss and Elizabeth Hurley and judging by the abundance of Range Rovers and BMW’s growling about there seems to be rather a lot of cash floating around these parts.
The views from the front lawn are magnificent and while its handsome Palladian-style façade suggests a very traditional country house hotel interior, inside it’s a very different kettle of fish. Walk into the bar, and you'll find yourself transported back to the Sixties by the bold black and white patterned wallpaper, bright yellow leather seats and funky wall-lights. Upstairs, the Leigh Bowery room is decorated in De Angelis’s own limited edition art-wallpaper, part of the Hedonist Collection, a joint collaboration with pop artist Kate Garner (herself a former popstar in eighties band Haysi Fantayzee). It’s like walking into a beautiful dream. And would you believe it there are even armchairs here that used to belong to Kylie?
Murano glass from Marchella’s private collection in our bathroom comes with a warning: “any damage to property is chargeable so please may we ask you to take care of the hotel as if it were your own”. And quite right too. Creating the right vibe is very important to the owner. Marchella is into numerology and feng shui (hence that 88) and the place has a notably positive energy. It certainly appealed to recent guest Joan Collins who, by the way, arrived in a veil (must remember to pack my veil next time). Have we ticked all the gay boxes yet? Kylie? Joan? Did I mention Marchella is a lesbian and can often be spotted purring around the Cotswolds in her girlfriend’s Bentley? It’s all too fabulous for words.
Thankfully children aren’t allowed in the restaurant (a destination in itself complete with two stuffed magpies hovering above the main table) which uses predominantly organic ingredients. We loved the classical music at breakfast that made us want to leap out into the sunshine, embrace the day and go for a rollicking walk across the Cotswold Hills. Love, love, love Cotswolds88.
Kemps Lane, Painswick, Gloucestershire
t: 01452 813688
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Richard on 15.03.10
Everything about this unique creation from one time pop star Marchella De Angelis is bloody marvellous. If I come back as a lady in my next life I want to be named Marchella De Angelis please (her pop moment was in “Confucius Says”). Born in Kuala Lumpur, de Angelis was a founding partner of Shoreditch bar Lounge Lover and that shows in the look she has created at Cotswolds88. ‘Quirky’ doesn’t cover it.
The hotel is perched on a hill in the heart of the chocolate box Cotswold village of Painswick (‘the Queen of the Cotswolds’ apparently). Lest we forget this is the chosen countryside hangout of Kate Moss and Elizabeth Hurley and judging by the abundance of Range Rovers and BMW’s growling about there seems to be rather a lot of cash floating around these parts.
The views from the front lawn are magnificent and while its handsome Palladian-style façade suggests a very traditional country house hotel interior, inside it’s a very different kettle of fish. Walk into the bar, and you'll find yourself transported back to the Sixties by the bold black and white patterned wallpaper, bright yellow leather seats and funky wall-lights. Upstairs, the Leigh Bowery room is decorated in De Angelis’s own limited edition art-wallpaper, part of the Hedonist Collection, a joint collaboration with pop artist Kate Garner (herself a former popstar in eighties band Haysi Fantayzee). It’s like walking into a beautiful dream. And would you believe it there are even armchairs here that used to belong to Kylie?
Murano glass from Marchella’s private collection in our bathroom comes with a warning: “any damage to property is chargeable so please may we ask you to take care of the hotel as if it were your own”. And quite right too. Creating the right vibe is very important to the owner. Marchella is into numerology and feng shui (hence that 88) and the place has a notably positive energy. It certainly appealed to recent guest Joan Collins who, by the way, arrived in a veil (must remember to pack my veil next time). Have we ticked all the gay boxes yet? Kylie? Joan? Did I mention Marchella is a lesbian and can often be spotted purring around the Cotswolds in her girlfriend’s Bentley? It’s all too fabulous for words.
Thankfully children aren’t allowed in the restaurant (a destination in itself complete with two stuffed magpies hovering above the main table) which uses predominantly organic ingredients. We loved the classical music at breakfast that made us want to leap out into the sunshine, embrace the day and go for a rollicking walk across the Cotswold Hills. Love, love, love Cotswolds88.