Hotel review: No. 38 The Park

A couple of weeks ago, Oliver and I travelled up to the Cotswolds for one night. I was super excited to visit Cheltenham for the first time, and to stay at No. 38 The Park, which is a beautiful boutique property owned by The Lucky Onion group.

The hotel is set inside a classic Regency townhouse, and is home to thirteen individually designed bedrooms, each unique, tasteful, and decorated with pops of colour.

We were super lucky to be hosted inside Room No 1 on the ground floor, which is the master bedroom of the house, and pretty much the size of a two-bed apartment. The room had a teal-coloured theme, with accents including a huge king-sized bed with a velvet headboard, and teal lampshades on the beside-table lamps. Oh, and did I mention the teal velvet sofas? There were two…one in the bedroom, and one in the bathroom.

Huge comfy armchairs in mustard yellow, eclectic wall art, and a vintage wardrobe were all finishing touches to the bedroom, including a mini-bar with abundant snacks. And the cherry on top of this all? Press the TV remote, and a flat screen TV pops up from the foot of the bed…pure bliss.

The bathroom is no afterthought either: featuring a spacious walk-in shower with two shower heads and a choice of Acqua di Parma and Bramley bath products, him and her sinks, and a stunning mint green rolltop bathtub, it was really one of the most special bathrooms I have ever gotten ready in. Finishing touches include the in-bathroom sofa, and little box of grooming necessities (toothbrush, cotton buds etc), all neatly wrapped for your convenience.

Breakfast the next morning was served in the hotel’s restaurant Prithvi. During the day, Prithvi functions as an elegant Indian restaurant, but at breakfast they serve a simple continental breakfast of croissants, yoghurt, fruit, and granola, with classic cooked options to order too: eggs benedict, avocado toast, full English etc.

After breakfast it was time to check out of No. 38 The Park. I really wish that we’d been able to stay here longer, as the hotel was peaceful and quiet, and the rooms all beautifully designed.

However, the sun was shining over the city, and we headed out to explore Cheltenham. Cheltenham really is a beautiful city, and has hints of Georgian architecture that reminded me a lot of Bath. Our wanders took us to Montpellier, the part of town that everyone had advised us to visit, thanks to its cute boutique stores and coffee shops. Our first stop was Baker & Graze, a spacious bakery/all-day brunch/specialty coffee shop with a casual feel, and lots of outdoor seating.

After more wandering, we ended up stumbling into The Bottle of Sauce for lunch, sister restaurant of The Rickety Press, which is featured in my Oxford city guide. We shared a pizza, vegan salad, and sweet potato fries between us, in the relaxed and spacious pub setting.

We had a leisurely stroll around the myriad of boutique shops around Montpellier before having to leave Cheltenham pretty swiftly, but I hope that I’ll be back to visit again soon. The Lucky Onion owns a number of other properties across the Cotswolds area, which I hope to visit in the near future, and I would highly recommend booking a stay at No. 38 The Park if you’re a fan of beautifully designed boutique hotels too.