[Disclosure: I was invited for an overnight stay and dinner at the Kings Head in Cirencester for the purposes of this blog]

I can’t help but feel Cirencester is a bit overlooked when it comes to people’s raves about the Cotswolds. Not just because it’s easily as picturesque, packed with independent boutique shops, lovely restaurants and cafes and a tonne of history and architecture. But because it’s also home to the glorious Kings Head Hotel which I simply think more people should know about.

Say, ‘The Cotswolds’ to most people, and they’ll wax lyrical about Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, Broadway, Stow-on-the-Wold and a few other key places. Yet Cirencester is up there with all of those. I’m ashamed to say I’ve driven within a hare’s breadth of it’s bustling town centre about a million times en route south yet never stopped by, and I won’t be making that mistake again.

What’s the Kings Head in Cirencester like?

It describes itself as a boutique hotel, but the Kings Head is actually a fairly sizeable hotel, with 66 bedrooms plus 10 apartments. That said, they’re spread throughout several buildings that have been cleverly adjoined to create a rabbit’s warren that’s packed with character. No endless identical corridors here.

No carbon copy rooms either. Each has it’s own style, whether you go for one of the big suites or a more standard room. Think all the touches you’d expect of a lovely hotel, but little extras like homemade truffles, a selection of locally-made spirits as your minibar, and a guided walk of the town written by the hotel’s own Guest Relations Manager Joanna.

The rooms are great, but it’s the communal space that got me. A beautiful lobby, complete with lifesize Cotswold hare to welcome you in to your escape from the world. A cosy bar area. Not one, but two, restaurants. Plenty of nooks and crannies to hunker down for a cocktail, coffee, and everything in between. Outside space too, thanks to a rooftop area and a cute courtyard, so you won’t miss out on the sun in those five minutes that it does shine.

As spas go, the clever addition of a luxurious space in the vaulted cellars under the hotel is a real showstopper. No pool, but you can have all the treatments under the sun, then relax in one of their jacuzzis, have a steam and a sauna and snooze in the cosy relaxation area.

The cellar is also home to an impressive private dining room, a gym, and another beautiful space – a reminder that this isn’t just the place for weekend breaks, but could be the backdrop to your big occasion.

If, like me, you’ve already done the wedding stuff and are just enjoying lovely places and good food, this could be the place for you. It’s not only got two restaurants (more on those later), but it’s own deli and wine shop that I quite frankly could spend hours in. Freshly baked goods, local cheeses and all the lovely jars and bottles of stuff that you know you don’t need but desperately want. Plus a whole range of great wines and gins – and even pre-mixed cocktails to take home with you. The perfect souvenir of a great place.

If all of this wasn’t enough, here’s the full lowdown on this place that really should be on more must-visit lists, and is definitely on my ‘must-go-again’ list:-

Rooms at The Kings Head

There’s a feeling of individuality to the rooms at the Kings Head – I know this because I was lucky enough to get to see more than one of them on a little tour. From spacious rooms like mine to luxurious sprawling suites that could fit a small family, there seems to be an option for everyone. And each one feels individually designed yet all have everything you need from a top hotel room.

Ours is a decent size for two people, with views over the rooftops of Cirencester. The bathroom is the piece de resistance – with steps leading down to a cavernous space where the centrepiece is a freestanding bath that belongs in an interiors magazine. The walk-in shower isn’t the easiest to get the hang of, but once you work out the controls is a delight.

The decor is classy and sophisticated, yet with a degree of cosiness. There’s a desk, chairs to relax in, and all the stuff you’d expect from coffee machine to robes, hairdryer, iron etc.

But it’s the little touches that stand out. The homemade truffles on the bedside table. The collection of artisan goods that form a minibar with personality – including the same gins you can go and buy in the deli if you fancy.

The guided walking tour of Cirencester is a great touch. I love an aimless mooch as much as the next person, but sometimes it’s handy to be pointed in the right direction to find a place’s hidden spots.

Food at The Kings Head

Just in case one isn’t enough, there are two restaurants at the Kings Head. We spot the glass-walled MBB Brasserie – the more casual of the two options – as we arrive, where people are enjoying a light lunch in its airy surroundings that open straight onto the arcade that is also home to the deli, as well as providing access to the hotel.

It’s where we have dinner later on, by which time there’s a lovely evening atmosphere, made more vibrant by the open kitchen.

They offer a range of menus from a la carte to table d’hote, as well as curry nights and Sunday lunch. I’m told they also host various events, including things that tie in with other parts of the Kings Head offering, like wine tastings at the deli and wine shop across the way that people can enjoy before coming over to the brasserie for dinner.

The a la carte menu is a collection of brasserie classics from hearty meat dishes, some with Asian influences it appears, as well as fish, veggie options and more. We dine from the table d’hote menu that’s great value at £19.95 for two courses and three for £24.95 and includes decent a selection of starters and mains, plus a plat du jour and quiche of the day.

My starter of home-smoked salmon with peas, radish and creme fraiche is light and fresh, the salmon lightly smoked and the creme fraiche bringing a tang, while the peas bring sweetness and the radish a crunch. It’s a well put-together combination and perfect for a summer’s day.

A Thai red fish curry is a nice alternative to some of the more traditional dishes and is as decent as any I’ve had from a Thai restaurant to be honest. The right balance of warmth, fragrance and creaminess, and packed with plenty of fish as well as vegetables.

Mum goes for the more traditional option of slow-cooked beef brisket that falls apart at the lightest touch. There’s no creamed potato when we go, but the alternative of buttery new potatoes offered by the kitchen works just as well.

A white chocolate cheesecake gets mum’s seal of approval, while I am busy being enraptured by a nice glass of red.

Breakfast the next morning is served in the main restaurant and is a feast fit for a king. From the tempting offering of Mimosas, Champagne, Bloody Marys from the bar, to a seemingly neverending buffet selection, it’s hard to know where to start. There’s charcuterie, yoghurt and fruits, pastries galore, a cheese board to rival most dinner parties, and a load more stuff that I kept spotting as I wondered around like a kid in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

But it was the menu that won out. The usual Eggs Benedict, smashed avo and full English, are joined by kippers, waffles, pancakes, and – my final choice – a truffle omelette. The omelette is pretty well cooked and the truffle isn’t overwhelming but you can choose to change that by opting for more ‘grams’ of truffle. Just be aware you’ll have to pay a supplement for more of the good stuff.

The Spa at The Kings Head

The spa at The Kings Head is a great example of how the owners have made great use of the historic spaces in this beautiful building. The spa sits underneath the hotel in a unique setting. Think exposed brickwork, candlelight, and a cool relaxing setting that’s perfect for feeling a million miles from home.

There’s no pool, but there are two hot tubs, a steam room and sauna and a relaxation area perfect for curling up in the peace and quiet and leaving your worries behind. They do a range of treatments and some nice overnight spa breaks too. One for my list for my next visit.

Public spaces at the King Head

While the rooms are lovely, the restaurant good, and the spa a gorgeous unique setting, it’s some of the other spaces at The Kings Head that really hammer home not only how big this place is, but how it’s evolved through the years and really is up there with some of the more high end offerings in the area – yet without some of the snobbery.

Everywhere you turn, there’s a sympathetic marriage of the historic building complete with some remnants of its Roman architecture with a more modern boutique hotel approach, from modern art around the communal areas to the way the space has been thought through.

As extra buildings have been acquired, they’ve been joined together cleverly and imaginatively to create a sprawling space that somehow still feels intimate. That includes a whole load of self-contained function spaces, from the underground private dining room to a vaulted cellar space with its own adjoining bar that isn’t just aimed at weddings, but is  home to functions and even a comedy club some nights.

Upstairs there’s an imposing ballroom complete with roof terrace space and again, it’s own bar, offering another space if you’re planning a swanky do.

Safe to say, you wouldn’t necessarily happen upon some of these spaces unless you were being given a guided tour or being particularly nosey, but there are plenty of other communal spaces to catch your eye.

From the lobby area complete with impressive floral decoration and lifesize Cotswold hare that greets you, to the bar area where a huge inglenook fireplace dominates, and seating is carefully arranged to allow for quiet corners and larger areas for groups to get settled in for a decent time.

The courtyard is small but perfectly formed, and provides outdoor space that some of us crave, while even the staircases and hallways have a charm to them, again blending the feel of a building that’s been there for a long old time, but brought into the 21st century by people who want to preserve it for many more years to come.

Look underfoot and you’ll see the odd section of glassed floor where Roman ruins discovered during the building’s renovation are preserved – a reminder of its history – and keep an eye out for other memorabilia that are a nod to its lifetime, from mosaics uncovered in parts of the cellar to polo mallets that remind you you’re in the town that’s home to the oldest club in England.

What to do around The Kings Head, Cirencester

If the hotel itself doesn’t keep you busy for most of your stay, Cirencester itself will. I often hear people wax lyrical about the pretty buildings, picture-perfect streets and boutique shops and arcades of other Cotswold towns, yet Cirencester has them all in abundance.

Cirencester was the second largest town in Britain in Roman times, so is as historic as it gets. The hotel’s guide is a great way to tour the town, leading us past the church, the Corinium Museum full of Roman history, and plenty more historic hotspots.

But it also takes you down the places where you can soak up Cirencester life. Cecily Street – thought by many to be one of the prettiest streets in the Cotswolds. Black Jack Street – packed with independent shops, cafes, restaurants and more.

There’s green space galore just outside the town, in the form of the Abbey Grounds or the Bathurst Estate. And the fact Cirencester is vibrant without being too huge means you can just wander aimlessly and probably take it all in – ducking down hidden arcades to find yet more indies worthy of a visit, or taking yourself on a trawl of its many pubs and bars.

There’s a regular Farmers’ Market in keeping with its reputation as a market town, and you’ll also find regular craft and antique events in the Corn Hall. Like everywhere in the Cotswolds, it’s hugely dog friendly (as is The Kings Head), so whether it’s a long walk, a quiet drink, or a nice meal, you’ll most likely be able to go en famille even if your ‘child’ has four legs and fur.

The final verdict

A brief 24-hour stay at The King’s Head has me converted – not only to this hotel that somehow has flown under my radar for so long. But of Cirencester, which is definitely up there with the other towns in the Cotswolds when it comes to charm, history, general picturesque loveliness, and plenty to do to keep you busy for a short break.

And while both town and hotel exude all the luxury you’d expect from a destination in this neck of the woods, both also have a down-to-earth feel that almost makes them a bit more appealing in some ways than some of the tourist traps in this popular part of the country.

There are fewer crowds and less chaos, and for what you get, the prices are slightly less daunting than some other spots in the Cotswolds. So next time you’re planning a break, don’t overlook Cirencester. You could be missing out.