The Manor House in Castle Combe review: Luxury hotel, Michelin-starred dining and spectacular golf

I expected to be impressed by The Manor House estate in the impossibly pretty Cotwolds village of Castle Combe. A five-star country house hotel set within a stunning 14th-century manor alongside a championship golf course - what's not to love?

What I didn't expect was to be blown away twice in the same day. In the space of just a few hours, I'd experienced some of the most spectacular golf of my life before sitting down to one of the finest meals I've enjoyed in years.

It was the golf that set the tone for our stay.

This is a dramatic 6,500-yard, par 72 parkland course, carved into the Wiltshire hillsides, where soaring tee boxes give way to plunging fairways and superb views across the valley below. It's one of those rare layouts where the buggy ride between holes is almost as memorable as the golf itself, climbing steadily to elevated tees that reveal another unforgettable panorama.

The rows of golf buggies outside the clubhouse suddenly made perfect sense. With climbs this steep, you'd need the stamina of a mountain goat to tackle 18 holes on foot.

Yet for all its drama, it's also wonderfully peaceful, with the gently babbling River Bybrook winding through the estate and rabbits and squirrels popping up every now and again.

The signature 17th is one of those holes you'll remember long after you've finished your round. Standing on the elevated tee, peering down 120 feet to the green below with the river snaking through the valley, it's impossible not to pause for a moment before reaching for your club and wonder how you're supposed to concentrate on your swing with a view like that.

There are plenty of other holes that compete for signature status. The second is postcard golf. From the elevated tee you look down into the Bybrook Valley towards a green tucked beside the river. It's undeniably picturesque, but it's also a hole that demands commitment. Leave your tee shot short and the Bybrook is waiting. Go long and the woods are ready. Sadly, the scenery offers no protection whatsoever against a spectacularly bad tee shot.

If the second is picturesque, the 12th is pure theatre. The par five takes you across a seriously steep incline so your driver better be on form otherwise your Pro V1 will spend eternity in the belly of the valley! It's a whole lot of fun to play and it made me think that the course’s campaign slogan - Golf On Another Level - really couldn’t be more fitting.

We were still replaying our favourite golfing moments as we checked into The Manor House hotel, home to 50 individually designed bedrooms spread between the historic main house and a collection of charming mews cottages (pictured below). The Manor House is part of the Exclusive Collection, a small group of luxury country house hotels and spas.

The Manor House building itself is striking, its ivy-clad stone walls looking as though they've stood in perfect harmony with the landscape for centuries.

As we went on to discover, this is a place with all the grandeur you'd expect from a 14th-century estate, but none of the stuffiness. It may be one of the Cotswolds' finest places to stay, but it wears its luxury lightly.

There's a lot of dark wood, opulent soft furnishings, and every plump cushion had been given the perfect magazine-style karate chop.

Our Luxe room in the main building reminded us that this is no ordinary hotel. With its soaring ceilings, honey-coloured Cotswold stone walls and rich, elegant décor, we knew we were in for something rather special.

And that was before we'd even stepped into the cavernous bathroom. Picture a bath so large it could double as a day bed, complete with an Aquavision TV, alongside a cave-like stone entrance leading to the most fabulous walk-in shower, where body jets and rainfall sprays seem to fire water from every conceivable angle. Throw in an array of Molton Brown toiletries and you've got a shower experience you're not going to forget in a hurry. In fact I stepped out loathing my own shower at home and making a mental note to start saving for a bathroom renovation.

If I had to find fault with the room it would be the lack of air conditioning, not unusual for such an old building and the addition of a powerful fan helped us cope with a particularly warm night.

Eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant is always going to be a highlight of any short break, and executive chef Rob Potter and his exceptional team in the Bybrook restaurant certainly didn't disappoint.

Come hungry. Course after perfectly presented course arrives looking almost too good to eat. Every dish feels beautifully refined while the warm, knowledgeable service ensures the whole experience is as memorable as the food itself. Leave plenty of time to enjoy the experience, you’ll be working your way through the tasting menu for a good while.

The bread course arrived as a magnificent tower of brioche and when our server, Abby, cheerfully told us not to worry about making a mess, it perfectly summed up the restaurant's wonderfully unpretentious approach.

The duck liver and native lobster were sublime starters, but the highlights were the mains - Dorset Down lamb with endive, carrot and sheep's yoghurt, and Hereford beef served with Scottish girolles and summer truffle. Exquisite food.

We thought the meal had peaked with the mains, but the desserts proved us wrong. Our chocolate and apricot puddings were so good I found myself beckoning over one of the team simply to lavish praise on our final course. I'm pretty sure that's not standard restaurant etiquette, but it felt entirely justified! Rob Potter, we salute you.

Although it was getting quite late, we couldn't resist taking a stroll around the grounds. Earlier in the evening, children had been playing giant chess while their parents relaxed and soaked up the mesmerising views. Now the house was bathed in moonlight as we wandered over to a beautiful pond complete with a water feature, passing some of the mighty trees that have stood guard outside this country house for decades. An enchanting end to a memorable day.

After such a fine dinner we had high hopes for breakfast, served in the same restaurant, and we weren't disappointed. Complementing an excellent cold buffet are freshly cooked dishes. And our breakfast entertainment came courtesy of the American couple at the next table, who couldn't stop admiring how pretty everything was - right down to the tiny pots of preserves.

Aside from golf, there's plenty to fill your day at The Manor House, including croquet and lovely walks through the estate. It even has its own 17th-century pub, The Castle Inn, right in the heart of Castle Combe.

Whether you come for the golf, the Michelin-starred food or simply to lose yourself in one of the prettiest corners of the Cotswolds, set your expectations high - The Manor House estate will not disappoint. Just don't expect to leave without seriously considering how to fit a rainfall shower and a Michelin chef into your own home.