De Vere Cotswold Water Park

The most remarkable thing about the De Vere Cotswold Water Park is what surrounds it. It's situated right in the middle of a complex of 152 lakes that are home to a plethora of endangered flora and fauna -- rare water birds and songbirds, otters, fish, and meadow and water plants. The hotel itself is a three-story building made out of Cotswold stone and timber, with plate glass windows that hug the lakeside. Inside, the hotel is mostly contemporary, but the generic decor makes it feel devoid of personality. That said, The Old Boathouse restaurant has a great arching wooden roof and an old rowboat up in the rafters. The hotel attracts mostly leisure travelers looking for a lakeside getaway close to the Cotswolds, and the occasional business guest making use of the hotel’s many conference spaces.

The De Vere Cotswold Water Park is not in the Cotswolds proper — rather, it is in the town of South Cerney, roughly a 10-minute drive from the city of Cirencester, on the edge of the hills and home to some of Britain’s best preserved Roman ruins. It's also 25 minutes by car to Bourton-on-the-Water, a picture-perfect Cotswolds village. The nearest train station is a 15-minute drive away in the small village of Kemble, serving Cirencester and South Cerney. Guests should expect a 70- to 80-minute transfer to Bristol Airport by car, and roughly the same to London Heathrow Airport, depending on traffic.

The 328 rooms are bright and contemporary, decorated in either a faintly English country style or generic modern fittings. Expect tan, brown, or blue carpeting, cool neutral furnishings, wood furniture, and artwork, plus some have more eye-catching magenta accents. Floor-to-ceiling windows have varying views, the best being of the lake, while others overlook the parking lot. Some rooms have large, furnished terraces. On the downside, some wear and tear is visible, and rooms lack air-conditioning, which many guests have said is an issue in the summertime. Nonetheless, even the smallest rooms are sizable, with enough room for queen-size beds, comfy armchairs, and large desks, as well as wall-mounted flat-screen TVs. Apartments are far larger, and have fully equipped kitchens with ovens, four-burner hobs, microwaves, toasters, and kettles, plus the usual crockery and cookware. They range from Studios to Three-Bedroom Apartments, and all aside from Studios have separate, open-plan kitchen and living areas with couches. Bathrooms are clean and contemporary, with shower/tub combos and toiletries. All rooms have flat-screen TVs, safes, minibars, and free Wi-Fi.

The De Vere Cotswold Water Park has a variety of amenities aimed mostly at satisfying tourists, while still providing a few features for business travelers. The indoor hydrotherapy pool has an adjacent sauna and aroma steam room, but children can only use the pool at certain times. The spa offers treatment rooms for massages and wellness therapies, plus a dry flotation room, while a modern gym has a variety of cardio and strength-training equipment. An outdoor playground is available for kids. The hotel has two restaurants, one of which serves a buffet breakfast and a la carte lunch and dinner, and a smaller, more intimate restaurant that serves a la carte fare for dinner. past guests have noted that service at the buffet breakfast can be chaotic. A bar serves drinks and light meals as well. There are 21 meeting and event spaces, the largest of which can hold 600 people. Parking is free, as is Wi-Fi throughout the property.