Thyme: A Living, Breathing Village in the Cotswolds
By Lulu Townsend
At Thyme, the word “hotel” doesn’t quite fit. Caryn Hibbert and her family have created something more layered – a collection of houses, gardens, and a working farm that together form a village-within-a-village in Southrop. Sustainability underpins every decision here, without ever compromising comfort or style. This is a place where eco choices feel instinctive rather than imposed, and where luxury is not diminished, only redefined.
Step into the English Garden Room at The Lodge and you’ll see how naturally this balance is struck. Vast and beautifully proportioned, it’s decorated in soft Edward Bulmer pinks and greens, with a fireplace, not just for winter evenings. The large bathroom with its crystal chandelier pairs elegance and luxury with responsibility: a marble walk-in shower, a painted roll-top bath overlooking the garden, thick towels, flannels (a detail many hotels overlook), and jars of Bertioli bath salts. Upstairs, a shared pantry offers homemade flapjacks, apples from the orchard, milk, water and ice. A breakfast hamper delivered to your room is also an option. Yoga mats are available on request, a thoughtful touch that means your practice can be private and unrushed.
Food here is guided by the land. Caryn’s son Charlie, the estate’s culinary director, creates menus rooted in what grows in the gardens and is produced locally. Breakfast includes apple juice pressed from the orchard, eggs from nearby farms, and sausages made in-house using natural skins. At dinner, you can taste the season on the plate: vegetables harvested that morning, cocktails made with herbs cut just steps from the kitchen. Flowers from the cutting gardens fill the house with colour and scent, reminding you that this is a real working estate, not a contrived display.
The Meadow Spa brings another layer of calm. Its pool is filled with water drawn from a subterranean spring 50 metres below the estate, filtered naturally through Cotswold limestone. A pioneering bio-filtration system keeps it warm and crystal clear without chemicals. To swim here is to experience something rare: pure spring water, restorative for body and mind, in a pool so natural you could literally drink from it. Follow your swim with a massage and some time relaxing by the fire.
Sustainability runs through the smallest details. Crocs replace throwaway slippers, hurricane lamps glow with rechargeable LEDs, loo roll is responsibly sourced, and bin bags are made of recycled paper. The boutique, run by the engaging Genevieve, is filled with the family’s own Bertioli range – floral fabrics and natural skincare designed with the same ethos. The standout is the 3-in-1 Body Bar, a clever plastic-free product that replaces shampoo, conditioner, and cleanser with one solid bar.
Yet what makes Thyme a very special place is its people. Thomas, who quietly slipped a pot of marmalade into my bag when he noticed how much I enjoyed it. Molly, smiling and warm, even as she prepared to go on maternity leave. Genevieve, speaking passionately about the fabrics and Bertioli products as if she were sharing family secrets. Their care feels genuine, not rehearsed.
Life at Thyme also extends beyond its rooms and gardens. The estate’s church still holds regular services, where you might find yourself sitting alongside villagers while chickens wander freely between the gravestones. It’s this sense of continuity, of real community, that gives Thyme its soul.
Thyme is not simply a hotel stay in the Cotswolds; it’s an immersion into a way of life that values sustainability, detail, and authenticity as much as it does comfort and beauty. Luxury here isn’t about excess. It’s about care for the land, for the guests, and for the future.
thehotelguru.com/hotel/thyme-at-southrop-manor-the-cotswolds
