The De Vere Cotswold Water Park, a nature reserve three miles from Cirencester in Gloucestershire, offers a tranquil holiday park experience that balances family functionality with an escape from typical park clichés. Deputy Editor Claire Wilson reviewed the park ahead of a 53km charity walk across the Cotswold countryside.
A lakeside setting with a peaceful atmosphere
The park is one of eight historic mansion houses and contemporary hotels spread across the south of England. It sits within 180 man-made lakes spanning the Gloucestershire area, formed by more than 50 years of gravel and sand excavation. When the work ended, ground and rain water gradually filled the empty pits, creating a wetland complex covering 42 square miles.
The hub is the Cotswold Water Park hotel, a light and airy building housing a brasserie, bar and spa. Nearby are apartments and a gastro-pub. The lake behind the hotel creates a backdrop more aesthetic than functional—guests can walk around or admire it from balconies, but no activities are offered on-site. Instead, visitors are signposted to nearby venues such as Lakeside Ski and Wake and 4Lakes for paddleboarding and waterskiing. A 10-minute drive away is the Cotswold Country Park and Beach, the UK's largest inland beach, with an inflatable water park, pedalos and kayaks.
Rooms, dining and breakfast
Despite having 300 rooms with snaking corridors typical of large hotels, the accommodation offers generously spaced rooms or apartments with kitchenettes, en-suites, lakeside views and enough living space to feel welcoming. On arrival Friday evening, dinner at the brasserie included a charcuterie board, baked camembert and whipped feta salad shared between three, plus limoncello spritzes. For a more refined meal, The Old Boat House, an Italian-themed gastro pub, offers Sicilian sea bass and wild mushroom and truffle ravioli, but requires advance booking.
After leaving at 6.30am for the walk, the hotel provided a generous packed breakfast of pastries, fruit, yoghurt and water. Returning at 10pm, the group hung up finisher medals and went to bed. The next day, breakfast in the brasserie was self-service and busy at peak times, requiring a queue for tea and coffee, but offered a great choice including healthy smoothies and lake views.
Spa, facilities and surrounding area
Spa 6 offers free facility use with a booked treatment (a 20-minute massage starts at £60), or £10 for a 2-hour slot. The pool area is compact but includes sauna and steam rooms, ice and rainforest showers—a great place to soothe weary bodies. However, as a family-friendly resort, children are welcome, so noise levels and kids using hydrotherapy loungers as slides may reduce relaxation.
Walking around the grounds revealed a pizza pop-up with delicious combos and an evening DJ, a cafe with light meals and ice creams, and a bar by the lake for espresso martinis. The surrounding Cotswold Country Park covers 150 acres with a looped 9.3km trail. A Cotswolds Outdoors shop on site sells forgotten items like waterproofs and hiking socks.
Final verdict and pricing
Nearby Cirencester, a small market town that has escaped heavy Cotswold tourist footfall unlike Chipping Norton and Bourton-on-the-Water, offers independent shops and decent places to eat. The park is not for those seeking a chaotic, loud, energy-charged holiday, but for those wanting to feel like they've had a break—even with kids or after a 53km walk—it's a good shout. A stay at Cotswold Holiday Park starts at £199.
