Thyme: A Living, Breathing Village in the Cotswolds
The Lodge at Thyme
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, but never at the expense of 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 and you’ll see how naturally this balance is struck. Vast and beautifully proportioned, it’s decorated in soft pinks and greens, with a fireplace for winter evenings. The bathroom pairs indulgence 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, 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 working estate, not a contrived display.
The Meadow Spa at Thyme 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 drink from it. After a swim, why not have a game of tennis or an argument with a loved one over a game of croquet?
Sustainability runs through the smallest details. Crocs replace throwaway slippers (and if your feet are cold, you can buy wool socks, though the underfloor heating should keep them toasty), hurricane lamps glow with rechargeable LEDs, loo roll is responsibly sourced, and bin bags are made of recycled paper.
Thyme is, at its heart, a family affair. Caryn continues to shape the vision, while her son Charlie leads in the kitchen and her daughter Milly manages the day-to-day running of the hotel. Each member brings their own skills and personality to the estate, ensuring it remains both finely tuned and deeply personal. It’s this family involvement that keeps Thyme warm and grounded, rather than polished into something impersonal.
In the boutique, Caryn’s other passion comes into focus. Before creating Thyme, she trained and worked as an obstetrician, and it was during that time she began developing natural remedies for women. The very first Bertioli product – a Breath Balm designed to support expectant mothers – became the foundation for a line that now includes floral fabrics, bath salts, and body care inspired by nature. The 3-in-1 Body Bar is particularly clever: a single solid bar that works as shampoo, conditioner, and cleanser, eliminating the need for plastic bottles. Genevieve, who runs the boutique, speaks about these products with the same warmth and knowledge as if they were her own.
Yet what makes Thyme memorable 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, sharing stories about fabrics and body products as though she were passing on family secrets. Their care feels genuine, not rehearsed or contrived.
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 heart and 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, flashy cars or bling. It’s about care - for the land, for the guests, and for the future.
Why go? The perfect combination of luxury and sustainability
Who for? Couples mainly
When? Throughout the year - gorgeous gardens in the summer and wonderful winter walks followed by cosy evenings by the fire
9/10