Channelling The Holiday on a festive trip to the Cotswolds

Instead of watching The Holiday on repeat in the run up to the festive season, we took a quick jaunt into the Cotswolds to live that life ourselves for a night or two and try a hot new restaurant and hotel into the bargain.

Where we stayed

It's a gorgeous building, with the origins dating back to somewhere between the 14th and 16th centuries.

The House of George is a brand new hotel in a very old building. Although it only opened back in August, it's already won a major award, picking up Best Foodie Hotel in the Good House Guide 2025 Cesars. The George in question is retail supremo George Davies, the man behind Next/George at Asda/Per Uno etc. Here in the Cotswolds, he and his wife Arlene have spent the last two years turning what was this Cotswolds town doctors' surgery into a gorgeous boutique hotel.

george davies at house of george in the cotswolds The man himself - we bumped into George and his wife Arlene in the bar at the hotel just before dinner.

You'll find it on the high street in Broadway, just a few doors down from The Lygon Arms - but the two hotels couldn't be more different. Although the House of George has a snug lounge with a wood-burning stove and gorgeous exposed brick, it's a much more contemporary affair. Rooms have a lovely mix of old (stained glass windows) and new (blown glass light fittings) and the bathrooms are super modern.

Our King Room bedroom was in the main building with a window seat if you want to perch and watch locals and tourists wandering past. As the hotel is right in the centre of town, it's a perfect spot to base yourself for a day or two. But while you'll probably want to visit places like Blenheim (highly recommend) and Daylesford (avoid on weekends like the plague), Christmas is definitely when Broadway comes into its own with a standout display of Christmas lights making the place look impossibly festive.

outside Our room at the House of George - this was Room 2 overlooking the high street.

Where we ate

outside The dining room at Moda. You can see there's also a large terrace, which must be lovely in the summertime.

The hotel's restaurant Moda was a key factor in our decision-making process to come here. Chef James Wilson was formerly the head chef at The Newt in Somerset and here he's been given a bright, modern 30-seat restaurant to preside over. You can dine a la carte, or pop in for a set lunch, but there is a nine-course tasting menu (with an impressive vegan alternative) at £105 that we thought we ought to go for.

Hero dishes from a standout dinner there included the following:

outside Mushroom chawanmushi - served as part of a series of snacks which also included a Cornish tuna croustade and cauliflower and pine tartlet.

outside Duck with boudin noir and butternut squash - maybe one of the best duck dishes we've ever had.

outside A very pretty, modern take on trifle using sea buckthorn, Earl Grey and white chocolate cream with buckwheat crumble.

For drinks, the restaurant does offer a low/no alcohol pairing option, which is handy if one of you has to drive home afterwards, but luckily as residents we got to enjoy the wine pairing, which included some really thoughtful pours.

There's a fully a la carte breakfast in the morning, which perhaps didn't quite live up to the high standards set by dinner the night before, although we will say that our coffees were very good.

Where we shopped (and also ate)

outside The newly opened Double Red Duke at Bicester Village

In addition to doing some serious damage to our bank balance in all the cute, independent shops on Broadway's High Street, we also took full advantage of being in this area to drop into Bicester Village. In addition to all the bougie boutiques, they've added a lot of new food and drink spaces, including a crumpet bar from Fortnum & Mason, a new Ottolenghi and a pub.

The team at Country Creatures who are behind The Double Red Duke in Clanfield (among other pubs) have now opened the first pub in Bicester Village. The Double Red Duke has taken over the space that used to be run by Soho Farmhouse. We were here for lunch (although the breakfast DRD muffin sounds like a must-try for early risers). We thought service was both friendly and efficient, which is key when you're jumping in for a quick bite to eat between forays to Gucci and Bottega Veneta.

outside Flat iron steak with roast bone marrow butter (£22).