It’s hard to remember a time when the Cotswolds weren’t the gold standard for a British countryside holiday: the pub-going, hill-walking, Clue-playing kind that draws travelers hand over fist and has yielded some of the best hotels in the UK (more on that later). From the less developed swoops and dells in the south Cotswolds, to the postcard villages in the north, there are plenty of locally treasured restaurants to sniff out.

Some such spots: The Killingworth Castle Pub (a favorite of Alex Eagle, creative director of her eponymous brand who has a house in Woodstock) and Juliet for oysters (recommended by Luke Edward Hall, an artist, designer, and creative director of Chateau Orlando who rents a cottage on the border of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire). Don’t miss the very many independent shops, either–Carole Bamford, founder of Bamford and Daylesford, recommends Borzoi Bookshop in Stow-on-the-Wold “for unusual and specialist titles from small publishers.” You could devote an entire trip to walking the Cotswold Way, over a 100 miles of ridges and vales, or to sifting, shop after shop, in Tetbury, a haven for antique dealers (go to Lorfords and Brownrigg first, then Top Banana after lunch).

Vogue’s Favorite Hotels in the Cotswolds:

Attractions are so bountiful these days that the Cotswolds might be in danger of calcifying in its own success, were it not for a persistent undercurrent of hustle and artistry. “The Cotswolds have been my home for almost forty years,” says Bamford, “and you never quite know who or what you might stumble across next. There’s a spirit of enterprise. That’s part of the magic.” Those sentiments are echoed by Edward Hall. “I do think,” he says, “beneath the surface, there is a lot going on that people don’t always see or take much notice of. It’s worth doing a bit of digging.”

Below is a Vogue guide to the best hotels in the Cotswolds, which all make an ideal base to explore the area.