The temptation for hotels in the Cotswolds to embrace “twee” must be strong, surrounded as they are by villages that look like backdrops for period BBC dramas, and swarms of tourists snapping away at a vision of rural loveliness.

Fortunately, Washbourne Court, in the almost impossibly picturesque village of Lower Slaugher, resists. Where all around is quaint and chocolate box pretty, this hotel stays resolutely modern, albeit in sympathy with its surroundings.

A former crammer for Eton, the 17th century hotel is built of the honey coloured stone for which the Cotswolds is famous, and sits in a delightful garden (full of daffodils when we visited at Easter) with a pond that was the source of much squealing and pleasure for resident children.

Inside, however, is another story. The décor is contemporary, with rooms and the communal areas hung with modern art. My room was simple but stylish with a pleasing view over the garden and (hurrah) casement windows that I could open to let in the fresh spring air.

The bed was vast with cool cotton sheets and big comfy pillows. There was a kettle for tea and coffee, wi-fi (free of charge) and a widescreen television that (second hurrah) switched on and worked (no strange welcome messages or counter intuitive remote controls with low batteries).

Even better was the spacious bathroom, with enough room to dance in and with a bath all but deep enough to swim in. This was perfect for relaxing weary legs and feet at the end of a day walking a good chunk of the Cotswolds Way, easily joined from Lower Slaughter. The hotel toiletries are supplied by Culepper, herby and sweet smelling but bizarrely difficult to extract from their bottles - a novel approach perhaps, to stopping guests from pocketing the miniature cosmetics when they leave.

It was tempting to go straight from the bath to those lovely cotton sheets, but we had booked a table for dinner in the hotel restaurant. The food was pricey but good. The short, but imaginative menu was seasonal (I had asparagus the first night) and nicely balanced. A duck terrine was meaty and tasty and the sea bass that I had as my main course was cooked to perfection.

For pudding we shared an amaretto cheese cake and a roasted apple bavarois. Both were delicious (Sunday lunch menu costs £25.95 for three courses while dinner is a la carte). The wine list was comprehensive and to be applauded for its broad selection of reasonably prices bottles – the house wine cost £20 a bottle, but there were selections from the wine list starting at £25.

Service was swift and courteous. Our waitress was an unfailingly smiley young German woman who couldn’t have been more helpful.

My only gripe was the background music – a Jamie Cullum album that was still playing when we went down for breakfast the next morning. Nothing against Jamie Cullum, but the music was entirely unnecessary. Everyone we saw at dinner and breakfast looked animated enough – no need for muzak to fill in any silences.

Armed with our complimentary newspaper, breakfast was tasty – and hearty enough for ambitious walkers. A bowl of porridge and a full English breakfast (“nice sausage”) saw us through a second leg of the Cotswolds way. One other small gripe though - the breakfast tea was made with bags not leaves. The cost of switching would surely be negligible, but the taste improvement radical. And guests would feel that little bit more spoiled – no self respecting hotel would serve instant coffee after all.

A lovely feature of Washbourne Court is its attitude to families and children. Small tots and babies were seamlessly included at dinner and breakfast although some families chose to eat in the bar where an alternative and very generous grill menu is on offer.

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