Our Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) hotels are surrounded by some of Britain’s finest landscapes that have been safeguarded owing to their distinctive character and natural beauty. Each designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been protected for its flora and fauna, historical and cultural associations, or stunning scenic views. The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is the largest of the 38 AONB in England and Wales, lying upon an outcrop of oolitic limestone and shaped by more than 6,000 years of human activity. Everywhere gilded houses and churches – built as a living legacy by wealthy wool merchants – can be seen carved out of soft Cotswold stone.