Cotswolds tiki bar opens at England’s oldest hotel

The Old Bell Hotel, in the Wiltshire market town of Malmesbury, dates back to the 13th century and is widely regarded as the oldest continuously operating hotel in England.

Parts of the Grade I listed building, just over an hour away from Oxfordshire, are believed to have housed travellers since around 1220.

This summer, visitors are being offered a different kind of escape as the hotel launches Tiki at Tyger Bar – a seasonal pop-up serving tropical cocktails and South Pacific-inspired dishes.

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(Image: The Old Bell Hotel)

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the summer, the venue has been set up as a dedicated night-time space within the hotel, with dim lighting, plants and Polynesian-style touches designed to create a “tropical hideaway” for guests.

Hotel bosses say the idea is to give both locals and visitors somewhere more informal to gather over cocktails and sharing plates, while still offering the service standards of a country house hotel.

General manager Helen Bath said: “We wanted to create an unexpected space for both hotel guests and visitors, a destination that is playful and vibrant, bringing together great food and creative cocktails in a setting that feels unique within the Cotswolds.

“Whether joining us for cocktails with friends or an evening of food and music, visitors can expect the warm service they are familiar with.”

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Tiki at Tyget Bar. (Image: Adam Carter)

The food menu focuses on bright, summery flavours, with dishes such as a quinoa and charred pineapple “Tiki Salad”, a blackened salmon poke bowl and chicken and pineapple skewers, alongside a more indulgent cheeseburger topped with grilled pineapple and rum barbecue sauce.

Drinks include twists on classics, like a Tequila Sunrise, a gin-based “Basil and Bloom” and a “Skull and Bones” mix of rum, gin, cognac, orange and lime, as well as a frozen rosé “Frozé” option for simpler summer sipping.

Tyger Bar itself is a light-filled corner of the hotel that has been reworked for evening service, its name referencing a local tale about barmaid Hannah Twynnoy, who was said to have been killed by a tiger from a visiting circus in the early 18th century.

Tiki at Tyger Bar is now open to both hotel guests and non-residents every Friday, Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer.