Lovely hotel
by TripAdvisor Member AlexiaLondon_England
We stayed at the The Bear during the August Bank holiday and had a lovely time. Our room (the Crown room, a double) had been redecorated recently, in neutral colors that showed off the exposed beams. The bathroom was small but working perfectly, and very clean. It was nice to have little extras such as a CD player.
We did not eat there, as we thought the menu looked quite pretentious and overpriced, so we had dinner at a local pub / italian restaurant. We had a drink in the hotel bar before going to bed, and staff at the bar were very friendly.
Breakfast (which we ordered in the room rather than buffet downstairs) was nice.
Generally, a lovely hotel with lots of character in a picturesque village.
One to avoid !
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at this 'hotel' when attending a wedding nearby. I think part of the problem is that because of the hotel's location - right next to Blenheim Palace, the management feels it has the right to charge exhorbitant rates for rooms that no better than those at an inexpensive B + B.
A cosy retreat
by TripAdvisor Member kbhr
Arrived in Woodstock Sunday morning having beaten a hasty retreat from awful experience at the MacDonald Randolph in central Oxford not knowing what to expect. Greeted by lovely cheery receptionist who advised we had been upgraded to their Burton/Taylor Suite! After the Randolph we were ready to write-off the MacDonald experience but things were looking up. We were directed to hotel overflow parking area just beside central courtyard (no charge) and given keys to No 15.
Wow! Was looking forward to the Suite but didn't expect to have our own cottage! The suite feels more like a cosy apartment – across the courtyard and up the steps to our own entrance, long hallway with closets, four poster in bedroom, large bathroom, and double doors to separate lounge area. Couldn't have been happier. Went off in search of Sunday Roast around town and a potter about the shops. Surprisingly allot of the shops were open on Sunday and the Co-op supermarket just round the corner stays open till 9pm. Weather was still a bit drizzly in March so after lunch and walk we bought a bottle of red and some nibbles from the lovely local deli, a bottle opener from the co-op and retreated to our lovely cottage for TV, reading and snoozing. There is tv in both lounge and bedroom as well as Boss radio/cd player so no arguments of who watches/listens to what! Did consider trying the restaurant but didn't really have the appetite, so ordered a couple of salad's from room service which were excellent and finished the evening perfectly.
Breakfast next morning was same menu as Oxford but restaurant setting allot more inviting, with little extra's like marmalade that was inexplicably not an option at the Randolph. Plenty of choice and very satisfying. Even borrowed an umbrella from reception for another stroll around lovely Woodstock before checking out.
Only downside we came across was that the mattress space on the four poster is a little on the small side and a bit uncomfortable (don't see how both Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor fitted in it - someone must have slept on the sofa that night!).
Overall a wonderful experience, felt thoroughly replenished and wished we could have stayed longer. We did see quite a few other places around town offering accommodation but The Bear has got to be the pick of the crop. Recommend.
Good atmosphere with character
by A TripAdvisor Member
Arrived for a mid week break - stayed 2 nights.
Greeted by very pleasant staff and very pleasantly surprised when we were upgraded to 'Half tester room'. This turned out to be most comfortable with a large bathroom. We liked the cut crystal glasses.
Staff were helpful and pleasant . The food was very good - pity they ran out of smoked Haddock for breakfast, one morning .
Good atmosphere with character
Would recommend it and stay again without hesitation.
Old world charm
by A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed here for a night and had dinner, bed and breakfast. Beautiful, old-world charm. Bit like being in an Agatha Christie movie, but that's no bad thing! Recommended!
Photos
Cornmarket Street (zealots are having a break)
Me and my bike on the way to Wolvercote
Stagecoach Bus on Magdalen Bridge
River Cherwell in University Parks
Forum Posts
Free Parking
by mathghamha
I'm going to spend the day in Oxford, see the colleges and other sites. Parking will be very expensive I think. Is there any free street parking that would be convenient?
Re: Free Parking
by SallyM
Parking in Oxford is expensive and on-street parking is hard to find (and mostly metered as well). The Park and Ride is the best bet.
I say this having twice recently driven to Oxford with a husband who refuses to use the Park and Ride, and driven round and round Oxford before eventually queuing to get into the (v. expensive) Gloucester Green car park, which is central, but very crowded.
Re: Free Parking
by SallyM
Parking information for Oxford is here: http://www.oxfordcity.co.uk/info/parking.html
Re: Free Parking
by brazzi
yes there are some spaces for free,one road at the side of Keeble College if you are lucky,and the other two streets behind Keeble free for two hours, again
if you are lucky enough to get a space.at all these spaces you still have to get a ticket from a machine.
The park and ride is less hassle and frequent.
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