Old Swan

lovely quaint period property in a great location , few small things need attention , lack of signage, warm beer , cold coffee , outside patio needed cleaning , staff were trying but seemed under pressure

Everything

Great location and the spa was amazing

Service for food was slow and difficult. This was made more frustrating by the 15% gratuity baked into the cost.

Beautiful setting, room was nice and just basic amenities considering it was £300+ for the night there was no added extras. Nothing particularly stand out for this hotel. Breakfast was very slow and food ok. No phone signal, and wifi very poor.

Oh dear! Pleasant staff but clearly a bit coy when I asked who owned the pub. Andrew Brownsword should stick to drawing pictures! Dead plants in pots on tables outside with loads of water in! They’re dead!! Get new ones. Tables need pressure washing, they are horrible. Took our food to sit by the river opposite. That area stinks of drains, great big dead conifer, weeds, lack of maintenance, again, get a pressure washer on the picnic tables. When arriving I said the signs need WD40 to shine them up, we should never have gone further. Food was actually ok, beer was really cloudy. A lovely chap said The Mill wasn’t open for lunch so sent us to The Swan. We were going to book Buckland Manor in Broadway for my birthday, not now, it’s the same chain. Get a grip guys.

Came for a weekend with no expectations other than what we read online. The hotel is lovely, where we were met by a lady at reception who was nice enough. Got to the room and was disappointed. The room was extremely small with no air conditioning. In ~30C all we had was a small fan to keep us cool. The heat was intense with the corridor and outside being cooler. The bathroom has little ventilation so the tiles floor became slippery with showers and condensation, so much I slipped several times. There were snacks and drinks in a drawer but no fridge; bed was ok but pillows were very flat. The breakfast is served in the Old Swan, opposite the hotel. It took ~40mins for the meal to be served and despite the cooked breakfast being ok, mine was disgusting - bagel with avocado which was overly soggy. Unfortunately not one person came to check up on things, so I was left sharing my husbands meal. The dinner in the main restaurant was delicious, and the staff were lovely. Unfortunately the prices for drinks at the bar knocked us - over £30 for 2 drinks. This is more than what we’ve ever paid for in any village or town. Not sure how these prices can be justified! The spa was lovely where I had one of the best massages I’ve ever had.

Stunning hotel set in the most beautiful grounds. Very central for Oxford and The Cotswolds. Fantastic restaurant reasonably priced. Choice of pretty seating areas all with fire pits, logs, fire lighters and matches. Our room was right next to the pretty river. There was a lovely seating area outside our room with a fire pit and marshmallows for toasting. The room was very comfortable and included a Dyson fan and a coffee machine. Staff were friendy and helpful. Highly recommend.

When we arrived at 12:30pm for Sunday lunch, we were the only customers there which we took as a warning sign for what was to come. We gave our name of the reservation to the woman who greeted us and she went off for several minutes to find someone to help us. Another woman arrived who asked if we had a reservation and also asked for our name. She couldn't answer our question as to whether or not we could eat outside so we waited for the manger. The manager also asked if we had a reservation and for our name. Eventually we were handed menus, pointed in the direction of the garden to seat ourselves and told to come back to the bar to order. It turned out that we didn't need to order at the bar as a waitress came to take our order. We couldn't order any of the lemonades, Pimm's and draught ale that we wanted as the drink's dispenser was broken so we settled for bottled drinks. There were no small bottles of sparkling water so I had to order a large one (and pay for it). The Sunday roast was delicious. Very tasty and perfectly cooked veg. We were told though, before we had even sat down, that there was only an option of 'well done' beef. Fortunately, it was still juicy and tender. There was no English mustard available so my husband settled for wholegrain. It arrived in it's own sealed pot and he noticed that it was out of date by 14 months! The burgers were very over cooked and crispy on the outside.