Macdonald Bear Hotel

Pleasant We were worried about our stay here due some of the negative reviews. However, we have had a very pleasant stay. Our room was spacious and clean (room 30). Breakfast was nice, although the cooked meats and cheese looked as if they were past their best. There was a nice selection of fresh fruit, cereal and cooked options. Waiting staff were pleasant but clearing our table took some time! We chose not to eat in the restaurant in the evening due to the reviews, so can't comment on this, other than to say that the restaurant looked empty. Parking is £5 per day.

Two day break Very welcoming , lovely clean room, breakfast time gave a good choice on the menu with help yourself to fresh pastries, cereal and fruit. The only thing was the hotel car parking charge, we have never experienced this before at a hotel we have paid to stay at.

A badly managed, tired hotel An excellent location, but a disappointment in every other way. It should be charming and rustic hotel, but it feels charmless and run-down. Advertises itself as a “dog friendly” property, yet does NOT cater for dogs. We paid for a dog-package which should have included a dog bed plus dog food and treats. However, The Bear provided NOTHING (!) and happily charged us for the privilege. When we asked reception staff as to why The Bear’s website includes details of dog-package items, their reply was only that they don’t provide these items and the website was inaccurate. At first glance our room was large and charming. On closer inspection it was dirty - see photos of the mold all over the bathroom windows which had clearly been there a long time and never cleaned. Breakfast was disappointing, with a lack of choice and quality. It was acceptable, but really underwhelming. The Reception is badly managed and disorganised, often with nobody on duty. Which I guess explains why they rarely answer the phone if you call them. One of the only positives of the hotel, is that there’s a late bar for guests, open after nearby pubs have closed. However, we found that the night porter, also working as the barman, seemed to begrudge serving drinks later at night. It was clearly an inconvenience for him when we was working the night shift. The only reason to stay at The Bear is due to its convenient location beside Blenheim Palace. However, if your budget allows, pay more to stay elsewhere and have a more charming stay in the Cotswolds.

Great bar staff but otherwise a disappointing visit, both in terms of food and service in the restaurant. We visited The Bear after reading positive reviews. It was a Thursday night and surprisingly we managed to book earlier in the evening. On arrival the person behind the bar was friendly and couldn’t have been more helpful. Sadly, that’s where our positive experience ended! We arrived in the restaurant and the waiter seemed frustrated that we had brought our drinks through from the bar (including a bottle of wine). We ordered our food and the same waiter refused to allow our aunty to change potatoes to chips on one of the meals as he said ‘We’re too busy’, but would allow us to add them as a side order. This wasn’t a big deal, however it certainly didn’t start things off well. The food that arrived was sadly disappointing. I wish I had taken pictures… the scallops arrived in a glass cocktail type dish, filled with lettuce and four tiny overcooked scallops virtually hidden by the amount of lettuce (I have them often when I eat out and these were by far the most underwhelming). The olives that were another starter were clearly not fresh and wee left, the remaining two were ok (prawn cocktail and salad). Main courses arrived and the Moroccan Tagine was interesting… the lamb was tender but the sauce was runny and lacked flavour, barely resembling the fragrant spiced flavours you would usually get in a tagine. It was served with plain couscous and with less than a quarter of a flatbread with it, the overall meal was disappointing - certainly given the price. The sirloin steak was cooked well but it wasn’t a good quality and was sadly chewy and couldn’t be cut easily at all - something eh chef may not have been aware of. The chicken was good (however this was the meal where chips could not be substituted and it arrived with one new potato cut in half - no wonder they wouldn’t allow an exchange to chips). The last dish of pasta was ok but certainly nothing to write home about. The service was also pretty much non-existent, something the waiter proactively acknowledged and told us he had applied a small discount in apology… again citing how busy they were (something that seemed odd considering the large number of empty tables). As we were there for an occasion we didn’t complain as we didn’t want to cause our aunty embarrassment, but to say we were disappointed was an understatement. A meal in another restaurant in the town the following evening thankfully redeemed the Woodstock eating scene for us and showed us that good quality food and service were available in the area! We were looking forward to visiting The Bear, but based on our experience we won’t be visiting again. I have never left such a low review before, but on this occasion, for the price we paid, I feel I have no choice. Hopefully this was a one-off and we were just unfortunate. The only reason I gave it tweak stars was for the bar staff and the one good meal out of four!

Attention to Detail required Pleasant stay with delicious breakfast. Restaurant staff and reception very friendly and attentive. However since I last visited two years ago I’m afraid standards have fallen. I was in room 8 and I was appalled to see that the net curtains were ripped and full of holes. These should have been taken down and replaced by Housekeeping. The public areas are very battered with doors being scuffed and chipped . Again this should have been rectified by Maintenance. MacDonald Hotels should treasure such an historic building as The Bear and invest in both the building and its staff.