Macdonald Bear Hotel

Lovely hotel - we've stayed there many times before. Rooms are great, the staff polite and helpful, the food excellent... And we were offered a terrific deal just before Christmas.

Two quibbles. Really don't like having to pay for the hotel car park - it's the only hotel we know that charges. And the choice of music in the dining room. Our evening meal was great: top quality food, sophisticated atmosphere etc. etc - it's really not the moment you want to hear 'Santa Claus is coming to Town' blaring (and it was loud) over the PA system. Mercifully, when we asked, they swapped it for some mellow jazz, which was wonderful, but whose idea was it to play Christmas music (and loud, American, schmaltzy Christmas music at that) in the first place? Problem repeated at breakfast the next morning, but again the staff were very happy to play something else. That aside, we loved it...

Perfect location for visiting Blenheim Palace, it’s just a couple mins walk away. The hotel is lovely with a nice courtyard. we had a standard double room on the 2nd floor which was more spacious than expected. Parking onsite which although was £10 was worth it as very convenient. Tesh the barman is an absolute legend and an asset to the hotel! He absolutely made our stay much more enjoyable than it would of been. He is a mixologist and made us some incredible cocktails that weren’t even on the menu. Great location explore surrounding areas too.

Apart from Tesh who was amazing, some of the other staff were less so. Long wait for cooked breakfast which was just ok. service wasn’t too great either until Tesh arrived. (They charge £26 for this if not included in room rate, which is completely overpriced)

Historic feel to a lovely old building in a prime location in the heart of Woodstock and just a stone’s throw from the entrance to Blenheim Palace grounds. We had a comfortable room towards the back of the hotel, so quiet and with all we needed. Very pleasant reception on arrival. Car parking in the large parking space was a real bonus for convenience. We had an excellent dinner in the restaurant - really good quality food and presentation with efficient and friendly service.

Unfortunately breakfast was a real let down. On our first morning they had obviously been overwhelmed by a large group who had all descended dead on 8 o’clock and when we arrived at 8.30 (thinking we were reasonably early!) virtually all the tables had the clutter of their earlier occupiers which the staff were desperately trying to clear. The buffet needed replenishing and we had to chase up our cooked breakfast which did finally arrive but felt tired and overcooked. On the second morning things were slightly better but it was obvious their system wasn’t working with various guests having to chase up their orders and voicing annoyance.

I really loved the location. I planned a visit to Blenheim Palace and the surrounding area and the hotel could not have been any closer. It was quick easy to access the palace grounds. I also had meals included with my booking. The staff were extremely helpful in making sure that I my meals accommodated my food allergies.

The windows in my room opened out to the street. I didn't feel comfortable leaving them open at night. So my room did get a bit stuffy overnight on account of these. It isn't anything the hotel can fix, but it was just something I didn't like.

room was adequate, comfortable, relatively clean, quite a few stairs with luggage wasn't great. breakfast was good in general however quite a few supplements such as Latte for £4 didn't seem sensible. Asked for cucumber for a Hendricks G&T and was told there was none which seemed a bit odd considering there was a fully blown kitchen round the corner. Also no sourdough bread for toastig even though there was a lough in the buffet. clearly the NO response was due to laziness. Overall the hotel delivered in terms of location, comfort and the idea of a quick, quiet get away. thanks you

Staff not willing to go that extra mile to satisfy clients needs. Location of room location of reception

Large, comfy room with tea and coffee facilities - nice pod coffee! If you are pressed for time and need a quick beer and evening meal, then the Star Inn is a good bet just over the road. I'm sure the hotel restaurant offers superior fare but maybe next time!

This comes up from time to time but the hotel can hardly be at fault for it - the notorious noisy room guest somewhere nearby. TV on loud all night and only turned it off at 5am. The thin walls and ceilings mean you would be best served by earplugs for a sound night's sleep.

Location for Blenheim Palace and surrounding area. Room was spacious with a sitting room. Bathroom was spacious well maintained. Bed was bed and very comfy. Service in restaurant was excellent food very nice only thing the soup had too much pepper added for mushroom soup. Breakfast was brilliant and great parking at back of hotel. Good point in the cotswolds.

Can’t think of anything I would dislike. It was all good.

Central with car parking, comfortable beds , warm ,quiet , plenty of hot water. Courteous staff.

I was surprised there was an extra charge of £3 if you had an egg hollandaise - ingredients would not cost more than the inclusive full breakfast ! Side dishes at dinner were basic & overpriced. Decor , although traditional , looks rather tired and a bit dull .,Wardrobe in Room 27 is very awkward to use with the way the doors are positioned. Poor beside lighting , too dull and low in height - impossible to read . No decent light for putting on make up in either bathroom or bedroom.

Lovely quirky hotel next door to Blenheim Palace The super king bedded room was lovely the bed was very comfy the bathroom was well appointed lovely toiletries Breakfast was freshly cooked delicious and pipping hot

When we booked in we were asked if we wanted dinner I replied that we had already booked. The restaurant menu looked really nice and we had already chosen what we were going to eat. Once in the restaurant we were given the Sunday lunch menu only, we asked for the a la carte menu, to be told they were only serving the Sunday one. If we had been told when we checked in that due to 2 chefs being off sick they were only serving the lunch menu we would of probably gone else where. Everyone around us were disappointed some left Only 2 waiting staff who really didn't have a clue and some of the veg were served cold we waited for a long while for a serving spoon to arrive so we could dish out the cauliflower cheese.

Location good, Breakfast very good,

There own car park but charge £10 per night, Should be free for guests. Also daily charge of £15 for dog. We wouldnt have stayed there if they hadnt accept dogs, BUT the one thing that we didnt like was the charge in the bar, One pint of beer and a single gin and tonic cost £19 !! This is purely taking advantage of customers and I cant see on earth how they can justift these prices, HALF the price over the road. I would advise anyone who wants to drink in their hotel not to stay at this one, Plenty of other choice.