Hotels near The Watcher Tree, Oxford

We've just returned after a two-night stay at the Sportsview Guest House. We weren't sure quite what to expect given it was competitively priced, close to Oxford City Centre and offered free parking. Some of the booking partners don't make it clear that parking is on a first-come first-served basis but the information you receive after booking is comprehensive and makes that clear. We arrived late on a Wednesday and there were plenty of spaces for the duration of our stay. Check-in was a breeze and the staff helpful. We had an en-suite room and other than perhaps some minor updates everything of importance was perfect. It was clean throughout, the bed was comfy, the shower worked well and it was quiet. It was an ideal base for which to explore the area. Location couldn't have been much better, a 5 min walk to Folly Bridge where we'd booked a self-drive boat with Salter's Steamers (recommended). Then another 5 mins or so and you're in the heart of Oxford. Oxford is a beautiful and interesting city and we'd certainly recommend a visit and also this guest house.

During the summer vacation, the prices are favorable, the rooms are all of the same standard size, and the prices vary depending on the view. Clean and hygienic, not big, but practical. I saw that the price in September is quite expensive, costing 3K. It is very close to the Westgate Shopping Center in Oxford and is very convenient for all kinds of food. It is also very convenient to reach various colleges in Oxford within walking distance. The breakfast at the hotel is very good. In addition to the various delicacies on display, you can also ask the waiter for some freshly made omelet egg rolls, which taste better than Hilton hotels. Produced by Marriott, the quality is assured.

Returned from 4 night stay at Hawkwell House Hotel and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. To begin with I booked direct with the hotel, not wanting the corporate Mecure website and got exactly what I wanted... great customer service. Chavi was extremely helpful. The hotel itself is well situated, about 10-15 minutes on bus to Oxford City Centre (stop on Iffley turn). The hotel was clean, staff friendly, food good for both breakfast (good choice) and evening. We ate in the bar twice. Only a couple of possible notes of potential improvement. It would be handy to have a note in the room to remind guests of meal times (breakfast). I realise most paper was removed under Covid but there was an Oxfordshire brochure. Perhaps something to program into the TV? Similar to another review, a water pump type noise would come on in our room in the early hours of the morning. This sounded like the air con/heater and whilst not major it may need investigating. It's similar to work's and we didn't need to use anyway but perhaps instructions may be beneficial for guests? Overall thoroughly enjoyed our stay and if ever Oxford way again would definitely come back! Thank you.

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The clerk is very friendly. The room is not big but relatively clean. It is quite far from the city. You need to walk a little to buy food. It is a residential area and relatively quiet. The shop is relatively exquisite and can be considered a British characteristic. Although it is small, it has all the necessary features. There are three parking spaces in the front and back yards, and they can also park in the one next door that also belongs to them.

The hotel is located in a convenient location where we can easily commute around the city centre and the Bicester village. Sadia was really nice and helpful. She greeted us with a warm welcome. Rooms were quite small but they are clean and tidy. Overall, it was a great time staying at the hotel.

We stayed for two evenings in May to visit Blenheim palace. We had two rooms, both superior, one on the first floor of the pub and one leading out to the front. Both rooms were beautiful; the one outside had very low ceilings and beams (ok for us as we’re not tall), with a big clawfoot bath and a walk in wardrobe. It also had the most stunning fireplace that backs on to the one in the pub. The other room had a huge 6ft bed and a very big walk in shower. Both were incredibly comfortable and we slept well both nights. We ate at the pub both evenings; the first night a young chap was managing the restaurant, he and the team did a phenomenal job. The service and the food was superb. He second evening we shared the steak (we had two between the four of us) and it was amazing. Again the food and service was fabulous. On the Saturday we were the only ones eating breakfast, the service was prompt and the food delicious. However the breakfast on the Sunday was an absolute disaster; the chap who seated us (I didn’t catch his name but he had an overseas accent) took our order and then we waited…. We waited and waited as he seated others, took their orders and their breakfasts came while we waited. The room wasn’t full, there were about 5 other tables seated (and he walked past us several times and looked at the table). When we asked him, he blamed the kitchen then went to find out what had happened. He came back and apologised and said it would be with us shortly (to be clear, two of us were only having toast!) only for us to have to chase again. An hour had gone by and we still had no breakfast (every other table had come and gone by then. After chasing a second time, he brought out one cooked breakfast (with the wrong eggs) and an omelette (the other order was for poached eggs on toast), oh and then the toast! We explained this was wrong so he blamed the kitchen again and then said he’d get them to make poached eggs but we said we’d rather not have rushed poached eggs (and to be honest it had been over an hour, we had to get off). There was an almighty row going on between him and the kitchen (I imagine the order simply hadn’t made it and then he’d guessed). We were gutted, it had been such a lovely stay with two fabulous meals and great service and it ended like that. We were told that a guest had a flat battery and they were trying to help out with that, but to me there’s no excitement for that level of service in a breakfast room where only 5 tables have taken breakfast. When I checked out he apologised it did not make eye contact. I really wanted to be writing a positive review and like I said the majority of the stay was super, to the point we’d discussed returning g. However that wouldn’t happen now, which is a shame.

We enjoyed the carvery at Hilton Garden Inn Abingdon this weekend. We were a party of 10, with ages ranging from late teens to early 80s. The hotel is lovely, with a warm welcome on arrival from the staff at reception. We sat in the bar for a while as we waited for all of our party to arrive. The bar is welcoming and comfortable and the drinks reasonably priced. At 12:30 we made our way to the restaurant and waited for a while to be seated. This was our first visit to the carvery and it would have been useful for a member of staff to explain the process to us - but we watched what other customers were doing and followed suit. The 3 course lunch is all self service and drinks are obtained from the bar. For starter there was a choice of soup with homemade bread and salad with cold meats. I had the salad and it was very nice, especially the potato salad which was delicious. The carvery was fantastic. With a choice of pork, beef and chicken, potatoes, cauliflower cheese, mixed vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. Unfortunately some of the serving platters were empty when we got there and we had to wait a while for them to be refilled. I imagine this was due to the sitting starting at 12:30 so an immediate rush of people. The beef was absolutely delicious, as were the potatoes and the Yorkshire puddings were truly scrumptious. I understand from one of my guests that the chicken was perfection. The vegetables were undercooked for my taste but the cauliflower cheese was lovely. We had a really great meal. There were a few improvements that could be made to improve the experience but nothing to put me off going back for another family birthday in a few weeks time.

We booked this at very short notice and had the last room I believe, which overlooked the internal court yard. It was a bit smaller than the pictures online, but was clean, had a large bathroom, tea/coffee making facilities and everything you needed. The staff were fantastic, very friendly and helpful. A good spread for breakfast from buffet to full cooked English breakfasts. The hotel was steeped in history and added to the atmosphere.

Very good, very satisfied