The Bear Hotel

Popped in on Sunday for lunch and was very impressed all round. £15 for a small pork roast dinner filled me up nicely, everything was spot on, excellent roast potatoes, tender and tasty pork, perfect gravy and some nice sides. Also the staff and service was top notch. 👌

I popped into the Bear hotel for a cup of coffee and have to say it was really good. The coffee tasted better than Costa and it was much cheaper and even got offered a free but of cake. Really cozy place, dog friendly and would highly recommend it.

Been to the Bear a few times now for dinner, and it is okay. The food is fairly simple and reasonably priced. Staff is usually rushed off their feet as the place can get quite busy. On this particular occasion (a Saturday) it was very noisy as a few large parties was sitting near us.

The Bear Hotel in Wantage is historic – that’s obvious. However, the room furnishings are just as old. The bathroom in our room was simply terrible: cramped, worn-out, and impractical. It didn’t even have a single small shelf to place toiletries on. The twin room itself was also rather small and tatty. The window didn’t close properly, and the bathroom fan wasn’t working...Unfortunately, a major downside was the noise from a party taking place in the hotel restaurant’s inner patio directly beneath us. Until around 11 PM, we could clearly hear loud conversations and laughter. This was particularly frustrating as we had to leave for the airport early the next morning. As for the staff, we had the impression that the younger team members were exceptionally friendly, which unfortunately was not the case with some of the older ladies working during breakfast. One of them was particularly unfriendly – she didn’t even greet us with a simple “good morning,” which felt very disrespectful. It gave us the impression that perhaps her attitude was related to us being foreign guests. In contrast, she seemed noticeably more pleasant toward English-speaking visitors. We might be wrong, but the same situation with the same lady happened three times, until we eventually stopped saying good morning to her to avoid being ignored. Now, to highlight the positives: although the decor was dated, the rooms were spotlessly clean. The beds were very comfortable, and the housekeeping team was courteous and professional. We also have no complaints about the breakfast – it was delicious and clearly prepared with care. However, we do feel that the price is slightly high for the overall quality offered. While we understand the lack of hotel competition in Wantage, next time we’ll likely choose an Airbnb in town or Premiere Inn in Abingdon. Similar prices but we’d have more space, no late-night parties beneath our window, and – hopefully – consistently friendly service.

Beautiful location, warm, friendly and helpful staff. Great atmosphere and fantastic coffee with freshly cooked meals available. We would highly recommend and thank you to Amanda for taking great care of us! ☺️ I cannot comment on the hotel aspect as we have not stayed there in that capacity.