Crazy Bear Stadhampton

I was hesitant due to the bad reviews on here but what an amazing night we had. We booked the suite with dinner & breakfast and everything was stunning! Couldn’t fault it at all! I’m pregnant so on arrival I was given a mock tail♥️ Please do not let the bad reviews put you off - remember you cannot please everyone. Will definitely be returning x

We visited on the last day of May, having booked the room ahead, and advised it was my husbands 60th birthday. I checked in online on the day, and received confirmation of a cosy room-I had booked a junior suite, and as we were in the area early, decided to call in to flag the query. No problem, the website has been upgraded to rename the rooms, but we were advised that due to a power cut and failing generator, our room may not be ready at the agreed time as it wa some of the rooms affected. I really felt for the staff as the system kept crashing, and it was clear they were doing their very best to get the services of an electrician. We went to nearby Wallingford which is a charming little market town, and headed back to hotel at 3pm:still no luck with electric but the managers were obviously trying their best to resolve a difficult situation. We were given some complimentary champagne, and went to wait in the outside terrace. I had expressed a bit of concern as we had the Thai restaurant booked for 7:30, and I was keen to have a soak in the bath and a snooze before getting ready! One of the managers then came and found us, and had kindly arranged an alternative room, which we were taken to. It was a really richly decorated room with a huge bathroom, and padded walls/doors , and the biggest walk in shower room I’ve ever seen! Had a soak in the lovely slipper bath and went down for our Thai meal at 7:30, which was really tasty. Service in the restaurant was excellent, and the staff were working hard to ensure everyone was served swiftly. *one word of advice- I assumed the rooms would be soundproof to a degree, due to the padding, but this isn’t the case- upon return to our room (314) we could hear the thud of the next suites music over ours which was on quietly. Despite that, slept well in the comfortable bed once music went off. We had continental breakfast included in price but my husband upgraded to a full English. There was a good choice of local organic food with the coffee and juices available. All in all, a really enjoyable stay for a special occasion, although I would say it is quite expensive for what it is. What set it aside for us was the professional way the staff dealt with the emergency of no electricity, and made sure the guests were well looked after. Thank you to you all, and we hope to visit again soon.

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU PAY FOR A VISIT We arrived at the double decker bus to check in and that was the first hint at what was to come... it looks completely delipidated and is filthy - nothing like the images I had seen online. Thankfully I was given the warmest welcome from the friendliest person I think I have ever met - Sophie. She was so friendly and funny and made me feel really special. We were shown to our room and that's where the sparkle wore off. The room was really small, literally everything was either falling apart or chipped. There was mould(!) in the shower and on the window frame and it was really dusty. We asked to change rooms but were told this would not be possible. In the bar the cocktails were nice, but they were £15 each and took a long time to come. We went for dinner and again, the restaurant looks a little worse for wear, just run down and neglected. The waitress was not at all friendly, bordering on rude, and there was barely anything on the menu. When I had visited a couple of years ago there was lots to choose from but nothing like that now. Food was average at best. There was a blurb on the menu about it being a 'theatrical experience' but the only theatre I experienced was 'fawlty towers-esque'. We bumped into Sophie again later on and she apologised and tried her best to cheer us up but the overall experience was just awful. I really hope that Sophie gets the recognition she deserves from this hotel. She was honestly the only good thing about our experience and I think I would have cried had she not tried so hard to cheer me up. The ground are nice, but again, neglected - lost all its special-ness. There are some cute animals in the farm fields and a lovely little shop just along from the hotel, but I don't think it's associated with them. On the way home we stopped at a pub in chiselhampton and got talking to some locals who mentioned that it had changed ownership in the last year and had all gone downhill from there. Such a shame as it used to be fabulous. Now it's just a con.

We won a night here at a charity auction (at least the money went to a good cause). On arrival, we were asked to wait in the bar as our room wasn't ready. The staff were friendly but the bar was very tired with ripped paper on the ceiling. Once the room was ready we were given champagne as we checked in and then taken to our room. It was very small and dark, the chairs were in front of the tv as there wasn't enough room for them. The bathroom was a shower room with no shelving for toiletries (only for the towels) and there was no water pressure so the shower and taps were useless. The door handle (inside the bathroom, fell off so we couldn't close the door. Sleep was difficult as the aircon sounded like a freight train and without it the room was very hot. The next morning we found a slug on the carpet. When we checked out, I told them about all the problems. I was told they would investigate and get back to me later that day. The following day I received an email saying they were sorry we had problems with the dining experience. I replied saying this was the only area that was ok and listing the problems again. I'm still waiting for a reply which, having read other reviews, I'm obviously not going to get. I will not be going there again!!

Really poor value for money. Top prices are not reflected in the quality of the product. It started well with welcoming staff in the bus which is quirky and fun. Would recommend at this point to have the champagne served within the room rather than walking down the road to the room holding it and dragging a suitcase! The carpet in our room was soaking wet on arrival outside the bathroom and on the downstairs floor with no obvious reason. The bathroom taps are on the wrong way around and the lighting is so dark you cannot see to apply make up etc - just not practical. tiling around sink needs attention. Light bulbs were not working on mezzanine making the room extra dark. Sofas were tatty and tired with no support, mirrors broken. Tea/coffee tray lacked the extras you would expect at paying over £350 a night for a room. Not enough milk, one tea bag no biscuits, filer bag coffee, hot chocolate etc. one saucer. The breakfast was particularly poor. Very dry 'cheap' pastries, muesli poor quality dry and tasteless. On the upside, the bed linen was excellent and bed was very comfy, the thai meal was good, staff were friendly and the orange juice at breakfast was fresh. When we checked out the receptionist suggested we write to the manger as they were new and open to feedback to improve the experience. I now realise this was just a ploy to get rid of us as I have written to the manger and chased twice with still no reply (over one month now!). Therefore, I now feel i need to make others aware - Please do not book this experience - it is not worth the money !

I read the mixed reviews on here like everybody else and was a bit apprehensive about our stay but I cannot say a single negative thing about it. From the moment we checked in we were made to feel very welcome by the two receptionists on the check-in bus. The process was quick and painless and we were each given a glass of champagne. We were showed straight to our room (suite 13) which was elegant, eccentric, luxurious quirky all at the same time. The hotel left a note wishing us both a happy anniversary which was a nice touch. The bed/pillows were very comfy, the big slipper bath was a lovely way to relax, there was ambient classical music playing in the room when we walked in, the bathroom was very nice and everything was to a high standard. Very clean and everything shiny. We went downstairs to explore a bit, the grounds are very nice. We went to the bar and had a drink - excellent pint of Guinness and good selection of cigars. We booked the Thai restaurant for 8pm and although the restaurant was visibly very busy, nothing took too long and the food was fantastic. We were both very pleased with our meals and the service. After the meal we went upstairs to the courtyard area to drink and play cards. The only small criticism I have is that not many of the patio heaters were working. There are bloody loads of them dotted about but each one had its own problem which prevented many of them from working. Not a big deal but maybe they could be looked at. Had a brilliant sleep and woke up feeling refreshed. Went down to breakfast which was decent. Good service once again and plenty of items on the menu at a very reasonable price. If the cooked breakfast isn't your thing then continental is included and also nice. Overall, we had a wonderful stay at the Crazy Bear Stadhampton. Friendly and helpful staff in all departments, luxurious room, excellent pint of Guinness and selection of cigars, fantastic food at the Thai and breakfast and the slipper bath was great - big fan of the slipped bath. Would definitely recommend this hotel, quite eager now to try the Beaconsfield one!

We were given this as a Christmas present and we were both excited to have a night out without the kids. We were both impressed when we turned up and then when we got to the bar it all went wrong. They were confused with the booking as the restaurant wasn’t open until 5:30. (I had booked this back in January so plenty of time for them to contact me to change this) We were happy to wait until it was open and sat by the bar. Then they started bring our food out and it felt really awkward as no one else was eating there. We asked to move to the restaurant and was told they’d look into it but never happened. The lady serving us was rude and didn’t seem to care. If it wasn’t for the nice bar man asking if I was alright I would have left crying.

We stayed here for the night after my mother’s wedding & I honestly cannot fault the place! The staff were amazing and so attentive and friendly and were always so happy to help with whatever was needed. We had a meal the night before in the English restaurant and the food was brilliant, everyone loved theirs & the food on the day of the wedding was again brilliant! The room was a good size and perfect for two people and the bed was super comfy! Will definitely be coming back again!

The room (suite 14) was spotlessly clean and every wall and ceiling surface covered in padding and quilting. All of which looked different. The wet room was enormous at around 4m square. And the copper slipper bath was definitely a new experience. There was only one bottle of water, and no coffee maker - though we weren't charged for coffee in the bar. The room felt soft, smooth and was very dark: romantic with a definite sexy vibe. And there was a big, long black sofa. But, overall, the hotel didn't feel as quirky as the website and its photographs suggests. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. We had gone for the May Ball. There were around 130 people there - mostly aged 30 to 50 - sat at circular tables; many in parties. The Thai buffet was excellent. The band was very average, and the "entertainment" a real disappointment. A single drag artist followed by two girls dressed as Brazilian samba dancers. All of which lasted perhaps 10 minutes, done twice. The dance floor was rather small, but many people seemed to leave early. The room only was £466 for one night (breakfast extra) and a pair of Ball tickets £159. Cocktails were £15 each and the less expensive wines weren't available. We made this a very happy night but this hotel didn't seem value for money.