Macdonald Bear Hotel

The hotel is right in the heart of Woodstock, which is lovely, but the roads around it can feel a bit tight and busy when you first arrive. Once you’re settled, everything is within walking distance. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming. Every interaction felt genuine, and they really made the stay feel relaxed and enjoyable. I loved the traditional feel of the building. It has that classic, historic charm that makes you feel like you’re staying somewhere with real character.

Shocking Experience -AVOID THIS HOTEL Booked an accessible room with king size bed, walk in shower, no steps, paid nearly £1000 for 2 nights. The room wasn’t accessible. We had about 14 steep stone outside steps to try to get to room with elderly man on four wheeled walker No king size bed - so one person had to sleep on floor No water in room Night 2 we were offered a downgraded room, with bath and single bed, with a wait in the 35 degree heat for two hours before we had to repack and move. The menus advertised were not available, instead we were offered a limited 2course option, charged for 2 courses but they had runout out of some basic menu items on the starter and pudding menu like ice cream so couldn’t have 2 courses. The food was inedible. I had risotto but it was stodgy rice with a can of mushy peas mashed in… 🤢 Breakfast… well described as a delicious buffet of fresh seasonal fruits, continental selection, delicious pastries, award winning.. well … what we got was a tray with a few warm slices of salami, no bread, no fruit, and a greasy plate of burnt something that took 45 minutes to produce in an empty tired restaurant, The reception staff were amazing… but the whole weekend was a complete wash out …we left exhausted, dirty, had had no food for two days and felt completely let down.

Don't bother going here! Save your money and go elsewhere or spend a few extra ££ and stay in one of the other, far nicer hotels in Woodstock. We could not believe this is rated 4*, its absolutely not!! First things first, our room was baking hot, recorded on my phone at 29 degrees, it was so bad that we had to leave our bedroom door slightly ajar all night as otherwise it would have been impossible to sleep. We raised our concerns with the lady on reception and were just shrugged off with well, its summer and its hot everywhere! As a result, neither of us slept properly. Next up is the bathroom. We had a shower over the bath, fine in normal circumstances but not here. My husband is quite tall and he could not stand upright in the shower due to a beam over the shower.... I am average height and it was just about The following morning, we ordered breakfast to the room. It arrived incomplete, missing cutlery, no toast, cold beans, 1 sachet of ketchup and mushrooms that I feel were definitely kept warn for an extended period of time as they were very dried out and had zero taste. Plenty of jam in a big bowl but nothing to put it on (missing toast again!). On the evening of our arrival, we considered a meal in the dining room. Well, scratch that idea as it was completely empty, very dark, zero atmosphere and looked like it hadn't seen a paintbrush, hoover or a good clean in a long period of time. We decided there and then to eat in the pretty cobbled streets of Woodstock and it was absolutely the right decision. We also noticed other hotel guests had made the same decision and when we got back to the hotel, the bar and restaurant were still empty. This says a lot for a vibrant town like Woodstock, all the other bars and restaurants were packed at the peak of summer and the Bear looked like it had been lost in time. I think at this point I have said enough. Honestly, staying in a budget hotel at a large train station or airport would probably have been a better experience than our stay at The Bear in Woodstock.