We recently visited the Bear for a family lunch (7 adults) to celebrate my Mother's birthday. We'd been before and enjoyed it, so thought we would go again. We were shown to the table in the restaurant room, and told on arrival that the ordering system had changed: we would have to order our drinks separately at the bar but they would takea food order. The starters and mains arrived OK, although the 'chunky vegetable soup' was very thin and watery. Others mains were perfectly OK for the money, if not outstanding (paella seemed to go down very well, fish and chips were served with a horrible, watery version of mushy peas). We wanted a jug of water and were told to ask for that at the bar, too, which involved a wait of about 10 minutes (while my food arrived and went cold). There was just one member of staff on the bar on a busy Saturday lunchtime, and he didn't appear for several minutes while I and two other customers stared at an empty counter. Then we waited to order desserts. We were offered menus but no-one came to take the order. After 20 minutes we asked at the bar, to be told that dessert orders had to be made at the bar. No-one told us this. As a gesture, the young woman behind the bar said she'd send someone to take the order. After we waited another 15 minutes without service, we gave up and paid. When my Mother complained she was told, 'we don't do birthday celebrations any more'. When does a meal for 7 people become a birthday celebration? We hadn't been looking for anything other than a nice meal. Overall, a very disappointing experience compared with previous visits. read more

Just 20 minutes' drive from Cardiff city centre you can find yourself in the attractive market town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, home to some lovely shops and pubs - including the Bear Hotel. This medieval building was previously the home of the Thomases of Llanmihangel, and is now a very smart hotel and inn. My friend stayed here for a wedding and had a beamed bedroom with a four poster bed, slept very comfortably, and enjoyed breakfast in 'Cellars' the next morning under the original stone vaulted ceiling. The Bear is full of history and the way they've renovated it allows the original features and character of this old building to shine through, while introducing modern style and comforts. It's by no means a bargain place to stop for lunch, but then few places in Cowbridge are - and it's well worth a look in if you fancy a treat. read more

We were here for a wedding and it was a great stay. The food is good and reasonably priced, and we stayed in the old wine house across the road (owned by the bear) which was a great little self-catering apartment. Only slight downside is the two double bedrooms share a bathroom but it wasn't a major inconvenience. The wedding itself was fab, with a great setting (ballroom style room at the back of the bear), nice food, a bar and a dance floor. Great visit. read more

The only hotel in cowbridge. A very nice hotel with a bar downstairs which is a favourite of many cowbridge residents. Like the previous poster stated, this place is very popular for weddings and other events. read more

It's ok. All things considered, £150 was too pricey for the experience. For starters, there was no iron in the room, and apparently only one on the premises, as we had to have the concierge unlock the hotel's private laundry room when we needed to iron our clothing. We decided to spend the extra £50 for the "jacuzzi room," which wasn't a dedicated jacuzzi as is usually customary, but rather just a tub in the bathroom with integrated jets. This wouldn't normally be an issue, but my expectations were much higher for a room priced £50 higher than the standard room and touted as a "jacuzzi suite." We elected to have dinner at The Bear Hotel, which my girlfriend and I both regretted. The steak casserole with horseradish dumplings was more like a low grade beef stew and the risotto was way too hard. The overall stay for the jacuzzi suite and the dinner was £200 for one night's stay. The pricey nature of the hotel versus the service and food that were both mediocre at best force me to rate the hotel at "Meh." I would definitely look into other hotels in the area before considering The Bear Hotel again. read more

I had my wedding here and couldn't recommend it more. We had our reception in the marquee hidden towards the back. Many of the guests were able to stay in the ample accommodation and were charmed by its quirky feel. Look out for the bear waiting to surprise you in one of the corners. read more

Very popular especially for weddings. Quite deceptively large inside with plenty of rooms that are very elegant and meet your needs.

I am a regular here for coffee and a tea cake in the morning. Lovely place, nice coffee and nice staff. Could do with bigger cups perhaps and more frequent top ups for the filter coffee but all in all - great! read more