Organising a trip with a group of friends is never easy. If they all live in another country with a…read moremulti-hour time difference between you and them it's even tougher. But from my first phone call with Wendy at the Old School, I knew if anyone could make our dreams of a car-less, stress free, food forward holiday in the Cotswolds come true it would be her! Wendy sorted out transportation from the Kingham station to the Old School and our people carrier was there waiting as soon as we stepped off the train. We stopped en route at Daylesford (highly recommended) and bought some fantastic food souvenirs. When we arrived at the Old School Wendy warmly welcomed us, showed off each room and then let us have our pick. Not long after she met us in the sitting room with plenty of tea and two types of cake. Prior to our arrival she'd booked us a table at the nearby Red Lion Inn for dinner. As we left to head there on our first night we told her about a walk we planned to do the next day. At breakfast the following morning, Wendy let us know she'd given it much thought and come up with an alternative walk that would require less time on the road, more time on footpaths and a stop at a country pub. We were sold and she gave us a map as well as verbal and written directions. Hours later, after we'd finished lunch at the pub, we received word from our server that Wendy had phoned to make sure we'd gotten there and to have him remind us not too eat too much since she was preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. I don't think there was a single thing we wanted for that Wendy did not provide: - An extravagant four course Thanksgiving dinner at a very reasonable £30 per person - Rubber boots, gloves, hats for those who forgot theirs to keep us warm on our walk - Clotted cream (because I love the stuff!) - Transportation to and from the station (hello hassle free!) - Tea and homemade cake each afternoon She even laundered my friends' jeans after they got muddy on our walk. Have you ever heard of such hospitality anywhere, ever? The Old School is an absolute dream for folks wanting a food-centric holiday in the Cotswolds. The breakfasts, bundled into the nightly rate, are dreamy indulgences which include yogurt, numerous fruit compotes, cereals, smoked salmon, tea, coffee, toast with homemade jams, eggs any way you like, bacon, sausage and black pudding. The B&B makes an excellent base if you want to go walking and take in the gorgeous countryside on foot. I feel as if I've stumbled upon a unique paradise in my discovery of the Old School and can't recommend the place highly enough. My only disappointment? I didn't spot any stoats while at the Old School. Pretty sure that means I shall have to return soon to continue my search!

My stay at the Old School was truly one of the most wonderful travel experiences of my life…read more Wendy is an absolute gift of a hostess. She was so immediately kind and welcoming, it basically felt like I was staying with my favorite English auntie for the week. She's also quite talented in the kitchen, and whipped up the most delicious cakes. (She even offered to email me the recipe.) Make time for your breakfast - you will definitely want to linger. My room was very comfortable and quiet. I believe there are only two other guest suites in the three-story house, and everyone has plenty of room and privacy for themselves. During the day we all adventured our separate ways, and it was a treat to reconvene over tea or the next morning's breakfast and compare travel stories. The Old School is an easy walk to a local pub for dinner and ales, and is also a short jaunt to a local garage where you can rent a car. It's well-situated as a base for daytime trips as far as Stratford and Bath, though there's more than enough to see within 15 or so miles of the Old School. Leading up to the visit, every step of making arrangements with Wendy was easy and pleasant, allowing me to focus my mind on the fun side of planning a vacation. Wendy is also an excellent resource to those not familiar with the area. She loaded me up with maps, brochures and advice to make sure I had everything I needed to make the most of my brief visit. I could have stayed another week, and am already plotting my return with friends and family in tow. Definitely book a visit - you'll be so happy you did.

Fantastic place to stay at such reasonable prices.especially for Oxford. An excellent service that…read morecovers so much. There are organised walking tours, ghost tours and a Fawlty Towers blogan absolute must to read/follow. The breakfast set you up for the day.you may not need lunch! The rooms are beautiful, spacious and well furnished, my favourite being New College. Perfectly situated for concerts at The Holywell Music Room and Sheldonian, also not far from The White Horse!!

Never have I ever left a restaurant in tears. You know when…read moreyou just *feel* the racism? It doesn't need to be blatant but is usually subtle. POC will understand 100% that feeling. We booked this last minute and as soon as we walked in, were ignored. A white couple came in after us and the blonde waitress went directly around us and took them to a table. I made direct eye contact as she was taking them, as if to say, I saw that and yes we're still here. She intentionally avoided us completely after as we were standing there waiting to be helped. The man behind the bar saw, seated us instead, and then we were ignored for another 20 minutes. I asked another blonde waitress if we could be helped and she said WE'LL GET TO YOU. She had never even acknowledged our presence or existence prior. I was already so upset we just decided to leave after that. We left with empty bellies and a trip to a local grocery store instead. There's a Yelp review from 9 days ago about this and one on TripAdvisor from this month saying the EXACT SAME THING.

Had lunch recently at the Bell at Stow and was very happy with our meal. Everything was really…read moredelicious, and very filling. We had: - Crispy Lincolnshire Poacher, roasted sweet potato, honey roasted carrots, baby spinach, chicory, avocado (£8.50) - basically a grown up mozzarella stick that was so delicious we had a hard time getting our mom to share bites with us. - Mixed roast beef and pork, crackling & Apple sauce w/ goose fat potatoes, double egg Yorkshire pudding, red cabbage, honey roasted roots cauliflower cheese and gravy (£16.50) - thank god we saw another table receive their servings first because then we knew this was a huge portion to be shared. Very good, traditional English meal - Crispy pork belly, creamy truffle mash, baby spinach, roasted button onion, cauliflower purée, apple sauce (£16.50) - delicious, especially the creamy truffle mash. Service was friendly although we had to catch their attention a bit more than I like. The space has a welcoming, well-decorated pub feel but well lit. We realized afterwards that they had out door seating which would have been nice to take advantage of with the fantastic weather! There is a parking lot out front.

I LOVED this place! First off, this bed and breakfast REALLY is in a village--the kind you see in…read morethe movies! Harts Lane is so narrow, my partner hesitated pulling our car into the lane and then really had second thoughts about pulling into the tiny parking area. I was too busy loving everything I could see to care about that! Then, we walked into the bed and breakfast, where an out-of-breath Linda Smith greeted us warmly and apologized for not being ready. We didn't mind. After all, there were TWO pubs in one TINY village! ;) When we returned from our obligatory pub visit, Linda led us upstairs and to our room. Do you know how sometimes places look clean but don't smell clean? This clean room smelled GREAT! Then, I went into the bathroom. It was completely remodeled and very modern. I was in heaven! A quaint, clean bedroom with a clean modern shower! There was even a place for me to sit down in the bedroom and put on my makeup. I decided to use it for sitting down and reading a daily devotional, but just having this wonderful space was a plus. Did I mention there was a fireplace? The next morning, Linda cooked us "whatever we wanted." My partner happily ordered sausage and eggs, and I ordered bacon and eggs. While we waited, I looked around the family dining room. There were wonderful family pictures--Linda and Ian Smith's wedding pictures, their children, etc. My partner meanwhile marveled at his freshly squeezed orange juice and some of the woodwork in the room. Then, the food came. The bacon was the size of 4 American slices stuck together but a lot thicker. Everything was delicious, but after we ate, we felt like we needed a nap! If you go to this area of England, stay here! The Smiths are very congenial people, their accommodations are clean, their food is outstanding, and the village is picturesque. You'll swear you're in a movie.

OMG LOVE the COTSWOLDS!!!!…read more If you are picturing the england of movies this is it!! We ended our two week roadtrip here at Bourton on the Water! And it was the perfect ending, such a cute town, with the little rivers running through the city. No loud pubs, or stuffy restaurants, just down home charm! It was rainy when we were here but that was ok, it added to the english charm. I believe there are two ladies that run this B&B, there are a lot of stuffed animals, but if you can get over that, its PERFECT! Great location, Great Breakfast! This is my most favorite place of the cotswolds! Oh it was a little hard to find, as it said it was rainy...but drive by where you think it is a couple of times, like they describe on the website, and you will find it!

Very comfortable and cute Bed&Breakfast just outside Oxford town center (ten minute drive or bus to…read moretown). 85/night for a double. The bed was very comfortable with lots of pillows. The bath was nice despite lacking a shower. I really appreciated the blackout curtains but wish there was more sound insulation between our room and the stairs (thin door I think). Breakfast (between 8 and 9 weekdays) was a tasty selection of fruit, cereal, yogert, and toast as well as made-to-order eggs or full English breakfast. Yum.

A really great bed and breakfast. Our room was really luxurious - a massive bed, really nice…read morebathroom and even a foot spa, all for only £70. The breakfast was really nice, and fully customisable. This is a family run place, and very friendly. I'd definitely go back again.

Excellent meal and service is charming pub. We had prawn risotto and lamb and both were prepared…read morewell and quite delicious. We came on a Wednesday evening in mid August and were served immediately. Service was attentive and helpfulL.

Churchill Arms is my new favorite Gastropub! Our table of five had the most amazing butternut…read moresquash soup, haddock soufflé (so light and perfectly seasoned), beef Wellington (cooked to perfection) and the wine list to accompany was fantastic. Everyone was friendly and very professional...and customers had pups by the fire. Excellent evening. Cannot wait to return.