Family friendly Hotels in Gosford and Water Eaton, Oxford

"The Belfry Hotel in Oxford was a major disappointment and nowhere near its supposed 4-star standard. The room was not properly cleaned, the bathtub and sink were visibly dirty, with waste water backing up when using the tap. The carpet was filthy, and I avoided the spa entirely due to hygiene concerns. Basic amenities were lacking too, only a combined shampoo/shower gel was provided, despite Crabtree & Evelyn products being advertised. The bed was uncomfortable, and to make matters worse, a false fire alarm at 1:30am had all guests standing outside in the cold, with staff appearing disorganised and not properly accounting for people. After that, there was constant noise from slamming doors in the corridor until checkout. Food was equally poor, breakfast was below average, with rubbery fried eggs, and dinner (fish and chips) was nothing special. Check-in was slow and inefficient, and no one asked about the stay at checkout — which says a lot. At around £200 a night, this hotel is significantly overpriced and falls well short of expectations."

"We had an overall pleasant stay, largely thanks to the staff, who were incredibly friendly and helpful throughout. When we first arrived, our room was unfortunately in need of maintenance and a refresh. The walls appeared quite dirty with visible handprints, the bath had signs of rust, and some of the wallpaper was peeling. However, when I raised this with reception, one member of staff in particular was exceptionally accommodating, she moved us to a cleaner room without hesitation and also kindly arranged a late checkout for us, which we really appreciated. The hotel itself is set in a beautiful building with lovely grounds. There is a bus stop right outside that takes you directly to Oxford, though it takes about 1hr. The pool and sauna area were lovely and quiet. Breakfast had good options available, and we were especially pleased that the kitchen provided vegan sausages to accompany the cooked buffet. Just a short walk away is a charming little farm where you can see Highland cows! Also just down the road, is a pub called The Pack Horse which was absolutely lovely, and offers a vegan menu. Housekeeping was generally good, although on a couple of days our dirty cups and mugs weren’t cleared, which was a bit frustrating. The main downside for us is the overall lack of maintenance in the rooms. While the service and setting are strong, the bedrooms are in clear need of repainting and general upkeep to bring them up to standard. Overall we enjoyed our stay, thank you!"

"The room was not as we saw on the website, we didn’t have a garden view but a large wall, which made the room really dark, the carpet was stained, the breakfast was ok until my husband saw the chef put cereals spilt on the table back in the pots with the ones to be eaten , there was a big sign outside saying come and look at our refurbished rooms, we certainly didn’t get one "

"Easy parking , spacious location."

"When we checked in, we paid for three days of parking at £5 per day. The reception said their printer wasn’t working so they couldn’t give us a receipt. Then when we went to register the car plate, we were told that we didn’t need to enter the registration number. However, now I have received a parking fine notice."

"Was shocked how much I paid for the room and had no water or robes to walk to and from the spa. However found the bed and pillows too firm but gorgeous living room and bedroom and his and hers sinks in the bathroom with also choice or bath or shower. Over all had lovely stay!"

"We had a really lovely spacious room with a little patio and outdoor seating. The bed was very comfortable, lovely clean bedding, and the bathroom was spotless. Very nice toiletries. We decided to have dinner at the last minute which was really very nice. Nice river walk into the centre of Oxford rather than walking along the main road. The only negative was having to pay £25 for parking! "

"Outstanding, everything and everyone brilliant"

"Stayed for one night, would go back."