Name: Great Western Arms
Address: Station Rd, Aynho, Banbury OX17 3BP, United Kingdom, Aynho, Aynho, Aynho, OX17 3BP, United Kingdom
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

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General

Non-smoking rooms

Fridge

Hairdryer

Flat-screen TV

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Toiletries

Rooms

Accessibility features

Accessibility

Iron and board

Iron

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Breakfast in the room

Restaurant

Bottled water

Kettle

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Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Parking

Location

At the hotel

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Oxford Airport

Raf Brize Norton

Milton Keynes

Asaba International Airport

Coventry Airport

Great Western Arms

Aynho

We booked this hotel as a step off point to break up a long distance journey. According to the Website “you are guaranteed a great nights sleep and a hearty breakfast” so we booked a Saturday and Sunday night. On arrival were immediately told that the breakfast was extra and was not served until 10am ie nearly lunch time. Alternatively you could have a ‘continental breakfast’ which would be left outside your door the previous night. Prior to booking I checked that there would be no issues with bringing our dog into the pub as well as the rooms as we would be eating in the pub. We were told that there would be no problem. Again on arrival we were told that the pub closed at 4pm on Sunday so we could not get an evening meal and “all the pubs round here do the same” (I confess that I failed to check the opening hours of the pub on the website thinking that if they were open for guests then the pub would be open – compounded by the fact that both pub and accommodation is closed on Wednesday).
We were then shown to our room which was freezing cold; the window was wide open and the radiator turned off. So we had to shower in a cold room. Now this room is poetically described as having a “courtyard view”, to be clear the room has a beer garden view.
Due to these problems and a personal matter we decided to stay for one night although we had paid for two.
On the positive side the bed was comfortable but the great night’s sleep was punctuated by the frame creaking and cracking each time you turned over. In addition the noise from the kitchen was quite significant.
The staff were all very pleasant to deal with but that did not make up for all the other deficiencies. Wish I had read the previous negative feedback written on Tripadvisor.

Nice people but.........

Disappointing. The room was not as nice as pictured.  The bathroom door did not have a working catch (it was missing so no excuse they didn’t know).  The tv had sporadic signal - no excuse in these digital days.  The mattress was old and soft. There was no wardrobe. Just hooks for clothes.  The courtyard view was of the bins. 
The whole lot needs a revamp and to charge £85 without breakfast is criminal when it was worse than a budget hotel. There was constant noise from banging doors and beware, they allow dogs which bark every time someone comes into the building.

The staff are the best part of this place - very friendly.

Upgrade the rooms and it would be lovely.

Disappointing but staff are lovely

This is intended as a neutral, purely factual review. Good points - the one meal we had during our 2 day stay was excellent and the room was basic but comfortable. Bad points - closed for meals on Sunday evening even for residents, closed all day Wednesday and no cooked breakfast until 10am on any day. We were on a boating trip on the Oxford Canal, needing a room and meals on the Sunday and Tuesday evenings in that location, where there’s nowhere else to stay. Some things had gone wrong during our stay and we appreciated being offered in compensation wine and desserts free of charge with our evening meal on the Tuesday. However, we had to spend £37 in taxi fares to find a Sunday evening meal in Deddington, only 2 miles away and we were unable to have cooked breakfasts during our stays, as we had to depart before 10am on the Monday morning and the hotel was completely closed on the Wednesday morning. For us, cooked breakfasts are a big part of the pleasure of staying away, as we never have them at home. Overall we found this hotel unsatisfactory and we would not recommend it as somewhere to stay. When it’s open, the restaurant is good.

A rather strange hotel with both good and bad points.

Visited for the first time, at lunchtime, we were given a warm, friendly welcome and seated immediately. The choice of food from the main and lunch menus were excellent, plus options for a specials menu. 
Duck chips are a thing and are delicious. My steak was easily one of the best I’ve had and they serve rhubarb crumble which is a personal favourite. All 3 courses for my wife and myself couldn’t be faulted. 
Highly recommended and will visit again.

Duck chips are a thing

We stayed one night here as a couple. 

I understand the accommodation has recently opened here and we were pleased with the room which was lovely, with a good size bathroom, hot shower and comfortable bed. 

We didn’t have breakfast here but ate in the restaurant in the evening and had a few drinks in the bar during the day. 

The staff were very welcoming, the food and drink was great and overall we were really pleased.

Great stay in a great location

Staying in the area, so Googled and found this place, and gave it a try.

Staff were pleasant and helpful, and the pub is a nice atmosphere.

However, we order the sirloin steak. It was decent and the drink were ok too.

But

Very expensive, and certainly not worthy of what this establishment charges.

Two drinks, one nachos - £79!
And the cheeky sods put a 12 % service charge on.

It was ok, but nothing more than pub food.

Have to be honest. I felt like we were taken for a ride, so will not be visiting again.

It was ok. Nothing more

Visited in June 2023 for an evening meal. Walked from our nearby campsite. The food was good and fair portions. The beer (Hook Norton pub) was excellent. The 12% service charge (although optional) is bit unnecessary for a table of 2 pub meal. Chances are we'd have left a tip anyway!

A good meal beside the canal 

Was camping nearby so booked a table. Dog friendly, excellent gluten free choices. Food was delicious. Totally recommend the goats cheese and Sea bass. The service was spot on. Sat in the Lavender Barn which was just perfect. Will most definitely be coming back. Thank you for a lovely evening. Totally recommend 

Lovely evening meal

We dropped in for a meal after cycling by the canal. The food was absolutely fantastic, the staff was lovely and the service was spot on! We will definitely be back again. They even got us some scraps for our dog.

Excellent meal, great service

We booked an outside table for lunch; in the beautiful courtyard area. The staff were really welcoming , friendly and efficient. The Covid procedures were well explained and were not too onerous and I felt very safe. The food was delicious with large portions and we were not rushed. I would definitely recommend it for lunch and then we had a walk along the canal beside it.

Great Western Arms

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