Shillingford Bridge Hotel — Hotel in South Oxfordshire

We have stayed here several times, but this one will be our last. The location is fabulous, its proximity to Wallingford is so handy, the car parking is great. But there it stops. The whole feel is run-down, staff are hard to find, and there is an air of demoralisation. Carpets are staircases up to the rooms are frayed, sometimes displaying the decaying woodwork. Windowsills have paint peeling, revealing the original blue in patches (and indeed one of the windowsills was hanging dangerously loose). We arrived in our favourite room 37, to find a missing lightbulb we had reported on December 1 2023 still hadn't been replaced. The lighting is in fact very idiosyncratic, and various combinations of switches bring haphazard results. Is this a health and safety danger? The bathroom looks great and very modern, but there are no soap or toiletry holders anywhere, not on the washbasin, not around the bath, nor in the shower. Both the bath and shower are dangerous, with no non-slip floors, not grab-handles (needless to say, no bath-mat). No toilet-roll holders, just take-it-or-leave-it rolls lying around. No bottled water in the bedroom. The heating-pipes knock when they feel like it through the night. Much of the cooked breakfast is obviously lying around in the kitchen, keeping warm, and gradually cooling. Items such as bread for toast, fruit juice and hot water for tea run out, as do the tea-spoons, and no eye is kept on them for immediate replenishment. We went into the bar for a snack on the Saturday evening, and there was no atmosphere and no staff. The resturant was empty -- at 7.45pm on a Saturday evening! This hotel has huge, huge potential, but it is decaying, and we will not be coming again, turning a blind eye to so many irremedial deficiences the way things...

I booked a single room over the phone for two nights and was quoted £79 B&B per night. The wedding party had agreed a 10% discount. The 10% discount amounted to £15.80 was NOT honoured. I expected to pay £142.20 but I actually paid £158.

I was given a single room Number 8. The room was unimpressive but at least it was clean and had an en suite shower, toilet, and wash-hand basin. I had a nice view of the bridge and traffic lights. I had informed the hotel that I was diabetic but still had to ask for a small fridge for my room and a kettle to make tea.

On the first morning, the day of the wedding, after running the shower for well over five minutes there was no hot water coming through the shower head. The cold shower tap did not work at all and the hot tap just ran cold. After informing the reception desk I was told someone would check it. I later checked it myself and lo and behold hot water was flowing. But it was too late as I had a wedding to attend and I had already resorted to a strip wash from the basin earlier as that did have hot water flowing.

The following morning it was the same situation with the shower as the day before. I was forced to have a cold shower as I needed to wash my hair and freshen up for the journey home. Two of my sisters were in a double room number 36 they too had issues. They had hot water coming from their shower but not from their bath taps.

The staff seemed pleasant but drinks were pricey on the night of the wedding. Half a pint of draft, CamdenTown, and a small bottle of Appletiser came to £7,50.

So overall, no discount honoured, issues with hotel plumbing, pricey drinks and no consideration in the way of a price reduction for the plumbing issues. Would I recommend? The wedding was great but...

Having just returned from a 2 night stay we and our dog , Ted , had a super weekend break||If you want a posh hotel with up-to-date fixtures and fittings then this is not for you but as a good value short break with stunning views and riverside walks to clean the lungs then this hotel will deliver||I'd rather have a decent sized room with a river view , for which some paid a small upgrade charge from the internet booking price (£55 to £79) a night with a full cooked breakfast for two (along with a choice of cereals , fruit , toast , jam etc , and suffer a the slightly tired looking carpets and furniture than be in a sterile box from a budget chain hotel at the same price||The bathroom was large with a super deep bath and a separate shower ||The bedroom lighting was quirky and we never quite figured out which switch quite did what , but we had light , TV and a very comfortable bed , I have been selling beds since the 1980s so guess I'm a pretty good judge on that aspect||There was no additional charge for the dog or parking and the staff were delightful , friendly and helpful||As we had Ted with us we ate at a table in the bar which was warm and comfortable||The food we ate there on both nights was served fresh and hot and pretty quickly too . Thai Fishcakes , Chicken liver Pate and Onion Tarte Tatan were delicious starters . My wife had a perfectly cooked steak with a great peppercorn sauce that tasted homemade whilst I opted for an interesting tasty fish dish . We also had a decent burger and a veggie risotto ||As we have friends in the area I'm sure we'll be back so long as it retains its character and value although I fear the owners may go for a total refurbishment and really hike up the prices but...