Old Swan & Minster Mill Hotel

“Great times at the Old Swan, Minster Lovell”

I have spent quite a lot of time in the Cotswolds over the years, often with family and friends with whom I want to share the picturesque and atmospheric ruins at Minster Lovell . . . and the lovely Old Swan Inn. I just returned from such a visit with several family members and friends, including … more

I have spent quite a lot of time in the Cotswolds over the years, often with family and friends with whom I want to share the picturesque and atmospheric ruins at Minster Lovell . . . and the lovely Old Swan Inn. I just returned from such a visit with several family members and friends, including two nights at the Old Swan, taking up several rooms of various types and sizes. The unanimous sentiment of the group was, "can we stay here longer?" People expecting the bland uniformity of a modern hotel may not appreciate, as we did, the quirky individuality of each room. From a standard room to some of the superior and deluxe rooms, and a couple of cottages, each accommodation was fun . . . and comfortable. Both our evening dinners were great--as were the breakfasts order from servers from a large assortment of menu items. Service was uniformly cheerful and helpful . . . including handling of luggage from the bar/reception area to individual rooms for those who required assistance. Drinks on the stone-floored patio beside the lovely Windrush River were memorable. All in all, what a wonderful experience.

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“Lovely stay”

We stayed in Swan Cottage for 2 nights. A lovely old cottage but up to date and beautifully appointed and comfortable beds, modern bathrooms and the log burner in the sitting room made it really cosy. I on only sorry it is too far away for us to make regular visits. All the staff were so helpful a… more

We stayed in Swan Cottage for 2 nights. A lovely old cottage but up to date and beautifully appointed and comfortable beds, modern bathrooms and the log burner in the sitting room made it really cosy. I on only sorry it is too far away for us to make regular visits. All the staff were so helpful and friendly and I would 100% recommend.

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“Great evening stay”

Lovely overnight stay - fantastic staff who helped with a lass minute wardrobe issue for family funeral - well done to the team, bar was nice before the event and the room was clean and spacious - would recommend

“Good location - extremely overpriced.”

We stayed here as part of a 4 day family holiday to the Cotswolds. On arrival, the hotel looks lovely and idyllic, with a river running alongside the drive and car park. Staff were friendly. Once in our "feature room", which had a small patio area and overlooked the river, we were disappointed. At… more

We stayed here as part of a 4 day family holiday to the Cotswolds. On arrival, the hotel looks lovely and idyllic, with a river running alongside the drive and car park. Staff were friendly. Once in our "feature room", which had a small patio area and overlooked the river, we were disappointed. At £265 per night we were expecting something a little more well appointed, but sadly it wasn't. The tiny wardrobe only had 5 coat hangers, and there were only 2 drawers in the bottom of a cheap looking unit. The miniscule fridge wasn't cold, so it clearly wasn't working properly. There were 2 wall lights in the entire space, and 2 lights either side of the bed, one of which wasn't working. You also couldn't have the wall lights and bedside lights on at the same time. The blind at the window was torn. There was an oversized vertical radiator on one wall, which was permanently on with no way of turning it down or off. This meant the room was roasting hot and we had to have both windows open at night to prevent overheating and sleeping in a stuffy, headache inducing room. The mirror in the shower room was dimly lit by 1 wall light, making it impossible to see what you were doing. I had to perch my small hand mirror on the windowsill in the bedroom to apply my makeup in the mornings. The only other mirror was on the inside of the wardrobe door, but due to the lack of lighting, it was as useful as a chocolate teapot. The tennis court opposite our patio, on the other side of the river, looked very unloved, with moss and weeds growing on the court, with a thatched outbuilding that looked dilapidated. You also have to walk over the road to the Old Swan pub for the continental breakfast, which was ok but nothing special. If you wanted a cooked breakfast, you had to pay extra, and it honestly wasn't great. We had to keep asking staff for things we'd ordered as it had been forgotten. It seemed quite disorganised. Despite being in a great location to get to Burford, Bourton-on the- Water, Diddly Squat or the Farmer's Dog, the hotel didn't live up to it's online hype and was very overpriced. Would we stay there again? No, not unless they vastly improved the rooms and actually invested some money in to it to bring it up to the standard attached to the price tag. Lovely to look at, disappointing to stay at.

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