Old Swan & Minster Mill - Witney

Georgia R.

Visited Minster Mill for dinner to celebrate an anniversary. Dined the ‘Wilding Experience’ which was absolutely divine and extremely good value for money. There was an abundance of delicious food with some unique pairings of flavours which worked beautifully. The staff could not have done enough either to make sure we had a wonderful dinner. Highly recommend!

Samantha C.

Wonderful service and very delicious food!
The reception team is warm and welcoming. They really went above and beyond for us, which made the stay. We had the most delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant, the small plates menu gives such variety and the main options were out of this world. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time.
We were given a map of the local area and went for a lovely stroll, as well as a recommendation to explore Burford. A lovely town, lots of independent shops, beautiful scenery, and we ended up having breakfast there.

jgodsave

Disappointing Stay – Overpriced for a 4-Star Hotel

We recently stayed at Minster Mill, and sadly, the experience didn’t match the expectations — especially at £300 per night. This is particularly hard to justify given that The Swan Inn, the 5-star sister hotel just across the road, was charging £260 per night. When we queried this, we were given an unconvincing explanation, and it made little sense for the supposedly more premium property to be cheaper.

Our room was very small and not what you’d expect for the price. Even more frustrating was that fire pits used by rooms below caused smoke to drift directly into ours — leaving the room with a strong smell and our clothes affected as well.

There was also damp clearly visible on the toilet walls, which is unacceptable in any hotel, let alone one marketed as a luxury retreat. Adding to the disappointment, we were placed right next to a wedding venue area without warning, making it hard to relax due to the noise and foot traffic.

Connectivity was another major issue. There was no phone signal throughout the property, and while this can happen in rural areas, the WiFi was also down when we arrived, and it took over two hours to get it working again — not ideal when you’re trying to settle in or get basic information.

The common areas were poorly maintained, with paint splattered on corridor floors and dirty chairs in the lounge and communal spaces.

The location is beautiful and the property has potential, but the experience felt overpriced, underwhelming, and nowhere near the standard expected — especially when its 5-star sister hotel across the road offers more for less. We left disappointed and wouldn’t return unless significant improvements are made.

Sheena M.

We live locally and walked over for a Sunday morning breakfast. Wonderful experience. Super helpful and friendly guy on reception. Sat outside in lovely garden. Food good, service was excellent and fast, apart from being served poached eggs instead of scrambled, which wasn’t an issue for us but when we came to pay, the staff had given us a discount. We didn’t expect it or ask for it so we’re very grateful for being so well looked after. In addition the waiter recommended we took a walk around the 60 acre wildlife garden, which was a fantastic place to explore and gave our dog an opportunity to cool off in the stream…Thank you to the breakfast staff at the Old Swan for a lovely Sunday morning!

Cathy D.

I took my partner to Minster Mill for a big birthday. We had a wonderful stay. The room was fab...clean and spacious. Our spa treatments and experience relaxing and the food in the restaurant was excellent with a great wine choice. On top of this the team was friendly and welcoming. We will definitely be going back.

Glyn F.

I have stayed here twice recently for work bookings. Unfortunately, the accommodation and service do not meet the expectations of a four-star experience. It feels like they are charging high prices mainly for the trendy Cotswolds location and attractive buildings. To truly earn a higher rating, the rooms need some refreshing, and housekeeping should be better trained to address details like half-used milk and water, as well as maintaining basic cleanliness standards.

Staff (day & night) could do with a bit more uniformity in both presentation and service.

On a better note - the food is good!

Helen G.

We went to the Swan for a drink because the hotel had a wedding on and was closed. The pub staff made us feel unwelcome, zero customer service skills, it certainly felt like they hated being there, so we took our drinks to the hotel garden and sat by the water which was beautiful and this made up for the poor welcome in the pub. We will return to the hotel but not the pub. The hotel grounds are lovely to walk round, felt historic which we love

Glenn W.

Paid £500 for two rooms to be told we could only access pool facilities if we booked a treat at the spa. Treats at spa minimum £25 so for the family to have a swim £100 more. But only for 90 minutes. Web site uses the word COMPLIMENTARY for access but then qualifies it later stating you need to book a spa treatment. Guess my mistake but misleading. Won't be coming back. No value for £. A motel would be better value. Also, internet has not been working for months. Thus MUST be disclosed on web site. Some of us run businesses, connect with family etc and need internet access and with motel in valley so no phone coverage unless you climb a tree in the garden. Really really disappointed. Room standard below par.