From Bibury, we drove through the beautiful Rodborough Common where cows have free reign of the land. So much so that one of them almost hit our car as he crossed the road without a care in the world. Having said that, be careful as you’re driving here. 🙂
The Bear of Rodborough’s massive garden area caught my attention as I was searching for a place to stay in the Cotswold during our holiday. I thought maybe it would be nice to stay in a hotel with a pub to give the Greek Mister a break from driving and trust me, after our visit to Bibury – it was well-deserved.
The Bear of Rodborough is a 17th century former coaching inn with most of its original interiors still intact blending seamlessly with the modern contemporary fixtures. I walked around the creaking corridors of the property and found a lot of tucked away spaces for dining, drinks or maybe just a place to relax after a long day.
While the property is just a short drive from the main town of Stroud, it feels a world apart with the breathtaking view of nature around you. There are lots of walking paths that you can take to enjoy the beautiful surroundings which we didn’t get to do as we were just staying there for a night but even then, it was the perfect place for us to take a break from the crowd and chaos of some of the Cotswold villages that we’ve recently visited.
The check-in process was quick, there was an envelope ready for us to take with our keys. The check-in staff disinfected her hands before handing it over to us, I love how they’re taking their covid-19 protocols seriously.
We went up to our room which disappointingly overlooks the main road, the size of the room was big though and the bathroom was just as spacious. There was no air-conditioning which was fine during our visit but I could only imagine how terrible it would have been if we were there during the heatwave which was just the week prior.
Our plan was to have dinner at the garden area but then Mother Nature had other plans and poured down rain instead. So we settled in one of the cozy spots by the fireplace and enjoyed our dinner and drinks from there.
Service, I must say, was borderline non-existent. I can understand them though as the diners sat in different parts of the hotel so it must have been quite confusing for the servers to pay attention to all of us. It took them awhile to deliver our food which thankfully, was worth the wait as it was amazing. I had a salmon while the husband had a burger.
For breakfast the next day, we sat by the window at The Library – a beautiful dining area with great views of the hotel’s surroundings.
I had a tiny avocado on toast with poached eggs while the husband had his usual full English breakfast. While it was much better than the avocado on toast that I’ve had the previous day at The Fleece Inn in Witney, The Bear of Rodborough’s serving was so tiny that I had to order an extra sausage and bacon along with it. :p
All-in-all, we enjoyed our stay at The Bear of Rodborough and we’d definitely consider them again if we’re in the area. Just hoping that it would be sunny on our next visit so we could enjoy their beautiful garden area more.
The Bear of Rodborough
Rodborough Common, Stroud GL5 5DE
We paid a total amount of £90.10 for a one night stay which includes breakfast.
There is free parking for guests onsite.
For more information, visit their website here.
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