Suja

Hello everybody, here is a trip report / photo-essay of my recent trip to England covering Bath & region, the Cotswolds and Oxford. It was a good itinerary and may be of interest to fellow travellers wishing to visit the same areas.
http://sujaa.wordpress.com/2013/08/0...te-of-england/

bilboburgler

Nice report Suja with lovely photos, I'm sorry some of the hotels let you down, in the old days we Brits just used to grin and put up with it, now we have learnt to be a pain to the hotels and leave a comment on tripadvisor too. Getting wifi into some older rooms is difficult though as the shear mass of walls will hinder the waves.

Suja

Thank you bilboburgler. In spite of a few inconveniences, our trip was very good. I will take your hint and add a comment in tripadvisor. As to wifi, surely adding a few repeaters would not be that expensive? We travellers are so very dependent on the internet..

mgnapoli

Thanks for the beautiful report! We are headed to the Cotswolds next month, and I really appreciate your info.

Suja

@mgnapoli: Thank you I hope you have a great trip - its a lovely region!

irishface

Enjoyed your report. I was interested that you were so enthused about Wells Cathedral. It brought tears to my eyes when I saw it--especially inside.

Suja

@irishface : I did indeed find it wonderful! I have a little 'top-of-the-Churches/Cathedrals list It has names such as Chartres (at the top-of-charts) and includes Reims, Strasbourg, Sainte-Chapelle, Sagrada Familia, St Peters, the Duomo in Florence and the like. I now need to shuffle my top-10 to include Wells!

semiramis

Lovely report Suja!

docdan

Bookmarking

Suja

@semiramis & docdan : Thank you

ElendilPickle

I enjoyed your report and pictures. Thanks for sharing with us.

Lee Ann

Suja

@Lee Ann: I am glad, thank you

annhig

Hi suja,

what a lovely report/blog and how sorry I am that our hoteliers and restaurants did not always come up to scratch. to charge top dollar for mediocre rooms, food and service is unforgivable.

I am pleased at any rate that some places were good - we used to live near Bletchingley, and there is a lot of competition between the pub there [is there more than one?] and the ones in nearby Godstone.

and isn't Wells lovely? we spent a weekend there last year and liked it very much. BTW you missed a particularly well-run gastropub, AND what we thought was a pretty good indian restaurant!

perhaps next time you come to the UK you will venture as far as Cornwall and we can show you what this far-flung part of the country has to offer.

Suja

Hi Ann, Thank you for such a nice comment It is often hit and miss with hotels and restaurants, isn't it? Not just in your country but anywhere in the world I have travelled. I don't often let it get to me...but sometimes, one has expectations

There was another pub at Bletchingley and it seemed equally busy that Friday night..in fact, my husband and I thought that it looked even more welcoming!

I would love to know which gastropub & Indian restaurant we missed? There is always another time And I would LOVE to come to Cornwall. I saw some outstanding scenery in a few films..it seemed lovely! I will ask for your advice when the time comes
Cheers. Suja

annhig

suja,

sadly the pub where we had such a good dinner seems to have changed hands; this is the link, anyway:

http://www.thefountaininn.co.uk/

and this was the indian restaurant just down the street from our hotel:

http://www.caferomna.co.uk/

we were attracted to it as it offered some dishes which were rather different from the normal UK indian restaurant fare. it was amusing as well because one of the waiters was acting as a bookie's runner for the other waiters [it was during the football world cup] and he kept running in and out with the score.

the next night, in another restaurant he cropped up again, doing the same thing for their staff. that was a nice place too, as i recall -

http://www.cafepianowells.co.uk/

as well as some good food, there was also some entertainment from a very good pianist, which given the name of the place, is probably a regular feature.

please do feel free to ask for any help you need WHEN you come to Cornwall!

janeog

Feel very sad that you didn't enjoy the Lygon Arms as we spent a night there two years ago and absolutely loved it. Our room was huge and quaint, loved the way they had fitted a modern bathroom into a closet - nothing was square! The staff were lovely too and we thought Broadway charming especially in the evening when all the daytrippers were gone.

latedaytraveler

Suja, lovely pics and descriptions - thanks!

europeannovice

Very lovely trip report and pictures.

We had stayed in Broadway too--not the Lygon Arms though. We stayed at a wonderful B&B and had a fabulous breakfast every morning. We loved Broadway. I think Broadway and Stow on the Wold were our favorite Cotswold villages that we saw.

Suja

@janeog : Once they moved us, we were perfectly content. But they do have some grotty rooms too, as we were unlucky enough to be given one of those. We had such expectations that I felt doubly disappointed!

Suja

@latedaytraveler : Thank you! I should mention that I was following your report of your recent trip as I too have a great interest in art and museums. Loved your style, and picked up a few ideas too, thanks!