"The manager, Matt, was especially helpful & friendly. Check in was quick and welcoming. Had 2 Queen bedroom on top floor overlooking the Thames. Room was very nicely decorated, has 3 mirrors, beds excellent, lots of room. Walk in shower and bathroom good size. Many large, beautifully decorated rooms to eat in and a large patio on the river front. Lots of entertainment by the various birds on the river. By far the best hotel we've stayed in for years."

"This place feels like an odd mix — some aspects feel like a hip boutique hotel while others seem a bit “budget.” There is no actual lobby or dedicated hotel staff in the evening, so you collect your key from the large bar on the ground floor. The rooms are nicely decorated and well appointed (eg, nice bathroom fixtures, Nespresso machine in room), though quite dark. Good location in historic city centre. Nice touches like a refrigerator on the corridor that has bottles of cold filtered water."

"Staff were very friendly"

"I loved this place. When I go to England, I enjoy these smaller, transformed hotels much more than bigger ones and Hand and Spear has been the best. The room I got was spacious with ample wardrobe space and beautiful decor. The bath was insane with a beautiful claw foot tub. I’m very self-sufficient when I travel so I don’t expect a room made up each day but I’m sure they would accommodate you and they quickly brought extra towels when I asked. The thing is…my room had food and a little fridge...

"I needed a place near the Saxon sites and Cathedral. And it didn't hurt that the Westgate was just a five minute walk from the rail station. It's an old place, and it had the feel of the ages in the floors and doors. But that was part of the overall experience for me. It had charm. The staff was very accommodating, and I had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Westgate. It was all good. And it was across the street from the medieval Westgate to the city as well. I would stay there again if ever...

"Everything was wonderful EXCEPT no air conditioning so the whole hotel felt like a sauna (we were there during a heat wave in May) and they didn’t do table service for dinner so we had to order our food and drinks from the bar, which isn’t the end of the world but knocks a star off the rating. Room was super cute, well decorated, the bathroom was really nice, loved the shower and it was very clean. We were able to walk to Highclere Castle from the hotel (20 minute walk) which was great because...