Marlborough Arms Hotel

It’s a beautiful building, and the friendly receptionist gave us a lovely warm welcome. Our room was spacious, very clean and tidy, and had everything we needed. Breakfast was included and lovely, with the staff greeting us warmly again and catering for me as a vegetarian. Blenheim Palace is an easy walk, about 10 minutes away, so it’s a perfect spot for a visit. I’d definitely recommend staying here.

The staff were attentive, the room was comfortable and breakfast was wonderful. It’s a great location for Blenheim. The gravel in the car park made it very difficult to manage our suitcases, and I wasn’t keen to learn that dogs were welcome.

The beds were really comfortable, with lovely linen and luxurious pillows. There was hot water for a bath or shower, toiletries, and soft white towels on a heated rail. We also had a coffee maker and pods, a kettle for tea or hot chocolate, biscuits and bottled water. Breakfast was amazing, with cereal, fruit, yoghurt, cold meats and a full English cooked to order, plus tea, coffee and toast. The staff were always on hand to check that everything was all right. We ate locally in the evening and used the 10% discount, then came back to The Marlborough and sat by the fire with a bottle of red. This was our third visit for my husband and me, and the first for my daughter and her friend. There were four of us. We arrived at 10:30am, let Alina know, and took the bus into Oxford. After a lovely riverside walk through Christchurch Meadow and seeing the tourist sights, we returned around 3:30pm. Alina showed us our rooms, a lovely double and an equally nice twin. Cream tea and Prosecco were served by the log fire in the lounge: warm, mouth-watering scones with cream and jam, or is it jam and cream? The cold Prosecco went down nicely. Sorry this is such a long post, but it was a really positive experience and worth sharing. Please try it for yourselves. Thank you, Team Marlborough.

The staff were all very friendly and helpful, and we liked the rustic feel of the main building. Breakfast was good, with a small buffet and a few freshly cooked options. We had to choose a breakfast time, though the room was never crowded when we were there. We stayed three nights at the start of our trip, visiting Blenheim Palace one day and Oxford the next. The inn is handy for the town entrance to Blenheim, and buses for Oxford stop almost at the front door. The road outside is busier than expected, but it’s easy to walk around nearby, with plenty of pubs, restaurants and little shops. Our room, 15, was a Superior Deluxe Twin in the “new” part across the courtyard, up a flight of stairs. It was comfortable, a nice mix of modern and cosy, and both the bedroom and bathroom were a good size. The room did have a few downsides. The old-fashioned skeleton key was awkward to use, and you had to use it to lock the door from inside too. There weren’t any handy outlets for the hairdryer, so we had to crawl under the TV to plug it in, then dry our hair in an awkward spot. The bedroom windows faced the car park entrance, so we heard cars idling and people walking over the pea gravel early and late. The large bathroom window was beside the toilet and looked towards the kitchen window below, so we had to raise and lower a cumbersome Roman shade for privacy or light. Even with those room issues, we really enjoyed the stay and would recommend the inn.