Clifton Hampden B&B

The Plough B&B in Clifford Hampden seemed a useful place to stay along the Thames Path walk. However it is showing its age and really needs a full refurbishment. It clearly used to be a cosy pub but no evening meal was available and we declined to have breakfast there.

Fawlty Towers AKA The Plough, Clifton Hampden B&B ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (2 stars – one for the room being large, one for the unexpected entertainment) We booked this B&B because we were having dinner at The Barley Mow, which was conveniently within walking distance. Unfortunately, that was where the convenience ended and our participation in an unexpected live-action remake of Fawlty Towers began. Earlier in the evening we'd been to Oxford to see the Fawlty Towers stage show, which was absolutely brilliant. What we weren't expecting was to receive the fully immersive after-show experience when we got back to our accommodation. Finding the B&B was the first challenge. We drove past it no fewer than five times because any visible signage appears to be treated as an optional extra. By the time we eventually located it, we'd become intimately familiar with every road in the village. Upon arrival, reception was unmanned. We rang the bell. And rang it again. And again. Just as we were considering taking up permanent residence in the car park, a gentleman appeared as if summoned from another dimension. He had somehow perfected the impossible: the rudeness of Basil Fawlty combined with the competence of Manuel. Unlike Manuel, however, he moved with all the urgency of a sedated garden gnome. He pointed us towards a collection of key safes, handed us a key and disappeared again before we had the opportunity to ask such extravagant questions as "Which way is our room?" or indeed, "Are we actually guests here?" What followed was an adventure through a bewildering maze of corridors, staircases and doors. At one point I was fairly certain we were accidentally wandering through somebody else's house. The room itself was large enough, although it overlooked the main road, allowing us to fully appreciate the local traffic throughout the night. Breakfast the following morning was another memorable experience. Tea and coffee were of the "find it yourself and hope for the best" variety. There also appeared to be fewer tables than guests, resulting in some people being told to go away and come back later. Given that breakfast is only served for one hour on a Sunday morning, this felt a little like trying to secure Glastonbury tickets. My husband ordered the Full English. What arrived can only be described as an artistic interpretation of breakfast: One hash brown cremated to within an inch of its life. One piece of bacon possessing all the warmth and flexibility of Victorian brickwork. Something resembling scrambled egg, although it may equally have been some of that silly putty children throw at walls. A sausage so tough that even the knife appeared reluctant to engage with it. Toast that we suspect had been prepared sometime during the previous financial year. The décor is best described as "enthusiastically cluttered". Every available surface appears to have been covered with ornaments, curiosities and miscellaneous objects collected over several decades. Some might ca

Absolutely disgusting. This was one of the filthiest places we've ever stayed. The room was covered in dirt and grime, with mould in the bathroom, broken tiles, a filthy toilet seat, a bathmat that was black with dirt and had a hole in it, and even the light switch was black from built-up grime. It was obvious that cleaning had been neglected for a long time. The room also felt unsafe, with extension leads everywhere and damaged electrical cables with exposed wires. The patio doors had a large gap, letting in constant noise and cold air all night. To make matters worse, the receptionist spoke very little English and seemed irritated that we were there, making us feel completely unwelcome. I would not recommend this B&B to anyone. It needs a thorough deep clean and the safety issues addressed before accepting any more guests.

I have stayed here quite a lot now and I feel like I’ve found a hidden gem of a place, sometimes I just come here to take a night off, bedrooms are lovely have a vintage feel to them and the bathtubs in some of the rooms are amazing! Never had a problem with checking in or out, staff are super flexible and available via phone etc at all times, Mira the receptionist cleaner and breakfast maker is such a sweetheart and also so accommodating and kind! I love it here and will keep coming back! 10/10 ＜3

We booked for a last-minute place to stay. The welcome was good and we were shown to our room which was above the main building and dining area. The bathroom and bedroom were bigger than expected, and there were 2 entrances to our room; only 1 was wheelchair accessible and 1 where the code didn't work. Luckily the other guests were quiet and there was no party downstairs during our stay, as sound easily travels through the old building walls. The hot water was tepid on arrival and seemed to run out soon after. It was hot again in the morning, but surely the B&B isn't run on 1 boiler? We ordered breakfast on check in and were seated at 8am the next day. The food took about 20 minutes to arrive after that, but it was 1 person serving and cooking so plates arrived one at a time. We needed a bottle opener in the evening and no one was at the bar. I rang the bell at the reception and had to call one of the WhatsApp numbers before someone came out of a side room downstairs to help. There are many Wi-Fi codes but the signal is intermittent. The bed was comfy and the food was nice. It was a great place with lots of character, but needed some love on the details; repainting, filling gaps, removing random signs and randomly placed extra chairs. A nice place for 1 night and to stay in a piece of history.

This hotel's location offers undeniable convenience, and the front desk staff are welcoming. However, the property suffers from a clear lack of upkeep. My room, while clean, was showing its age, with a torn quilt cover and peeling paint on one wall. The electrical system was erratic, with bedside lights flickering on and off unpredictably. The rear access was poorly lit, and the elevator button malfunctioned, and a dead mouse was left for over 24 hours. Breakfast was disappointing, featuring unpalatable coffee from a bean-to-cup machine and long-life carton orange juice. Limited to basic cereal and fruit, the meal was far from satisfying. The hotel's location, unfortunately, places it within a traffic bottleneck, though nighttime noise was surprisingly minimal. With no nearby dining options, guests are forced to travel for meals. The hotel is in dire need of a comprehensive renovation to align with its pricing

Avoid at all costs. My Aunty booked a room for tonight back in February because she couldn’t be at home this evening due to fireworks in her area. She called into the hotel in person 2 weeks ago to confirm her booking. The receptionist doesn’t speak English so called the manager. His English was also poor but he reassured her that her booking was in place. She arrived today at 4:30 to check in and was greeted by the same receptionist with the words “no booking, no booking”. Surely this woman would have remembered by Aunty from 2 weeks ago? Again she got the manager on the phone, same man, and all he had to say was “no booking”. The receptionist was not interested in my auntys email confirmation, which thankfully she had a printed of… she has now had to drive for 2 hours to my house where she will stay tonight. DO NOT STAY HERE

Friendly staff and clean room but there was a party downstairs that was SO loud neither me or my daughter could sleep until the early hours. People banging and making additional noise didn’t help. Pretty much ruined our stay as we were both so exhausted the next day.

Awful Experience Upon arrival we were not made to feel very welcome. Asked to fill in what we wanted for breakfast by ticking boxes, which was fine. Room very old and quaint. Lots of equipment filled the room and little to no space to move around in. Slept - not very well - mattress lumpy Breakfast - well ….. toast that never really saw the toaster. A single Sausage that never really saw the grill/frying pan and looked undercooked - obviously we didn’t eat it. Hash browns not cooked properly and cool. Shower which my husband had was hot and short approx 4 minutes spent there. When I went for my shower it was freezing cold. Towels threadbare and barely covered your body. We booked for two nights but it was so bad we left after the first night and didn’t stay the second night. Nobody to complain to on returning our key. Definitely will not be returning.