The visit to the Vineyard for my birthday meal had a slightly strange timing, coming as it did on…read moreApril Fools' Day and not on my birthday! It did make me feel a bit like the queen, having 2 birthdays! The Vineyard had been on my foodie radar for awhile, from the days of chef John Campbell who held 2 Michelin stars here. So, when I started dating my girlfriend who lives in Newbury, she organised to take me here for a celebration dinner. The hotel and restaurant is definitely a dress up sort of venue and walking past the bowls of flames on the outdoor pond and through the automatic front doors made it feel like a special occasion. The whole place has light coloured decor with modern accents, which removes the air of over-bearing starchiness that can pervade some fine dining venues. We elected to have drinks while perusing the menu and 2 glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice were accompanied by some moreish canapes - large mild Ligurian olives, salted almonds and some savoury straws. Chef Daniel Galmiche has his hand on the tiller in the kitchen these days. He is described on the Vineyard's website as the king of contemporary French cooking, which are a big pair of shoes to fill. A lovely touch came at the end of the evening when he came round the dining room to meet the diners and have a short chat. He gave us a tip on how best to eat our dessert course. The menu has 4 choices in each of the starter, main course and dessert sections. It covers both meat and seafood and perhaps a couple more choices in each section would have been nice. After making our choice of food and wine, we were shown to our table. I have to say that the service from what seemed to be an exclusively French brigade was top-notch and very smooth and unobtrusive throughout the evening. We had an amuse-bouche of goat's cheese straw with beetroot tagliatelli and avocado mousse. A good idea with balance of flavours but the cheese straw proved hard to break down into small enough pieces to complement the beetroot. My starter of scallops in an oriental broth yielded top class sweet scallops cooked to perfection but the oriental accents were perhaps a little muted for my palate - however, with scallops this good, the accents were perhaps missed less. My girlfriend's starter of foie gras terrine was lovely and rich but the portion size was quite large - I helped to polish the dish off. For mains, I had Balmoral Estate venison fillet cooked to medium rare perfection accompanied by my favourite ingredient in the world - seared foie gras. Top notch ingredients cooked perfectly accompanied by salsifi, butternut squash and quince to help cut through the richness. The girlfriend had a plate of veal - slow cooked rack, braised shin and sweetbread. Again, well cooked but quite a large portion size. This meant that we had to share a pudding, both being unable to manage a whole one on our own. The girlfriend chose well - blackcurrant souffle with licorice ice cream.Chef Galmiche's tip was true - to get the full effect of the flavour combination, you had to eat the souffle and ice cream in the same mouthful. The souffle was really intensely flavoured with blackcurrant. I also have to make mention of the pianist who entertained us through the evening. He was very friendly, giving me the name of a piece he was playing that I particularly enjoyed and taking requests. We had a lovely evening here - great ambiance and venue for a celebration or date. The food is good and with a little tweaking of choice and portion size, it could be great.

Absolutely amazing…read more We stayed here for a weekend for a Valentines Day treat. The hotel was lovely, the spa very relaxing, but the best reason to come here would be the food. In fact, you could just skip the whole hotel thing so long as you can sucker someone in to driving home (or get a taxi). The friendly maitre d' greets you enthusiastically upon arrival and summons the discreet and charming sommelier. With a name like The Vineyard, you know to expect wine, but the reams of paper that contain the wine menu are just breathtaking. Every nuance of taste and knowledge are catered for, or you can merely leave your choices in the capable hands of the sommelier, who, with a discreet wink to how much you intend on spending, will guide you through the perfect accompaniments to your chosen dishes. Then comes the restaurant. You are led into a delicate tiered room bedecked with a baby grand and a talented pianist to add to the atmosphere. Outside, flames burn around the central courtyard fountain, echoing the soft glow of the intimate lighting inside. The menu is astonishing and should come laminated to prevent the odd Pavlovian accident. Even the most decisive of people can find themselves giddy at what to order. There is of course a tasting menu to reassure you, should the vital decision elude you. But whatever you pick, the rapturous praise you will bestow upon what you receive will be the same. This is gastronomy. This is the reason the French can no longer justifiably sniff at English cuisine. And I went there when it only had one Michelin star. Since my visit, another has been awarded, and the praise has more than doubled. As for cost, who the hell cares? When the food is this good, you just pay the bill and worry about your knees at a later date.

Definitely 2 thumbs up (Mrs G and myself)!…read more My 4 star rating is based on the whole experience- and what an experience! A truly wonderful long weekend (3 night stay). The food (both dinner and breakfast) was definitely good, not Michelin star by any means (they are preparing meals for hundreds at the same times after all! - but good and plentiful with many choices and options. Breakfast from full English to Continental and more. Dinner involves 3 courses, good and friendly service with many choices including a different roast every day, a different themed cuisine every day (E.g. Asian etc) and specials (look just above the desserts on the daily menu). The rooms are clean and roomy enough, service is good, but it must be about time to bring in new mattresses please!). The building itself, inside and out, and the history is MAGNIFICENT. And then the entertainment every night - a LOT of fun and John-Philip was amazing. We have never (by choice) been on a cruise but this must be a somewhat similar experience for a quick getaway with things to do all day long (and evening til after midnight) The food, both dinners and breakfast was both plentiful, varied and pretty good. Service was very good. Our first visit to a Warner Hotel. Will we be back to another - YES!

As a building this place is fantastic. You really do feel as though you are staying in a place…read moresteeped in history. Hotel rooms, in the main, are typically Warners - a step up from a Travel Lodge but not much more. A couple of historic rooms are available (including a haunted one!) with a little more character. Breaks here are half-board and you'll find yourself sitting on an allocated table in a huge restaurant. Service here can be buffet or a la carte at your pleasure. Food is OK, a notch above school catering but a long way from fine dining. Leisure facilities are good. The majority of guests will be retired, and a long-time retired at that. Evening entertainment is provided and ranges from acceptable to quite good. It's easy listening in the main. Themed breaks happen throughout the year ranging from entertainment breaks through to sporting or arty breaks. A small additional charge will apply. This place used to be good to use as a base for travelling. Unfortunately, increases in prices have made other options more attractive. Warners are trying to lower their target market but this is not really yet evidenced. No children

Good country hotel. Not many places to stay in this beautiful part of Berkshire, and the Bear is a…read morevery solid option. Especially if you ask for a room in the main hotel and not in the rooms by the carpark. Nice bar, and amazing location.

The food is not to be worshiped but the bear makes up for that with it's amazing staff and great…read morescenery! I know because I spent 4 years working there :)

It's a warm and comfy hotel/b&b. They have a fantastic restaurant as well as a pub and s bakery…read more The beds are very lush, fluffy and king size. They have blinds and heavy curtains to keep the light out. And the bathrooms are modern with heated floors and a heated towel rack. It's new, stylish and very clean. The toiletries are top of the line and the towels are large and plush. And the staff are friendly and ready to help with any requests.

Oh dear. My 10+ rating is modified by the attitude and behavior of a very grumpy (lone) breakfast…read morestaff, undrinkable coffee, cold toast and Mr. Grumpy deciding to put cutlery away (incredibly noisily) a few feet from where we were having breakfast. Honestly, a near perfect night marred by a disappointing breakfast. This one person brings down the tone of a perfect establishment with perfect staff. My husband recalls Mr Grumpy also served us in Christmas Eve/day, which suggests he is brought in on holidays when it's difficult to find willing staff. I suggest he look for a job elsewhere that he enjoys!!

Honestly one of the worst service experiences I've had. Went for lunch and no one came to ask us…read morefor our order for 15 mins after we had sat down. Went to the bar and asked if we could order there, they told us no and someone would come by. We waited so long we went to put our coats on and leave and suddenly someone finally came over. His badge said he was the "duty manager". Finally ordered and the sandwiches came out. They were fine, standard pub fare. My mum ordered a cup of earl grey tea. They didn't bring milk and when she asked for some the same manager was shouting at the top of his voice so everyone could hear how "unusual" it is to add milk. Who cares? No need to embarrass her. Used to come here all the time and won't be back. Heard many others around us have similar issues.