The Bear Hotel

3.0 star property
Enjoy the restaurant at this 3-star Wantage hotel

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Bear Hotel

Exterior
Room
Standard Double or Twin Room, Ensuite (2 Double Beds)
Bar (on property)
Restaurant

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Business services
  • Bar
  • Housekeeping
  • 24/7 front desk

Explore the area

View in a map
Market Place, Wantage, England, OX12 8AB
  • Place, Bakers Yard
    ‪5 min drive‬
  • Place, Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Place, North Wessex Downs
    ‪14 min drive‬
  • Airport, Oxford (OXF)
    ‪36 min drive‬

Room options

Double Room, Ensuite

7.8 out of 10
Good
(18 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Standard Double or Twin Room, Ensuite (2 Double Beds)

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
(4 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Twin Room, Ensuite

7.8 out of 10
Good
(8 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Suite, Ensuite (Sleeps up to 3)

7.2 out of 10
Good
(5 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Single Room, Ensuite

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(12 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

Triple Room, Ensuite

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 3 Twin Beds

Standard Single Room, Ensuite (Courtyard )

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

About the neighborhood

Wantage

In Wantage .You'll be within 3 miles (5 km) of Bakers Yard and 6 miles (10 km) of Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred with a stay here. Also within 9 miles (15 km) are Uffington White Horse and The Library.

What's nearby

  • Bakers Yard - 5 min drive - 2.7 miles
  • Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred - 8 min drive - 4.9 miles
  • Milton Manor House - 12 min drive - 8.2 miles
  • North Wessex Downs - 14 min drive - 10.3 miles
  • Uffington White Horse - 15 min drive - 9.1 miles

Getting around

  • Newbury Station - 21 min drive
  • Heathrow Airport (LHR) - 75 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Grove Kebab Van - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪Costa Coffee - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Old Stables Make Space - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Wildwood Kitchen - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪The Shoulder of Mutton - ‬3 min walk

About this property

The Bear Hotel

Enjoy the restaurant at this 3-star Wantage hotel
There's a restaurant on site. You can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge. A computer station is on site, and both WiFi and wired Internet are free in public spaces. The Bear Hotel also features a garden and an elevator.

This 3-star Wantage hotel is smoke free.

  • 36 guestrooms or units
  • Continental breakfast (free)
  • Front desk (24 hours)
  • Storage area for luggage
  • Wedding services available
  • Pool or billiards table
  • Garden
  • Computer for guest use
  • Elevator
  • No smoking on site
  • Bar or lounge
  • Dining venue
The Bear Hotel offers 36 accommodations. Housekeeping is provided daily.

Similar properties

Property amenities

Family friendly

  • High chair

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi and wired internet

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant

Things to do

  • Billiards/pool table

Accessibility

  • Elevator

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:30 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Early check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Property payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards
This property is professionally cleaned
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. The property is professionally cleaned.

We should mention

  • Please note that this property can refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, which include pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties.

Property is also known as

Bear Hotel Wantage
Bear Wantage
The Bear Hotel Hotel
The Bear Hotel Wantage
The Bear Hotel Hotel Wantage

Frequently asked questions

How close is The Bear Hotel to the airport?

The Bear Hotel is 21.8 mi (44-min drive) away from the Oxford (OXF) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

Does The Bear Hotel have an airport shuttle?

Airport shuttle services are not available at The Bear Hotel.

Does The Bear Hotel offer free breakfast?

The Bear Hotel does not offer free breakfast.

Is there a casino at The Bear Hotel?

No, there is no casino at this hotel.

What time is check-in at The Bear Hotel?

Check-in start time: 2:30 PM; Check-in end time: anytime.

Is there free parking at The Bear Hotel?

Free parking is not available at this hotel.

Does The Bear Hotel have a pool?

The Bear Hotel does not have a pool.

Does The Bear Hotel have a restaurant?

Yes, there is a restaurant on site.

Does The Bear Hotel have a spa?

There are no spa services available at this hotel.

How close is The Bear Hotel to downtown Wantage?

The Bear Hotel is 0.1 mi away from Wantage.

The Bear Hotel Reviews

Reviews

8.4

Very Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 174 out of 429 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 168 out of 429 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 55 out of 429 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 20 out of 429 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 12 out of 429 reviews

8.4/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Brett

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Won’t stay again

Was ok but the staff were loud and loads of swearing and banging till midnight!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

Jeanne Behnke

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Typical old English hotel with an excellent restaurant and a great bar! Rooms are small but cozy. We enjoyed our stay. Thanks to The Bear!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Joana Sofia

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Good hotel with great breakfast.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2025

4/10 Poor

David

Business traveler
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very very noisy Bed very uncomfortable
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kath

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

david

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice room. Good breakfast. Overall great!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Neil

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Margaret

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Wickets, Maidstone

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff where fantastic
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Emil

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Mostly ok. Comfortable single bed and good breakfast and customer service. Bathroom had no windows and therefore relies on extractor fan, which was not working. A bit more space would have been nice,. The property has been converted into what looks like too many rooms, but that's business I suppose.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Diana

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff and food excellent. Hotel is looking tired and shabby. our room was in the courtyard and proved to be noisey at night.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Brummaha

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Sarah

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The rooms were dated, the ceiling bowing and holes in it, mentioned it to staff who dismissed it, saying they knew. The shower doors did not close and the bathroom was overall very dated and not particularly clean. There was a fan in the room (needed as it was hot) it was covered in dust and would not stay upright. Overall not particularly impressed with the stay
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Ian

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The room was perfect for our needs and the hotel had a restaurant and bar so everything we needed. The food was excellent and the service was also really good.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

DAVID

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great stay!

From the off, when the receptionist greeted us so warmly, we had a perfect stay. Wish we'd dined in, but hope to be back and do that another time. Breakfast and waiting staff were excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Sherry

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Not the best

The hotel itself was fine. We had a drink on the bar and there are lots of places to relax. Unfortunately our room (no 8) was extremely hot. We had both windows open but it didn’t seem to make any difference. This also meant that we heard all the people leaving the pub and immediate areas until approx 0230-0245. When we were finally able to doze off we were woken up at 0350 by the tradesmen starting to set up for the market in the morning. Whilst I appreciate that the hotel cannot directly affect these things had I known I would not have booked to be honest. The room was clean but needs an update. The bathroom sink tap was loose and the shower does not keep consistent temperature. The bathroom was very tired. When we went to check out in the morning there was no one on reception to let know of these problems. We had to leave to get on our way. Such a shame but from our experience we wouldn’t go back.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

MR

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very helpful staff, nice location
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Asha

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Julian

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good location. Friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Amancio

Very good
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

4/10 Poor

rupert

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Not one for posting reviews, but this was pretty bad. Firstly the staff were lovely and this doesn't reflect on them at all. Room 24. Go have a look. The room is tired but the bathroom is apocolyptic. Last upgraded about 40 years ago, light switch is illegal, shower head holder snapped off, water so hot that you cannot add enough cold to make it usable and the water stinks. Prob crap in the water tank. The silicone around all surfaces must have been done with a knife and fork or possibly with a blindfold on. I'm not really exaggerating either. The three cups we had on the tea station were coated in dried detergent (that you couldn't see) leading to 2 cups of tea being thrown and a day of soap suddy mouths. The room was hot, but that's not really anyone's fault. But having the windows open just meant we had to listen to a rowdy crowd doing coke and drinking just outside the window. Bed was comfy. Sheets were smelly. In the morning, someone had distributed the days clean sheets for the changeover leaving them outside each room on the filthy carpet. My oh my. The cheek to charge £100 for this.... Never again thanks. I have photos and a video of you want them.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

David

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

short break

ideal for short breaks, good food and friendly atmosphere
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice quirky hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025