The Grange, Long Wittenham

...for a cheap B&B in the Wallingford area and this was the closest that we could find.

Long Wittenham is a lovely village which is about a 15 minute drive from Oxford. The village itself has three pubs which all serve good food and entertainment.

The Grange is a small Bed & Breakfast in Long Wittenham. We have stayed there two years running over the Easter weekend so I thought I would write a review on them.

...was our first visit to The Grange. We arrived at around 4pm and were shown to our room. We had requested a double ensuite. When we arrived the bed was not made, and I mean this literally!!! A new pine bed was in the room but had not been put together! Also there was no television, but one had been purchased especially for us and was later brought to our room. Unfortunately it did not plug into the main aerial so the picture was not very good.
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My husband is originally from Wallingford in Oxfordshire. Most of his family live in North Devon as do we, but we travel up occasionally to see some of his old friends.

Last year we were looking for a cheap B&B in the Wallingford area and this was the closest that we could find.

Long Wittenham is a lovely village which is about a 15 minute drive from Oxford. The village itself has three pubs which all serve good food and entertainment.

The Grange is a small Bed & Breakfast in Long Wittenham. We have stayed there two years running over the Easter weekend so I thought I would write a review on them.

Graham Neil runs The Grange. It only has around four bedrooms, only one of which is ensuite. Mr Neil lives there with his wife and his two dogs, Florrie and Harriet.

EASTER 2005
+++++++++++++

This was our first visit to The Grange. We arrived at around 4pm and were shown to our room. We had requested a double ensuite. When we arrived the bed was not made, and I mean this literally!!! A new pine bed was in the room but had not been put together! Also there was no television, but one had been purchased especially for us and was later brought to our room. Unfortunately it did not plug into the main aerial so the picture was not very good.

There were no curtains or mirror in the room but all of these items were addressed before we returned to our room in the evening. We were given a key to our room and a key to the front door so that we could come and go as we liked. Mr Neil asked us for our comments on the room and service so that he could ensure that things were right and that we were happy.

Breakfast was served in the kitchen each morning, being cereal, toast and full English if required.

I should explain that the B&B was in its infancy at this stage. Mr Neil was in the process of having the rooms made bigger and there was a lot of building work going on (not while we were there). He was also having trouble with the builders not turning up on time and so on. They had not long moved in from the property across the road, so were very much in their teething problems stage!

We enjoyed our stay and when we left Mr Neil stated that as we had been such good guinea pigs, trialling his new B&B, that if we returned he would charge us the same amount again which was £55 per night.

EASTER 2006
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We wanted to go to Oxford again this year, so I contacted Graham Neil by email and asked if we could book for Easter. I reminded him about his guinea pig comment and he agreed that the price for the room per night would be £55 again. He was very pleased that we were returning and also that we were now married. We arrived at around 4pm again and were greeted very warmly by Mr Neil who remembered us. We were impressed when we were shown to the bedroom.

There was a new metal framed bed in the room, and a television with freeview and also connected to the main aerial. There was plenty of tea and coffee making supplies and a bottle of mineral water. A nice touch was two small bottles of Tesco champagne as we had got married since we last stayed with them.

The ensuite has a lovely big shower and plenty of towels to use. Our bed was made daily and towels are changed if necessary, although like most hotels they encourage you to use them more than once for ecological reasons.

There is also a nice supply of books and magazines in the room, ranging from novels to gardening books to royalty books.

Breakfast is now served in the dining room, one large table for all guests which encourages conversation with strangers! We got chatting to a nice couple from Glasgow when we where there. Their son actually lived in the village, so they wanted a place close to him to stay. For breakfast there was cereal, plenty of toast, tea and coffee and a full English breakfast. If there is something you dont want, just tell Grahm and he will leave it off your plate.

The dogs were also pleased to see us again, always hoping for a bit of bacon or sausage.

We asked him about the builders and it turned out that he had a lot of trouble with one of them not getting the job done, which had created a lot of problems for him.

When it was time to pay up, we paid £55 per night, instead of the £65 currently charged for the ensuite room.

The house is wireless enabled which is great if you wish to take a laptop on holiday with you. Actually they do have regular visitors who work in the area and stay all week, so they appreciate the facility.

RATES
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Single room - £40 per night
Double/Twin £55 per night
Ensuite Double - £65 per night

The non ensuite rooms all have a washbasin in them and there is a separate bathroom with shower and bath for guests use.

These rates are very good for the area. We also stay in Travelodges or Premier Travel Inns and these are around £46 without breakfast.

The Grange is non smoking. It will take children under 12, but by arrangement only.

The Grange is ideally situated for Oxford and the surrounding area. It is easy to access Oxford, Didcot and Wallingford. We visited Bleinham Palace while we were there as it is only a short drive away. The Grange has views overlooking the Oxfordshire Clumps and is ideally situated for walks along the river. Guests are also free to use the garden in spring/summer.

I would recommend this Bed & Breakfast to anybody who wants a break in Oxfordshire. The owner is friendly and wants you to have a good stay. We have stayed there twice now and will certainly be going back again, although maybe not until next Easter! The service is friendly and personal and you feel like a guest in their house, rather than an unknown face in a hotel. It is not what I would call a smart place, the essence is shabby chic I think! There are portraits of ancestors on the wall and the china is french and old.

The bed and breakfast is rated 3 stars by Visit Britain. It is only small, but this increases the friendly feel of the place. 

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