• Newly refurbished
• Dog-friendly
• Near Blenheim Palace

The Feathers Hotel

A visit to The Feathers Hotel

There was a time when I would frequent Woodstock, beetling out of Oxford in my first car: a Ford Fiesta. Didn’t we all want a Renault Clio – ‘Nicole?’ ‘Papa!’ – or a bottle-green Golf but end up with second-hand, multicoloured Fiestas? This one lived a peripatetic life amid the dreaming spires, moved from pillar to post to avoid traffic wardens until a particularly decent party would lead to absent-mindedness and I’d forsake it for a week or so, only to have to retrieve it from the car pound in north Oxford. Nevertheless, it served well for the odd day out with the Christ Church & Farley Hill Beagles, getting us to the Falkland Arms in Great Tew for tins of white snuff or to Woodstock to hunker down in a pub on a winter’s afternoon and scoff pickled eggs along with the drink du jour. So this yellow-stoned Cotswold town I hold in a certain affection with its pleasing, historic aspect, Georgian town hall and rather lovely 12th-century church.

It was on a mizzling evening that I pulled into a parking spot (they are at a premium during the day) not too far from The Feathers Hotel, just off the main road. (Read our review of London’s Connaught hotel.)

Woodstock town is steeped in history

Woodstock

The centre of Woodstock, which lies off the A44, is sometimes overlooked by passers-by, although it is brimming with shops and places to eat and is a useful hub for neighbouring Blenheim Palace. It was to present The Field Top Dog Awards at the Agria FEI Eventing European Championship at Blenheim that I was revisiting my old haunt. This time it was with Field dog Vesper in tow and an upgraded motor.

The inviting bar area

The hotel has recently undergone an impressive renovation, which means 23 luxury rooms and suites, sympathetic and minimalist dining spaces that meld with the historic building, and ‘all the mod cons’. My dog-friendly room was situated on the ground floor of a building a few steps from the main hotel boasting an old shop window that, while charming, meant a strict closing of the curtains unless one wanted to put on a show. The bed sat marvellously high (who doesn’t hate a low bed – they smack of those limb-aching sleepover futons), while the room boasted excellent climate control and a well-refurbished bathroom with a spot-on shower. Vesper had a dog bed, two bowls and a doggy welcome box to contentedly sniff at.

A luxurious suite

Four-legged friends

It had been a long drive from meetings in Hampshire, so first up was a good leg stretch in the parkland that surrounds Blenheim Palace – an absolute boon for those travelling with four-legged friends, as there’s not a patch of grass in the centre of Woodstock. Then it was a quick change and to supper at one of the two restaurants at The Feathers: the dog-friendly Aviary with its relaxed ambience and outside terrace. A short but well-formed sourdough pizza menu provided the foodie backbone and matched well with a tomato salad and signature cocktail. Guests can also eat at The Nest, the main restaurant, where the fare is elegant fine dining in modern, rustic decor. Think 40-day-aged beef and roasted halibut with truffled Tunworth to finish.

Dogs are welcome

A good night’s sleep and a dog-free breakfast (after another bound through the Capability Brown park) in The Nest proved to be the best start to the day. Staff at The Feathers were pleasingly fuss-free and friendly, making the entire experience one that you could easily repeat. And small details were well thought out, from the goodies on arrival to the ‘use at your discretion and at no extra cost’ minibar. Accommodation of the finest feather indeed.

DON’T MISS: The William Kent gardens at nearby Rousham. Tickets are £10 per person (dogs are not allowed and no children under 15 without prior permission). Tours of the house by arrangement.

The Feathers Hotel