Review of The Coach and Horses

This review of The Coach and Horses originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Good food at spectacular prices. Friendly staff and free WiFi. A serendipitous find as I was exploring the village on my way back from a geohashing expedition: I’d certainly come back if I find myself in this neck of the woods again.

Review of Royal National Hotel

This review of Royal National Hotel originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Small rooms with no air conditioning. Noisy streets below. Fire alarm went off in the middle of the night but no explanation or apology given, just sent back to our rooms.

They were able to adjust my room booking at short notice, but that’s the best thing I can say about them.

Review of Isis Farmhouse

This review of Isis Farmhouse originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Delightful riverside pub with great beer and good food. Only really accessible from the Thames Path and not by road, which personally feels like it adds up the magic but requires planning if you’re not used to this particular quirk!

Review of Pest Solutions Oxfordshire

This review of Pest Solutions Oxfordshire originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Same-day service… when I called on a Saturday lunchtime! Explained everything over the phone, charged fairly, and offered to come back for free if the problematic wasps nest wasn’t completely eradicated the first time. Can’t do better than that!

Review of City Mazes Oxford, Escape Rooms

This review of City Mazes Oxford, Escape Rooms originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Best of the three escape room centres we’ve visited: we undertook a well-constructed and beautiful puzzle with some genuine “eureka” moments (thanks in part to a few hints which were well-timed and just-cryptic-enough to make us feel like we were still working for it…). We’ll be back!

Review of CRAFT Burger

This review of CRAFT Burger originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Great burgers and drinks (often with well-chosen names with enjoyable wordplay) served in a fabulously relaxed environment. Sides/starters nothing to write home about, but that’s not why you’re here, is it?

Review of The Highwayman Hotel

This review of The Highwayman Hotel originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

You know that episode of insert-any-sitcom-here where three friends (one goofy, one sarcastic, one comedic foil) decide that despite having no relevant experience they think that they can do something deceptively challenging, like for example… running a bar? Visiting The Highwayman the other weekend felt just. Like. That. Like a group of inept but fun-loving lads “winging it”.

And you know what? Somehow it works. The food was good (and great value), the service friendly and caring, the facilities fine. Unlike the characters of your seventh-favourite sitcom, these guys actually make it work and run a fab family pub. I’m not sure HOW they make it work, because from the outside they seem like a group of lovable oafs, not grounded publicans, but they do.

We’re looking forward to experiencing The Highwayman again, and not just in a “when it’s on Dave or Netflix” way. We’re committed, now, and we’re buying the box set.

Review of Bella Italia – Oxford

This review of Bella Italia - Oxford originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Updated review: squeezed us in despite a lunchtime rush and provided great service. Great attention to the fact we had children with us. I retract my original review, below: this place really impressed us this weekend.

Original review: Uninspiring mushroom burger and slightly slow service. Others’ food looked good, though, and the slow service wouldn’t have been so much of an issue if we hadn’t had small children with us.

Review of Tower of the Five Orders

This review of Tower of the Five Orders originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

This iconic Oxford landmark is named for the architectural characteristics of each of its five floors. Each exhibits a different order – or “style” – of classical architecture: from bottom to top – tuscan, doric, ionic, corinthian and composite. Part of the joy of “discovering” the tower, visiting as a tourist, comes from the fact that despite it’s size it’s unlikely to be the first thing you see as you enter the quad: coming in from the Great Gate, for example, it won’t be until you turn around and look up that you see it… and even at a glance you won’t necessarily observe its unusual architecture unless you’ve been told to look specifically at the columns.

Review of Bodleian Library Café

This review of Bodleian Library Café originally appeared on Google Maps. See more reviews by Dan.

Nice cakes and large mugs of hot drinks in the fabulous Blackwell Hall. Beware the “no laptops” policy in the afternoon, though: they’re militant about policing it!