Advantages: Excellent location, accomodation and food
Disadvantages: None

... BACKGROUND We had decided to have a couple of days away to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and had chosen to visit Oxford, Why Oxford I hear you ask? , well apart from it being a beautiful city, then I can answer that in two words Inspector Morse , which was of course filmed in and around Oxford and just happens to be one of my favourite television programmes, We set about browsing the various on line booking sites to check hotel availability for our chosen dates. Having settled on using lastminute.com we were pleased to find at least 10 hotels were listed, all in different price ranges, and offering various facilities We chose the Oxford Belfry, not only for their competitive prices but it its location sounded ideal for our needs. For two nights Bed and Breakfast (for 2) we paid £110.00 (plus £1.38 credit card... Read review

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Advantages: Um - free parking, easy to get to
Disadvantages: Dated, expensive, terrible food on room service, and no steam room, ground floor rooms for smokers

...The joy of my job, probably in common with most people that travel, is that when going somewhere new you really don't know what you are letting yourself in for. I have only stayed in Oxford twice before, once in the Longwall Travel Inn, booked on my behalf, and the other time in the Victoria hotel which was nice, but all no smoking. I don't mind Travel-Inns, but they really are not as cheap as some seem to believe, once meals have been added to the price, and they invariably have no functional usable facilities, so it was time to see what else was out there. My theory that the closer you get to London, the harder it is to find a bargain mid-week is definitely true. I discovered the Oxford Belfry on laterooms at a rate of £69.50 room only, the catch being you had to book two nights. I didn't bother checking Active hotels as usually... Read review

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Advantages: The food is very nice
Disadvantages: Rooms are awful, Staff unprofessional, Facilities not always available

...Imagine the scenario if you will. You have just got engaged and as a treat for your significant other you decide to book into a luxury hotel. A nice treat for us both you might think..... Well you might be wrong. I had heard so many nice things about The Belfry, which is a 4 star De Vere hotel. Lots of people had told me how fantastic it was to stay there, a nice romantic and relaxing break I thought. So with that in mind I requested a brochure. Now as hotels go The Belfry is far from cheap at £200 for 1 night in a double room, it’s rather a luxury. You can get breaks at a slightly cheaper price if it’s over the weekend or your stay for a few nights but even then it will never be able to call itself cheap. A few days after I had requested it the brochure arrived, just looking at the pictures got me in a romantic... Read review

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Advantages: Spa, reputation, location
Disadvantages: Customer service, rooms, organisation

...**** Update**** ****The Belfry have offered us a complimantary return visit including bed, breakfast and a spa session**** I booked a Sunday night spa package for myself and a friend through SpaBreak. Having used the De Vere, Swindon as the reception venue for my wedding last year, I was expecting it to be fabulous. I was sent a confirmation email advising me that rooms were guaranteed from 3pm. We planned our journey to arrive soon after 3 so that we could get settled in right away, and make the most of our short time break. We arrived at reception at 3.40pm and were told by reception that the room was not ready. She offered no explanation, and little apology, despite confirming that rooms were guaranteed from 3pm. We were told to ‘try again in half an hour’. She did not assure us that the room would be ready... Read review

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Advantages: Delightful and hilarious book
Disadvantages: None

..."Cats in the Belfry" is a book that I first read many years ago and I can honestly say that, for me, it was truly a life changing experience, mainly because it made me determined to own (or be owned by) Siamese cats. It is a delightful book written by Doreen Tovey and will appeal to cat lovers everywhere. When Doreen and her husband Charles moved to their cottage in the West Country the locals (as is usually the way) were suspicious. They soon got the reputation of being somewhat strange when they adopted a baby squirrel which Doreen carried to London with her to make sure it didn't miss a feed. Unfortunately, the squirrel didn't live more than a few months and their cottage seemed very empty - that is, until the mice arrived! They decided that a cat was needed to keep the mice down. There followed the arrival of Sugieh... Read review

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Advantages: walking distance from office
Disadvantages: miles from anywhere (like Cambridge)

...The Cambridge Belfry used to be owned by Marston but now it is Q and is there any difference? Well not much but some things were worse. Not quite in the league of fawlty towers but try having a hot shower! Well you can but only in the leisure area not in the bedroom. I reported the shower as running cold only when I went out in the morning. When I came back I tried the shower, leaving it running for 7 minutes as advised to do in the hotel information sheet. Sill stone cold. I telephoned reception as was informed I was not leaving it running long enough and that it had been signed off by the maintenance crew. I said I would leave it for fifteen minutes and get back to her. While it was running I tried to log into my lap top. This had worked perfectly the previous evening and that morning so I persevered. No Internet Connection... Read review

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Advantages: Good action scenes and a few good scares.
Disadvantages: Shifting plotlines, muddled characters, horrific camerawork, and the stereotyped constantly scared black guy.

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Advantages: Historic, great views, good picnic area, cheap to visit, interesting.
Disadvantages: You will need some energy

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Advantages: See opinion
Disadvantages: See opinion

...~ ~ With the Ryder Cup returning to its spiritual home this year at the “Belfry”, I felt it would be appropriate to reflect a little on the man who this year carries the mantle of team captain for the European side. ~ ~ If ever a golfer deserved this honour, and the title of the consummate professional, it must be this genial Scotsman from Largs on the west coast of Scotland. The son of a golf professional (Bob Torrance) this fellow was golfing before he even learned how to walk. Throughout his long and illustrious career he has only ever had the one coach, his father Bob, who is a well-known and renowned teacher, and also coach to many other famous tour professionals. ~ ~ The only thing this Scotsman ever wanted to be was a golfer, and “left” school in 1966 (at the age of thirteen) to work in his father... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent temperament
Disadvantages: Unlucky

...In most sports disqualification is associated with disgrace and with cheating. When Padraig Harrington was disqualified from the Benson and Hedges International tournament at The Belfry in May though there was rightly a considerable amount of sympathy for him. Harrington was disqualified on a technicality. Instead of signing his card at the end of the round it was signed by his playing partners. As Harrington was 5 shots ahead going into the final round when the discrepancy was found he lost the chance of a £150,000 winners cheque. That Harrington behaved impeccably afterwards accepting that he had made the error and that the sanction of disqualification was correct under the rules. It seemed harsh to observers outside and even to golf fans but there must be a lesson for other sports where the unbridled pursuit of prize money... Read review

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