Unwind at the Beautiful Milton Hill House

The last 18 months have been extremely stressful and I chose to unwind at the beautiful Milton Hill House hotel in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Over the last 6+ years, I had booked this hotel for my international colleagues when they would visit the UK for important meetings but since I lived so close, it did not make sense to pay for a room for me as well. I had driven there many times and always wondered what it must have been like spending at evening at this incredible hotel. As soon as hotels started to re-open, I made a last minute booking and chose to unwind at the beautiful Milton Hill House Hotel.

Milton Hill House Hotel is a stylish hotel surrounded by 22 acres of tranquil parklands, the Georgian Manor House is fitted with modern facilities and can accommodate uptown 170 guests. Depending on how deep your pockets, you can choose from a nice selection of suites, superior rooms and standard rooms. I went for a standard room which was located in the modern garden wing (which at time of staying + writing this post was under construction) but that did not steal from the beauty of the room nor tranquility of my stay at the hotel. I knew I had chosen the right place to unwind when sweeping driving caught my eye.

Unwind at the Beautiful Milton Hill House

The last 18+ months have been really tough on the hospitality industry especially for the smaller accommodation types but the big chains and independent ones have also equally suffered. As a traveller, it was hard to imagine how the hospitality industry would react to the changing climate and if many would survive it. Whilst not many establishments have gone under some have which is a real shame. Thankfully, Milton Hill House Hotel wasn’t one of them and it being a short drive from my home made it the perfect location for me to taste out the waters as restrictions were slowly being lifted.

I chose to unwind at the beautiful Milton Hill House Hotel for many reasons, a couple I have already mentioned above but the biggest reason is that I wanted to experience the feel of staying in a hotel again. I shared in my ‘silly but fun things I miss about travel post‘ I missed being waited upon, not having to do everything myself and room service, as silly as that is, it is all part of the hotel experience. When I stay in hotels, especially in the UK, I found myself watching day-time TV which is often trashy but in hotels it hits differently. My stay at Milton Hill House hotel was no different and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

What I thought of Milton Hill House Hotel

I will start off this section with a disclaimer – I know that during my visit, many things were not available for use due to government guidelines and restrictions.

The drive from my home to the hotel was an enjoyable one, even though I have a large car, I especially enjoy navigating the small country roads. I was immediately blown away by the sweeping drive that Milton Hill House boosts, and visiting in Spring added a certain flare to the entire affair. The Georgian Manor House greets you in its glory and at the time of stay, masks were mandatory and sanitising stations were dotted all over the place. The check-in proof was super smooth, the staff were friendly and as it was my first time provided detailed guidelines on how to get to the Garden Wing where parking is also offered.

As the Garden Wing was still under construction during my visit, I was worried that it would not be the tranquil stay I was hoping for but I was wrong. The rooms were sound proofed that I couldn’t hear anything outside unless I chose to open the windows. I wasn’t too keen on the look of their elevator nor did I wish to ride it and the one time I did, I got creepy vibes but it would have been because of the ongoing construction. The hotel room door had a sealed sticker that informed you that your room had been cleaned and sanitised before your arrival and this gave me great comfort especially staying at a hotel in our current climate.

• 

• 

I stayed in a standard room which is fitted with a flat-screen TV, supplied complimentary toiletries (although did not include toothpaste), had free internet access (required your booking details to log in), desk/chair, small sofa and provided a tea & coffee tray. I loved that the room had some character and was super comfortable as well. One thing I always make note of whenever I travel and stay in hotels is how comfortable the bed and pillows are and Milton Hill House outdid themselves. I loved spending the night there and highly recommend anyone looking for somewhere to unwind.

The bathroom is a good standard size, I was hoping for a tub but the bathroom only had a shower which was a powerful monsoon type shower (a personal favourite of mine). As mentioned, they do provide some toiletries but not toothpaste which was a shame but I realise not every hotel will supply toothpaste unless you ask for it (to purchased). Whilst the room was very comfortable, it was slightly dated and could do with some face lift otherwise it was a good room with great ambiance.

• 

• 

The only thing that I did not enjoy at the hotel was the dining and food as this fell below the standard I have heard about from friends who stayed there previously. But, as per my disclaimer – I understand the limitations were due to government guidelines except a few things that I will mention below:

• The staff were too rushed on their feet
• The price for drinks were slightly extortionate for the size
• Some guests were left waiting for food for too long and others waited over 30 minutes before someone came to take there order, I personally left after one course as it took too long for someone to come take bring my dessert which I had ordered with the meal.

Whenever I travel, I often opt out of eating lunch and dinner at the hotel because I am yet to have an earth shuttering experience. I only ever seem to enjoy the breakfast and that is it and whilst I can respect that the Milton Hill House hotel had teething issues after only being open for a couple weeks at the time of my visit, the only let down of my stay was the quality of the meals and the options available for things like packaged snacks. Since I chose to unwind at the beautiful Milton Hill House hotel, I definitely got the unwinding and relaxing part but not so much for the food part which at the time of my stay I would rate 2.5/5.