The Seagrave Arms

We had the most horrendous experience, thanks to the least friendly owner/manager I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. I wish we'd read recent reviews that described her as "feisty and quickly snaps", "the manager was off and rude to us" and "made us feel unwelcome" before booking, as then we'd almost certainly have booked elsewhere. As it was, she was the most unpleasant person I've ever met. We'd been at a friend's wedding in the Cotswolds, and went round to check in to the establishment at about 7.45pm. The manager could hardly contain her annoyance, and told us that she'd been trying to contact us all day. I explained that we'd been at a wedding all day, and so hadn't been looking at our phones. As it was, nobody had any missed calls at any rate. She then presented us with the bill, and insisted we paid there and then. I said I'd left my wallet at the Airbnb where my friends were staying, a short walk away, and could I pay when we came back a bit later. She very rudely replied, "no, you have to pay now." I then asked "well, can I just go the to the room to change my shoes?" as the ones I had on were hurting my feet. Again she replied "no, please just go and get your wallet." So I walked back, retrieved my wallet, and walked back to the Seagrave Arms, where the manager was still behind the desk. She again repeated her demand for the payment to which I replied "I'm not overjoyed that I had to walk back and get my wallet, as it's a very hot evening. Why couldn't we just pay in the morning like in every other hotel I've ever stayed in." I then tried to pay with my American Express Card, which she said they don't accept. I then tried to pay with another debit card, at which point she snapped "Actually, I think you need to go and find somewhere else to stay." To say I was dumbstruck by this is a slight understatement. The manager had been rude and unpleasant from the word go, and was now barring me from the establishment because I'd politely asked why we couldn't just pay in the morning. I said "I'm sorry, what have I done to upset you?" but she was adamant she wasn't going to let us stay. We were therefore left with no alternative but to find somewhere else at about 9pm in the middle of the week. Just to clarify, we weren't drunk, and we weren't abusive or rude. It was clear that the manager had had a bad day, and was taking her bad mood out on us. Customers, who just wanted a place to stay for the evening. If you're thinking about staying in the area, I would look for absolutely anywhere else. As multiple reviews have stated, the manager is extremely stressed, extremely unfriendly and unprofessional to the point of rudeness. Avoid at all costs.

3 Popular venue. Remote but good location to other area attractions. Food average, not exceptional. Serving staff produced food ordered in reasonable time. Standard pub fare. Adequate. General initial description says “includes ‘breakfast’ this is a slightly misleading trades description. As unlike many venues not all the breakfast is included- you have to pay for half of the breakfast! We have some empathy that things in hospitality are not easy these days. Manager works hard, seems stressed out, tries to help and is efficient. But appears feisty and quickly snaps at the slightest thing. Like the two of us were obviously going to sit on the nearest table for two. Before entering the room and even moving….’oh you can’t sit there that’s a table for four!’ It does take a description of what a table looks like to work this out! Bedroom a little cramped. Little space to hang clothes. Otherwise clean comfortable and generally well presented. A fan is there in the room and needs to be used to keep cool! It is nice to go and stay somewhere to be greeted by friendliness and have time to relax? Marks out of ten? 6.5 (Not used to making comments about visits…..hope this will help both the owner and guests in the future to improve and benefit).

Stayed as a couple for 1 night and really enjoyed our stay. Really friendly staff and the room was fab, everything we needed from a room, really comfortable and well appointed. We didn't have evening meal but the breakfast was superb. The only slight point of note was the fact the bar shut at 6pm and no food served in the evening which was a shame as their is some fantastic outside space for eating and drinking which was in darkness. We had to get a very expensive taxi into Chipping Camden. Not sure if the Seagrave Arms is a B&B, a hotel, a guest house or a restaurant but we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend to friends and family. Oh and the owners dogs are very cute.

The Seagrave Arms is a beautiful Cotswold stone building, impressing from very first sight. The staff are extremely helpful with nothing being too much trouble. Our room was charmingly decorated and comfortable, with all of the facilities expected at a good hotel. The food was excellent: well presented, the highest quality ingredients and cooked to perfection - both dinner and breakfast. Possibly, the best fish cake I have ever eaten! Highly recommended for a Cotswold getaway!

A wonderful 3 night stay. Very friendly helpful staff. Lovely breakfasts and the rooms were spotless. The en-suite rooms were tastefully decorated, the wonderfully comfortable beds with fresh bed linen made you want to lie in. Our only regret was that we should have booked a longer stay. Well done Seagrave Arms, we will be coming back.

We popped in on a Friday evening to a regular monthly ‘Fish & Fizz’ event in the garden marquee which had a great atmosphere, with a live musician playing acoustic covers and great food, conveniently served from an adjacent outdoor kitchen hut. My husband enjoyed the battered haddock with hand cut chips and I had the scampi with fries, both served in takeaway boxes with cute little pots of crushed garden peas and homemade tartare sauce. The marquee had a mix of quality outdoor dining furniture and a couple of groups of comfortable sofa seating, with some welcome patio heaters to keep the evening spring chill at bay. There seemed to be a good mix of friendly locals and visitors, and the staff were courteous and welcoming. The pub itself had a couple of dining rooms with log burners and a bar with an open fire, all clean, cosy and atmospheric. There’s an interesting program of events and special menus published over the next few months that are very tempting, so we will be sure to return. Highly recommend this gorgeous little gem of a pub in a village just outside of Chipping Campden in the north Cotswolds.