My mum and I had a one-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, Abingdon and we were so impressed with this beautiful hotel. The hotel is modern, spacious, bright and airy, filled with art and pictures advertising the local area and its businesses. The hotel is located just off the A34 bypass which makes it a perfect pitstop on a long journey or a great hotel to stay in whilst doing some travelling around the Oxfordshire area. We went to explore the town of Abingdon and were taken aback by it. It is a small market town full of historic buildings, riverside pubs and quaint cafes. The town is easily walkable from the hotel.
On arrival we were welcomed by the hotel’s reception staff who were very friendly and more than happy to give us information on the hotel and the local area. The reception area leads to a lobby area filled with tables containing plug sockets for laptops and phones. The staff encourage anybody to use this area for work or leisure whether you are staying at the hotel or not.
Opposite this area is a shop…YES you heard me…a shop in a hotel. How useful!! It was full of delicious snacks and drinks, and more importantly the essentials that you may forget on your trip e.g. toothbrushes, and even souvenirs of the area. They have sandwiches to grab if you don’t fancy the hotel dinner or if you arrive late and miss dinner. They also have a coffee and tea station as well as pastries in the morning for those people who are leaving early so miss breakfast. This shop gets a big thumbs up from me.
The rooms were spacious, clean and well-decorated. They had tea and coffee making facilities, a hair dryer, an iron and ironing board, a fridge, a large TV and lots of plug and USB sockets. I especially appreciated the sockets below the mirror for those all-important hair straighteners!!
Food was delicious at the hotel. We had a three-course meal in the evening with a bottle of wine. For my main I had chicken gyros – a Greek dish consisting of chicken breast, hummus and slaw on a flatbread. It was so tasty. We were also lucky enough to have the first try of a frangipane tart dessert coming to the menu soon – very yummy indeed and well worth the food baby! The chef, Richard, and his team should be very proud of their creative menu. The serving staff were also lovely and attentive. Breakfast was buffet-style including toast, cereal, hot breakfast, pastries, breads with cheese and ham, fruit and, BEST OF ALL, a waffle maker!! What is not to love?
The hotel also has a large function space which can be split into two smaller function rooms. These have all the equipment needed for meetings, including a projector and screen. They are also used for Christmas and weddings (for which it is proving very popular). The hotel has a laundry room for those who may want to do some washing if they are staying for a while. This is a unique feature. It also has an impressive well-equipped guest-only gym for all those fitness-inclined people (not me lol – I just ate lots of food and drank lots of wine instead).
Overall, we had the best stay at the hotel and will definitely return to this beautiful area of Oxfordshire. I think the most attractive aspect of the hotel is the wonderful team of staff – I feel it put the cherry on the cake of a delightful stay. I highly recommend the Hilton Garden Inn, Abingdon to anyone – from travellers, to people on business and those who would just like a relaxing space to do some admin or hold a meeting. It truly is a gem.