The Old Bell Hotel

We had a wonderful 3 day break over Christmas in this beautiful old Hotel. From the moment we booked in we were treated royally by the efficient and friendly staff, nothing was too much trouble. We had a welcome glass of champagne and mince pie. Our room was cosy and warm with very comfortable beds. The food throughout our stay was exceptional, every meal from breakfast through to dinner was truly memorable. We cannot wait to visit again. Thank you The Old Bell for making our Christmas special.

We had a fantastic 3 day Christmas break at this wonderful old hotel. From the moment we arrived the friendly and very efficient staff went out of their way to make our stay memorable. Our room was clean, cosy and comfortable, the hotel lounges and dining rooms had plenty of old world charm. The food was quite exceptional, we thoroughly enjoyed every meal. So thank you Old Bell for making our Christmas special.

We had a fabulous weekend at the Old Bell. Service is attentive but informal and we were extremely well looked after - even when the staff were rushed off their feet. Food was high quality. It's a simple menu but executed well. We took our dog and everyone was lovely to him. Malmesbury is a great place for a mini break with plenty of opportunity for walkies. Highly recommend

Lovely hotel, we stayed in the main house, the rooms are amazing and freshly decorated of course. Cozy and warm we've enjoyed the stay. Our waiter Leah was super sweet and very attentive to the service. Overall food experience was excellent, with delicious pretzel bread, cheese souffle and mackerel. For main we had the cod, which was delicious of course, but the star of the show was The Thai mussels! Cooked to perfection and the sauce was delicious, best mussels I've ever had. Thank you

We recently stayed for a special occasion weekend, and we absolutely loved our time at The Old Bell. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially in the restaurant, where the food was brilliant. We enjoyed sitting in the bar/lounge areas until late which were a great setting for drinking cocktails and wine. The hotel is dog friendly, and we brought ours along, to which the staff were also very accommodating, supplying doggy beds and bowls for her food and water. The town is super quaint and beautiful in that classic English way, and there's tonnes of great walks within short distance. Overall a great hotel experience - we'll definitely be back!

We had the most wonderful 3 day Christmas package, everything was beyond first class. From the moment we arrived on Christmas Eve we were welcomed with mulled wine, Prosecco and mince pies. Every meal we had was superbly cooked and presented, the chefs were fantastic. All the staff were so friendly and couldn't do enough to make our stay so memorable, especially Amy, who was always ready for a chat.

Delightful hotel with beautifully decorated rooms. Plenty of sitting areas to sit, relax, enjoy a drink and socialise. Very polite and friendly staff. Great selection of meals to enjoy in a lounge setting or dining room. Very good breakfast choices also.

A fabulous hotel as a facility, but let down by friendly but chaotic service. The staff are clearly trying, but either training or processes aren't in place to consistently get service right. Pros: beautiful hotel and location, a lovely restaurant and every member of staff was very friendly. Cos: just constantly getting small things wrong. We had to send drinks back twice, once with the staff agreeing that the wine smelled 'vinegary', once because the mulled wine tasted like it used corked wine (I was also charged £3 to change my cocktail, which seemed very stingy given we were spending £250 a night to stay there). My breakfast order was wrong, and despite apologising and offering to fix it immediately, it wasn't fixed before we'd finished the meal, gotten fed up and left. We had two drinks added to our bill that weren't ours, which they removed after we flagged it. And they mention that you can borrow wellies to explore the area, but they only have three pairs for adults in a very limited range of sizes, so... you can't actually. None of these things are major, but this is a lot of errors for two night stay. In short, this could be a very special hotel, but the staff are either overwhelmed or not supported by proper process.

Location is in the hilltop town of Malmsbury. We ate at the Abbey Row restaurant inside the hotel. Reservations recommended. Very British menu. There is a set menu or large plates. We were able to mix and match. Good portions. Hotel itself is decorated interestingly with unusual artifacts . Parking outside restaurant is limited if you're lucky to find a spot or park in public parking nearby.

We stayed here and dined here on a Saturday night. I was actually very impressed with this hotel restaurant. We've been to a few country hotels around England and find the restaurants to be of very varying standards. The building is beautiful (claims to be the oldest hotel in England) but it is right next to Malmesbury Abbey - so picturesque. The actual dining room isn't anything special - a mix of modern and old but actually quite sparse in terms of decor etc. Not something I minded. It was pretty busy on a Saturday night but we got a nice seat by the window. Service was a bit grumpy at first but efficient. We had an avocado salad to start which was fresh with very generous portions of avocado. My only criticism would be not quite enough dressing. For main I had a delicious piece of sea bass but the best bit was the lemon and chilli linguine that accompanied it. So tangy and I'm pretty sure it was fresh home cooked pasta. Really delicious and something I will try to recreate at home. Service was a bit grumpy at first but efficient. It gets 4 stars vs 5 because of the service and also it is on the pricier side (15-20 per main) As an additional aside, we had breakfast here the next morning and my eggs royale was perfection. Rich and plentiful hollandaise sauce and tasty salmon. Good croissants and pastries too.

Firstly, this is the oldest hotel in England and is situated right next door to the beautiful Malmesbury Abbey. I haven't stayed over night at the hotel but have eaten there a few times now. The service has always been fantastic and the staff are open to you sitting where you please. There is a more formal dining area with a fire place and stained glass features. On the other side there are more cosy cubby rooms with comfy chairs and sofas. The daytime menu is very reasonable for the quality of food - the smoked salmon sandwich is delicious. Well worth a visit if you're in the area for the history and charm alone.

I have been at the Old Bell for dinner as well as high afternoon twice. Dinner: The food and service was good, but nothing special. High Afternoon tea: The first time was really good and I was impressed therefore I decided to visit a second time. The second time was VERY disappointing. It was very poor, it even lacked scones and clotted cream. In both cases the service was very slow and unimpressive. We needed to chase the staff to serve us. The decor is beautiful. It has a warm and homey feel to it, especially during the winter when the fireplace is up and running. It is well worth visiting once, but that is about it.

Claims to be the oldest hotel in England! if this is true then the fact it's next to a 12th century Abbey, and it"s apparent ghost should make it a place to visit. The current owners/chain have failed to keep it's history and vibe, and are more focused on attracting a certain type of clientele and their money!! It's to expensive, too cold and full of goons!