Crazy Bear Stadhampton

Was gifted a £250 voucher for Xmas 2023, believe it or not but we have been trying to redeem this since then. Nobody answers the phones, email or replies to social media. We have given up and thankfully the bank have refunded the voucher. Looking at reviews I think it may have been a blessing in disguise as it sounds as if the place is on its last legs looking at reviews and social media comments. Would much rather spend the money with a company that can be bothered with its customers…not sure they will be around for much longer…

This place has sadly lost its sparkle and appeal which is sad as this was somewhere we loved going for events and weekends. The NYE party was poorly planned with a 40-50 minute wait for drinks, there were less acts, the buffet being moved really made no sense to carry the food through and then people line and over crowd over people tables. Breakfast was cold and despite previously paying for the continental option this was not laid out and had to be ordered which the waiter was not pleased with and after asking for a couple of slices of toast each for 2 of us were handed 1 cold slice between us so we gave up and left! Rooms are dirty with cobwebs visible and the whole place looks like it needs a good deep clean. Rooms have coffee machine with fresh milk left standing in a warm room and only decaf coffee available nothing more. Such a shame as this place used to have that special feel but now it’s just disappointing and after multiple events and trips here we really don’t think we will return again

We (2) went last night on a Groupon voucher for the 12 plate Thai sharing meal. All the Staff we met from reception, the bar and the restaurant were great, friendly and very helpful particularly assisting me (80 years old and unsteady on my feet) up the five steep stairs from the bar to the restaurant and back down again when it was time for us to leave and allocating a table for 4, at our request, to give us a bit extra space. Included in the Groupon voucher were 2 glasses of Champagne with a value of £48 so if that's deducted from the £78 we paid for the voucher that leaves £30 for the food which is OK value for money wise. If you're happy paying £24 for a glass of Champagne then...... However, food-wise 3 of the 12 supposed "plates" were combined into one and consisted of 5 very small pieces each of duck, "crispy" (it wasn't) belly pork and pork loin. One of the plates, the sea bass, was missing altogether. Having eaten in many Thai restaurants around the world, including Thailand itself, I was disappointed in the lack of "presentation" which Thai food is renowned for. Under no circumstances would this 12 (?) plate meal be worth the normal price of £134 as shown on the website Menu page. I would not go back again as the food was nothing special, I have had better takeaways. Save your money and go somewhere else.

We decided to stay over whilst attending the Christmas party with a group of friends. Given that we (2) spent in excess of £500 for the room/tickets etc this offers dreadful value for money. Yes, the rooms are quirky (but small) along with reception but are tired and in need of work. At least the staff were friendly. Our room was small, as expected, but nicely decorated. The shower room looked impressive but it was a wet room, literally! After showering, which was lukewarm at best, the floor was flooded and water started to come into the bedroom. We left towels down to stop the water but was not able to go back into the bathroom without getting wet. Sleep quality was good. Carpet needs replacing on stairway. With regards to the party, which was billed as a 3 course meal. This involved bread to start, a lukewarm Thai style buffet (not much choice) and then cheese. Disappointing. We were crammed into our table, alongside other crammed tables - so was not easy to get around. The bar was too busy, so had to resort going to the restaurant bar, which in turn got too busy. Entertainment was average. The following morning we went down for breakfast, which surprisingly was an expensive extra, with an added service charge which we wasn't expecting. Food was lukewarm and had to be returned to be heated up. Quality was average at best. Very poor value and would not return.

Very disappointed with the service. I decided to take my partner here for the Thai taster menu due to it being our 4 year anniversary, as I had been years ago with family and thought the experience was great. However, we arrived a few minutes late from our 1.5 hour drive and struggled to find where the actual restaurant was from the car park. We ended up arriving 10 minutes late into the restaurant where we struggled to get the staffs attention (There was 1 table in the bar). After finally getting someone’s attention they then said we couldn’t have the taster menu as it was too late. We hadn’t eaten much all day to enjoy our full meal here, so us being disappointed was a complete understatement. They then allowed us to have a main course each which were extremely overpriced for the quality, almost something we could have had at any standard high street Thai restaurant. Not once did the staff come to check in on the meal or ask if we would like any more drinks etc, which I believe is standard etiquette. We were also served our cocktails in water glasses which we thought was ridiculous. I remember this place being such a nice experience with incredible service. So I’m not sure if they’re just going downhill or we had a bad experience. However, I would never recommend this place after the experience we had.

Overall, we were impressed with the accommodation, and we really enjoyed our room. However, we did have some concerns regarding our experience with room service. Upon arrival, we requested a cup of tea and two wine glasses, but we were informed by a staff member, in a rather unfriendly manner, that we were only allowed two cups of tea then we would be charged for more. In my experience, I’ve stayed in hotels worldwide, and I can't recall any hotel imposing a limit on tea or coffee, especially considering the price we paid for our stay. After waiting for about half an hour, we called reception again, only to be told that room service had forgotten about our request. We then waited another 20-25 minutes, and when room service finally arrived, they had forgotten the wine glasses. This was a simple request that was unfortunately handled poorly, and it left us feeling disappointed. On a positive note, the rest of our stay was enjoyable. The food was lovely, and the bar and restaurant staff were friendly and accommodating. We booked our stay through Wowcher, where we received a significant discount (49%, I believe). Even with the discount, the stay still felt expensive, and we found it to be somewhat overpriced for what we received. Both my girlfriend and I agreed that we would consider returning, but we wouldn’t be willing to pay more than the discounted price we paid. If we do return, I hope we will experience more welcoming reception staff and a little more flexibility when it comes to tea and coffee. The experience left us with a bitter taste, not from the tea, but from the way the situation was handled.