Berkshire, United Kingdom

The Coat & Bear

Price per night from$122.81

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (inclusive of taxes and fees) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (GBP99.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Sybarites' saloon

Setting

Along the mane drag

The Coat & Bear — set in the market town of Newbury — puts you in the saddle for a winning Berkshire break. Careful renovations have given this historic Georgian abode its crowd-pleasing refresh, with a clutch of cosseting rooms dressed in nature-nodding tones and horse-themed touches. Downstairs, the kitchen dials pub grub up a notch with seasonal produce straight from regional farms and closes evenings with a perfectly poured pint for that ‘struck gold’ sense of contentment.

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A signature gin and tonic (or non-alcoholic alternative) each

Facilities

Photos The Coat & Bear facilities

Need to know

Rooms

26.

Check–Out

11am, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability and an additional charge.

More details

Rates don’t include breakfast, but Continental and à la carte options are available daily at the restaurant for an additional charge.

Also

The Really Comfy Accessible Room has been fitted with a wheelchair-friendly bathroom and extra space to accommodate guests with limited mobility. The ground-floor restaurant is also fully accessible.

At the hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV with Chromecast, Roberts radio, air-conditioning, minifridge, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water and Bramley bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Each pick promises cosy countryside features and subtle nods to Newbury’s equestrian past. The Really Comfy Room makes for a cockle-warming crashpad; but if you’re after extra space to spread, it’s got to be the Luxe or Grand Rooms for their homey living rooms and freestanding tubs.

Packing tips

Your finest flat caps and tweed for a day at the races.

Also

The ‘Bear’ in the hotel’s name is blue-coated Peruvian, Paddington — in homage to his creator, Michael Bond, whose home town was Newbury.

Pet‐friendly

Pups will be welcome with open arms here: for £20, two of your furry friends can join you, and they’ll have their own cosy bed, shampoo and treats waiting in rooms. They’re allowed in the pub, too, where you’ll find a Fido-approved dog menu. See more pet-friendly hotels in Berkshire.

Children

Welcome; there aren’t any dedicated facilities on-site, but babysitting can be arranged with advance notice. The Really Comfy Family and Fancy Family rooms can accommodate a little Smith on an extra bed; or, the Luxe and Grand rooms sleep up to four.

Food and Drink

Photos The Coat & Bear food and drink

Top Table

During the colder months, secure a cheek-rosying seat by the fire. On summer evenings, opt for a table by the folding doors to lap up any slithers of sun.

Dress Code

Wellies and a wax jacket fresh from a walk is just fine around these ends.

Hotel restaurant

There’s a cosy, countryside feel to The Coat & Bear’s restaurant, brought by its roaring central fireplace and blush-pink banquettes. Chefs work hard behind the scenes, sourcing ingredients from Berkshire-based suppliers and spinning them into the full-bodied British classics that feature on ever-evolving menus. The seasons will guide your choice, but most Sundays come with the familial wafting scent of a traditional roast (plus all the trimmings).

Hotel bar

The ornate gold-hued countertop is this pub’s showpiece, and where you’ll find locals and out-of-towners alike gathering for their pints of locally brewed beers and expertly crafted cocktails. There’s an extensive wine list, too, including a clutch of English labels. 

Last orders

Breakfast is served between 7.30am and 10am, lunch is from noon and dinner is dished until 10pm (9pm on Sundays).

Location

Photos The Coat & Bear location
Address
The Coat & Bear
28 Bartholomew Street
Newbury
RG14 5EU
United Kingdom

In West Berkshire, The Coat & Bear sits in the market town of Newbury, along South East England’s River Kennet.

Planes

London Heathrow is your closest airport, around an hour’s drive from the hotel. London Gatwick and Bristol are alternative options, but will be a longer 90-minute drive. The hotel doesn’t do private transfers, but there are plenty of taxis at all three airports.

Trains

Direct trains run from London Paddington to Newbury station throughout the day; from there, it’s a five-minute walk to the hotel. There are also non-stop routes to Reading, Oxford, Bristol, Bath, Cardiff and Plymouth.

Automobiles

Newbury is a walkable town and sits along a well-connected rail route, so a set of wheels won’t be essential. If you are bringing your car, there’s free parking on-site, and overflow covered public parking nearby.

Worth getting out of bed for

The Coat & Bear puts you right on Newbury’s thoroughfare, Bartholomew Street. There are antique shops, family owned boutiques, historic architecture and local pubs (including the 137 Gin Distillery, set inside the Newbury Pub and a revered destination for tours and tastings). For local culture, the West Berkshire Museum, Donnington Castle and Highclere CastleDownton Abbey’s regal filming location — are all either a short walk or drive away.

Succumb to your quaint English surroundings with a boat ride along the Kennet & Avon Canal, leaving from the Newbury or Aldermaston Wharf. Victoria Park is the town’s fêted green space. And if you’re champing at the bit for a bet, Newbury Racecourse is a 15-minute walk away and makes for a winning day out.

Local restaurants

Admiring the Kennet River, Goat on the Roof has added a raved-about restaurant to its established top-floor wine bar. Sommeliers are on hand to help suggest bottles that pair best with the menu’s seasonal small plates (Winchester cheese croquettes, pork belly straight from the Windsor Royal Estate, and crispy, ’nduja-dosed potatoes). Dishes change with the weather at the Woodspeen, where decadently finished plates are served alongside a sweeping view of the Berkshire countryside. Trad English interiors are contrasted with an all-Italian menu at Le Otto Campane — a locally loved spot along Bartholomew Street.

Local cafés

It’s all handmade cakes, scones and finger sandwiches at the Flower Pot Café — a family-run tea room in Inch’s Yard. 

Local bars

The Globe is a quaint watering hole for pulled pints, punchy cocktails and a rotating roster of live events. If you’ve had your fill of the pub scene, Chego’s wine bar brings an elevated ambience for its moody setting, vintage labels and Spanish cheeses.

Reviews

Photos The Coat & Bear reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this pretty pub with rooms in Newbury and unpacked their tip sheets and twill two-pieces, a full account of their quaint English break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside The Coat & Bear in Berkshire…

The Coat & Bear gets one half of its name from Micheal Bond, author of the beloved Paddington Bear series, and a native to this quaint Berkshire town. And much like the red-hatted family favourite, this hostelry welcomes with a similarly polite cheer. Attentive staff are on-hand to recommend Newbury’s hidden haunts, tee up a tour of local castles and secure you a seat at the nearby races. 

Those who’d rather leave the betting to the tipsters will find their fix of this town’s horsey heritage back at base, where rooms subtly reflect your closeness to the courses in their equine-themed artwork and classic farmhouse features. But this spot’s true front runner is its kitchen, courtesy of season-led cooking that champions British farms and suppliers. There’s a refined assortment of dishes to devour, pints to be pulled, and wines to swirl and sample — the only thing we can’t promise is a marmalade sandwich.

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Price per night from $122.81