The George and Dragon in Watlington is a former coaching inn of considerable age, its character written into every crooked corridor and irregular room. Expect floors that don’t lie quite flat and doorways that require a thoughtful duck — all of it authentic rather than affected, and contributing to an atmosphere that genuinely comfortable modern hotels cannot replicate. The rooms have been renovated with care, the breakfast is complimentary, and the staff extend the kind of unhurried, dog-friendly welcome that makes an overnight stay here something to look forward to rather than merely convenient.
The kitchen produces food that visitors describe as very tasty and extensive in range, the triple-cooked chips have developed a following of their own, and the bar team takes enough pride in their work to improvise a mojito when asked nicely. With a pub cat called Rioja, a manager in Monica who is repeatedly singled out for her genuine hospitality, and a beer list that leans knowingly local, the George and Dragon is every inch the welcoming country inn it was built to be.
