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Hotel
4 star

Harte and Garter Hotel and Spa

31 High Street, facing the castle · Hotel

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Photo: Harte and Garter Hotel

Formed from two 14th-century coaching inns directly opposite Windsor Castle, with castle-view rooms and a health spa.

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Photos via Google

About Harte and Garter Hotel and Spa

The Harte and Garter is the closest hotel in Windsor to the castle, occupying the High Street frontage almost directly opposite the walls. It was created by merging two medieval coaching inns - the Harte and the Garter, the latter recorded in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor - and rebuilt in Victorian style after a nineteenth-century fire. The result is a large, rambling building on several levels, with a courtyard behind and a spa in the lower floors.

Rooms run from compact Cosy doubles up to Executive and Deluxe categories and family rooms sleeping four, with an accessible room available. Interiors were refreshed relatively recently in richer colours, and the rooms carry air conditioning, smart televisions and free wi-fi. The categories worth paying up for are the castle-view rooms at the front; the courtyard-facing rooms are quieter but look at brick.

Downstairs there is a bar and restaurant, and the hotel's spa offers treatments alongside the usual thermal facilities. Being where it is, the hotel is loud on the castle side during the day and around guard change, and this is a busy, high-turnover operation rather than a boutique one - guests trading a little polish for the location tend to be happy, those expecting a country-house pace less so.

It works best as a base for a short castle-focused break, particularly for families who want everything within two minutes of the door. There is no on-site parking, so use the town car parks or arrive by train; Windsor and Eton Central is a three-minute walk, Riverside about six.

What guests say

Bernadette Creagh

Booked a superior room here a week ago. When I arrived I noticed the poor decor and frayed carpet not to mention filthy lift doors with dents. I went to reception which is a bit of a dump with a table. I was given the keys to my room and it was not the one I booked. It was in total disrepair and dirty. The carpet were dirty and frayed. The bathroom grouting fifthly and in disrepair . The whole room shocking. I went down to reception and I explained. I was told to contact booking.com. No interest what so ever in the issues. I asked for a refund and was told to contact booking .com which I tried to do without success until early evening. It took them two and a half days to respond blaming everyone else. They blamed the hotel and the hotel blamed them They are refusing a refund saying it’s not down to them it’s up to the hotel who are also refusing a refund. The bottom line is who ever takes your money has to issue a refund and in this case booking.com. This hotel used to be greta until it was sold in 2024 by the crown estate. It is used as a cash cow with total contempt for customers in its or

2 weeks ago · via Google

Joseph O'Rourke

Great hotel overall, comfy bed, TV is functional with more channels than a premier inn! The air con didn't work in our room but we were provided 2 fans instead which did the job, and when I mentioned the air con to the gentleman at the reception desk, he immediately jumped on his computer to try and swap our rooms! We stayed 2 nights and they came in and made the bed for us while we were out, a shame to not have a functioning bar or restaurant but it seems to be being rebuilt, we didn't really see any staff but the ones we did were kind, and had the added bonus of being the hotel of choice for our special weekend away for me to ask my partner to be my wife. Thank you harte and garter! Im sure the place will be even better when its totally finished, PS the rooms are HUGE

3 weeks ago · via Google

Michelle Simone

I was pleased to find such a charming and affordable room right across the street from Windsor Castle. This hotel is clearly a bit more rundown than in its heyday but my “cozy” room was perfectly nice. Unfortunately, the lift was out of service and my room was up 3 flights of stairs, but I need the exercise anyway. I was happy to have an electric tea pot in my room and was very comfortable during my stay.

4 months ago · via Google

Simone Macleod

For the price we paid I was very underwhelmed with the room. The bathroom was very dark as half of the lights didnt work, the walls need a fresh lick of paint, the furniture is tired and there was a huge stain on the carpet by the bed. Staff were friendly and helpful (though didn't get back to me on the broken lights). £44 for a takeaway breakfast too? No thanks. The website overstates the grandiosity and location of the hotel, unfortunately. Will not be returning. Overpriced for what it is.

3 weeks ago · via Google

See all reviews on Google →

Guests consistently praise this hotel for its excellent location with castle views, good value, and friendly staff.

Other reviews mention the rooms can be poorly maintained and dated.

Summary via Google

At a glance

Address
31 High Street, Windsor, SL4 1PQ Get directions
Property type
Hotel
Location
31 High Street, facing the castle
Star rating
4 star
Guest score
8.0 / 10 (4,100 reviews)
Prices from
£95 per night
Good for children
Yes
Destination
Windsor