3, Oxford Castle, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY, United Kingdom
#17 of 48 hotels in Oxford
Guests' ChoiceBased on 3742 hotel reviews
8.4Cleanliness
8.9
Comfort
9.0
Location
9.6
Facilities
8.5
Staff
8.9
Value for money
7.4
Free Wifi
8.7
Real Bookers. Real stays. Real opinions.
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End of dialog contentReviewed: June 17, 2024
Robinson
United KingdomNo opening windows (it’s an old prison so rooms were previously cells) or air con, so very stuffy. No fridge in room (an empty cupboard where one had been) and the room was in need of modernizing - especially the bathroom
Quirky, different, excellent location
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 15, 2024
Carl
United KingdomNothing it was perfect
Lovely hotel and fantastic staff
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 15, 2024
Katie
United KingdomPrice…I know you are paying to stay in a prison but I thought the rooms would be more luxurious for the price or even discount off the castle tour when staying at the hotel
Delicious breakfast and hotel was central location so easy to get to everything
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 12, 2024
Robert
United KingdomThe bed was quite hard. The only poor comment for the stay.
Good position, character with taste and style. Convenient for attractions, theatre and shopping. All the hotel people were efficient, friendly helpful courteous informative and professional. Helping to make the best of the stay as possible. The valet parking was easy and efficient. The cell room was a pleasant surprise, well appointed and mainly comfortable. A very pleasant enjoyable stay.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 11, 2024
Lyndon
United States of AmericaI have nothing negative to say.
The room was a nice size and the shower was hot. It looked to be recently remodeled. The location was great and part of historic jail and castle. Walking distance to all the tourist attractions. Close to restaurants, bar, and shopping. Limited parking on site but public parking was close by.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 10, 2024
Linda
United KingdomThe saying ‘style before substance’ springs to mind with regard to our bedroom - no electrical socket near a mirror for hairdrying etc, which is not practical.
Stylish, good location. Love the design of the place, incorporating the old prison with new add-ons that blend well. Lovely large bathroom with huge shower area. Comfy bed. We didn’t use the bar or restaurant, so can’t comment on those. The staff were super-helpful.
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 10, 2024
Mark
United KingdomUnfortunately the air conditioning in our room did not work so the room was uncomfortably warm on the first night - I mentioned it to reception and they were great as when we returned to our room after a day out the next afternoon they had plugged in a nice portable air conditioner which did the job.
Location of hotel is excellent as is in the heart of Oxford city. The hotel is lovely and staying in an old converted prison works perfectly as has that quirky touch. We upgraded our room which was lovely and the walk in shower was huge. The downstairs bar has a great selection of drinks and staff are very friendly. Breakfast was lovely with a good choice.
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 9, 2024
Vanda
United KingdomLocation. Great knowledgeable staff. Food excellent
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 8, 2024
Rob
United States of AmericaBrilliantly unusual hotel
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 8, 2024
Raquel
Spaineverything wad great the amenities excedded all expectations! the room was big and they provided us with a great crib for our baby , the bathroom was also great with a bathtub and a shower with plenty of space
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 7, 2024
Christine
GermanyUnfortunately, I wasn't aware that this historic building apparently doesn't have windows that can be opened. As a result, ventilation is limited, and fresh air at night can only be accessed through the room door. After showering, the entire room has very high humidity, which isn't managed well by the air conditioning. Personally, I found the stay in the cell room quite amusing, but I would prefer a longer stay in a room with windows that can be opened. Additionally, it's important to note that the cell rooms open directly onto the hallway, meaning any noise from the hallway can be heard clearly. This didn't particularly bother us and didn't spoil our stay, but it's good to be aware of.
We had booked a "cell" room. The furnishings were excellent. The bathroom was large and well-equipped. Personally, I would have preferred a walk-in shower instead of a bathtub, but that's a matter of taste. The bed was very comfortable. We did not book breakfast as I found the price to be inappropriate. In addition to a quite high flat rate per person, an extra charge was applied for any hot dishes (such as scrambled eggs, etc.).Otherwise, the staff was very nice and accommodating.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 6, 2024
Melinda
KenyaSecond visit. Friendly, helpful and central.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 5, 2024
Flaneur_1
United States of AmericaThe room was smaller than I expected.
The room was ok, the bed was comfy. Oxford is a beautiful city, and the hotel has a very interesting architecture. It is a small town so you can walk everywhere.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 5, 2024
Reid
United States of AmericaRoom 101. No one mentioned the spot lights that shine in the window or where the stick was placed to allow you to close the shutters
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 4, 2024
Ruth
United KingdomThe room was very hot
Very comfortable room and hotel was in the perfect location
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 2, 2024
John
AustraliaRoom was comfortable and spacious. Hotel is in a good location. Breakfast was very nice, staff very helpful and friendly.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: June 2, 2024
Elizabeth
United States of AmericaRoom felt like it needed a refresh. Things looked and felt like it could be updated.
Great location and incredible history of the building. Close to everything you need.
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 1, 2024
Adam
United KingdomOne gripe I had was that we were upgraded on our room but when we got there it had a wet room rather than a shower and bath.
Gorgeous building and wonderful to see the history.lovely rooms and the cells were amazing.
Stayed in June 2024
Reviewed: June 1, 2024
Janet
United KingdomOnly negatives were a limited restaurant menu (we dined out) and a noisy ventilation unit behind panelling in the bathroom. Staff promised to investigate. This may have been a temporary problem.
Nice large room with little balcony. Coffee machine, kettle, iron and everything you need for a comfortable stay. Fantastic central location snd fascinating historic building. We didn't use the dining facilities morning or evening.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: May 29, 2024
Stacey
United KingdomHistory and cleanliness.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: May 29, 2024
Rachel
United KingdomCheck wasn’t great. No one checked if it was a special occasion which I saw other employees do. It was a special celebration but it was not noted despite me flagging this up on booking. Service charge for making a cocktail on top of room fee? No esp as the price was not adjusted when I asked for no vodka in my cocktail. Feel a bit ripped off tbh.
Location and room comfort and cleanliness.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: May 28, 2024
Doreen
GermanyWindows cannot be opened. The shower was oddly laid out, which made flooding the bathroom inevitable. When we mentioned this as the reason for our opt-out of the resource-saving no-cleaning-during-our-stay-scheme, they put it down to a drainage issue and claimed to have fixed it. Which of course they hadn’t, as the next shower demonstrated. Also, we were asked to specify when we wanted our car on the day of departure; we did, but then it wasn’t ready, bc of miscommunication among staff. It was then brought quickly enough, but if you do get asked, and plan accordingly, this can cause unwelcome delays.
Excellent location, really quiet, feels very safe 😉, does have parking.
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: May 27, 2024
Barrie
United KingdomGreat location with lots of interesting history
Stayed in May 2024
Reviewed: May 23, 2024
Victoria
United KingdomThe room was hot and the windows didn’t open. There was no air conditioning just ventilation so we had to leave the door open to the hallway to get some cool air. Perhaps a lighter duvet or a sheet would have been better on the bed.
Central location, friendly staff. Interesting building and lovely grass area with outside bar tables
Stayed in May 2024
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