Oxford, a seasoned city of culture and erudite beauty, is peppered with dreaming spires and archaic edifices. In keeping with the city's understated beauty and elegance is The Macdonald Randolph Hotel, or more simply, The Randolph.
Built in 1864 by the architect William Wilkinson, the Victorian Gothic hotel stands dignified on a street of Georgian facade, opposite the world famous Ashmolean Museum. A skip and a jolly hop (or 200m if you're stoically set on metric) from city centre, it is one of the most central hotels. It is this distinctive architectural history and location that marks The Randolph as the ideal bedrock for exploring Oxford.
Having attended university at Oxford, there was never quite a good enough reason to obliterate my bank account (and the possibility of any future loan-related banter with the HSBC) on a night ...
Advantages: It's spectacular and surprisingly quiet and the best location in the city Disadvantages: Parking, high prices.
As a student at Oxford University in the late 1980s, the Randolph seemed like the physical embodiment of the class divide that afflicted poor kids like me who came from state schools from the much wealthier students who took the affluence and grandeur of the city's finest hotel entirely in their stride. I'd never been in such a grand hotel and the closest thing to a grand building in my home city was the local branch of Lloyds Bank.
My flat mates' parents would arrive each term and take us out to the Randolph for rather staid Sunday lunches in the spectacular high ceilinged dining room where we'd sit and watch the world cycle by through the tall windows. By contrast my parents would visit bringing a bag full of fish and chips or a Chinese take-away. I can't really say that we enjoyed the Randolph that much more than a take ...
Advantages: Lovely hotel full of character Disadvantages: Slightly loud extractor fan in the bathroom!
I stayed in this B&B (Its called a hotel, but i would class it more as a B&B) for 1 night whilst on a business trip, and was not disappointed. I was feeling rather energetic at the end of my first day, and as the sun was still shining I decided to get out my map and walk back to the hotel. It is number 100, Banbury road, and it took me around 20 minutes to walk from the main part of the town, and I foudn it very easily, it was literally just a straight road. They have plenty of free carparking if you drive there.
I rung the bell on the reception desk and a very friendly lady took my details and walked me up to my room, which was lovely. It wasn't massively huge, but big enough for me, and they had very kindly upgraded me from a single to a double room for no extra cost because they were quiet on that night, how nice of them ...
