Vanbrugh House Hotel

“Historic hotel with character and a great central location”

A charming and well-located hotel right in the heart of Oxford. The building has plenty of character and feels in keeping with the historic surroundings. The location is a real highlight, making it easy to explore the city on foot. Rooms are comfortable and well presented, and the overall experie… more

A charming and well-located hotel right in the heart of Oxford. The building has plenty of character and feels in keeping with the historic surroundings. The location is a real highlight, making it easy to explore the city on foot. Rooms are comfortable and well presented, and the overall experience feels relaxed and easy. Staff were friendly and helpful throughout. A great central option with plenty of character and a good overall feel

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“Average”

Stayed in the room "Bastion" for 4 nights. Ground floor room with the breakfast patio outside. Nicely decorated bathroom with shower, amenities, proper makeup mirror, heated towel rails. The room has iron, ironboard, safe deposit box, hairdryer, wardrobe with hangers and shelves. Coffeemaker and ke… more

Stayed in the room "Bastion" for 4 nights. Ground floor room with the breakfast patio outside. Nicely decorated bathroom with shower, amenities, proper makeup mirror, heated towel rails. The room has iron, ironboard, safe deposit box, hairdryer, wardrobe with hangers and shelves. Coffeemaker and kettle. Small desk. Tv and small double bed. Nicely decorated, comfortable bed. Good WiFi. No fridge in the room. Hotel serves a small continental breakfast for £20 (better value for money at the breakfast places near by). Very friendly and helpful staff. Approx 15 min walk from the train station. Very central location.

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“Perfect location, warm, clean room”

We stayed for one night as we were going to the theatre, and also wanted pre-theatre dinner at the Ivy (absolutely packed but really excellent!) and some drinks afterwards. We drove to the Park and Ride and got the bus into town - the P&R is very good value (£4.50 for 16-20 hours) and includes the … more

We stayed for one night as we were going to the theatre, and also wanted pre-theatre dinner at the Ivy (absolutely packed but really excellent!) and some drinks afterwards. We drove to the Park and Ride and got the bus into town - the P&R is very good value (£4.50 for 16-20 hours) and includes the return bus (or so we thought). We arrived at the hotel and the lady checked us in and gave us information on Oxford - although we visit 1 or 2 times a year so we know the place quite well, but her info was still welcome. We declind the continental breakfast as I prefer either nothing or a hot breakfast, and the lady suggested places we could go. We stayed in the room with a garden - the Nicholas Hawksmoor Room, the one next to the suite room. The room was fairly small, but knowing Oxford, this is quite normal as space is at a premium, and the buildings are old. The room was nice and warm (and it was very cold outside), and nice and clean. The bedding was lovely. The garden area was perfect and I could sit outside (with my goat on) and have a tea. The hotel is absolutely perfectly located for a night out in Oxford. It is a short walk from all the places you'd want to go. Pick up a map from reception to help you navigate - so much better and easier than using a phone to navigate. Check-out is at 11am but they are quite relaxed about it as long as you're out by midday (after that they charge per hour). Only about 4 long ife milks were provided, which is generally the norm now. I had though a-head and brogh extra tea bags with me, but then there wasn't enough milk. Next time I'd bring a frozen pint with me - since there's no fridge in the room (they really should add a fridge as there's ample room for one in the cupboard). I'd definately visit the hotel again and would either want the same room, or the suite, which I'm told has a fantastic bathroom with 2 baths and a big shower, as well as a garden. People that have moaned about the price, don't know Oxford. The more central you are, the more you'll pay. It's as simple as that. If you want a real hotel experience then stay at the Malmason, which is also pretty central. Avoid the Randolph at all costs! Being Oxford and a Saturday night, the place was very busy with students and tourists, all pretty rowdy, but snce I know Oxford this is quite normal. If you go be sure to visit The Turf Tavern, which is down the alley just past The Bridge Of Sighs. Oxford is a beautiful city. We got on the bus back to the Park and Ride and were told the free ticket only lasted 16 hours. although the parking was for 24 hours, so a bit annoying, but it was only £2.50 each Pros: Location Clean room Warm room Good bedding Cons: It's more a B&B than a hotel No cooked breakfast No fridge in the room Only a small quantity of tea (and coffee) and long life milk provided Would we return? Yes

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“– Fantastic location, lovely staff, but the hotel itself was disappointing”

– Fantastic location, lovely staff, but the hotel itself was disappointing We stayed at the Vanbrugh Hotel and the location really is amazing — it couldn’t be more convenient for exploring Oxford. The staff member who checked us in was genuinely lovely; she took the time to give us ideas to fill o… more

– Fantastic location, lovely staff, but the hotel itself was disappointing We stayed at the Vanbrugh Hotel and the location really is amazing — it couldn’t be more convenient for exploring Oxford. The staff member who checked us in was genuinely lovely; she took the time to give us ideas to fill our day and recommended great places to visit, which we really appreciated. However, the hotel itself felt more like a B&B. Our room was cold when we arrived and took quite a while to warm up. The walls were thin, the room a bit on the small side, and the main issue for us was the shower. We could only get lukewarm water. We mentioned it to reception, and they said it had been “fixed” while we were out for dinner, but the following morning the shower was still only lukewarm — even though the hot tap water worked fine. The bathroom was also cold, with just a towel rail for heating, which didn’t help. There was no follow-up from the staff to check if the issue had been resolved, nor any offer of another room, which was disappointing. Overall, the brilliant location made our stay worthwhile, but the hotel itself fell short of expectations.

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