aussiedreamer

Okay, after putting together our 'last minute' trip to the UK, I only have Oxford left to sort out. We will be in Halifax the night before and are flying home from LHR the next day.
Oxford is one place we've always missed on our UK trips, so we thought we'd have a wander around for the afternoon, a nice dinner somewhere <b>(thoughts, a really great pub or nice/special restaurant?) </b>and then head to LHR the next morning.

So we'd like to stay somewhere that's quite central, easy walk to the highlights and dinner. <b>We love B&B's but would also be happy in a hotel, if we could keep it at around the 100GBP that would be good, but happy to pay a bit more for something nice.</b>

I think I'm correct in saying that it will take about an hour (give or take) to get back to Heathrow?

janisj

OK - you will have a car or not which does complicate things more than a bit. You'd probably have to stay at a B&B on one of the roads into the center since some of them include parking. There is terrific bus service so if you stay along the Woodstock Road, or Banbury Rd, etc you can pop into the center very easily.

Someplace like this . . . http://www.cotswoldhouse.co.uk

You won't likely get a hotel in central Oxford for close to £100 - most are pretty pricey. Plus IF they have parking there is an extra charge.

It can be an easy/quick drive -- but not during the morning commute. I'd give it at least 90 minutes just in case.

MmePerdu

This is where I stay in Oxford, right in the center on Broad St. and you should be able to find a room near your target price: http://www.thebutteryhotel.co.uk/index.html

janisj

But where will they park???

MmePerdu

I don't see mention of a car. If there is one, maybe a Park & Ride lot. Or turn it in in Oxford and coach to Heathrow???

janisj

MmeP: If they leave the vehicle (I think they have a van because they are following a sports team) out at a park and ride -- then the trip to LHR will take considerably longer since they'd have to take a bus to get to the car.

W/ a vehicle I honestly think staying on along one of the main roads into town makes much, much more sense. A car IN Oxford is a total pain.

aussiedreamer: Look at a map of Oxford - the roads I'm talking about are just outside the middle of town, funnel in to the VERY center, and are the main bus routes back and forth. You'd be just minutes from the places you want to see/eat/drink.

aussiedreamer

Thanks all, yes we will have a car, not a van (handing that back in after the Cardiff game, collect mid size after our week in London).

Thanks for your suggestion janisj, Cotswold House looks perfect, more than happy to jump on a bus.

May be able to thank you with a drink on the 28th? ;-)

aussiedreamer

mmm so I'm now thinking we may just 'call into' Oxford for a late lunch and a walk around, then head to an airport hotel.
Accommodation seems really expensive in Oxford and it really is just for a 'look'........thoughts?

MmePerdu

My preference is usually to be at the airport the night before a flight. No worries about unforeseen circumstances. A leisurely breakfast before leaving is my idea of a good start to a long travel day.

aussiedreamer

Well it seemed like a good idea.....dh said he hates staying at the airport on our last night. Kinda feels like the holiday is over.

So I've requested a room at Cotswold House, Oxford, thanks again for all your input.

janisj

(I did say Oxford is pricey )

If Cotswold House is too steep . . You could still do a look-see in Oxford and then drive on to Windsor. There is a travelodge walking distance from Windsor Castle and Windsor is 7 miles from LHR. The travelodge isn't posh for sure but the location is phenomenal

flanneruk

If you've decided to stay in Oxford, be aware that thousands of us every day start the day off in or around the city and routinely get early morning flights out of Heathrow, and many times more of us routinely make 8 am meetings in central London.

Though you've got to allow time to get to the terminal from the rental dropoff, and getting out of Oxford between 0600 and 1000 can take time, I've never needed more than 90 minutes to drive in the early morning from more or less your hotel to an airport carpark.

There isn't really "a really...nice/special restaurant" in centralish Oxford, apart possibly from Shanghai 30's: a very good Shanghainese place in a gloriously quirky building(oddly, most of Oxford's best eating is currently Chinese, and posh food writers regularly nominate SoJo as Britain's best Chinese - which is tantamount to saying the best in the world outside Hong Kong. However, as the ghastly Paddyfields - much used by organisers of Chinese tour groups - demonstrates, having lots of Chinese customers doesn't guarantee the food's going to be edible). Its real point is an extraordinary view over the medieval gargoyles of Christ Church Cathedral. The bad news, though, is that the view's limited after dark.

The Cherwell Boathouse has about the best Western food in the area and a truly outstanding wine list, but you do need a bit of assistance driving there. The food in the Ashmolean Museum restaurant is fine, though the view doesn't work at all once it's dark

Otherwise, there's the restaurant in the Randolph Hotel for a kind of Morse glamour, the heaviest concentration of mediocre chain restaurants on earth and a few slightly quirky places, all listed (mostly with grumpy reviews from a readership base that generally prefers moaning to vacuous enthusiasm) at :
http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/venues.ph...cuisine=#start

For eating, pubs are generally a better bet. Most midweek autumn evenings, the more atmospheric ones are busyish, but rarely chocker. None are outstanding from a food point of view, though generally OK and some people put up with a spot of microwaving for a pub's character.

From the URL at the end of this para, look in particular at the older boozers in the centre. The following group have all been there, as boozers, at least since the Civil War:
The Bear
The Crown (now part of a chain and as atmospheric as a McD)
Eagle & Child
Jolly Farmers (gay, but unintimidating to the rest of us)
Kings Arms
Lamb & Flag (cards not taken)
Royal Oak (handiest to your hotel, but not that characterful)
The Turf (a real tourist trap, but there aren't that many tourists around on a November midweek evening, and it's a lot better than it once was)
White Horse (the pubbiest, and often overlooked)

Further details at:
http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk/venues.ph...strict=0#start
The pubs are all within a hundred or two yards of each other, and none usually need booking. Once dusk falls, a nice way of seeing the town is to have a half in a few of them: the walk down New College Lane/Queen's Lane, past the Turf, is especially gloomy and chilly in November.

aussiedreamer

That's terrific flanneruk, so helpful. Re the drive back to LHR we're happy to leave nice and early, the flight is at 11.30am, we are flying b/class so the lines etc. are 'usually' much shorter. I'm guessing we will head off anytime after 7am ish.
Thanks again so much for all the info.