Vanbrugh House Hotel

We stayed two nights at Vanbrugh House Hotel. The hotel is in a fantastic location—right in the heart of everything, yet on a quiet street less than a 15-minute walk from the train station. As it's an old building, the layout is naturally a bit maze-like, and soundproofing isn’t always the best. Also rooms might be small. Our room faced the inner courtyard and was otherwise quiet, but the clatter of bottles being thrown into bins during cleaning at a nearby restaurant was extremely loud and woke us up at night. During our stay the construction site next to the hotel did not disturb us. The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was clean, and hot water came instantly. There is no air condition. The staff were friendly. We didn’t have breakfast, so we can’t comment on its quality. This is a good hotel in the city center.

There is construction taking place next door. Our room faces the Union on the first floor which was a very nice view but the windows were incredibly thin and we could hear everything as if we were standing outside. Woke up one morning to a VERY loud garbage truck and sound of glass shattering due to the construction. The room was nice and the staff was very kind and friendly. I did not have a fridge in the room but the staff was more than helpful with storing milk (for my child) in the fridge and bringing it up to me when needed!

The location is absolutely brilliant. Only a 10 minute walk from the train station and a few mins walk from The Covered Market and central locations. We booked The Vicarage Suite and whilst it was a large, beautiful room, there were certain things that just didn't meet requirements. Firstly, the staff on reception are very neutral. Not impolite or rude but certainly not particularly welcoming. We were told on arrival our room did not include breakfast which was odd as it did say on our booking it did. Rather than argue we decided to pay extra (£20 per person) for one mornings worth. It is an absolute rip off. Yet again, we were given a list of what breakfast did not include such as hot food. We wouldn't have minded at all as continental breakfasts can be fantastic but the selection was incredibly poor. Just a loaf of bread, a few cold pastries and 1 choice of cheese and meat. You would be better off going elsewhere for breakfast. The room itself looked lovely and was clean enough. However the mattress was really hard and neither myself or husband slept well. It is also a noisy hotel. I was awoken several times in the night to what I'm assuming was a member of staff or other guests coming and going. Not only this but the room smelt bad, as if the drains needed cleaning out which meant we had to leave the window open to constantly air out the room. There is a coffee machine in the room which the cups do not fit under so was a completely pointless addition. Whilst we were out it was clear housekeeping had been in as tea/coffee bits had been refilled but they did not bother making the bed or making up the bathroom. I would not come back again and feel like we've been 'had'. It is incredibly expensive for what it is and we left feeling disappointed.

The hotel's location is fantastic, but that is about it. We were put into what must have been their tiniest room, which was cramped, with the TV stand nearly toppling over. This bore no resemblance to the rooms in the photos for the type of room we booked, all of which appear to be larger, with more light and much better kept. The water pressure was nearly non-existent and the water tepid. The TV was technically "smart" but barely functioned and the remote was half-broken (you had to press the buttons extremely hard to get them to work). The hotel is rather pricey, and on top of that they have check-out early (11AM) and charge an extra £20 just to check out at midday. I would not stay here again.

The rooms were clean, staff were friendly and location was great. However, the price does not match what you get. The rooms are very small, you can hear EVERYTHING going on in the hotel so it’s not a good nights sleep and I think it’s just a bit tired all around (bathroom stains, tired carpets…). I didn’t have a bad time but I was definitely disappointed with the amount I spent when the real luxury hotels in Oxford are only a fraction of the price more.