One of the former prison buildings at Oxford Castle and Prison has been turned into a luxury hotel. Visitors can stay in a prison cell, but not to worry because the beds are comfortable, and there is a lot more room with the cell having been split to accommodate a larger-sized bed and a bath with shower. The hotel is owned by the chain Malmaison.
The hotel is considered a "luxury" hotel, and that may be because of it being unique. However, I did not find it luxury. It is in an old building, so it's not very bright inside, and the bathroom in particular is very dark. The bed was alright but not the most comfortable that I have stayed in, and there were a lot of oversights with cleaning and room service as well as unfriendly staff.
Upon entering the area of the rooms, I saw the rows of former prison rooms and gangway. I got one of the "cell rooms", which is a former prison room.
The decor of the rooms includes prison-related motifs. I saw this in the pictures, carpets, and furnishings. There were even lockers.
A bath and a separate shower were provided. The bath was well-needed after all of the walking. The only issue was I nearly fell on the floor as the tiles get very slippery.
I didn't have much of a view, and I couldn't open the windows. I love to open the windows on a warm day and listen to the sounds of outside. On the second night, there was a large noisy group of people who must have been on some tour, and they got a bit drunk.
The deal that I got included dinner in the on-site restaurant on the day of arrival and breakfast each morning.
Dinner included two courses. I had an additional third course and a glass of wine. The food was not great. I received the freshly baked brioche. It was ok, but I really needed to share it with someone. The main was the boneless half chicken. The presentation was not good at all. The amount of greenery and cheese covering it up made me think it did not look edible as they were attempting to hide it. When I ate a piece, I could tell what they were hiding. The chicken was very dry and chewy and over-cooked. I decided to have the baked cookie dough dessert, and that was good, but I was a little bit too full to enjoy it.
Breakfast the next two mornings included a breakfast buffet and a choice of cooked breakfast. I ordered the vegetarian option. The breakfast buffet was in one of the other rooms, and there was a selection of pastries, toast, and cereals and yogurts.
Overall, staying at this hotel was a bit of a unique experience as how many hotels are in a former prison building? Would I stay here again? No, I didn't think it was worth the money and I certainly would not consider it five star and luxury.
Leave a comment