The Buttery Hotel

We had a spacious top-floor room with everything we needed, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. The location is perfectly central, so it’s easy to get around. The downside was how noisy it got outside on Friday night, until 1 a.m. or later.

There are just two rooms on each floor, and ours was large with a spectacular view. It’s a charming hotel, restored by its current owners after previously being a bookstore. Lots of different places of interest are within walking distance.

We were disappointed overall. The location is excellent for sightseeing, with plenty of places to walk to, and the rooms were spacious thanks to their high ceilings. They had tea and coffee makers, and staff replenished the tea bags, coffee pods and biscuits each day. The bathrooms seemed renovated and were a decent size. But those positives didn’t make up for the bed, the smell in Room 301, and how hard it was to sleep. The old spring mattresses were noisy and uncomfortable. The portable air conditioning units vent through the windows, and while they might help in summer, they’re loud at night. The sewage smell in our room was awful, especially when we were trying to sleep. We told reception. Staff were polite, but gave conflicting explanations: one said it came from outside, another admitted it was a known bathroom issue. That left us frustrated that the hotel seemed to know about it without fixing it. They offered 10% off the final bill for the inconvenience, but I’d still strongly suggest avoiding Room 301. There’s no lift, and the narrow stairs make carrying heavy bags to upper floors difficult. You also have to pay when you check in, which surprised us, rather than at checkout. There’s no parking on site, and nearby parking costs £25-£30 a day. If you’re driving, Oxford’s park-and-ride is about £4 a day; then you can take a short Uber ride to the hotel. For four days, that would be £16 for parking plus around £20 for two Uber rides, about £36 total, compared with roughly £120 for parking in the city centre.

The location is very central, but the windows look straight onto the wooden benches on Broad street, where teenagers may hang around making noise well past midnight. Parking is up to you, and will be very expensive. This is a 4-star “guesthouse,” so keep that in mind when booking. The room was nice, but it felt like they’d ticked boxes to get a 4-star room rating, such as providing portable air conditioners that vent through the windows, without creating a 4-star hotel experience. There aren’t any public spaces in the hotel.