"How did it strike you on arrival?Arriving at the Old Parsonage after walking down the pub-filled Oxford street of St Giles, I can’t believe I am in Oxford and not some rural idyll. The hotel, with its Cotswold stone facing covered with trailing ivy looking as if it belongs lost in the countryside. This is a hotel I am keen to get inside, I want to be here and with the smiling welcome I get from the concierge, I’m even happier with where I am after the train up from London. What’s the crowd like?This is home to lots of Oxford parents, that is, parents of students up to check in on their offspring. I'm told it's an institution among them. This is where you come for lunch to celebrate graduating, and where you stay if you want to show off a bit. But there are also a few general art lovers here, the Ashmolean gallery being only five minutes away. The good stuff: Tell us about the rooms.I took a deluxe room, the mid-range of the hotel's offerings and if I had a complaint it would be that it was small for what you'd get at an equivalent price at any famous chain. However that is to be expected in a 400-year-old building with no room for expansion. It's clean and warm, the furniture antique, the bed a fine King with lots of natural fabrics and original art on the walls. It's cozy and comfortable and there are fresh flowers by the bed which is a lovely touch. We’re craving some deep, restorative sleep. They got us?Guests expect and The Old Parsonage delivers. The bed is perfect, the mattress not too springy for my liking and the linen fresh and pressed. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that worth a mention?There is complimentary water, decent tea and coffee and a mini-bar with a good selection of beer and wine and soft drinks. The flatscreen TV was easy to use, as was the hairdryer. Often smaller boutique hotels forget the importance of these perhaps smaller details. The flowers in the room though, are the most eye catching detail. Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.I loved the bathroom, again small but high-end, all in marble with a walk-in rainfall shower. The linen bathrobes are soft and dry well, while the Luxury Noble Isle toiletries are spot on, a brand I'd never tried before but which felt luxurious. Anything stand out about other services and features?Breakfast. The breakfast is exceptional. There's all you can wish for including the usual Full English, but also a homemade granola of nuts and seeds topped with berries and fresh yogurt. My poached egg with smoked salmon was also superb. Later in the day, the afternoon teas are worth taking on the small terrace if you can get a table. Anything else we should know?It's difficult to park nearby unless you pay a premium, but that goes for Oxford in general. Otherwise waking up and looking out on to the spires of the colleges is an experience that can't be beat. Bottom line: worth it?Worth every penny for the charm, comfort and central location" - Ramsay Short
