Malmaison Oxford

I’m very surprised by the relatively high score of this hotel. Maybe the situation is much better in other parts of the hotel, but in my room, a former cell on the ground floor, the reality fell far below expectations, at times even worse than in cheap motels. Let’s start with the positive things. Both the location and the concept are great. It’s in the city center, and the hotel is housed in a converted historical castle/prison. Unfortunately, that’s it. The rest of my experience was overwhelmingly negative. 1) The room was very stuffy and humid. There was no air conditioning, no way to open the windows, and no adequate ventilation to keep the air fresh. It got even worse after taking a shower: since there was no ventilation in the bathroom, all the warm, humid air flowed straight into the room. The proposed solution was to keep the room door open and use a cheap tower fan. 2) There were no drapes or curtains, only heavy wooden window shutters. So, if you wanted some privacy, you had to close them almost completely and turn on the lights. 3) The bathroom was poorly maintained. Only one of the three lights was working. The sink had yellow scratches all over it, a slow drain, and hard-to-control valves that made adjusting the water temperature and flow frustrating. The bathtub had a chipped coating and a shower with a weak water flow that required constant adjustment to maintain a warm, not hot or cold, temperature. The toilet was also disappointing, with a weak flush and flush buttons obstructed by a loose toilet lid with no spring mechanism. 4) I wanted to say the room service was good, but on my last day, I found an open safety pin in my bed.

We have just returned from an excellent stay at Malmaison (a birthday surprise for my husband) - a really quirky place to stay in Oxford. The hotel experience was faultless from the minute we arrived to when we sadly had to leave. A few names to mention - Michael and William who greeted us on arrival and departure. Alex the barman - lovely cocktails and Adrian our waiter who was so friendly along with all the staff at the hotel. The staff are a credit to the hotel.||Great selection at breakfast which was cooked to order. Would recommend dining at the hotel on an evening. The food was delicious.||Hopefully we will have the opportunity to return in the future

Took up a friend’s recommendation to stay here for my graduation with my partner and parents. The reception team was extremely friendly and helpful, we had a car with us and despite the £34 per night car park being a little bit spenny but it’s understandable for Oxford city centre and very convenient. Great location, everything is within walking distance, which is very convenient for my parents to walk around. I was feeling under the weather on the day of checking out and they allowed us to check out at 12 instead of 11 just in time for the paracetamol to work its magic.

Perfect stay. Planned a trip to Oxford to celebrate my birthday weekend and chose to stay at Malmaison due to the interesting history of the Castle & Prison. We had a faultless stay - We paid for on site parking where the staff were incredibly helpful upon arrival. Check-in was super easy and they’d even listened to our request notes we made when booking. Our cell-room was brilliant - spacious, modern facilities and a comfy bed. I loved the original cell windows! The actual wing is relatively quiet and very picturesque. ||Please do the Prison & Castle tour if you go. Very informative and lots of history to tell. ||All in all, every staff member was wonderful and helpful. Thank you for a brilliant birthday stay.

We booked the castle and prison tour experience package deal with valet parking, dinner and breakfast. Our room was amazing, the tour was fascinating and the dinner was delicious with an excellent menu choice. We drank Prosecco leisurely in the gorgeous garden in the grounds. It was peaceful and stunning. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Breakfast was fantastic. The location was brilliant for exploring Oxford and shopping. We had the most perfect weekend. Thanks to all at Malmaison 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We were visiting from America and wanted a hotel with a lot of character, we definitely got that. The rooms are perfectly designed where you can still feel the presence of the prison cells, but have luxury at the same time. Everyone at the hotel was very friendly, the bar downstairs was awesome. The food was delicious, especially the breakfast. And a great location, the next time we are visiting we will be back.

Thoroughly enjoyed our visit/stay. A surreal experience staying in what was once a prison cell. The hotel is very well presented with helpful staff whom are more than happy to assist wherever needed. The bar/restaurant inside the hotel also very nice. Centrally located, the city centre with an array of shops, restaurants and bars are all close by if desired.

We have just returned from Malmaison Oxford, it was a novelty stopping in an old prison. | We booked a cell room for 2 nights. It was quirky to stop in the cell where inmates were incarcerated. Sadly our room was a little tired especially the bathroom & the room needs an uplift. The room has all what you expect from a 4 star hotel including dressing gowns. We stopped in a heatwave & the room was very warm, we were not sure if the room had air-conditioning but there was a fan. We over heard someone at breakfast saying the air conditioning wasn't working but we weren't made aware of this by the management. None of the windows opened on safety concerns. | We ate in the restaurant on the first night, the food was lovely. The dining room is the lowest floor of the prison building & had a great atmosphere. We had breakfast on both mornings which again is in the restaurant with lots of choice. The valet parking was good & efficient as Oxford is very expensive for parking.| Check in was easy enough & the staff was very helpful.|The public areas of the hotel are very good & well maintained, there is a small beer garden which is very welcoming in the hot weather. The hotel is in a great central location for Oxford. We would probably stop here again but in a few years.

No air conditioning despite paying £500+ for your stay?!?! If that does not sound awesome stay somewhere else. No clue how an upscale boutique hotel gets away with that at this price point. I guess it's on me since it didn't strike my mind that that would be possible. When I asked I was told that "our caliber room doesn't have air conditioning" which is insane since we literally booked the nicest non suite via the hotel site. Avoid if you like air.

In a two week period I have stayed in three different hotels in and around Oxford. By far this was the nicest and most fun of them all. Not only is it centrally located with a 5 minute walk to the train, food options steps away and 1 minute walk to a great Coffee Shop - The Art Café; the hotel itself is a masterpiece. As a converted prison, with quite the bit of history dating back hundreds of years, they have done a wonderful job in presenting some comfy digs to rest your head, restaurant on grounds to enjoy dinner or sip a drink on patio. The room I had was a cell room, so they technically converted three prison cells to make up one queen room with bathroom (and tub). It's quite cozy and quiet and I particularly liked the shower (some rain showers do not have enough pressure, however this one was perfect, the provided products lovely - especially the bar of soap ) I enjoyed sitting at the bar one night (being a solo traveler I prefer a seat at a bar rather than a table). The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I opted for an after dinner drink to carry with me onto the patio, which had plenty of seating to gaze at the moonlight. I had one mishap (the iron destroyed a pair of trousers due to something being on the iron), the hotel promptly assisted and offered compensation. While not ideal losing a pair of trousers while traveling they were fair and I felt handled the situation properly. I would highly recommend this as a place to stay and look forward to my return visit!

Hotel was very attractive from the outside. So an unusual building. Signage for parking was missing and the porter got flustered when three cars arrived at the same time. Hotel was clean and modern. In the bathroom, Thought the tiles and shower tray looked older than everything else. Right in the middle of everything in Oxford. Had dinner in the restaurant and it was very tasty. Service was excellent and the gentleman took care of me very well.

Room was gorgeous and perfect! Had the best night sleep I have ever had, mattress was so perfect. The food however....was horrible, presentation was absolutely appalling. The service was dreadful, was waiting for our starter for over an hour..wasn't impressed when it arrived. The waiter would only take one persons drink order then just go and had to wait 30minutes for the drink to arrive.

I effing love this hotel. LOVE. Everyone has said it...there is something about staying in a posh hotel that used to be a prison that is...wonderous and weird and all kinds of things, but that is only part of the charm. The people that work here go above and beyond to make your stay with them amazing. The food is great, service is awesome, beds are HOLY CRAP AMAZING, showers are HOT, hotel is quiet, scenery is gorgeous...I mean, REALLY, I could go on and on. And the location? I had never been to Oxford, and this could not be a more perfect location. Minutes from the main streets and the Thames. Just perfect. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone.

Food was very inconsistent. I had pea and pancetta croquettes - completely tasteless. My wife had a prawn cocktail which tasted as if someone had split a cellar of salt into it. Wife's main was a very bland half of chicken that looked as unappetising as it tasted. I had a fillet steak, which was not bad but sadly spoilt by the worst béarnaise sauce I have ever tasted. Fortunately some Dijon mustard saved the day. The restaurant was so hot - poor (and very friendly) staff were melting - we couldn't face having desert and went back to our room. £115 for 2 very mediocre courses and a 250ml glass of wine each was far from good value for money. The experience was finished off by a very long wait for breakfast this morning - I had an omelette that was actually quite nice with 2 rashers of the most anaemic looking bacon I've ever encountered. Won't be returning (to either the hotel or the restaurant).

I decided to spent a night in Oxford on my way from Birmingham to London while visiting from San Diego, California. The hotel is an easy walk from the train station in Oxford and in the city center. The hotel was build in the old Oxford Castle, and most of the rooms are former prison cells, which is very unique. I have traveled throughout Europe and I have to say this hotel was very modern, upscale. The reception (check-in desk) is located in what looks like a few of the old prison cells, with low circular ceiling stones, low light. The staff was very friendly. My room was very modern, all the modern items you would expect (flat screen TV, cable, internet) and a wonderful bathroom with very large tub (I actually used it).... the only draw back was that the bed was not the most comfortable. It was a King size bed but it was really two twin beds pushed together. For such an upscale hotel, the bed comfort did not match. Too firm... The hotel is in a VERY good location, close to Oxford University, the city center with plenty of shops, restaurants and historical locations. Even with the bed being a bit too firm for my taste, I would recommend staying here if you are visiting Oxford (which by the way, is a great town to check out when visiting England). Cheers!

M is for Malmaison, M is for Magnifique!!!!!!! Je suis been on my travels this summer reporting back to fellow yelpinators. Have I found another boombastic joint for y'all??? AFFIRMATIVE!! Haven't you always wanted to go to prison?? Well you are firmly under arrest, you have the right to remain silent and do as I say. You have been sentenced to 2 nights at the Malmaison Oxford prison/gothic boutique hotel. This is one place where you won't be attempting prison break... A bold move, tidying up a prison to set up a hotel. Then again Malmaison hotels have never been standard have they? Make sure the tank is full though before you plan your visit. It will set you back no cheaper than at least £105 for a night in the standard jails!!! For those of you with cash to splash, you can go for one of the suites starting at a poultry £275 per night!! Malmaisontastic, my aim is to tick of each one of the 12 in the country.

very cool place. built in a former prision, some rooms in the prison wing, the correction block (seperate building) all built in with high class amenities and service. we have been here for the second time - and the only flaw would be that the shower - although it claimed it offers a nuclear hot option - was just barely warm. of course the price is what you expect from any upscale boutique hotel / but to charge 20 quid for an extra bed for our 4 year old is a bit audacious when the whole room is 190 per night. overall great place perfect location and crazy pricey.

Good food, service. An Oxford standout. Atmosphere is mildly Disney, but not bothersome.

Wanted to visit this hotel for years since it was converted from the prison they filmed bad girls in. We stayed in A wing in room 128. The transformation from prison to hotel is amazing the actual wing looks fantastic the room 3 cells knocked into one with original features mixed with contemporary modern furniture. A must stay if going to Oxford and for the historians amongst us.

Snug and cozy by Oxford castle, I met my friends for brunch and tea. I've always wanted to stay at a Malmaison and got a good deal on a room at Malmaison Oxford from hotels.com. The room was very comfortable, with generous toiletries, a nice bed and plenty of space. I ordered room service and had a quite good vegetarian sandwich (although my server didn't bring up mayo/ketchup with my fries, but I couldn't be bothered to call downstairs for it). The hotel is well situated in the city centre, a 5-minute walk from the Gloucester Green bus depot and a less-than-4-pound cab ride from the train station.

Decided to take a "punt" on this local hotel. I received an email to upgrade to a cell suite for an additional (low) fee, obviously this was too good an opportunity to miss. When we arrived some Americans were having fans taken to their rooms. Now I work with Americans and they are more than keen to demand more than usual, I asked the reception why they needed fans and was told that the cells don't have a/c. In the US, guests in hotels in the middle of a desert would expect near freezing temperatures, maybe they were really hot from shopping? The hotel uses outside air that's ducted. As a relatively undemanding traveller I suspected that this wouldn't be a big problem and continued with the booking. To cut a long story short, the cooling in the room is completely inadequate and because the windows don't open you are stuck... Not only this, but the nearly £30 fee to park my car was a little excessive. I suspect that the expense of building a hotel in an old prison forced the owners to not install a/c, however, the other non-cell rooms don't have this problem- so I'd suspect that this problem is due to local planning restriction. The hotel is surrounded by places to eat, bars and is very central to the town center. If you really must visit Oxford, for the novelty of staying in an old prison it's probably worth booking, but I'd recommend coming when it's not peak summer months.

This place is just cool. It's obviously got tons of history and yes, the main area looks like a prison, but the rooms have been redone really well and the views of the old castle outside your windows just add so much to the atmosphere. Service is really awesome - everyone we dealt with treated us really well and they were all super helpful. The location was perfect. Besides being across the street from my office, it is across the street from the shopping center and high street and around the corner from the bus depot. Additionally, the castle tour (right next door) is highly recommended. Will definitely be staying here on my next trip to Oxford.

what an amazing hotel - albeit very spooky. Oxford as a city is gorgeous and fascinating but this hotel is a sight to see. inside the prison cells have been transformed into luxury little rooms and the hallways feel very spooky. really nice bar in the hotel too. loved it.

Stunning hotel. Unique and impressive. A tad on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for and you're paying for is astonishing. Perfect for s special occasion. Worth every penny. Stay in the cells on the fourth floor if you can, for that extra prison experience. Quality cocktails in the bar as well. Although - make sure you're not in too much of a hurry. The attention to detail makes things take a little bit longer than you might expect.

This is a fantastically impressive and historical building, in a building that was used as a prison until 1996. (The hotel reassures guests that areas of the building that were used for corporal and capital punishment were made into offices rather than gust rooms.) But interesting is not the same as comfortable or well run. Here are some things anyone should know before booking. 1) The doors to the room are at *very* short. Most people will have to duck quite a bit to enter there rooms. I'm 6'2'', and the top of the door was at my shoulder. 2) The rooms are poorly lit: a similar level to a romantic restaurant. It is too dark to read a book for example. I mentioned this to the staff, and they said there was nothing they can do. There are less windows that usual in the rooms (prisons don't have windows!) and they don't open. 3) The beds are quite a bit harder than usual for a hotel. I like extremely firm beds, so I could still sleep on them, but even I would have preferred something a bit firmer. 4) The wireless internet is not good. Every five minutes my Skype calls were interrupted as a result. Also note: In the first room I was put in I couldn't get the heat to work. There were about 5 knobs that each looked like they controlled the heat. Eventually the front desk sent someone and determined the heating in the room was broken. So they moved me to a different room. In this different room the floor tiles in the bathroom were *very* hot. I asked them how to turn the floor heat off. Someone told me to turn the knob. I tried turning all the knobs and called back. The next person I got was surprised that there was floor heating at all, and sent someone to help me. This person came four times to the room, and spent over twenty minutes in the bathroom, until they finally determined how to turn down the heat. It was impossible for guests to do it themselves. If you want a romantic getaway at a interesting hotel, this place might be for you. But if you want somewhere comfortable and easy, I suggest going elsewhere.

They were quite courteous and our room was delightful. I, personally, loved the rain shower, but my friend did NOT. The water in the shower got really hot, which is great during a cold day outside. The only caution here is that if they call you a car, it is a private one as they don't call cabs. It cost us £12 vs £5 for a 5 minute car ride to the train station.

We only dined here one evening...but it was a really nice experience. Service was attentive without being overbearing....food was nicely prepared and timed. Wines by the glass were suitably priced and we were helped with selections. They graciously squeezed us in on a Saturday night between tables. Much appreciated. I'd love to try to stay here one night as it has such fabulous ambiance and history. My only complaint was that my salad (duck and parsnips?) was a strange, disjointed combination and that my poached pear (dessert) was undercooked. A few misses, but overall pleasing. I'd definitely go back.

Had a wonderful stay again. Great room, good food, and terrific historic grounds. If you want an experience and you are traveling here from another country, it is a great place for pics, food, hotel, and walkable shopping. It's an experience hotel and you can tell others you were in prison during your trip!

One of our Oxford team's top 5 - This is an atmospheric restaurant located in the converted cells of Oxford's old prison in the heart of the Oxford Castle site. The menu changes seasonally and the food is sourced locally.

neat hotel, neat experience converted prison (1888-1996, yep 1996) old Norman Castle from 11th century adjacent to oxford castle easily walk to the university and the town center, perfect location car parking available in front drive to cotswolds in 1 hour neat rooms, very modern look VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND FIRM MATTRESS Poor Customer Service -the housestaff was unable to provide restaurant recommendations, we called down for car both days and both days had to go and get someone to get car after waiting downstairs, no concierge type services, had to specifically ask staff to assist us - directions, car, bags, etc polite but a little clueless about customer service smells a little moldy - it is a very old building once you see the prison yard and associate the smell, the whole experience feels a little like prison but it is a nice place and neat experience - not too gimicky either