Visiting Oxford

We stayed at the Hotel Randolph a few years ago. Since our stay, the hotel had a fire and I understand that the hotel has subsequently been totally renovated. It's in a fabulous location and around the corner from Gloucester Green - bus station. We've also stayed at the Parsonage Hotel and the Old Bank Hotel. You won't go wrong whichever of these three you'd choose. Oxford is an easy city to tour do on foot.

In 2014 Oxford was in the England book but not the Great Britain book. You didn't say which book you have. Sorry but we didn't spend the night

Last time we were there we stayed at the Lakeside Guest House. It is just a 10 min. walk to the city center along the main road going into town from the south. There is a bus stop directly outside if you don't want to walk. Breakfast was excellent, the place was extremely clean, and the price was more than fair. We were comfortable and happy with our choice!

Last month we stayed two nights at the Mercure Eastgate Hotel, on HIgh Street opposite Magdalen College, and five nights at the Randolph, on Beaumont St. opposite the Ashmolean Museum. We needed two places because we couldn't get a reservation for the whole week at either. Both were fine, but expensive (especially the Randolph). Oxford is an expensive city, comparable to London. We needed hotels with elevators because of my wife's difficulties with stairs. Otherwise we would probably have gone to a B&B or smaller hotel. The 2016 RS guide recommends the Buttery on Broad St., the Bocardo on George St., the Tower House on Ship St., and the Holywell B&B on Holywell St, plus two hostels -- Oxford Backpackers on Hythe Bridge St. near the station, and Central Backpackers on Park End St. I have no experience with any of them but Rick's recommendations have worked for us elsewhere.

Oxford gets a chapter in the RS England guide for 2016, I'd think it would be in the Great Britain book as well. Check it out. PM me if you want more specifics on the Eastgate and/or Randolph.

Both of the Backpackers are only accessible up steep flight of stairs as they are over the top of retail. As the name might suggest, they are dorm accommodation only.

Really need your budget for suggestions. The cheaper chain type hotels (eg Premier Inn, Travelodge, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton etc) in Oxford are a few miles out in the suburbs generally in business or retail parks etc. Although these will be of similar value to elsewhere they probably aren't the sort of thing you were thinking of.

We stayed at one of the colleges - an idea I picked up from Lonely Planet.

There are several differences in coverage between the England and the Great Britain books, and this is one of them. FYI, with the new Scotland book published this year, the England and Scotland books together give you more coverage than does Great Britain.

I have stayed in a college as well. Go to universityrooms.com or just google university rooms oxford. Depending on the time of year, this could be a great option.