Oxford ideas

Nicky_P_2

Hi all,

It's my wife's 30th in April and I want to take her to Oxford to celebrate. Does anyone know of any moneysaving deals/tips for restaurants/days out/fun activities in Oxford or Oxfordshire?

Thanks so much!
Nick

Idiophreak

Moneysaving and Oxford, sadly, don't really go hand in hand

A few things that may help, however.

If you're driving (and not doing much shopping), using the park and ride will probably be cheaper than parking in the centre. On a Saturday, it can cost £28 to park for the day.

Oxford is quite pretty - just walking around and looking at the buildings, the river, gardens etc is free.

There's not masses "different" or "fun" to do - you could go to Blenheim Palace for a wander round, if that's your thing, or shop at Bicester Village...I guess "punting" is the only really specific thing to do.

In terms of restaurants, places I quite like:
The big bang - in the castle in the centre of Oxford, do mainly sausage and mash, with another "british classic" most days. Lovely sausage and mash though, and good value.

The Trout - just outside Oxford in Godstow, the Trout was featured in a lot of Morse stuff and is a bit of a tourist landmark. It changes hands quite frequently, but last time I went there (maybe a year ago) it was nice for a smarter meal - if it's sunny, it's also got a nice garden to sit out by the river.

Generic chains - there are pizza express, Jamies, strada, bella italia, ask, wagamama, las iguanos, la tasca, yo! sushi, cafe rouge etc - if you can get tesco vouchers, online vouchers etc you can save good money in these.

If you're after any particular kind of food, let me know and I can point you in the right direction.

Tuesday_Tenor

I love Oxford! Only started exploring it this last year as I've been doing some occasional work there and try to fit in a couple of days holiday each time. The first time my friend had booked me a guided walking tour as a Christmas present! Second time I did an open-top bus tour. Last time I made a point of climbing two of the towers (St. Michael's and Carfax) for great views of the city, and walking the river banks. Next time I hope to take a river trip a bit further. And I haven't even touched the Ashmolean and other Museums yet - saving those for a rainy day! Most of these cost a bit of money, but perhaps you could include one of these in your birthday present? If not, don't worry, Oxford is a great place for wandering round without any great plans! I did find being a bit informed by the guided tours very helpful and orientating though.

Two things to share that others might not mention:

1) Have you sorted out your accommodation?
It's one of the most expensive cities - applies for all types: hotels, B&B, self-catering.

Do you know that you can get B&B accommodation at the Oxford Colleges themselves? http://www.oxfordrooms.co.uk
Looks to be very good value - I haven't used myself as I'm lucky to have friends there to stay with. Reviews seem good. Range of different types of rooms from basic to superior/en-suite. Greatest range is out of term-time of course. Seem to be lots of options around 1-20 April; by the end of April only availability is in the more modern or out-of-centre colleges.

Won't be the same as an upmarket hotel of course, but you'll know if she's the sort of person who might find it quirky and interesting, and value the history (and money-saving - costs £60-£100 twin room are per room not per person)!

2) A pleasant country walk that you can do from the very centre of Oxford, via University Parks, is to walk out to the Victoria Arms pub at Old Marston along the River Cherwell. About 3 miles. Buses back from Marston area if you don't fancy there AND back! Can be muddy - need decent shoes/boots.
http://www.victoriaarms.co.uk/home.php
Nice food - not very cheap but there is a voucher on the website and they do mid-week offers for 2/3 courses from set menu.

Hope gives some ideas.

jenniemiller177

We went to Oxford last year for the weekend. Loved the town, plenty of really good restaurants, cafes and shops were good. We stayed about 10 minutes away from the town as when looking for hotels they were expensive. When we went into town the parking was so expensive, could believe how expensive it was so this is something to bear in mind. We did park in the centre, so not sure if someone will know of a cheaper place to park which is as close as possible. If you are staying close, see if you can get parking included!

Tuesday_Tenor

More on Oxford Colleges:


Not many double rooms, mostly singles/twins.There are some though if you look at different dates.This is nice as it's definitely a very old college; Elizabethan dining room; very central; £100 per room per night.:


Double Room Staircase XIX (Private Bathroom), Jesus College, Oxford


Double bed in a good sized room with adjacent private bathroom / toilet This room is on a staircase inside College and is accessed via two flights of stairs. The rate includes tea/coffee making facilities and a full English breakfast served in the Elizabethan dining hall. NB The room is paired with a similar room sharing the bathroom, but only one of the rooms will be in use at any one time so in effect the batroom is private. The College is situated in the Centre of Oxford, with all main attractions less than a couple of minutes walk away. As this is student accommodation, it is clean and comfortable but not luxurious.

Tuesday_Tenor

I'm still playing about on the Oxford Colleges website ...

It seems to be very variable which colleges are available on which dates. I guess many will be unavailable due to conference-type bookings out of term-time.


For instance, you might be attracted to Christ Church College as staying there would give free access to the grounds and chapel, which is also Oxford's Cathedral. I believe that besides attending services, this is only accessible by paid guided tour However, I could only find rooms available Mar 26-27, nothing in April.

Double Ensuite Room - Meadows, Christ Church, Oxford


Most of Christ Church's Double Ensuite rooms are located in the magnificent 19th Century Meadows Building which look out to either the College or the Christ Church Meadows. Having recently undergone refurbishment, the rooms are light and airy and benefit from modern ensuite shower rooms. Please note Double Ensuite rooms are mainly up several flights of stairs. If you have mobility difficulties and require a low floor room, please make a note of this in the 'Additional Notes' section when making your booking.

• Linen and towels provided
• Breakfast included
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• Ensuite bathroom
• Shared bathroom
• Internet access point
• No television

bellajack

As we had limited time owing to a funeral earlier in the day, we did not get to enjoy many of the sights of Oxford during our recent visit. We stayed in an hotel outside the city (Devere Abingdon) and therefore used the Park and Ride. Had a lovely walk along the Cowley Road which took us past some of the lovely colleges, as I had booked a table at a restaurant. We ate at Atomic Burger which was great fun - fab burgers and lovely Margaritas, and all very reasonable! This route took us over the Cherwell Bridge and we could see the colourful boats (punts) and picturesque river, which made lovely photos Friends who had been more recently have raved about trhe Bodleian Library and I would love to see it as well - next time.