Historic hotel with hot water issues

A few teething problems disappointed Debbie Lewis when she stayed at a new Oxford hotel, but she was still impressed overall.

"With its gracious colleges, literary associations and world-class museums, the academic city of Oxford brings together almost 800 years of history. No wonder it is one of our most popular tourist destinations, and, thanks to its starring role in everything from the Harry Potter films to the cult TV series Morse, also one of the most familiar.

One of the newest places to stay is a recently refurbished 17th century building which is now home to the Mercure Oxford Eastgate Townhouse hotel. Centrally located down a quiet street, opposite the historical Examination Schools building, it is built on the site of an old coaching inn. In a city which seems dominated by its academic associations, the building has its own claims to fame: it is rumoured that C.S Lewis became engaged to his girlfriend in the restaurant and that JR Tolkien, who lived next door, ate at the hotel daily.

When we visited, the bright and airy open-plan reception area and adjoining lounge were busy leisure and business guests, both British and from overseas. Attached to the hotel is a popular Italian-themed restaurant, Marcos. Adorning the walls are photographs of the celebrity chef and restaurateur, Marco Pierre White. The atmosphere aims to replicate that of a busy New York Italian diner, dishes range from steaks to pizzas and there’s an impressive wine list.

Right next to the restaurant, the hotel bar and lounge area has a really relaxed feel to it, with lots of comfy chairs and sofas and soft lighting. Here, hotel guests and day-trippers were warming up after a day of sightseeing and enjoying traditional afternoon tea. It’s also a good place to start your evening with an expertly mixed cocktail. Marcos was so busy the night we stayed at the hotel we ended up actually having dinner in the lounge rather than wait ages for a table. It wasn’t ideal, particularly as we had specifically asked whether we needed to book a table in the restaurant, but the service was so good with excellent wine recommendations from the very friendly Italian barman that we didn’t mind too much. Our calamari and tricolore salad were fresh and tasty.

We stayed in a Privilege twin room, which are larger than the classic ones, and found it to be both chic and comfortable. The muted colour scheme seemed to have been designed with both the business and ‘for-pleasure’ traveller in mind. The room was cosily conservative although there were a few quirky elements such as the cycling-themed pictures on the walls. These seemed entirely in keeping given that Oxford is a city where pedal power is definitely the favoured way to get around. The wardrobe opened up to reveal the requisite fluffy white bathrobes and hairdryer, along with all the essentials for tea and coffee making including a Nespresso machine. The hotel also offers free wifi and chargeable on-site parking.

The bathroom was equally as spacious and modern in design and I loved the sleek tap fittings and the rainfall shower. After a long day of soaking up the sights I was looking forward to a long soak in the very generously-sized bath and to making use of the supply of own-label toiletries. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the hot water, which, the receptionist explained, occasionally happened as our room was the last on that floor, in terms of the hot water supply. In the end we changed to an almost identical room a floor above which was equally as comfortable. This time, I am pleased to say, the water was as hot as anyone could wish for.

Maybe the best thing about this hotel though is its location. It is a short taxi ride from the train station and is the perfect base for exploring the city’s many sights, including the indoor market with its range of quirky retailers, colleges such as Christchurch whose dining room was said to have inspired the one at Hogwarts, the beautiful botanical gardens and the fascinating Pitt Rivers museum with its display of weird and wonderful artefacts from around the world.

Once this new hotel sorts out a few issues, I’d definitely go back.