Road trip (West) 2008: Arriving in Oxford

After our trip to Bath, we headed over to Oxford and arrived at our hotel at about 6pm. 

We stayed at the lovely Hawkwell House Hotel.

 
Picture courtesy of HawkwellHouse.co.uk

This was such a lovely hotel. It was like a grand old country estate with swanky dining rooms and cosy sitting areas around open log fires. We were really lucky to get a room at this hotel for a fraction of the normal price as we had booked through Lastminute.com.   All I wanted to do was sit by one of the fires with a glass of sherry and an old book.  Of course, I don't drink sherry but you get the idea!  There were Christmas trees and the whole hotel had a warm, festive atmosphere.  I would definitely like to go back there again and I'd go there in winter too as it really seemed felt like that type of warm, welcoming place.

We headed out to find a place to eat supper and I must say, parking is really a problem in Oxford!!  We almost gave up at one stage!  We eventually landed up at The Jericho Tavern on Walton Street and once again we really got lucky.  What a magnificent restaurant!  We shared a camembert starter which was yummy and I had a cheesy potato skins "snack" that was an extremely generous portion.  The tavern had an obvious student vibe but we felt right at home.  Definitely recommended.

Despite my plans for a nightcap by one of the fires, we landed up going straight to bed.  The bed was super-cosy and I enjoyed my first peaceful night free of flu symptoms in days.  Good thing too as the next day was spent in a big walking tour around Oxford!