The Vanbrugh Suites

This is a wonderful place to stay in Oxford. It's not in the city centre, but the bus stop into the centre is directly across the street from the flat and the buses run about every 15 minutes so access to the centre is very easy and takes only 10 or 15 minutes. If one has a car (we didn't), there is parking for the flat which is truly at a premium in Oxford. The flat is beautifully laid out, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms (one en suite), which worked extremely well for us, since we were 3 adults traveling together (one married couple and one single person). It was very quiet -- the building is set back from the Woodstock Road and the bedrooms are the back of the flat, so we almost never heard any street noise. The kitchen is exceptionally well equipped, even including a knife sharpener! We were in a ground-floor flat which was perfect for us since I have some mobility limitations. I also appreciated the en-suite bathroom's walk-in shower. The online instruction manual was clear and helpful and the ability to do laundry in the flat is another excellent plus, since there aren't many launderettes in Oxford. The linens were changed every week (we stayed for 4 weeks) and the staff responded to e-mails very quickly. The little back patio is lovely, with a table and two chairs and complete privacy. The nearest grocery stores are about a mile away, but easy to get to -- you take the bus to the third stop from the flat ( South Parade), walk a couple of blocks over to the Banbury Road, and there are a Sainsbury's, a Tesco, and an impressive M & S food hall right there. Sometimes we walked, but the bus is easy and efficient. There are also lots of restaurants on the Banbury Road and a wonderful pizzeria about halfway along South Parade. We also loved getting take out from the Malaysian restaurant on South Parade. We were delighted with our stay and will definitely be back.

Nothing, really. An armchair in the living room would be a nice addition, since there's only a couch and that's a bit too cozy for three people. But that is a very minor detail.

Very clean and well equipped. I have stayed at the suites before and find them charming and very comfortable. I’ve stayed at the downstairs suites but this time I was in the upstairs Churchill suite which had slanted ceilings, my husband who is only 5’7” hit his head a few times maneuvering around the flat. Otherwise Beds and linen were very comfortable, kitchen well equipped. Note that there is no dryer however, my clothes dried overnight on the drying rack. The staff are very friendly and attentive. Oh, and the free parking is a definite plus as it’s very tough to park in Oxford.

This trip it was just the slanted ceilings, although it does have a lot of charm. It’s only because we lost square footage based on that and we just needed a bit more space as it was Xmas time, otherwise I’d stay there again under different circumstances. Shower was tiny.

Cleanliness was exceptional, please congratulate your cleaner. Also,apartment was v.comfortable and location was good.

We had some trouble getting into the block and then into the apartment, it wasn't explained to us, maybe Valentina needs to make it very clear to future guests particularly as people come after a long drive and need to know what to expect(we rang and left message and then rang again leaving another message to say we got in). Also, another matter, the rubbish bin was broken but if you buy another one,please get a much smaller one as people have short stays and there is no need for a big one.