Yep… you read that right:
Since opening its doors in 2009, TripAdvisor has awarded Sandfield Guest House a Certificate of Excellence/Travellers’ Choice Award every single Year.
That’s 14 on the bounce… the unbroken run continues!
Book direct for a 10% discount on top of massively reduced rates at https://www.sandfieldguesthouse.com/
Wandering the streets of Oxford, dodging students on bicycles and taking in the architecture, you can almost feel centuries of learning vibrating in the honey-coloured stone, the quads and dreaming spires. If you’re planning a trip to Oxford, you’ll find no shortage of fun things to do and places to visit in this ancient university city.
It’s not all dusty old institutions however. With an ambitious modern art museum, talent-launching live music venues and a host of quirky independent shops, the city has a more cosmopolitan, hipster side too. The trendy bars and restaurants of Jericho and the student hangouts, boho health-food stores and unpretentious gastropubs of edgy Cowley add a youthful vibe to a traditional city.
Only have time for a short trip? Here’s how I’d enjoy 2-days in Oxford.
Check in for a warm welcome at Sandfield Guest House, Paul’s family-home turned guest house in Headington. Settle yourselves in and ask for easy directions for the short trip onto The High and into Oxford’s medieval city centre.
For an instant hit of times-gone-by turn off The High at St Mary’s University Church and wander over the cobbles through the Radcliffe Square past All Soul’s College to Hertford Bridge (better known as The Bridge of Sighs though it’s actually modelled on the Rialto Bridge in Venice).
Look out for a tiny laneway, Saint Helen’s Passage, on your left which leads around blind bends to The Turf Tavern: a 14th-century pub hidden behind the original city wall with low beams, flagstone floor and real ales. Whet your whistle before supper, soak up the history and recall all the famous names who’ve nursed a pint here before you.
Leave the Turf and walk back under Hertford Bridge for an atmospheric stroll along Broad Street before “dog-legging” onto St Michael’s Street just off Cornmarket.
At the end of St Michael’s is truly wonderful The Handlebar Café and Kitchen. Priding themselves on only using sustainably sourced ingredients they work tirelessly to serve the best tasting food and drinks that you can enjoy totally guilt-free.
City locals make a bee-line for this unique eatery whether they’re looking for an organic vegan breakfast, a locally sourced dinner, fancy grabbing a quick coffee, or want to try one of the finest cocktails in Oxford. As well as being the perfect spot to launch your 48 hours in Oxford, it’s one to remember for when you’re out and about: right in the heart of Oxford yet just off the beaten track its space lends itself to lazy brunches, romantic dates and even young families.
The University of Oxford has 38 colleges dotted around the city. Many are open to visitors, so start the day with a sneak peek inside (though check opening hours, especially around exam time).
The best-known college is Christ Church – as much for its role as Hogwarts in Harry Potter as for its famous alumni like Lewis Carroll, Albert Einstein and 13 British prime ministers.
You can take a multimedia tour or just amble around Christ Church’s quads, cloisters, grand staircase, dining hall and college chapel (which also doubles as Oxford’s cathedral!). Other colleges of note include Merton, Magdalen (which is pronounced ‘mawd-lin’), Corpus Christi, Hertford, All Souls and Oriel.
TOP TIP: If there is no sign at any of the College’s main entrances that says, “Closed to Visitors” just knock on the Porter’s Lodge and ask if you can go in. Nine times out of ten you’ll be free to wander around the chapels & quods (and areas not marked Private) free of charge. Just remember that as well as being places of learning the colleges are also people’s homes!
To get an insight into the weird and wonderful world of Oxford academia, take a free guided tour led by an Oxford University student. Footprints Tours run 2-hour tours which take you around some of the oldest colleges. Along the way you get insider information about the university’s history, rituals and life in Oxford – all peppered with bizarre traditions and funny stories of old.
As you’d expect from a university city, Oxford is full of museums, and the city’s biggest is the Ashmolean Museum (free entry). Oxford’s answer to the British Museum is Britain’s first public museum and has a mix of art and archaeology exhibits, with everything from Greek statues to paintings by Turner and Canaletto.
Before tackling the exhibits, have lunch in the Ashmolean’s glass-walled rooftop dining room for panoramic city views. There’s a good-value lunchtime set menu always designed to match the current visiting exhibition.
Once you’re all cultured out, take a walk just up the treelines St Giles’ avenue to Little Clarendon Street on the outskirts of Jericho.
En route you could stop for refreshment at one of Oxford’s most historic pubs: the Eagle and Child (aka the ‘Bird and Baby’) where writers like CS Lewis, JR Tolkien and the Inklings met in the 1930s.
On Little Clarendon itself are Raouls or the Duke of Cambridge if cocktails and sophistication are more tempting!
Once in Jericho stroll the backstreets of Jericho made famous by Phillip Pullman in the His Dark Materials trilogy. If you don’t fancy a short walk to build up your appetite: on Little Clarendon Street are Al Andalus for tapas and the independent, family-run institution that is Pierre Victoire for authentic French cuisine.
Personally, I’d head to The Old Bookbinders, a gem of a pub hidden down a backstreet, for a dinner of surprisingly good French cuisine. Spend your evening here or wander back up through Jericho for some live music at The Jericho Tavern where Radiohead and Supergrass launched their careers.
I could quite happily spend an entire evening here indulging myself so please do ask for recommendations… especially if there is a particular vibe or atmosphere you’re after!
Start your day with a little exercise and climb the often missed, hidden gem of the tower at St Mary the Virgin, the University Church on the High Street. For just a few pounds you can climb the 127 stairs to the top and be rewarded with a panoramic 360 view over Oxford’s Dreaming Spires.
The tower offers sweeping views of the city to help you get your bearings and an unparalleled vantage point for photos of Oxford’s most recognisable landmark: the Radcliffe Camera. This circular Palladian library is part of the 15th-century Bodleian Library: the nerve-centre of Oxford student life.
Most of ‘the Bod’ is off limits to the public so it’s well worth taking the extended tour for an insight into student life past and present and access to Duke Humphrey’s medieval library and the Radcliffe Camera, as well as its modern, subterranean, reading rooms.
Once you emerge, pop into Blackwell’s on Broad Street to browse their enormous collection of books and see the Norrington Room, which has a world-record-breaking three miles of shelving hidden beneath Trinity College. Beside Blackwells is the Weston Library, which hosts remarkable temporary exhibitions on the university’s collections.
Stop for lunch at the nearby Turl Street Kitchen, a trendy, charity-run café with a changing collection of work by local artists and a short, seasonal menu with tempting veggie options. Alternatively, right next to the Turl Street Kitchen is the Covered Market with 50 stalls selling local crafts, food and drink. Either eat in at one of the market’s cafés or grab a picnic to eat by the river in the Botanic Gardens.
This is when the weather will very much make the decision on how to spend your Second Afternoon. I’ve split the best options – Dry and Wet…
DRY
If the weather is clement it would be a real shame to come to Oxford without trying punting – it’s one of the city’s classic experiences.
There are two rivers in the city, the Cherwell and the Thames (confusingly known as the Isis when it’s in Oxford) and a couple of places where you can test your punting skills and balance. Underneath Magdalen Bridge by the Botanic Gardens you can hire a punt for up to five people or get a ‘chauffeur’ to do the hard work for you.
Or, especially during the summer, there’s a good punting spot set a bit further upriver at the Cherwell Boathouse where the water isn’t quite as busy. You can even get a jug of Pimms from the Boathouse’s Teahut Bar to take out on the water with you. Punts can seat up to six.
Make your way upriver for about 30 minutes and you’ll reach the Victoria Arms pub, which has a large beer garden and plenty of morning space where you can park your punt. Then paddle back to the Boathouse and think about replenishing all that spent energy with some dinner.
WET
Oxford is full of museums and the top two picks for your final afternoon are the quirky Pitt Rivers Museum or the Museum of Modern Art.
The Pitt Rivers is an anthropological museum founded 125 years ago by archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers, who donated over 20,000 items he’d collected. Since then the museum has grown to encompass over 600,000 weird and wonderful exhibits from around the world.
It’s a treasure trove of the bizarre with totem poles, nose flutes, voodoo dolls and a witch in a bottle among its half a million exhibits, each with a story to tell.
Entry’s free and the museum’s open from 10am–4.30pm on Sundays. If you’re visiting with children ask for a wind-up torch and treasure trail to seek out the toy mice hidden among the displays.
Modern Art Oxford (f.k.a. the Museum of Modern Art) is the city’s only public space dedicated to contemporary art and culture… and it’s free. The gallery was founded in 1965 and is internationally recognised as one of the UK’s leading contemporary art organisations. Renowned for their bold and progressive artistic programme they promotes diversity and internationalism and aim to be accessible to the widest possible audience.
For a world of cuisine, live music & general nightlife the Cowley Road isn’t to be missed.
From Magdalen Bridge heading up the lively Cowley Road is to embrace diversity, culture and music. For food there is high end tapas and Thai (Arbequina and Oli’s Thai), student favourites Mario’s Italian and Atomic Burger, and for the taste-traveller everything from Syrian to Caribbean, Sri Lankan to Slovakian.
Late night watering holes and live music venues add to the mix for a night of fun, food and entertainment.
I could write a whole piece on what Cowley has to offer (note to self: do so!) so please take advantage of Paul’s wealth of experience and craft your perfect night out!
There is no best time to visit Oxford, as every season has its charms. In early spring the trees of North Oxford drip with blossom, though May is when Oxford perhaps looks her loveliest. The trees are in full leaf, the students are in celebratory mood and the famous ‘Bumps’ (boat race) takes place along the river.
In summer the student throngs melt away, leaving the city to residents and tourists, and you can punt and picnic on the rivers Isis and Cherwell.
There’s an air of lazy romance about the city, although it’s also the time when crowds of boisterous foreign students clog the shopping streets. The students return in Autumn and the trees are burnished bronze, is mournfully beautiful and Christmas, when the streets are eerily quiet and the medieval buildings frosted in snow, can be magical.
WHERE TO STAYBe sure to book direct at Sandfield Guest House for a personalised service, best rates and flexible cancellation policy!
Later this week I’ll be Giving Away:
A 2 night stay for 2 guests in a Double Ensuite Room at Sandfield Guest House…. and throwing in a tour of the Oxford Artisan Distillery for both guests – just for fun!
This fanstastic Giveaway will launch this week – be sure not to miss it by following the Sandfield Guest House Facebook Page and keeping a look out for an eye-catching post launching the event!
Here are the T&Cs: Good Luck Everybody!
The promoter is Sandfield Guest House
The competition is open to anyone 18 years or over except employees of Sandfield Guest House and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The route to entry for the competition is to like the post on our Facebook Page.
Any additional action (including sharing a post, commenting, watch party, tagging etc) are done at the entrant’s discretion and do not impact the outcome of the giveaway.
We will at no point contact any entrant via Direct Message to say they have won the giveaway and ask for a payment.
Please do not give any billing information via messenger on Facebook to anyone who might try and pass off as an employee of Sandfield Guest House.
We have the right to allow more than one entry per competition at times. We will notify specifically in the post if this is the case.
Closing date for entry will be stated in the post of the Facebook page. After this date, then no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
The rules of the competition and how to enter are clearly stated in the Facebook post.
———————
The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
The prize will be clearly stated in the Facebook Post.
The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
Winners will be chosen at random via the software platform that we will share if anyone wants to know more.
The winner will be notified by a notification on Facebook and within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected.
The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts.
The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current United Kingdom data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent. For our full privacy policy, go to our website.
The winner’s name will be available via our Facebook page .
Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to Sandfield Guest House and not to any other party. The information provided will be used in conjunction with the following Privacy Policy found on our website.
In light of HM Government’s announcement (04/01/2021) I have again revisited the Risk Assessment and Procedures & Measures undertaken 24/06/2020.
There has been one notable change requiring documenting:
A record of cleaning is no longer maintained due to the frequency of cleaning now becoming routine & resulting unnecessary admin burden. The public areas of Sandfield Guest House habitually have their high-touch areas sanitised 3-times daily as well as on an ad hoc basis (i.e. when traffic through these areas is noted).
The original Risk Assessment can be found here: Click Here
The original overview of Procedures & Measures can be found here: Click Here
Stay safe, Stay at Home!
Paul
The UK Government confirmed yesterday that Oxford city, and the rest of Oxfordshire will be moving to Tier 4 level restrictions from 00:01 on Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December 2020).
The latest COVID-19 data shows that the infection rate is 289 per 100,000 in Oxford – a 58% increase in the past week. Across Oxfordshire overall, the infection rate is 237 per 100,000 – an 86% increase over the past week.
On Saturday 19 December, the Government announced new Tier 4 measures being introduced to try and stop the spread of the new variant of COVID-19 from spreading beyond London and the South East.
The full list of exceptions will be published in the Regulations.
The full HM Government’s guidance for people who work in or run hotels & other guest accommodation can be found HERE.
HM Government’s Tier 4: Stay at Home regulations can be found HERE.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Paul at Sandfield Guest House.
I’ll do my best to accommodate you within the regulations however exceptions to the rules WILL NOT be made in any circumstances.
Paul reserves the right to cancel any bookings or refuse any bookings which he feels do not comply with the regulations… they are, after all, designed to protect all of us.
Hoping you can have a happy Christmas & wishing you a peaceful New Year!
My biggest Facebook Giveaway has gone live!
Just head to my Facebook Giveaway Post & like it!
Here are the T&Cs:
The promoter is SANDFIELD GUEST HOUSE
The competition is open to anyone 18 years or over except employees of SANDFIELD GUEST HOUSE and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The route to entry for the competition is to like the post on our Facebook Page.
Any additional action (including sharing a post, commenting, watch party, tagging etc) are done so at the entrant’s discretion and do not impact the outcome of the giveaway.
We will at no point contact any entrant via Direct Message to say they have won the giveaway and ask for a payment.
Please do not give any billing information via messenger on Facebook to anyone who might try and pass off as an employee of SANDFIELD GUEST HOUSE
We have the right to allow more than one entry per competition at times. We will notify specifically in the post if this is the case
Closing date for entry will be stated in the post of the Facebook page. After this date, the no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
The rules of the competition and how to enter are clearly stated in the Facebook post.
———————
The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
The prize will be clearly stated in the Facebook Post
The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
Winners will be chosen at random via the software platform that we will share if anyone wants to know more
The winner will be notified via Sandfield Guest House’s Facebook Page and within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or do not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected
The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts.
The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material, as well as their entry. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current [UK] data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent. For our full privacy policy, go to our website
The winner’s name will be available via our Facebook page
Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to SANDFIELD GUEST HOUSE and not to any other party. The information provided will be used in conjunction with the following Privacy Policy found on our website.
The latest guidance states that all accommodation providers must close unless the exemptions set out in law apply.
Accommodation providers should only open for those who:
If you do not fit any of these criteria then I’m sorry to say that I cannot accommodate you.
I am working hard to find guidance for those needing overnight accommodation for hospital appointments/operations & will update this page once I have it! Please feel to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns…. I’ll do my best to be of service.
The up to date Government guidance on the law applying to Accommodation Providers & overnight stays can be found here: GUIDANCE
Stay safe, stay strong & hope to see you soon!
Paul
Since offsetting the business & my family’s carbon footprint a year ago,
I am over the moon to report that over the 12 months we’ve:
Keep it green, keep it clean…. it’s easier than you might think!
#carbonfootprint
#sustainabletravel
Paul is delighted that the unbroken run of year-on-year TripAdvisor Awards continues!
Book direct for a 10% discount on top of massively reduced rates at https://www.sandfieldguesthouse.com/
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