The Old Parsonage Hotel

Booked for special Birthday lunch today - very disappointed. Food was distinctly average and staff were not attentive. We will not be going back.

Not going back (Unverified), 26/11/11

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My partner and I dined here for Valentine's day. We were placed at a table in a corner, which was fine, except that the couple next to us was literally 15cm away - we had to ask them shift their table simply to sit down! Having booked at least 2 months in advance, being placed at the worst table in the restaurant (and it was) was a little offensive.

When ordering from the set menu, as there was no a la carte option (I thought it was overpriced and rather uninspired) we were told we had to choose our dessert at the same time as ordering the starter and main. I have never been asked to do this at *any* restaurant.

After a while we noticed there were still plenty of good tables free and decided (not lightly, I tell you) to ask to be moved. The manager was brought over and we were told there was nothing they could do as they were booked out.

Eventually my partner decided to go and speak to the manager again, who explained that tables were assigned on a random basis. It seemed ludicrous to us that they were so obviously offering a very different dining experience to different customers (at the same price) and that they had tried to cram in more tables than could comfortably fit in certain parts of the restaurant. Again, we got “we can’t do anything to help”.

At no stage did anyone attempt to apologise, admit that there was not enough space to be comfortable at a few particular tables or offer us anything in the way of compensation for such an utterly disappointing evening.

I certainly won't be going back in a hurry.

Disappointed (Unverified), 15/02/10

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Small hotel, very comfortable, good service. Very convenient for centre of Oxford. Large and comfy bed. Too many pillows. Good literature provided in bedroom upon arrival and very useful daily weather forecasts were also provided.

Lovely walking tour of Oxford with Ms Underhill - included as part of the room price.

Cooked breakfast at £14 a bit pricey. Continental breakfast at £13.50 was also overpriced, given that it's little more than Weetabix and some forlorn looking cheese slices. (By the way, Weetabix need granulated sugar not lumps). No croissants to be seen anywhere. I would like to see options like porridge or prunes included on the breakfast menu.

Lack of car parking space is a real pain in the neck. If you miss the daily evening scramble for the few spaces next to the hotel, you'll be advised to park in Keble Road, where pay-and-display operates after 8am. The reception staff didn't seem to know whether this applies on bank holidays - it does!

All in all, an very comfy hotel, expensive, but would go back again.

Bloke (Unverified), 28/12/09

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I recently came here for an 80th birthday meal, where our party had hired the library room to accommodate the table of 14 of us. On arrival, the room was suitably intimate, yet roomy enough for the group, and the staff had dressed the table and room with balloons and little decorations, free of charge. The 3 courses were all beautiful - the batter on the fish and squid was perfect. The staff were helpful and easily at hand, but not intrusive or fake, seeming genuinely happy for the occasion. All in all I would definitely reccommend the Old Parsonage for its food and as a place of celebration - needless to say, the birthday lady enjoyed the occasion thoroughly.

DM (Unverified), 09/01/08

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We came here with my partner's parents and had a fantastic meal on Saturday night. Service was extremely attentive throughout and the food itself was faultless. My mozzarella and fig starter was incredibly soft and beautifully presented, and my steak was cooked to perfection. Chocolate nemesis for desert was to die for. My partner was equally impressed with his monkfish starter and his main course followed by cheese board. Three courses each for 4 people with water and two very nice bottles of wine and some port came to £240, which given the quality of both the food and the sevice we thought was very reasonable. Definitely a place to come to for a treat - perhaps not a romantic setting for couples, but absolutely somewhere to treat family members.

ALS (Unverified), 19/08/07

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Situated next to St Giles Church in the centre of town, making it a great place to take a stroll to on a hot summer's day, to enjoy afternoon tea on the terrace.

This is a place with so much potential but, unfortunately where you'll be greeted with a fake smile from someone who only cares about your money. I also believe the menu to be highly uninspired and over priced.

A great place if those are the things you enjoy.

someone who cares (Unverified), 19/06/07

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The Old Parsonage Hotel was built in 1660 and extended in 1820, and it is the history of the building that really sets it apart from Oxford’s other luxurious hotels. Any establishment, with a little conscientious effort, can supply the necessary comfort and finery, but achieving a suitable blend of modern luxury and historical character takes more finesse and The Old Parsonage succeeds on every level.

Our room, number 31, was on the second floor of the oldest part of the building, and was one of the larger, deluxe rooms. The low doorways, interesting angles and obviously splendidly solid structure make you feel you’re in a unique space, without detracting from how large that space is.

The en suite bathroom was modern, gleaming and palatial, with heated towel rail and all sorts of high quality cosmetics. The walk-in wardrobe space, by contrast, was as if carved from rock with a door added, wonderfully dense and irregular.

The facilities were impeccable, as you might imagine. Each room has a flat screen TV, a broadband internet connection, and full DIY beverage facilities. We were carefully instructed in the use of the climate control gadget. All sorts of additional possibilities are included at no extra charge: you can borrow a DVD player and a range of DVDs, or books from the library in the Pike Room; you can use the hotel’s own punt, kept at the Cherwell Boathouse, or collect free passes to Esporta health club.

And the bed. Oh the bed! Wide enough for three ranks of huge pillows to sit comfortably abreast, soft enough that you felt engulfed from below without actually sinking down, this was a bed you would never willingly leave. One of us preferred to remain there at the cost of missing the sumptuous Parsonage breakfast: there can be no higher praise. And the double-glazing and thick dark curtains ensure uninterrupted repose.

Outside the bedroom the overall standard is maintained. The restaurant has already been reviewed here, let me simply add that the breakfast, although not included in the room rate, is princely and well worth the extra expense. One has the choice of a magnificent full English, not too huge and with truly high quality ingredients, a continental option with a whole table full of choice, and a few individual items for the smaller appetite. Service was faultless, as elsewhere.

Our tour of the premises made two things clear. The first was the fascinating variety of different rooms. Lingering in the memory are number 26, where Oscar Wilde served out 4 months of exile from his college, which has extraordinary wide double doors opening out such that the bedroom and bathroom can become one remarkable space, and number 16, a spacious suite with a fold out sofa and chairs, a second TV and its own espresso machine. There were other suites, various doubles and even one room small enough to be marketed as a single at reduced rates, though two could fit comfortably.

The second fact to become obvious was that even as this winter visit was thoroughly enjoyable, it must be in warmer weather that the Old Parsonage really comes into its own. Many of the rooms have windows or balconies onto a delightful courtyard; some of the ground floor ones even have their own little external spaces. A second courtyard gives guests the opportunity to sit beneath the imposing silhouette of St Giles Church. There is further space at the front of the building for summer dining and jazz. But perhaps most delightful is the first floor courtyard, an oasis of quiet despite its proximity to the Banbury Road. Secluded by its own building, with small olive trees bearing unseasonal fruit, one has the feeling even on a brief nocturnal visit of having passed through a curtain to another world.

People who regularly visit the finer Oxford hotels will need no introduction to the Old Parsonage. For those of us for whom such places are a much more occasional treat and who may not be familiar with its charms the message is clear: indulge yourselves, it’s well worth it!

Ian Threadgill (Unverified), 10/02/07

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Whatever your preferred ambience, there’s no denying that the Old Parsonage is simply a lovely place to be. Old-fashioned in feel, but lacking no modern comforts in terms of facilities and their approach to the dining experience as a whole, this is a relaxed, genteel establishment that manages to turn itself, through attention to detail, into something rather special.

There’s something quintessentially English about the experience: first-class, friendly but unobtrusive service; the pleasure of sitting outdoors when it’s really only just warm enough to risk it, and bits of tree are falling into your wine; well-meaning but gently over-privileged persons speaking at a slightly excessive volume; the live jazz (of a very high standard - Friday evenings throughout summer). If you’re indoors, the fabulously picture-laden walls will probably absorb a good amount of your attention during your evening.

The menu is a selection of the usual suspects of modern British-Italian cuisine (quail eggs, calamari, asparagus, corn-fed chicken, risotto, steak), and the prices aren’t as high as they might be given the gentility of the surroundings. As a guide, appetisers weigh in at £3.50-£5, starters £6.50-£8.50 and mains at £12.50-£20.50. You can mix and match appetisers, starters, mains and accompaniments, some starters can be ordered as mains and there’s a burger or fishcake option for the kids. The wine list is extensive, and the waiting staff is happy (and able) to make recommendations. The food is excellently cooked, exquisitely presented and the portions spot on - and when the weather’s really good, there’s a regular barbeque. If you’re feeling super-indulgent at the end of your meal (or too full to countenance pudding), they also do a range of delicious dessert wines and cocktails (the Brandy Alexander comes highly recommended).

The non-arrival of one appetiser didn’t bother us once we’d realised how much we were attempting to eat in total, the weather held, and whilst the jazz was just a tiny bit too loud, it was all part of the fun (our excited neighbour even leapt up and made a request). If the experience was marred by anything, it was only by the unfortunate misapprehension of a neighbouring party that their perpetual smoking wasn’t going to bother anyone because we were all outdoors. Next time we’ll remember not to sit in the down-draft!

Roo (DI Reviewer), 23/05/06

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