BUG review
This big new purpose-built hostel by the train station is a flash place with several lounges, a library, a small kitchen and a nice outdoor area. Accommodation is of a high standard and everything is clean and new.
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Price Dorm bed £19 (£17 HI/YHA) Prices are in British pounds and are inclusive of all taxes.
I stayed in this hostel in September 2009 (on a trip to reconnoitre one of the colleges where I would like to enrol as a mature student in a couple of years' time, once I've saved enough money towards the fees + living expenses).
The location is convenient for railway travellers and it's much cheaper than a B&B, even if you book a room to yourself.
However, the area is very noisy and badly frequented (nightclubs etc.) with drunks, party animals etc. It does not feel safe nor is it possible to rest in the evening or at night (even during the week).
The staff are also very unfriendly. They act like that they have a grudge against people who work hard to get into a good uni (without money from Daddy/Mummy).
Next time I'll stay in a B&B or travel from London with the Oxford Tube.
Pros:
Clean-helpful staff, comfortable beds, location
Cons:
a parking fee and a walk to the parking lot
Kate B.
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 502)
My husband and I are in our late forties and we have stayed at this hostel twice--once overnight with our teenage daughter in May, 2001 and in June, 2006 for two nights. I highly recommend this hostel. The staff, both times, have been helpful and polite, going so far as to upgrade us to a private room when I mistakenly booked a dorm room. Everything is very clean with a large, well-equiped self-catering kitchen, laundry facilities, a TV room, smokers lounge, and a library stocked with a number of Readers Digests classics. They offer a free English or continental breakfast--it was delicious. There is a wonderful little garden with a seating area outside the restaurant. Located right next to the train station, there is a small food store right across the street with a larger supermarket is a short walk into town. The walls are decorated with information about area attractions and there are a number of informational flyers about local attractions.