The Old Bank

For the last 15 years, I’ve navigated the complex high-to-low-end travel sphere. As a regular business traveller, budget is king and luxury is out of the question –a sadly necessary corporate-induced rule. So, when I travel for pleasure, the bar is set high enough to ensure the experience feels entirely different from work.

Like many Brits, taking all your holidays abroad has become déclassé, so taking at least a short local trip is not only necessary for any self-respecting, self-aware person, it’s also reassuringly on-trend and eco-friendly. Most importantly, though, it’s also increasingly affordable, relatively speaking, given the unstable pound.

‘Hurrah,’ I thought to myself, ‘I’ll discover these fair isles.’ But then, like any Brit who’s made the smug decision to book a climate-emergency-inspired staycation, I felt a prickly cold sweat of dread. I had the realisation of the stark reality that, while we Brits are known for many things globally – we punch well above our weight in arts and culture, have an embarrassment of historic hotspots, and we’re brimming with interesting and eccentric people – hospitality, on the other hand, did not instinctively seem like a nationwide strength. Naturally, the safest option was to pursue something stamped with Mr & Mrs Smith’s seal of approval. Fortuitously, I was given the opportunity to stay at the Old Bank Hotel in Oxford and accepted immediately.

The drive up to Oxford from St Albans was dreamy. The Sat-Nav had directed me away from the soulless motorways and onto the idyllic country roads that wound their way through the Chiltern Hills. It was a journey that would set the tone of the weekend: idyllic, and spent edging along narrow lanes. Arriving at the hotel was a simple task. The charming lady on the phone, when I called the hotel ahead to make some enquiries, had already warned me not to take the car on the historic high street to avoid getting fined, and gave me alternative Sat-Nav coordinates, which took me directly to the secure backstreet-courtyard parking. She had helpfully reserved a space for me, too.

A few hairpin turns later and I was approaching a collection of vintage sandstone buildings. I had arrived in Oxford. On entering the hotel, my initial impression of the space boiled down to this: understated, upmarket, with very smart artwork – Observer-reader territory. My fellow Smith glanced around and gave the place an approving nod. For the record, he’s a stoic Yorkshireman who is rarely impressed with anything (especially my spending habits), so this was a win.

The general atmosphere of the hotel supported my initial good impression. Contemporary modern carpets were plush underfoot, discreet design pieces were scattered throughout, blue-chip art adorned most walls (well, it is owned by prolific art collector Jeremy Mogford). Even better, we’d scored a room upgrade for the first night, and as we were escorted to our new digs, I witnessed Mr Smith’s shoulders relax – a very good sign.

The Room with a View, as our luxury suite is called, is magnificent. The namesake view (comprising St Mary’s Church, the Radcliffe Camera and All Soul’s College quad) is impressive indeed, and the complimentary perks so generous that we cancelled our plans that night, preferring to lounge in the room, take in every aspect of Oxford from each window and terrace, and then gaze at the stars through the thoughtfully provided telescope. That thoughtfulness is present everywhere in the hotel, from the turndown service offered, to the relatively healthy minibar offerings – I say ‘relatively’ because the wine selection is rather well thought out too.

As the publisher of fashion and design magazines, names can be an important hook. The hotel has chosen to work with a considered range of brands. I spy brushed-chrome Vola taps, extra-fine Merino-wool throws from Johnstons of Elgin, low marble tables by Eero Saarinen – all refined choices. But, I picked up a few new names, too. It’s worth flipping through the coffee-table books lying around to put the head-turning artworks and sculptures into context. Our first room had a tome dedicated to Helmut Newton, which I now need to buy so that I can finish reading it; the second came with a selection of short stories. The hotel’s taste in flowers was excellent, too, with elegant rare breeds displayed in each room.

The first morning we opted for breakfast in bed – we didn’t want to take our eyes from the view and we weren’t too fussed if our day started late, which it did… After a thorough study of the city of dreaming spires, we arrived back at the hotel that evening expecting a comedown. We were checking into the original room we had booked, and we weren’t sure how it would match up to the previous one. But, we needn’t have worried – although smaller, our ‘regular’ room was luxurious, well proportioned, exquisitely decorated, and had a magnificent view of the local architecture.

What made this experience most enjoyable was the understated yet efficient service staff provided. They were knowledgeable, friendly, eager to please, and proved that staycations and top hospitality aren’t mutually exclusive. The Old Bank is a great comfortable base, and I believe sophisticated couples will enjoy the discreet refined atmosphere of this special place by the ‘wolds.