With rooftop bar and spa in the basement The Store, Oxford is a first class destination
Oxford has long been on my to-visit list, and this hotel that opened in May of this year provides an ideal base from which to do so. The Store is housed in a building formerly home to Oxford institution Boswells, which was said to be one of the world’s oldest department stores - and it says it wants to pay tribute to its previous occupant’s status as a “place of discovery”. Spanning seven floors, the hotel also has in-house dining, a rooftop bar, co-working space, and spa.
I take the train to Oxford from London, a journey of about an hour, and then it’s a nice 15-minute walk through Oxford’s bustling city centre to The Store, which proves easy to find, and in a prime location.
Budget or boutique
Boutique - Oxford coffee roastery NewGround is one of its suppliers, for example - although more local touches would have been welcome.
Room service
The hotel has 101 guestrooms, which each showcase one of six different design styles, but all ticking key “hotel bingo” boxes of velvet headboards, king size beds, “generous” bathrooms, and bespoke artworks.
My sizeable lodgings come with a large balcony, including spacious sofa and a table, and excellent views of the city in two directions, grey spires in the distance. Its colourscheme is mainly monochrome (including a photo on the wall), with a black headboard, black and white cushions on the bed, and a small black table with green accompanying velvet armchair. The stylish bathroom comes with Verden Bath & Body Products, while the hotel’s largest accommodation is the Balliol College Suite, which sleeps four.
Wining and dining
The hotel is a food and drink destination in its own right, including in-house restaurant Treadwell, which is named after nearby Treadwell Passage, which was branded “one of Oxford’s greatest nuisances” in its pre-Boswells days. The lively and busy restaurant specialises in “untraditionally British” cuisine, and I thoroughly enjoy the cheese soufflé I try there, while it also offers a Sunday roast extravaganza, and I will one day return to try its whole roast lemon and thyme chicken, with sage and pancetta stuffing.
The hotel also has a rooftop bar with panoramic views of Oxford. Its menu includes a cocktail made with The Store Gin - as well as mint syrup, lime juice, strawberry, and sparkling wine - called The Value of Nothing, while there is a distinctly Scottish vibe to the 1738, named after the year Boswells first traded, and made with Glenmorangie, grapefruit, jalapeño-infused honey, and Ardbeg 10.
The bar in the lobby is also a great spot to sit and read/work/chill out on one of the many large and comfy chairs sofas in sea blues and russet, accompanied by a coffee or something stronger, as well as food provision.
Worth getting out of bed for
As someone who loves pottering around bookshops and cafes, I feel I have very much found my spiritual home in Oxford. That includes the excellent Covered Market, which this year celebrates its 250th anniversary, and which I would happily be locked in for a week, alternating independent shops and coffee houses. I freestyle my own walking tour - including seeing the distinctive round façade of the famous local university’s Radcliffe Camera building. But there are plenty of organised tours, including those themed around, say Inspector Morse and Harry Potter.
Little extras
The hotel has a spa in the basement - logically named The Spa at The Store - with three treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, thermal relaxation area, and gym. Treatments use products by British brand Oskia, and that, combined with the excellent de-knotting skills of Eleasha, sees my neck and shoulders feel revived after my back massage.
Guestbook comments
A modern and comfortable hotel in an excellent location, in a compelling city famous for its studies and its starring role on the small as well as big screens.
Rooms start from £285 per room per night including breakfast. The Store, 1–5 Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3AG, tel: 01865 950666. thestoreoxford.com
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