Travel review: Oxford is the perfect destination for a trip away and this hotel offers style, luxury and value

But with great attractions, comes costly accommodation. For the most part, you can expect to pay something close to London prices when it comes to Oxford hotels and holiday rentals, which can be a bit off-putting. If you’re visiting over a weekend, like we did, and want to stay in a central location you can easily pay in excess of £200 – £300 for rooms of a good standard.

Thankfully, the Holiday Inn Oxford offers a great alternative. Located just three miles out of the city centre, the hotel manages to combine touches of luxury and great amenities with good value, which isn’t a combination you see very often.

Plus, there’s a park and ride with regular buses just a five minute walk away so you can be in the thick of things very easily.

In addition to free on-site parking and free wifi, the Holiday Inn Oxford also boasts a mini gym and a fabulous restaurant.

We arrived on a Friday evening, and were greeted by very friendly staff who were engaging and helpful. The stylish reception also smelled delightful.

Our premium room was spacious, with a king bed that feels really decadent when lounging about on it in the super soft dressing gowns provided in the rooms. The room was utterly spotless, and I really like the modern furnishings, which were stylish without being too imposing.

While the room is located right next to the M40 – making it very convenient for those travelling by car – the rooms are genuinely so well-insulated from the sound of the motorway that you forget it’s there.

I often think you can judge the standard of a hotel room by the array of toiletries provided, and the Geneva Guild shampoo, bodywash and hand soap were first-rate. Each premium room is also decked out with a shaving kit; shower cap; shoe shine sponge and a comb to keep you looking your best.

The room has those all-important modern touches of plug sockets, with USB connectors, on both sides of the bed for people who want to charge their devices while using them in bed, and a large television which is perfect for a stint of channel-hopping.

The restaurant offered a wide selection of high-quality, but good value, dishes for those wanting to dine in. I enjoyed the delectable vegetarian options of a divine mozzarella, tomato and avocado salad, and a hearty butternut squash, mixed bean and cheese pie, while my dining companion was impressed with his choices of a tasty chicken liver and brandy parfait and sumptuous sirloin steak. We both indulged in desserts and shared a warm chocolate brownie and a honeycomb cheesecake, both of which were delicious.

There’s also a good wine selection and we were particularly impressed with the bottle of Lunaris by Callia Malbec.

The breakfast offering was excellent, with everything you could possibly want including fresh fruit: – both individual pieces, fruit salad and fruit compote; pancakes; pastries including croissants and pain au chocolate; a full English – with vegetarian sausages available on request; a selection of meats and cheese; yoghurts; toast; French bread; a wide selection of cereal and a good-quality coffee machine, complete with takeaway cups so you can enjoy your beverage on the good.

I also liked the fact that breakfast was served until 11am on weekends, allowing you that bit of extra time.

Standard rooms at the Holiday Inn Oxford are available from £68, while the King Premium rooms are available from £152.

Visit their website here for more information.