Old Bank Hotel, Oxford

We love being able to ditch the car and discover everything on foot, you won't even need a taxi home after dark.

The Botanic Garden, Magdalen Bridge and the River Cherwell can all be reached in five minutes.
By car: around 1 hour 30 minutes from London or Bristol and just over 3 hours from Manchester. There is free parking at the hotel.
By train: around 50 minutes from London Paddington, 1 hour 20 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads and 2 hours 45 minutes from Manchester Piccadilly. Oxford station is a 15-minute walk away. thetrainline.com

Urbane, art-loving types keen to stay in the heart of the city and balance a lively buzz with a slice of tranquility will love it at Old Bank. The hotel manages to combine period detailing, refined contemporary decor and modern artworks - and still get it right.

Seeing the city like a local while cycling down cobbled lanes and the river towpath on the free-to-use, Dutch-style bikes is a highlight of a stay here.

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Facilities for disabled guests
• Free Wi-Fi
• Free parking
• Family rooms
• Exclusive resident's library

A highlight is the Room with the View, a massive top-floor suite with quintessential Oxford views through floor-to-ceiling windows and from the private terrace. We love little touches such as motion-sensor lighting in the bathroom and a book of short stories by your bedside.

Room with the View, The Suite, Junior Suite, Superior Deluxe, Deluxe Rooms, Classic Rooms, Small Doubles, Accessible Room
Facilities include: handmade beds, marble bathrooms, striking artwork from the owner's private collection, tea and coffee-making facilities

Bright, brash and buzzing, Quod has a fabulously lively atmosphere to match its bold artwork and high-class comfort food. So simple but done so well, the carpaccio of sea bream, watercress, orange and dill is perfect on a summer's day.

Quod: relaxed, popular with locals, reasonably priced. Open every day 7am-11pm. Mains from £13.95.