St Benet's Hall, Oxford

Customer rating:
Average: 3.9 (94 ratings)
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Exterior on St Giles

St Benet's Hall, Oxford

St Benet's, founded in 1897, offers B&B rooms in the heart of Oxford.

Summary

  • 19th century buildings
  • Breakfast included
  • No car parking
  • No smoking

Facilities

  • No Internet access
  • Private/enclosed garden
  • No luggage storage
  • Linen included
  • Towels included
  • Common room
  • Central heating

Food and Drinks

  • Continental breakfast (included)

Nearby recreations

  • Recommended walks
  • Pub (walking distance)
  • Museums (walking distance)
  • Historic houses
  • Gardens
  • Golf course (a short drive)
  • Tennis courts (walking distance)
  • Recommended restaurants (walking distance)
  • Theatre (walking distance)

A very warm welcome to St Benet’s Hall. The Hall is located in handsome Georgian buildings on St Giles, conveniently located in the city centre.  The Hall offers the following B&B:

B&B in standard rooms (single or twin) with shared unisex bathrooms.  No TV or hospitality tray.  Most of the single rooms are located on the top floor (4th), accessible via a steep staircase.  There is no lift in the Hall.

B&B in ensuite twin rooms, or in one single ensuite room. No TV. A hospitality tray is provided in term time for the one ensuite twin room available.

B&B in the Hall Guest Room - twin ensuite which has a TV and hospitality tray, and overlooks the garden at the back of the Hall.

With the exception of the Hall Guest Room, please be aware that you are staying in student undergraduate accommodation.  Although the rooms are not to hotel standards, these are clean, tidy and comfortable.

The Hall does not have Porters or a 24hr Reception, so do please be prepared to carry your own luggage.  In addition, we regret that luggage cannot be stored for you after the 10am departure.

Internet access is not provided. Smoking is not permitted. Other meals besides breakfast are not available to B&B guests. Hairdryers are not provided.

Check-in is between 2-5pm only. IMPORTANT: please ensure that before making your booking, you can arrive during our specified check-in hours which is a fixed period of 2pm-5pm only.  We regret that we cannot accept guests arriving outside these hours.

History to the present day

St Benet’s Hall is owned by the monastic community of St Lawrence at Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire – currently the largest monastery in the UK. In its earliest medieval form, the University of Oxford comprised a few Houses of study, with students gathered around a Master. St Benet’s, founded in 1897, stands proud as the closest institution in Oxford to these medieval Halls. The maintenance of these traditions means that St Benet’s preserves the best of Old Oxford and a wonderful family atmosphere.

Food and Drinks

A self-service continental style breakfast is available in the ground floor Refectory from 8.00am to 9.30am every morning.

If you have any particular dietary requirements, please let us know beforehand by entering these details in the "additional information" section of your booking form.  Stepping outside the Hall, you will find many good restaurants, pubs, cafes and delicatessens in the surrounding area.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: St Benet's Hall, 38 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LN, United Kingdom

Check In: Important - check-in is a fixed period between the hours 2pm-5pm only. Please note that the Hall does not have a Porter's Lodge or a Reception, so check-in must be within the specified time period.

Check Out: By 10am at the latest.  Please note that we do not have a luggage storage facility.

Once your booking has been received, you will be emailed confirmation of your booking. Please ensure you read and bring this information with you. There is no Reception/Receptionist on arrival, but the condition of the booking is that you must arrive within the specified 2-5pm check-in time, as a member of the Hall's staff needs to be here to open the door for you.  Please indicate your time of arrival on the booking form so we know when to expect you.

If you need to cancel or amend your booking, this should be done through the "My Booking" section of this website, who will then in turn notify the Hall.
There are currently no disabled accessible rooms at the Hall. Smoking is not allowed within the Hall buildings, but smoking is permitted in the garden.
Car parking is not available.
 

More photos of St Benet's Hall, Oxford

Hall Guest Room Calefactory Chapel

Customer feedback

We guarantee that all our feedback is genuine and can only be submitted by people who have booked through our websites.

, May 2013: The staff were exceptionally attentive! My room was (through an admin oversight) not ready when I checked in at 300pm....the Junior Dean couldn't have been more apologetic (and proferred a complimentary bottle of wine as a token) and the cleaning staff zoomed in very quickly...within 10 minutes the issue had been resolved. Impressive! 5/5

, April 2013: The staff member is very friendly and efficient. 4/5

, February 2013: Hello, Thank you for an excellent stay at St Benet's. The chap who let us in was very welcoming and friendly. The room was just what we expected but with a wide view, a bonus. Breakfast was fine for me, but I suspect some guests might want more.. more variety and more quality (of coffee, toast, etc). We saw one member of staff during breakfast; she was very friendly but again, some other guests might want more attention during breakfast! I liked having the papers there - a nice touch. Hope this is a useful comment, and thanks for a lovely stay... helped us a lot during the OU Walking Club reunion weekend. Cheers Simon and Ailsa (ex-Teddy Hall and Keble respectively) 3/5

, October 2012: If you can find beauty in modesty, and enjoy serenity, you will probably find this accommodation very agreeable. I have enjoyed my stay and will definitely return. 5/5

, October 2012: It was a lovely stay that I would again, albeit, a lower floor. Cheers. 4/5

, September 2012: We were expecting basic student accommodation and so were really pleased with basic but clean rooms friendly welcome on arrival & use of lovely garden breakfast was basic. Location fantastic would recommend & be very happy to stay again Mend 4/5

, September 2012: Really lovely place to stay. Beautiful garden. 5/5

, September 2012: The steward who greeted us on arrival was very helpful and friendly, sorry I cant remember his name! 4/5

, July 2012: We found the welcome extremely friendly and the calefactory most comfortable. 4/5

, July 2012: The staff was courteous and helpful. The location was excellent. It was nice and quiet - the perfect accommodations for me. I'd certainly stay at St. Benet's Hall again. I really enjoyed reading some of the literature and looking at photos on the walls - you really do learn a bit about St. Benet's that you wouldn't acquire otherwise. Proximity to Eagle and Child also a nice feature. 5/5

, June 2012: Excellent central location with the lovely students and staff of St. Benet's. Very lovely quiet room with great view of garden. Homey antique furniture and a bookshelf filled with books. This is a college with a religious slant so be prepared to see priests around. No internet and had to carry luggage up 3 flights of stairs but this was well advertised in advance. Overall great value for money with an unbeatable safe and quiet location in city center. 5/5

, April 2012: A warm welcome and a very comfortable, pleasant room. 5/5

, April 2012: Great service and very friendly staff. Extremely clean. Nice living and study area. But no room service on the second day which was unexpected. 4/5

, January 2012: We enjoyed our stay very much. The room was large, comfortable, clean and quiet. The college is conveniently situated for the city centre. Would be happy to return. 4/5

, October 2011: My week in Oxford was a memorable experience. The accommodation and friendly service at St Benet's was top class. 5/5

, October 2011: Excellent and relaxing, really enjoyed our stay. 4/5

, October 2011: Had a very good stay and hope to return again. Staff was friendly. Furnishings were a bit tatty but the room was mostly quiet and cozy. Preferred to have breakfast out. A number of good bakeries are just around the corner. Great pubs and restaurants too. The Bodleian library and city centre are just five minutes away. Train station is walking distance. Neighborhood is off the tourist circuit, though. So an excellent location! 4/5

, September 2011: We enjoyed our stay at St. Benet's. The room was basic but adequate (as is to be expected in a college dorm room) with en suite shower, toilet was shared with one other room. The staff was very pleasant and helpful both before and during our stay. All in all, a very good experience. 5/5

, September 2011: St Benet's Hall is a very good option for a short stay in Oxford - great location, cute rooms and friendly staff. It's also wonderful to have access to a nice piano and a great library. 5/5

, September 2011: Really welcoming and helpful upon arrival. Perfect location for the centre of Oxford, would definitely stay again. 4/5

, September 2011: I would definitely stay here again -great location and you are made to feel very welcome 4/5

, September 2011: Great! Really feels like you're staying at a college. 5/5

, September 2011: I really enjoyed my experience staying at St. Benet's Hall, thank you! 4/5

, April 2011: We had a wonderful stay at St Benets. I recommend it to anyone. The location is wonderful, 2 mins from Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums. Supermarkets 5 mins walk. The Eagle and Child pub just a few doors down the road. We thoroughly enjoyed it. 5/5

, April 2011: We'll be back; an excellent place to stay, and thoroughly welcoming. Cannot be faulted. Thoughtful, peaceful, and serene! 5/5

Ms Mei Ling Gay, April 2011: Though accommodation is basic it is clean and neat. Thank you for the hard work in keeping room clean and neat. 3/5

Miss Amela Trhulj, April 2011: Excellent location, right in the centre of Oxford. The room I stayed in was a bit spartan and tired, but clean and perfectly comfortable. The hike to the fourth floor might be off-putting for some. Breakfast was simple but plentiful: toast and condiments, croissants, several types of cereal, yoghurt, fruit, boiled eggs (only on one of the days). The college secretary and deputy master (responsible for welcoming guests and distributing keys) were extremely helpful and nice: they were able to accomodate my late (10:30PM) arrival without a problem. 4/5

Dr Nakeisha Ferguson, April 2011: We had a great experience at St. Benet's. 5/5

Lynley McAlpine, March 2011: Thank you for all your help! I had a nice stay. 4/5

Dr. Alan Brain, January 2011: An extremely quiet, peaceful, and clean place, in an excellent location in Oxford, and very good value for money. 4/5

Elisabeth Goodridge, November 2010: Very pleasant stay: fantastic location, comfortable beds and exceptionally helpful staff. 5/5

April Kidd, October 2010: The room was very nice, breakfast was wonderful, and Wendy Bunning was exceptionally kind, friendly, and helpful. Wendy welcomed us warmly and took the time to familiarize us with St. Benet's. Our brief stay was wonderful. Thank you! 5/5

Patrick Devlin, October 2010: A really delightful place to stay. In the middle of town, but quiet, with an attractive garden view. We shall definitely be returning. 4/5

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