Weekend in Oxford
When I first moved to London, I lived with a family for the first few weeks as I assimilated into my new chapter. They had two sons who barely spent a weekend in London and it baffled me. I would have long conversations with my mom on Sunday afternoons and tell her how I just didn’t understand the purpose to traveling outside the city when there was enough to do here. In addition, I consistently found the smallest details inspiring and without a fail thought everything was instagram-worthy.
Don’t get me wrong though, London is charming, but as I did start to get used to my ways and set daily/weekly/monthly rituals in—I craved a bit of an escape, which is when I regularly started traveling both for work and the blog. Since the start of February, I was bitten by wanderlust and had craved to get out a bit, but passport admin had me locked in. It was when I realized that I thoroughly missed my time at St. Andrews and longed for visits just outside London. Sharing moments from last year also reminded me of my time in Brighton with my mom in late spring and so I decided I should book a train ticket just to escape somewhere fuss free… like enjoying a weekend in Oxford.
starting a journey for a weekend in Oxford.
Coming into the train station, I knew Oxford was a college town, but didn’t realize that it actually had a bit of a city feel to it until we carried on walking to our hotel, Malmaison. Whilst living in St. Andrews, I would see tour groups and travel buses stopping for the day, but there was actually a population here that called Oxford home. People looked cozy in their everyday lives and the nuances and flow of the city set in its medieval enclave was incredibly inviting.
Walking in and out of colleges, finding romantic corners to enjoy a breathtaking view, on every street the hustle of the students-saunter of the locals-grandeur of the history… it felt like a true escape. It was so worthy to spend a weekend in Oxford!
After spending the first day shopping at Bicester Village, we spent the next day just casually exploring the bits of Oxford and the prestigious Oxford University. We would grab a coffee at Taylor’s, a snack there, then a cheeky beer at The White Horse and at one point doing a quick bit of work.
WHAT I WORE for a weekend in oxford
denim joggers c/o GREAT PLAINS blouse c/o GREAT PLAINS trainers SUPERGA sunnies ILLESTEVA
we stayed at Malmaison for our weekend in oxford
We felt the urge to explore our hotel a bit before heading down to dinner. So we meandered back to our hotel in the late afternoon to cozy up with a tea and embrace the hotel’s history. Originally built as a Norman fortress in 1071 during the reign of William the Conqueror, the now Malmaison was later extended during the Victorian Gothic period and served as HM Prison Oxford from 1888 until 1996. Though the luxury hotel still embraces the history of its past in the most tasteful way.
After having a gander through one of the original prison cell’s, we made our way to dinner at their very own Chez Mal Brasserie where each dish was made with fresh, seasonal produce. An authentic flare to an elevated setting—we enjoyed the game pie and brisket {that didn’t need a knife to cut}. Ending the meal on a high note as we fought over the last bite of the Seville orange marmalade steamed sponge.
After the warmest bath, deepest slumber, we were awaken with breakfast in bed and steaming coffee—it symbolized the end of a quality weekend and a departure from a beautiful town to visit outside of London. And that was the end of our little weekend in Oxford.
