Did you know you can stay in university rooms at Oxford and Cambridge?
I check in to Oriel College, Oxford
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go to Oxford or Cambridge as a student, then you can sample it for a night or two, thanks to a little-known accommodation service in the uni holidays. If you fancy a fairly unique experience, you can check in to university rooms when the students are away over the holidays and get a room with breakfast in the historic dining halls of the colleges.
Over the Easter holidays, I did just that, when attending a party for a close friend, in Oriel College, Oxford. He’d been a student there and for one night, all his guests got to experience what that would have been like. I booked the most basic room – a single - which came with toiletries, towels, tea and coffee making facilities and a clean and neat en-suite bathroom, which is a lot more than I got, in my uni accommodation, elsewhere, many years ago. Obviously, it’s not five-star, it’s quite basic, but it’s pretty magical and if you time your stay right, can be as cheap as £70 a night, which is a lot better value than some of the city’s hotels.
Oriel College is one of the oldest colleges in Oxford – right in the city centre, it was founded in 1326 by King Edward II and is super-historic and compact, with rooms based around three quadrangles. My room was in the second quad, on the first floor, off some ancient stairs and was comfortable, clean and came with a great cooked breakfast the next morning. I loved the experience of staying there and wandering around the college after-hours. It was really special.
You can book dorms in Oxford and Cambridge during Easter, summer and Christmas holidays and stay everywhere from Oxford’s Christ Church (its Great Hall inspired Hogwarts) to Cambridge’s beautiful St John’s which backs onto the river.
The Travel List
I booked my uni room at Oriel College, Oxford, through speedybooker.com. You can also use universityrooms.com