With a stay at The Head of the River, you'll be centrally located in Oxford, steps from Thames River and 3 minutes by foot from University of Oxford. .This eco-certified inn is 10.8 mi (17.3 km) from Blenheim Palace and 3 mi (4.9 km) from John Radcliffe Hospital.
Eco-certified Oxford inn in Oxford City Centre with a restaurant
The Head of the River offers 19 accommodations with espresso makers and complimentary bottled water. Flat-screen televisions come with digital channels. Bathrooms include showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Additionally, rooms include coffee/tea makers and irons/ironing boards. Housekeeping is provided on request.
Make yourself at home in one of the 19 guestrooms featuring espresso makers and flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include phones, as well as desks and coffee/tea makers.
Take in the views from a terrace and a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access.
At The Head of the River, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. Cooked-to-order breakfasts are served on weekdays from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM and on weekends from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM for a fee.
The front desk is staffed during limited hours.
Cooked-to-order breakfasts are available for a surcharge on weekdays between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM and on weekends between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
The Head of the River - This pub specializes in British cuisine and serves lunch and dinner.
Awards and affiliations
Eco-Certified Property
This property participates in Green Tourism Program, a program that measures the property's impact on one or more of the following: environment, community, cultural-heritage, the local economy.
Languages
English
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi
Parking and public transport
No on-site parking available
Food and drink
Cooked-to-order breakfast available for a fee 7:00 AM–11:00 AM on weekdays and 8:00 AM–11:00 AM on weekends: GBP 10.00-15.00 per person
1 restaurant
1 bar
Restaurants on site
The Head of the River
Guest services
Front desk (limited hours)
Housekeeping (on request)
Outdoors
Garden
Terrace
Accessibility
If you have any requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18
Check-out
Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available
Special check-in instructions
The front desk is open daily from 8 AM - 9:30 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 11:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
Access methods
Front desk (limited hours)
Pets
Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 10 per pet, per night
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Food and water bowls are available
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Payment types
Important information
Optional extras
Fee for cooked-to-order breakfast: approximately GBP 10.00 to 15.00 per person
Pet fee: GBP 10 per pet, per night
Service animals are exempt from fees
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
We should mention
This property does not have elevators
Property is also known as
Head River
Head River Inn
Head River Inn Oxford
Head River Oxford
Head Of The River Hotel Oxford
The Head of the River Inn
The Head of the River Oxford
The Head of the River Inn Oxford
The Head of the River Reviews
Reviews
8.6
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Hotel and bar was nice staff helpful just a shame that other customers had to ruin the experience for us but the staff went out there way to make sure we was ok
Walls are very thin and can here other people talking /snoring
The pub garden was beautiful to sit in, with the sun
This place is lovely and very cute! It was our first trip to Oxford and the location was really convenient to the town center. The outdoor bar and restaurant is very charming and popular. The service was excellent- very friendly and helpful staff. Overall, excellent location, property and service
Clean, cosy, welcoming and full of charm. The staff were friendly and helpful. My room had beautiful views of the river and meadow. I’d come back to Oxford just to stay here again.
We stayed at the Head of the River with our kids for a few days recently when visiting schools in the Oxford area. We really liked it. The rooms are lovely and have everything you need, the kids loved the free breakfast which was really delicious. We ended up eating most of our meals there and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.
Great location and scenery however very loud hotel and can hear others in their rooms easily. The room was not serviced for a while left in morning, back in afternoon and no toilet tissue or phone to ring downstairs. Not the typical hotel experience.
Stayed there for several nights. The room was very comfortable and clean. I especially liked the breakfast and very friendly staff. Plus, the location is great for seeing Oxford.
Verified traveller
Stayed 13 nights in Nov 2023
8/10 Good
Leanne
Travelled with partner
17 Nov 2023
Liked: Staff & service
We had an overall good stay at The Head of the River. We were in walking distance to landmarks of interest and there was a lovely coffee shop across the street. The breakfast was included and was good and the staff were friendly. Overall cleanliness of the room was not up to our standards and the first evening we were there it was quite noisy. Would probably look into other options before returning.
Lovely view from our ridiculously tiny room-barely room to walk around the bed, no space for luggage or unpacked clothes, no desk or flat surface, tiny bathroom, extremely noisy-a very loud event underneath our window went on late into night and next night it was traffic on the street, very narrow flights of steps to reach our room. Required the white noise from the fan to sleep