Take a staycation at this inner-city hotel boasting 56 retro-styled rooms, a leafy courtyard with a poolside bar, and an all-day restaurant.
While travelling to California for a dose of palm trees and sunshine may not be feasible, you can turn to Paddington’s newest boutique hotel for your fix. Nested in the inner city suburb on Oxford Street, Oxford House provides all the necessities for a luxurious stay, including 56 retro-styled rooms, a leafy courtyard with ample sunlight, a Palm Springs-inspired pool with beige loungers, and an all-day restaurant and bar. This is just another successful hotel renovation by Public Hospitality, the team behind the upgrade of The Strand into an effortlessly chic French hotel.
The rooms have a distinct Palm Springs vibe while staying true to the stylish Paddington aesthetic. Expect natural light in each room with natural hues and rich textures. To assert luxury, you will also find beautiful custom-made bathrobes by Double Rainbouu, crockery from Marc Newson, hair care products by Grown Alchemist, and a beautiful collection of art, paintings, photography and sculptures collated by George Gorrow.
The best part about staying at Oxford House is that you can still make the most of the Aussie heat with a leafy sunlit courtyard and pool bar on level one. Perch up on the comfortable outdoor loungers with today’s paper and a Will & Co coffee, and make your way through the menu of breakfast staples. These include Sonoma sourdough with cultured butter and Drunken Sailor preserves, ricotta and spelt hotcakes with passionfruit curd, fresh berries and maple syrup, smashed avocado with pickled onions, herbs and lime on toasted Sonoma rye, and chilli scrambled eggs with goats fetta and mixed herbs on toasted sourdough.
Worthy of your next Instagram post, the space features banana palms and cascading greenery, natural stone floors and walls, and textural timber accents. The pool area takes things to the next level with a playlist of relaxing beats, white umbrellas scattered amongst the beige sunloungers, and a 70s-style plunge pool for dipping. Stay hydrated with a round of cocktails from the pool bar alongside signature snacks including salt and pepper Szechuan calamari and Hiramasa Kingfish sashimi. Expect a steady lineup of DJ sets and digital shows to be presented poolside in the future.
On street level, Oxford House has opened a stylish restaurant for guests and locals to unwind. The space is welcoming with a relaxed atmosphere and again, photogenic interiors including hanging tapestry, natural timbers and low-hanging brass lighting. The menu has been crafted by duo Nick Mahlook (culinary director at Public Hospitality Group) and Tyler Preston (executive chef for the hotel), who you may be familiar with from Chin Chin and Byron Bay’s Bang Bang.
The menu can be described as modern Australian featuring everything from raw seafood, Middle Eastern-inspired flatbread and housemade dips, market fish, and humble favourites including burgers and club sandwiches. Our dish highlights included the betel leaf miang with shiitake & king oyster mushroom, crispy shallot and truffle oil, the confit octopus escabeche with extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar and rooftop herbs, sticky pork belly with palm sugar caramel, green apple and mint, and for dessert the hot apple pie with vanilla bean ice cream and pistachio praline.
Rooms at Oxford House start at just $206 per night with many options to choose from including the Standard Courtyard Rooms looking down onto the pool area, Oxford Deluxe, Junior and Arts Suites with separate living spaces and the Terrace Suite. All rooms give you access to the facilities including the courtyard, pool bar and restaurant. Book your stay here.