Oxford

Back in January I accidentally booked Mr K and I a night at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford.
I was in the bath thinking about things we could do in April for our anniversary. I was looking at Cambridge, Worcester, Hereford, Birmingham. As I browsed on Booking.com I saw a special offer for the Randolph and thought it would be nice to go to Oxford as tourists and stay at a swanky hotel.
I thought I'd book it and see if Mr K fancied it. You can always cancel with Booking.com until the day before so it didn't really mean anything. I really wanted to go to Cambridge. And stay at a Premier Inn rather than spending so much the hotel.
So I gaily booked it and then went back into the booking just to check the cancellation details.
100% non refundable.
Shit.
Oh well, it would be a special treat for our anniversary!!
I can't remember why but when April came around we had to change the booking as my mum and dad couldn't babysit. I rearranged for late November thinking that would be nice - everything getting Christmassy!
My mum and dad couldn't babysit that weekend either because they had subsequently arranged to go for lunch with friends so we had to rearrange it again. We'd try the 9th December!!
When I called Booking.com - on the Monday before the Saturday we were due to stay - they wouldn't change the booking and said the booking was non-refundable so it we didn't go we'd lose the money. To be perfectly honest I was past caring at this point. It had been nothing but trouble since the moment I accidentally booked it!
Then randomly on the Thursday I had an email from Booking.com confirming the amended date of December 9th. Yay!!!!!
So today was the day!!
Miss E had netball practice at school first thing so we dropped her off there and then dropped Miss L off in the shop with Nana and Papa before setting off. 
We had a lovely day!!
First of all to the Grand Cafe on the High Street for a delicious full English and tea. Then a wander round in the Arctic winds!! I had to go to a charity shop to look for a jumper - I was woefully underdressed in my little top and converse trainers! I found a lovely Mantaray blanket jacket thing so was much warmer even though I looked like the Michelin Woman!!
We went up to Mr K's office in the Town Hall which was lovely to see. It's a 1930s building with the original metal old fashioned lift. And that municipal heating which meant that it was roasty toasty despite the cold outside! (See extras for the view out of his office. No wonder he loves working there!!!)
We went round the new Westgate Shopping Centre which is lovely and has some fabulous views over the city from the roof. Amazing mixture of old and new buildings and a sense of thousands of years of history. 
We got a fair bit of Christmas shopping done and then decided enough was enough and it was time to head to the hotel.
It's gorgeous!!!! All Christmassy and lovely, footmen in full livery opening doors at every turn! Like an oasis in the Christmas chaos!!
Our room is amazing - on the top floor at the front with wonderful views over to the Ashmolean and St Giles. And Molton Brown goodies, and posh water and free apples. Actual apples rather than electronic devices!!
We made tea, used the bathrobes, ate the free shortbread and generally luxuriated in it all until it was time to go out for dinner and Murder on the Orient Express.
Mr K introduced me to the delights of Five Guys - an American burger place I hadn't really wanted a burger for dinner but it was amazing - it so reminded me of Tommy's which does the best burgers in LA!!
We loved Murder on the Orient Express . Once we got our seats sorted! A booking glitch meant we had seats across the aisle from each other and naturally people kept coming to the alternative seats we moved to. It was mortifying!!!
When we checked in earlier the receptionist gave us vouchers for free cocktails as it was our anniversary (!!!) and, despite being knackered and more than ready for bed, we do like a cocktail so we went to the lovely Cartoon Bar and had some! A piña for me and some sort of Martini for Mr K. Delicious!!!