The Bar/Lounge at Malmaison Oxford Castle

"Amenities: Bar/lounge, Gym View the entire Hot List of the travel world's most noteworthy debuts in 2006 ›"

"Formerly it was for inmates detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, and many aspects of prison life, including barred windows, have been retained"

"Elsewhere in the hotel is a chic brasserie and bar, and a gym"

"The rooftop bar looks out over the hotel's prime central Oxford setting and is lovely on sunny days"

"Here you can rest your head where felons slept until 1996—although truth be told, fully three of the barrel-roofed cells were allotted for each double room and bath"

"Not a metal bed nor a slop bucket in sight, it’s all swish and sumptuous, but if the rather claustrophobic cells get a bit too much, break out to the neon-lit cocktail bar to steady your nerves"

"Contemporary furnishing, a buzzing cocktail bar, and a popular brasserie make this hotel a memorable and unique base for exploring the 'dreaming spires'"

"The cells are dressed in masculine colors of brown, burgundy and black, and with the black-stained furnishings, they're quite contemporary looking even though the low ceilings, thick walls and barred windows are just the opposite, creating a startling contrast"