Mollie's Motel & Diner: A glorious stay in the Oxford countryside designed by Soho House

Introduction to Mollie's

Designed by Soho House, the Oxfordshire location opened in 2019. The lifestyle hotel and dining brand aims to "revive roadside stays" in the UK.

It's inspired by classic American diners and features a mix of modern designs and affordable prices.

The Oxfordshire branch, situated just off the A420, has an innovative digital check-in, EV chargers, TVs which can be controlled with your phone and Dyson products in the rooms.

Bristol followed in 2021, which was named as the "Best Budget Hotel" in the Sunday Times Best Places to Stay.

With 10 more motels in the pipeline, Manchester is the next location on the list to open.

The amenities

Checking in couldn't have been easier, with the option to check in virtually on your phone to speed up the process.

With someone on the reception desk 24/7, I quickly grabbed my room key before exploring the reception area.

It featured a bar offering a variety of different drinks, lots of tasty snacks, as well as complimentary tea and coffee.

There are five room options to pick from at Mollie's including double rooms, accessible rooms, connecting rooms, twin rooms and bunk beds.

Prices are also affordable, depending on the day, with a room starting at just £54.

The room

The double room, which is what I stayed in, features comfy king-size beds, super luxurious cotton bedding, and light oak and slate finishes which made the room cosy with a modern twist.

There was climate control, perfect for the summer weather, super-fast Wi-Fi and a large bathroom with a huge shower.

The room also featured luxurious Cowshed toiletries which included a shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in the shower as well as a Dyson hairdryer and straightener in the room.

I was also able to connect my phone to the TV, using it as a remote control and linking my Netflix account to it.

I absolutely loved that I could connect Netflix to the television without having to sign in manually as I always forget to log out of accounts when visiting hotels.

There was also a nice seating area by the bed and the sink was separate from the bathroom, meaning someone could use it to wash their face or brush their teeth whilst someone was using the bathroom.

The diner

My room overlooked the inner courtyard where residents can enjoy a quiet drink overlooking gorgeous shrubs and plants.

After chilling in the room for a while, I headed across the car park to the diner to enjoy some delicious food. Having already looked at the menu, I knew what I was going to order but the vast array of dishes did make the decision hard.

It was a Friday night so I expected the diner to be busy but it was even busier than I imagined, which was a sign of good food.

However, due to it being super busy, the service was slightly slow, to begin with, and the drinks were made wrong but the staff were accommodating in changing this.

I went for honey-glazed chicken tenders, which came with a pineapple BBQ sauce, popcorn chicken loaded fries as well as a side of mac and cheese to share.

The food was all piping hot and absolutely delicious with plenty of flavours. The chicken was nice and crispy, the fries were crunchy and loaded with ranch sauce and the mac and cheese was a decent-sized portion.

For pudding, I opted for a baked cookie dough with vanilla ice cream, and despite burning my hand on the cast iron dish, it went down a treat.

The prices are also all so reasonable with the tenders at £10, loaded fries at £9, mac and cheese at £5 and the pudding at £8.

There is a lot of delicious food on the menu, and I can't wait to return to try their double cheeseburger which won second place at the National Burger Award this year.

The award was attributed to the quality of the ingredients and the cooking techniques used.

There is also a drive-thru with a simplified menu as well as the option to grab and go, ordering food for collection.

Despite being a motel and replicating the look of the traditional American stay, nothing screamed "motel" to me at all other than the bright signage and the location.

Being on a busy road and next to a petrol station, I expected it to be slightly loud, but inside the hotel was super quiet and you couldn't hear anything.

I had the best night's sleep after a shower, which my boyfriend claimed was the best shower he had ever used.

The breakfast

Mollie's Motel & Diner also offers a full breakfast daily from 7am to noon, which I decided to try out.

I was so surprised to see how busy the restaurant was at 9am, packed with children and families.

This meant we had to wait around five minutes to be seated, but the staff were doing everything they could to seat the queue.

However, after seeing the menu prices I wasn't surprised how busy it was at all, with children eating for under £7.

I decided to go for a full English with a drink of apple juice and the meal was absolutely delicious and affordable.

There was also a huge variety of food options on the menu, including both sweet and savoury options.

Visitors have lots of areas to visit near Mollie's, including the Cotswolds, Oxford city centre and Bicester Village, which isn't too far away.

My stay at Mollie's was inviting and comfortable, and I can't wait to visit the motel again.