Locking yourself in a prison cell for a weekend might at first thought be something you would rather avoid than willingly do, but Malmaison's Oxford hotel would quickly change your mind.

Opened last year as one of the more recent editions to the Malmaison stable of quirky, trendy hotels, this imposing castle building was until as recently as 1996 a fully functioning prison, housing some of Oxfordshire's worst criminals.

Since then it has been the set of films such as the Italian Job and the TV series Bad Girls, before getting its ultra-luxurious makeover.

The original features remain. The staff canteen is built into the old hanging pit (the castle is over 1,000 years old) and the former exercise yard is now a modern gym.

In A-Wing where the rooms are now a more comfortable three cells wide, three inch thick steel doors separate you from the freedom of the prison wing corridor.

But far from being claustrophobic or sparse, the rooms are plush, with four poster beds and ultra-modern bathrooms. The only reminder once inside, that you are in fact 'inside' , are the small windows to the outside world.

If you want to 'upgrade' to the suites in the old governor's house, the Cinema Suite has its own cosy cinema room as well as an indulgently free-standing bath, situated in the lounge.

The hotel itself is lavishly modern with a funky champagne bar and the restaurant, which occupies the vaulted dungeons, serves a variety of tasty dishes, typical of the Mal style, with steaks, burgers, and plenty of naughty deserts and cheeses to pick from for afters.

And if you did want to pop out, the hotel is set in a courtyard of restaurants and bars and is only a short walk from the city centre and all the tourist attractions Oxford has to offer.

But with a hotel so different and welcoming, you are probably more likely to be begging them to lock you back up when it comes to check out time.

A- wing rooms start from £160 RO per night, Executive suites from £385 RO per night.  www.malmaison.co.uk