26/07/2022

Where to rest your head after a long day of punting

By Olivia Emily, Country & Townhouse

Cambridge is a city best known for its prestigious ancient university and its stunning associated buildings. More than just a pretty face, however, Cambridge has plenty of sights to see and activities to do: from college tours to punting, markets and museums, to picturesque riverside walks and delicious fine dining. Whether you’re in town for the weekend or you fancy extending your trip and exploring further afield in the fens, here are the best hotels in Cambridge to rest your weary head.

University Arms

Cambridge’s leading luxury hotel is by far its most exciting. The 19th-century façade facing the Parker’s Piece parkland – where the first game of FA rules football was played – has been carefully restored, with stained glass windows throughout and an extra floor of suites featuring classic Edwardian interiors, bespoke furniture and private terraces. The hotel’s articulated roof line is ingenious, the real triumph being architect John Simpson’s neoclassical design: the elegant new porte-cochère on Regent Street, which heralds the building with stately impact, invites visitors through one of three handsome front doors. Guests staying in one of the 192 suitably bookish and eclectic rooms, painted in shades of Cambridge blue, enter through one of the doors. The additional two are for Parker’s Tavern, a brasserie restaurant and cocktail bar, with interiors (like the bedrooms) by Martin Brudnizki. This charming evocation of a college dining hall is graced by a menu showcasing seasonal produce from talented chef Tristan Welch. It’s the town’s hottest dining destination: old school but hip. One for your radar.

BOOK: +44 (0)1223 606066 / universityarms.com