The Varsity
Hotel · Cambridge
Thompsons Ln, Cambridge CB5 8AQ, United Kingdom
Highlights
Rooftop bar with stellar views, modern rooms, spa
Thompsons Ln, Cambridge CB5 8AQ, United Kingdom Get directions
$$$
Rooftop bar with stellar views, modern rooms, spa
Thompsons Ln, Cambridge CB5 8AQ, United Kingdom Get directions
$$$
"A hotel founded by former Cambridge graduates, featuring college-themed rooms." - Aashna Gajra
"How did it strike you on arrival?A slick, fashionable Soho House-type of a hotel in Cambridge. What's not to love? Varsity oozes modern cool in an otherwise archaic city. What’s the crowd like?It's all Champagne Socialists here. No really! The gorgeous rooftop bar is full of smartly dressed types drinking fizz and G&Ts and gazing out over the spires and rooftops of Cambridge. The good stuff: Tell us about the rooms.They're modern, clean and light filled. The Graduate Room is a basic double and it's pretty decent overall. The Senior Fellow room I was in is bigger and brighter, with patterned wallpaper behind a King sized wooden bed, and fabulous tablet with free newspapers and magazines loaded up on it. There's plenty of wardrobe space and a decent mini-bar. Plus the bedside lighting is perfect for reading. We’re craving some deep, restorative sleep. They got us?No complaints about the bed—bouncy, and lots of soft pillows to throw around. How about the little things, like mini bar, or shower goodies. Any of that worth a mention?Complimentary bottled water and strong in room Wi-Fi are always winners, and the funky jars of jellybeans and cashews tell me that I am in the right hotel. I eat all of them and buzz down for replacements. The LCD TV is also in just the right position to watch from bed, and they'll give you DVDs if you need them. Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.One of the best hotel bathrooms I've used at this price range—there's underfloor heating, the walk-in monsoon shower is surrounded by perfect bevelled edge black tiles and the products are by Elemis, who manage the spa downstairs and to which guests get free entry. Room service: Anything worth ordering?The room service menu is unfussy, comfort food. Think cheeseburgers that will fill you up after a night at the pub. Under a tenner was worth it. Any other tips?Book a window table at the main hotel restaurant Six so you can eat with a view. Hang out on the grassy rooftop and drink. Spend some time in the Elemis spa especially in the starry jacuzzi room which looks onto the River Cam. Bottom line: worth it, and why?It's the perfect boutique Cambridge hotel and hard to fault—definitely the rooftop bar is a winner." - Ramsay Short
"Situated in the centre of Cambridge, with valet parking near the edge of the River Cam, The Varsity Hotel and Spa offers modern rooms, and an impressive rooftop terrace with uninterrupted views. Each room is named after a different Cambridge college, and features an LCD TV, DVD library, free Wi-Fi, and an iPod dock. Most rooms offer monsoon showers and under-floor heating. Some rooms have balconies and views of the college rooftops. Inspired by traditional Cambridge, The Varsity offers guests access to the Glassworks Gym and Spa, with hot tub, steam room, sauna and exercise classes. The hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from Kings College Chapel, Trinity College, and the majority of the Cambridge colleges. The Grand Arcade shopping centre is 10 minutes’ walk away, and there are a number of restaurants, bars and cafes close by." - My Boutique Hotel (en)
"Everywhere, in magnificent Cambridge, narrow side streets wind beguilingly between grand colleges and student digs in Victorian terraces; few of them lead to rooms as splendid as the Varsity’s airy modern suites. Here, in a completely new glass-topped building, rooms span the gamut from swanky expanses you could roller-blade in to more typically student-size rooms; but all are blessed with floor-to-ceiling windows, superb beds and treats such as use of an Aveda spa. Regardless of size, all are impeccably designed, with sleek contemporary furniture, weighty curtains in neutral tones, and a distinctive dash of colour in bold wallpaper or unusual prints. The roof is a stunning, astro-turfed terrace, open to 360 degree views of Cambridge - a wonderful place for an early drink, and just above the SIX Brasserie restaurant and cocktail bar. Next door, their River Bar restaurant serves a reliable menu of steaks, with a superior wine list, while tucked away in their Glassworks spa are tiny havens where expert masseuses work transformative magic. A perfect base for sightseeing, or a great treat for a special weekend. Highs The views: Cambridge has never looked so grand as from the Varsity’s summer roof terrace The location: perfectly situated in the heart of the city for colleges, shopping, and strolls along the Cam Two restaurants: the small but superb steakhouse, with a good wine list too, and the panoramic 6th floor brasserie serving food and cocktails all day The well-equipped gym and spa: great massages, yoga and Pilates classes, plus a hot tub looking over passing punters The overall feel of a smart city-centre hotel with style: something Cambridge has historically lacked Lows Graduate Rooms are small, and lower floor rooms have uninspiring views. Book the best you can afford, and as early as possible (1st come, 1st served) After a period of mixed feedback, service seems to have improved again, though we still witnessed the odd confusion when checking out No parking outside (or anywhere in the historic centre), but there are car parks a few minutes' walk away, or the hotel offers valet parking for a small fee You have to go outside and back in again next door to enter the restaurant, or the spa The Roof Terrace is only open in the warmer months (subject to weather conditions)" - Christabelle Dilks
"It’s a conscious rekindling of the romance once contained in the phrase “going up to the ’Varsity.” Established by a quartet of Cambridge graduates, The Varsity Hotel & Spa is a modern building, but through its floor-to-ceiling windows you’re steeped in the old Cambridge — you’re practically on top of Magdalene College, and you’re not much farther from St. John’s, Trinity or Jesus. And while it’s the views that largely make the atmosphere, the hotel does an admirable job of fitting itself to its surroundings, with rooms named for Cambridge (and Oxford) colleges and decorated with portraits of alumni." - Tablet Hotels
