The Varsity Hotel & Spa
The Varsity hotel is the place to stay if you’re visiting Cambridge.
A restored 18th century building, sporting its original Cambridge brick and large wooden beams offers not only a touch of history in its exterior but offers guests classic contemporary English style rooms and suites, fabulous food and drinks, a workout at the gym followed by relaxation at the Elemis spa and a skyline view that undoubtably wins no.1 view of Cambridge.
The Cambridge Varsity Hotel is around a 5-10 minute drive from the Cambridge train station, so perhaps with heavy bags it is best to hop in a cab, but these are readily available.
Situated only a short walk from Cambridge City Center, it’s the perfect location for those wanting to take in the sights of Cambridge along the way. I would recommend passing through the Fitzwilliam Museum which is only 15 minutes from the Varsity, and whilst in Cambridge, you must enjoy punting along the river, which is right on your doorstep with the hotel being along the riverside and next to the punting station. Perfect!
The customer service at the Varsity has to be mentioned as it was fabulous! Nothing was too much trouble, and the extra effort put into making the guest feel taken care of really does add to the overall experience.
On offer at the Varsity and not to be missed, is a large, well-equipped gym and an Elemis spa if you want to relax rather than pump iron.
The spa offers a sauna and steam room and a spa pool. The spa faculties aren’t the largest so if it was busy, you may have to wait for space in the spa pool but with the lighting creating a calming ambience and comfy sofas, and a big window to view the passing punting boats, I’m sure relaxing won’t be an issue. These are free for guests to use.
There are extra chargeable Elemis treatments available from qualified therapists, ranging from massages to waxes if you wanted to make it a whole day pamper session.
The 48 rooms are put together with the cultural heritage of the city being taken into consideration with each uniquely decorated room offering a comfortable restful stay for all.
Our room had a large 4 poster bed which gave the room a more luxurious feel, and an added cosines when in the bed. The rooms have large floor length windows which allow you yet another picturesque view and lots of light which on a beautiful summers’ day is never a complaint.
There was plenty of space for a couple in our ‘Fellows King Room’ which also had a sofa and a rather unique portrait of Samuel Pepys on the wall as a key feature. I found this to be quite interesting in comparison to the very safe abstract art that many other hotels choose to use within their rooms.
Elemis toiletries are on offer for guests whilst visiting the Varsity, to be used in either the large walk in showers or freestanding baths depending on room type.
Dining at The Varsity is another delightful experience that you simply cannot miss whilst staying at the hotel.
Firstly, our waiter Thomas was superb. We dined at the Six Brasserie, and it was the perfect place to unwind at the end of the day with an intimate dinner and the lights turned down, creating a lovely ambience to spend your evening in. Still feeling to be spoiled and enjoying the high quality on offer at the Varsity, opting for the Lobster seemed like the obvious choice. Coming out on a silver platter, so definitely off to a good start and it did not disappoint. 5-star presentation, 5-star taste.
There is also a vast menu of cocktails on offer from around the world, ranging between a Mountbatten from the USA to a Pisco Sour from Peru, however if you aren’t feeling adventurous, they have you covered still because all the classics are there too! Top picks were the Singapore Sling and a classic Mai Tai. Cocktails shaken and stirred to perfection.
Now, I guess the only thing left to do is to have your own experience at the Varsity Hotel and Spa!
