Here is a hotel that could only exist in Cambridge. The University Arms, which dates back to 1834, was sensitively renovated for £80m in 2018 by the architect John Simpson and interior designer Martin Brudnizki, who kept its distinct sense of place. Visitors enter through a honey-stone porte-cochère, a reminder of its days as a Cambridge coaching inn. The pea-green lobby, scented by geraniums, is characterised by chandeliers shaped like celestial orbs and a rather severe portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. Suites are named after famous Cambridge alumni (Darwin, Newton and Byron among them); the colour scheme varies from rich university-scarf green to navy, deep red and the hotel’s own cyan. Books are everywhere: stacked up in rooms, in the Library and even piped into the loos — guests can listen to Alan Bennett reading The Wind In The Willows. Downstairs, the swish brasserie Parker’s Tavern serves modern British dishes, all sourced from local East Anglian producers. A stay here will leave you feeling not only well fed and rested, but also smarter and better read.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: the University Arms in Cambridge
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
Rooms and suites
Score 9/10
There are 189, ranging from the “cosy” to 12 suites, which are named after famous alumni. The Darwin (room 140), overlooking Parker’s Piece and with a Cambridge crest depicted in stained glass in the windows, is the one to book. All rooms, regardless of category, are Edwardian in feel and decorated in rich tones of blue, green, red and yellow, with comfy armchairs, sofas and curtains in comfortingly heavy fabrics. Artwork depicts aspects of Cambridge life (rowing boats and nature-inspired impressionism, for example) or the associated literary and scientific greats such as Virginia Woolf and Charles Darwin. A selection of books, curated by the Mayfair outfit Heywood Hill, comes as standard in every room, stacked up on bedside tables or on bookshelves. Guests are not supposed to take them, but apparently the most “borrowed” book is The Wind In The Willows. While the bedrooms are all collegiate colours, bathrooms are simple but stylish with white-and-black Victorian tiling, heated floors and smellies from historic apothecary Dr Harris.
Food and drink
Score 7/10
Parker’s Tavern is a buzzy spot popular with locals and families — it’s the kind of place you might take your parents, if you were studying here. It has deep red walls, gallery-style artwork and more of those stained glass windows. The menu employs what it calls a “feast Anglian” philosophy, sourcing ingredients from across the region. It comfortably covers all the British classics — crab on toast, rib-eye steaks, lemon sole — as well as some twists for pud, such as the Cambridge cream, a local take on a crème brûlée. Breakfast is served here too. Service is friendly and upbeat, although chaotic and brisk: more staff would help. Elsewhere, there’s the bar, which is a lovely spot for a pre-dinner drink (it doesn’t take reservations, although hotel guests are prioritised). It serves small-batch sparkling wine produced in the genteel town of Saffron Walden, ten miles away, as well as cocktails and more bafflingly, cigars. The cosy Library, where guests can have afternoon tea, is at the front of the hotel, and has an original fireplace from the 19th century.
Advertisement
• The best hotels in Cambridge
• Best things to do in Cambridge
What else is there?
Score 8/10
This is a city hotel at heart, although there are some extra perks for guests. In 2023, three guest rooms were turned into dinky treatment rooms, doing a series of facials and massages using Aromatherapy Associates products. Branded bikes, in the hotel’s recognisable cyan with in-built locks, are available to hire for city explorations; and for those more comfortable on two feet, there are free walking tours every Saturday morning. Continuing the book theme: as well as an in-house “book butler”, there are monthly talks with authors and journalists. Past visitors have included Maggie Humm, author of Radical Women: Gwen John & Rodin and politician Vince Cable.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
Pretty much in the centre of Cambridge, on the edge of Parker’s Piece, which has sporting history — Cambridge university students played football here, and some of the rules, such as offside, were eventually adopted by the FA. The station is a brisk 15-minute walk, and Cambridge city centre is a five-minute trundle down St Andrew’s Street. Kettle’s Yard, Jim and Helen Ede’s arty home with which the hotel has a partnership, is a 20-minute walk away.
Cathy Adams was a guest of the University Arms hotel
Price B&B doubles from £204
Restaurant mains from £16
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly N
Accessible Y
Advertisement
• Most beautiful places to visit in England
Sign up for the Times Travel Newsletter here.
