The Varsity Hotel & Spa

Hotels
8.3 (1038 reviews)
Thompson's Lane , Cambridge , gb

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Paid
Children allowed

Facilities

Fitness facilities
WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Fitness center
24-hour front desk
Restaurant
Room service
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly Staff
Great Location
Clean Rooms
Cons:
Dated Rooms
Limited Amenities

Categories

Cleanliness
7.94
The hotel was very clean and well-maintained, but some rooms were dated and lacked modern amenities.
Service
8.91
The staff were exceptional, friendly, and very attentive throughout the stay.
Location
8.95
Excellent location, perfect for exploring the city, although initially hard to find.
Room Quality
7.9
Rooms were generally comfortable and clean but some were noted as dated.
Amenities
7.93
Amenities were good, but some guests expected more such as a mini fridge.
Value for Money
7.89
Value is subjective with some complaints regarding pricing compared to facilities.
Food and Beverage
8.44
Food quality was good and there was a great rooftop restaurant, although some amenities were closed.
Overall Experience
8.41
Overall a lovely experience with minor concerns regarding some amenities and room features.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-06 01:31

Property Description

Luxurious Accommodations
The Varsity Hotel and Spa, located in the heart of Cambridge, boasts modern rooms named after prestigious colleges, offering top-notch amenities like LCD TVs, monsoon showers, and free Wi-Fi.

Exclusive Rooftop Terrace
Enjoy breathtaking views from the impressive rooftop terrace overlooking the River Cam, perfect for unwinding after a day of exploring the historic city.

Wellness and Leisure
Indulge in the Glassworks Gym and Spa, featuring a hot tub, steam room, sauna, and fitness classes, providing a relaxing retreat during your stay.

Experience the charm of Cambridge and book your stay at The Varsity Hotel and Spa for a memorable and luxurious getaway.

Important information:

Valet parking is GBP 33.00 per day (24 hours). Guests can arrive at the hotel drop the luggage off and the valet porters will park the car for them.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM

Location

Guest Reviews

8.3
Based on 1038 reviews
Cleanliness: 7.94
Service: 8.91
Location: 8.95
Room Quality: 7.9
Amenities: 7.93
Value for Money: 7.89
Food and Beverage: 8.44
Overall Experience: 8.41
J
Jacqueline • extended_group • nl
10
Top verblijf. Goede ligging en geweldig personeel
Pros:

Personeel is helemaal top. Wij waren er in mei met mijn ouders voor hun 60 jarig huwelijk en iedereen was zo lief voor hen! Super attent! Allemaal heel erg bedankt voor de attenties en de extra aandacht

2026-08-27 • via Nuitee
R
Rachel • solo_traveller • gb
10
Absolutley wonderful stay, lovely staff and great coffee machine!
Pros:

The staff were really lovely and attentive. The location was absolutely ideal in the centre of town whilst also being very quiet.

Cons:

I may have got a ticket for driving down a bus lane trying to find it….so be careful!

2026-08-23 • via Nuitee
S
Simon • couple • gb
5
Not been updated in some time
Pros:

Location

Cons:

Decor, old and worn, needs modernisation no usb charging

2026-08-23 • via Nuitee
D
David • family_with_children • gb
8
Enjoyable
Pros:

Good

Cons:

There was no shower in the bathroom

2026-08-22 • via Nuitee
Y
Yongkuan • couple • cn
10
如沐春风
Pros:

早餐好，地段佳

Cons:

电梯小

2026-08-22 • via Nuitee
N
Nicole • couple • it
9
2026-08-22 • via Nuitee
D
DAMIAN • solo_traveller • gb
10
Great place to stay and explore Cambridge
Pros:

Great location. Lovely food. Very comfortable rooms and great staff.

Cons:

N/A

2026-08-19 • via Nuitee
D
DAMIAN • solo_traveller • gb
10
2026-08-19 • via Nuitee
J
Jean • extended_group • gb
8
Very good choice if you want to be close to the river.
Pros:

All the staff were welcoming and friendly. The bar area on the 6th floor was excellent, as were the two bartenders, George and Julio (Frank) the roof top bar was also superb and although limited for the drink choice, as a guest you could go down to the bar, get what you wanted and bring it up. The hotel was less than a minute to the river via a side alley. Breakfast was good, you choose from one main breakfast and then could have the continental too, but the continental choice was small.

Cons:

It states Elemis products in your bathroom, there was a ‘soap’. The bathroom had a rainfall shower over the bath, it was very high, the pressure was so low, it was very difficult to wash properly unless you wanted to get your head wet, yes there was a shower cap, but I don’t want to have to use one just to wash my body. We also had no safe in our room, which we thought was odd, and sadly we mentioned in on day 2, when they advised there should be one. We had room 115 which was next to the bin area outside and the dustman turned up at 645 on Friday morning and woke us up.

2026-08-16 • via Nuitee
S
Simon • couple • gb
10
2026-08-15 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • solo_traveller • gb
7
Great location, needs a bit more luxury.
Pros:

Spa and overall facilities were great with friendly staff.

Cons:

Rooftop bar promised a lot but seating was uncomfortable and was ovrrall a let down given the price of the hotel.

2026-08-14 • via Nuitee
M
Meuleman • solo_traveller • nl
9
Pros:

Parkeer service. Top

Cons:

Raam kon niet open

2026-08-14 • via Nuitee
D
DAMIAN • couple • gb
10
Lovley hotel and staff. Great location.
Pros:

Great location. Great staff.

Cons:

N/A

2026-08-13 • via Nuitee
L
Louise • couple • gb
10
Superb highly recommend this hotel
Pros:

Great location friendly staff

2026-08-11 • via Nuitee
C
Carly • couple • gb
10
2026-08-09 • via Nuitee
R
Riccardo • solo_traveller • it
8
2026-08-07 • via Nuitee
C
Carl • solo_traveller • au
9
Pros:

The room was perfectly clean and comfortable and had all the ammenities you would expect. The staff were really friendly and helpful. Location is great and only a very short walk into the centre of town and all the various sites. Some nice pubs and restaurants nearby as well.

Cons:

The wi-fi kept cutting out, but was generally okay.

2026-08-03 • via Nuitee
F
Francesca • couple • gb
7
Great location. Quite expensive. Would stay again, on a different floor.
Pros:

Great location. Loved the rooftop bar. Appreciated the valet parking.

Cons:

The bed was very creaky. Rooms were a little dated. We were on floor 5 and it was so noisy from upstairs.
Staff downstairs were friendly. Restaurant staff were quite moody. Especially the breakfast waiter.

2026-08-03 • via Nuitee
A
Anna • couple • se
8
2026-08-02 • via Nuitee
J
Jill • couple • gb
4
Not what I had wanted
Pros:

Upgraded us. Dread to think what the non upgraded room would have been like.
Very overpriced. You are paying for the location only. Spa was next door. Due to booking.com and previous booking.com accommodation cancelling at 5 pm scrabbled to get this room by 7pm. Didn’t have any clothing or time to do anything in the spa. Booking.com was supposed to refund us the difference between this hotel and the one that cancelled. Very difficult to get it out of them but then they applied a refund credit note to my booking.com account. Which was against what they promised at the start. Bad experience with booking.com

Cons:

I wanted the original accommodation at Newnham College but they cancelled on the evening just before we got there. I wouldn’t choose this hotel. Staff were very pleasant and nice. In my opinion it’s overpriced. Building work going on opposite. View of scaffolding very close to this building.

2026-08-02 • via Nuitee