Dolphin Hotel St Ives

Hotels
7.4 (796 reviews)
London Road , St Ives , gb

Free
Children allowed
Pets allowed

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
24-hour front desk
Heating
Terrace
Family rooms
Garden
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Location
Spacious rooms
Friendly staff
Cons:
Poor food quality
Cleanliness concerns
Closed restaurant

Categories

Cleanliness
5.9
Concerns about the cleanliness and safety standards raised in the reviews.
Service
8.4
Staff were friendly, but issues with management and safety protocols detracted from the experience.
Location
9.4
Perfect location for visiting St Ives, repeatedly praised across reviews.
Room Quality
7.9
Nice decor and spacious rooms, but concerns about bed quality and temperature control.
Amenities
6.9
Amenities like the restaurant were closed during the stay, impacting overall experience.
Value for Money
8.4
Good value for money for short stays, though some dining aspects fell short.
Food and Beverage
4.4
Buffet breakfast was described as inedible and fell significantly below expectations.
Overall Experience
7.9
Mixed experience with good points but significant issues that impacted satisfaction.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-06 09:42

Property Description

Riverside Location
Enjoy picturesque views of the Great Ouse river from select rooms and balconies.

Convenient Amenities
Take advantage of the 24-hour front desk, restaurant, bar, and free parking during your stay.

Easy Access to Attractions
Explore nearby cities like Cambridge and Peterborough, or catch a flight from London Stansted Airport.

To book your stay at Dolphin Hotel Cambridge, visit our website now!

Important information:

When traveling with pets, please note that an extra charge of 25 GBP per pet, per night applies. The property only allows small dogs. Please contact the property as pets are only allowed in certain rooms.Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

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

Property Policies

  • Pets

    Pets are allowed on request. Charges may be applicable.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children of any age are allowed.
    You haven't added any extra beds.
    Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management.

  • Parking

    Free public parking is possible on site (reservation is not possible).

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in the hotel rooms and is free of charge.

  • Groups

    When booking more than 9 rooms, different policies and additional supplements may apply.

Location

Guest Reviews

7.4
Based on 796 reviews
Cleanliness: 5.9
Service: 8.4
Location: 9.4
Room Quality: 7.9
Amenities: 6.9
Value for Money: 8.4
Food and Beverage: 4.4
Overall Experience: 7.9
P
Peggy couple be
5
2026-07-03 via Nuitee
C
collins solo_traveller gb
4
Disappointed
Pros:

Iocation, room b clean

Cons:

Under refurbishment , no warning, slope up to bathroom, tripped twice, tv did not work.
Reception not at desk.
V basic for cost paid

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
K
KEVIN solo_traveller gb
8
Pros:

Lovely views from terrace & short walk to town

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
K
Katrina couple gb
7
Great location and friendly staff. Bed and shower could have been better.
Pros:

The location was beautiful and great for local bars, restaurants and shops. Good size rooms. Plenty of free parking at the hotel.

Cons:

The bed was too soft and the water didn’t come out of the shower very well (not great for rinsing shampoo out of long hair).

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
R
Rick couple gb
4
Great location but the owners need to start taking care of the little things
Pros:

The location, side of a river has great potential,Lovely village

Cons:

From the first entrance into the building, building materials left everywhere, inside and outside of the building , the gardens left uncared for, lack of staff.
But more importantly my wife felt vulnerable and not safe in our room no. 2.
It is designed to be shared for larger families which we understand but the door that connects rooms 1&2 has terrible loose inappropriate screws attaching a terrible inappropriate door locks, even the locking clasps are fitted at a angle so the bolt does not fully enter the clasp. Screws are loose, one slight push and anyone can enter. The rooms themselves are clean and nicely decorated, water pressure is very low during showers. We are not usually people who complain but if I hadn’t had some alcohol last night and only stayed 1 night I probably would have driven home.
The breakfast was not brilliantly fresh obviously sat for a while, it’s such a shame as on the river is a great location. Just one other small but very obvious thing, get yourselves a window cleaner.

2026-07-01 via Nuitee
A
Angelina solo_traveller gb
7
2026-06-30 via Nuitee
K
karen couple gb
6
This hotel is work in progress with a lot of potential.
Pros:

The location is perfect, right on the river and a two minute walk to the town.

Cons:

The breakfast wasn't great. Could be so much better with better equipment. I wanted porridge and needed a sachet of porridgeto be made in the kitchen. Due to shortage of staff, it took far longer than it needed to be.
It's also a little complicated getting to the bar from the reception. Clearer signage is needed.

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
C
Chelsey S solo_traveller gb
5
2026-06-28 via Nuitee
W
William couple gb
8
A nice brake and lovely sitting by the water with a drink
Pros:

Very good staff nice and polite

Cons:

Hotel bar lack of choice of beer and kitchen could of been open for meals not just for breakfast

2026-06-25 via Nuitee
E
Eric solo_traveller gb
7
Pros:

Location on river side and metres from centre

Cons:

Nothing really

2026-06-20 via Nuitee
J
JUAN ALFONSO solo_traveller es
9
Muy bien
2026-06-17 via Nuitee
M
Martin couple gb
7
Overall a nice little hotel with fab morning views of the river woukd stay here again
Pros:

Where it was situated on the river

Cons:

The view outside our window was a car park

2026-06-16 via Nuitee
J
Jarrod solo_traveller gb
1
Disappointed
Pros:

It was clean

Cons:

I booked a luxury double bed, I was given a cheaper twin bed room and not given my money back. The shower was very weak it was hard to get wet, there was no light switch on the bathroom, a PIR put the light on and off. You have to keep moving to keep the light on in the bathroom.
There’s also building work going on in the hotel

2026-06-16 via Nuitee
T
Tracey couple gb
8
Lovely loaction, nice clean hotel.
Pros:

Amazing view, very peaceful. Excellent Location for walking and exploring the town.

Good Breakfast

Friendly staff

Cons:

No bedside light in the bedroom

2026-06-15 via Nuitee
S
Stuart solo_traveller gb
5
2026-06-15 via Nuitee
R
Rudolf extended_group at
8
2026-06-15 via Nuitee
W
Woods solo_traveller gb
10
Pros:

Great place 👌
Just keep going back to stay

Cons:

Rooms perfect 👌
Food good

2026-06-10 via Nuitee
S
Simon solo_traveller gb
10
2026-06-09 via Nuitee
J
Jon solo_traveller gb
7
Pros:

The room was clean and sufficient for our one night stay

Breakfast was okay, great setting overlooking the river

Cons:

We had an issue that we couldn't control the shower temperature. Luckily there was a bath alternative . As we were only staying the one night this wasn't a major issue for us.

2026-06-08 via Nuitee
J
John couple gb
8
I wouldn’t have paid 160 per night, if I had know the hotel was undergoing renovations, as it made some areas difficult
Pros:

Great location. Staff very friendly and helpful

Cons:

Undisclosed renovations going on. By necessity I had booked a room facilities for a wheelchair user. Some of the fittings were very worn in the bathroom

2026-06-07 via Nuitee