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
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
P
Philip • couple • gb
6
Looking tired and it’s expensive for this type of experience
Pros:

Central to colleges

Cons:

While I have stayed here before, the property appeared tired, a the surrounding building work is also an ugly addition. I will pick somewhere else next time

2026-07-25 • via Nuitee
L
Luke • extended_group • gb
8
Great location extremely clean rooms
Pros:

Good location helpful staff and extremely clean

Cons:

Not a dislike but when we went to use the spa facilities the changing room area was messy with used towels and slippers everywhere and they had run out of robes so we had to walk around in a towel

2026-07-24 • via Nuitee
K
Kate • couple • gb
8
A lovely room and relaxing trip to use the spa facilities.
Pros:

Great location and lovely room.

Cons:

Drinks on roof terrace were expensive and very watered down. Breakfast was underwhelming.

2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
N
Nigel • couple • gb
9
great place to stay but poor room service
Pros:

the location was terrific the hotel was very nice Valet Parking was very usful

Cons:

We were told room service was available until 10pm we arrive back from a drinks reception at 9.45 and were told the kitchen was closed so we had nothing to eat very disappointing.
Also dirty breakfast dishes were left in the restaurant while the waiter eat his breakfast!

2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
P
paul • couple • gb
7
2026-07-22 • via Nuitee
A
Alan • extended_group • gb
8
Pleasant stay in a very busy city.
Pros:

The location is excellent for all the city attractions.
The bedroom was fully fitted with large bed and plenty of storage.

Cons:

With only one lift at times one had to wait more than one would have expected.

2026-07-21 • via Nuitee
B
BERNIE • couple • gb
5
Some good, some not so good.
Pros:

The location and cleanliness

Cons:

The first room we were allocated was noisy with AC extractors on an exterior wall, which would have interfered with our sleep. However, they changed the room immediately to a quiet one, which was good, but feigned to know nothing about the noise, which is simply not plausible. If another room had not been available, we would rate this hotel a Big Zero. We were also misled by a waiter about the availability of room service when we tried to order some food after 10pm in the Terrace Bar, and a hot breakfast took 30 minutes to arrive after ordering.

2026-07-20 • via Nuitee
J
Jonathan • family_with_children • au
9
A luxurious stay in a centrally located boutique spa hotel.
Pros:

The room was spacious and clean with a very comfortable and large bed. There were good facilities for drinks and coffee within the room. The bathroom was a very good size for 2. The Aircon / heating system worked very well.
The staff were excellent with a friendly welcome and they gave us all the information we needed on arrival. The location is superb, especially as we were keen to be close to the Magdalene College end of town.

Cons:

We had an issue with one shower that was sorted by the hotel management.

2026-07-20 • via Nuitee
A
Ayesha • solo_traveller • gb
5
2026-07-18 • via Nuitee