Dolphin Hotel St Ives

Hotels
7.4 (861 reviews)
London Road , St Ives , GB

Free
Children 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

Location

Guest Reviews

7.4
Based on 861 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
G
Geoffrey • solo_traveller • gb
5
2 star hotel
Pros:

Nothing really the wooden shack provided some food at a pricey cost

Cons:

Never got the room we requested, like a building site no restaurant and to access the bar we had to go outside and enter from another, paid extra for a superior room ground floor with a patio, we got a first floor with balcony my wife has mobility issues so booked with a shower got a bath with a shower in it, total dissatisfied

2026-09-18 • via Nuitee
R
Rebecca • solo_traveller • gb
3
Pros:

Location

Cons:

It truly needs big investment and refresh. Bed and pillows very hard. TV hanging on last life and very slow. Paint and decor aged and worn. Corridors felt like a hostel

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
A
Alison • solo_traveller • gb
7
Mediocre
Pros:

The location by the river is lovely. The barman was helpful and friendly

Cons:

The hotel decor appears very dated. Curtains and windows not very appealing. Could do with an overhaul.

2026-09-17 • via Nuitee
A
Anouska • solo_traveller • nl
7
2026-09-16 • via Nuitee
S
Swatton • solo_traveller • gb
9
Very good charge port at side of the bed for mobile ,sensors in bathroom for lights 👌
Pros:

So near the town ,so helpful, changed my room so I had no stairs no problem very gd going bk next year

Cons:

Cant say nothing

2026-09-15 • via Nuitee
A
ANGELA • extended_group • gb
5
Excellent location for a one night no frills stay in St Ives Cambridgeshire
Pros:

The location is excellent. Just a couple of minutes walk , across a beautiful old stone pedestrian only bridge, from St Ives town centre .Plenty of parking included in the price of our rooms , or only £2.00 per day if not.
The hotel is located on the banks of the River Great Ouse, which is beautiful.
Nice outside seating area at the back of the hotel , outside the bar.
Decent size clean room.

Cons:

There was a strong smell of paint in Reception & piles of decorating equipment left on the way to the bar & rooms.
Very messy for a first impression!
Check in was very muddled. We had booked 2 king rooms & 1 double. We were handed 3 key cards, without being informed as to which room was which . When we queried this we were told they were all doubles, then that they were all king.!
Breakfast was severed in a separate building across the carpark from our rooms, Wouldn't be good in wet or cold weather !
The breakfast was a very underwhelming buffet. Not very hot & poor quality for the price.
The name of the hotel, the building ,the bar area & the décor do not fit in with its beautiful setting.
It is defiantly not 4 star & wasn't good value for money

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
M
Mark • solo_traveller • gb
7
2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
A
Amanda • extended_group • gb
4
Good location
Pros:

Location

Cons:

Breakfast was poor ,

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
Z
Zoe • couple • gb
7
Geeat location but rooms needs a better finish to them
Pros:

The view from our room was lovely,

Cons:

The whole decoration was quite shabby

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
T
Thérèse • couple • gb
4
Haphazard - training in hotel organisation and management needed here.
Pros:

The location.
A comfortable bed.
A clean and equipped room.
The domestic staff do their job well.

Cons:

Being told on arrival the the ‘disabled room’ which had been pre-arranged on Wednesday, 9 September, had been sold to someone else on Friday 11 Sept. Not professional!
Not having the room with facilities for disabilities as arranged by telephone in advance, and trying to cope in a standard bathroom caused considerable discomfort.
Breakfast was haphazard and poorly laid out.

2026-09-14 • via Nuitee
L
Lizzie • solo_traveller • gb
7
Ok weekend stay
Pros:

Comfortable bed, friendly staff

Cons:

Bathroom lights could not be turned off, shower pressure was very weak. There was no water on the morning we checked out, no one notified us, so we could not wash, clean teeth, flush loo etc.

2026-09-13 • via Nuitee
J
Joanne • extended_group • gb
8
2026-09-13 • via Nuitee
P
Paul • couple • gb
8
2026-09-13 • via Nuitee
P
Patrick • couple • gb
6
Disappointed
Pros:

Handy for town. Good wi-fi. Helpful staff

Cons:

Bar was like a noisy youth club at night with youth playing pool and loud music being played. We were part of a group meeting up in St Ives. Despite booking a room in advance and arriving at 2.00pm we’re told there was not a room for them! Lack of security-anyone from the adjacent street or riverside terrace could access the bedroom corridor

2026-09-13 • via Nuitee
C
Constanze • couple • lu
8
Perfect for exploring the town.
Pros:

Location.

2026-09-13 • via Nuitee
D
D • family_with_children • gb
10
Pros:

Very nice

2026-09-12 • via Nuitee
A
Athena • solo_traveller • gb
2
Cons:

The staff were miserable. TV didn't work very well, only worked when the window was open due to the satellite being on the window sill, beds very hard, decor outdated and breakfast was very cold considering breakfast started at 7 and we got there at 7:30 making it un-edible.

2026-09-12 • via Nuitee
N
NHB • solo_traveller • gb
9
Quiet and comfortable, would stay there again
Pros:

Comfortable, quiet and excellent breakfast

Cons:

Automatic extractor fan in bathroom sometimes wouldn't turn off

2026-09-11 • via Nuitee
A
Ann • couple • gb
5
2026-09-11 • via Nuitee
K
kevin • solo_traveller • gb
9
Pros:

The area was fantastic

Cons:

Staff were great

2026-09-11 • via Nuitee