The 19 best spots for high tea in Cambridge (2025)

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Room was basic and dated. Toilet lid and seat were both lifted up (very odd!!) when I first arrived in the room and someone had spit in the toilet and not bothered flushing it - disgusting, but I flushed it and wipe cleaned the unit. Bathroom had tiny tubes of shower and hair gel - no hand wash but a bar or soap. The shower head, which might have been gold once upon a time, was turning bluish green. I'd have expected better.Breakfast was very good but they brought scrambled eggs when I asked poached. Not a big deal and I don't like food wasted so had it anyway.The reception staff on my evening of arrival appeared 'not bothered ', very much "to the point" and less engaging - to the borderline of being rude.Charged me an extra £172 on my credit card (don't even know how the amount was calculated and they didn't want to explain) as security deposit for 2 nights for single occupancy!! Are you serious (is it a hotel or student dormitory) - what part of my business attire implied that I'm here to damage your room - which barely had anything worth that money given how dated everything was.I will definitely not recommend this hotel.

Bad customer service - they act like they don’t want their guests to be satisfied.When we arrived at midday we were told our request for adjoining rooms was possible which was great since we were travelling with a baby. We got checked in one of the rooms and the other one was supposed to be ready after lunch.When we came to check in later, the new receptionist told us that we were never getting adjoining rooms as the adjoining room was occupied from days ago. So now we were 2 floors apart.We were given a drinks voucher as a ‘sorry for the mess up’. When we had the drinks, the bar manager recognised it against the soft drinks and insisted we pay for the alcoholic drinks - an interesting way to say sorry to your guests.Them trying to make things better, only made our experience worse - wouldn’t recommend this hotel.Also - our bathroom floor was definitely not cleaned after the previous guests.

Great location, nice room, but parking an issue. Very limited parking, so parked in the nearby shopping centre, which cost £30 each day, so a one night stay cost an extra £60 in parking charges. This is probably the same for many places in Cambridge. The room was nice and spacious, with some nice little touches. The hotel was right in the centre of things, and overall, it was somewhere I'd consider revisiting.

What a stunning hotel! My stay here was brilliant. Every staff member helped to make my stay as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. I stayed in one of the Terrace Suits which is worth every penny from the drinks trolly, books, fresh apples and the D R Harris toiletries. The highlight has to be the large claw-foot bathtub with a stunning view over the green. On the evening we'd have drinks in the library lounge areas before eating in the restaurant Parker's Tavern where the food was first rate. I'd recommend the steak.

Really is a cut above most other places. After multiple terrible experiences at Hiltons we wanted somewhere with attentive service and nice rooms, and that's exactly what we got. It IS pricey -- but you absolutely get what you pay for, from luxurious walk-in showers with an old-fashioned aesthetic, to a fantastic little tea set secreted away in the cupboard. The staff were particularly nice. We'd actually booked our hotel for the wrong day, but Anna at reception went out of her way to accomodate us (thank you!). Highly recommended.

Reception and finance are very careless and not diligent. I got robbed by this hotel for charging me almost a thousand quids for no reason. They said 'it was a mistake'. Is it normal to rob customers like that? Yet to receive any reverse charges and staff are not so keen on ensuring corrective measures taken promptly.

Amazing hotel stay. The room was perfect. Quiet, spacious and all of the little details taken care of. Like the bath towels being good quality and think, good pressured shower, bed very comfy and a great view over Parkers Terrace. Would absolutely stay here again.

My favourite hotel chain of recent! The room is amazing and all the amenities were top quality. The breakfast was awesome and finally some green vegetables! I was craving for it so much on this trip cause it seems so hard to find it in the restaurants.

This is a review of breakfast and nothing else. The food selection is very good here - arguably one of best in the City, if not the best.The service today was flawed. Coffee was brought but no milk as requested. Cooked breakfast came, but had to ask for butter for toast. Ordered tea and is taking far too long. Typo on menu. The table for breads and toast has no plates on it. All plates and dishes are stacked up on a different table at corner by the fruit bowls. I said why don't they have plates by the bread? There is plenty of space. One of waitresses said she'd mention it to the manager.It is a shame, since was expecting a positive and relaxed experience - and their all-in breakfast does not come cheap at £25 plus 10% service charge, but I am left dissatisfied. Tea has not come, over 10 minutes since ordered.The view by my window seat is great, as far as Cambridge views go, and it is an attractive, spacious dining room.

Could not fault anything with our stay - except that parking was an exorbitant 40£ a night! Front desk are lovely and our check in process was very smooth and easy. The room was very large and the bathtub big enough for us to enjoy baths in. They have a gym which is in the basement that looked alright. We didn’t have time to go for breakfast during our stay so cannot comment on that. There’s great coffee shops on the left side of regent street adjacent to the hotel and it’s a 10 minute walk to the grungy city centre.

You know the feeling of leaving home and just arriving at a place that gives you so much comfort that you forget your itinerary and simply want to unwind and relax? University Arms Hotel is just that.I may be, of course, biased towards Marriott properties, but this one just goes on to show what Marriott has done to the hospitality industry.Stunning architecture, grand halls, chic rooms! Everything here transports you to an era gone by and gives you the opportunity to live a couple of days in that era.

Treated ourselves to a night here for a birthday weekend and sadly the hotel experience failed to meet our expectations.Hotel location is very good. The check in service was quick and welcoming, the hotel decor throughout is very tastefully designed. I really liked the bathroom decor. The room was nice, a very comfortable bed but there was an unsightly large stain on the carpet and one of the wall lights didn’t work. We expected better sound insulation from the property as we were disturbed throughout the night by party goers outside.The breakfast service was appalling - many other guests were complaining about service. Not sure if it was a staffing or management issue but staff did not appear to have designated roles and the breakfast service felt somewhat chaotic. We had a dirty, sticky table that was wobbly, an incredibly long wait for food and coffee. We had to chase our order. Tables were not being cleared and other guests were struggling to be seated. When our food came, it was sub par standard, my poached eggs were over cooked, the English muffin was microscopic, and my coffee (when it eventually arrived) was covered in nutmeg leaving an unpleasant grainy taste in my mouth. Neither the service or quality of food that we would expect from this calibre of hotel/restaurant. We politely provided this feedback on check out and the breakfast was wiped off our bill. Not likely to return, seems that “gifted not free” Instagram influencers fall over themselves here but anyone paying out of pocket is left feeling exactly that - out of pocket.

Pros: Great location around the city centre about 20 mins walk from the cambridge rail station. Room was cozy and felt homey. Great view of the park.Cons: Slow service. Not sure if they're understaffed but I asked for toiletries and it took 1.5 hours for them to deliver as I called them again to follow up. Could be a one off thing though. The reception was pleasant and greeted me with a smile.

What a stylish hotel! Every detail is thought through. Very attentive and helpful staff who make you feel very welcome and valued. In the rooms you will find luxury toiletries, very comfortable pillows and luxury bedding and even the tea and coffee cups were specifically designed for this hotel. Had an absolute esthetic pleasure and definitely will be coming back.

Anya and her team organised a one day event at the hotel for a group of our students. Service excellent, venue excellent, food great. I will definitely use again.

Enjoyed our stay at the hotel. Dani from reception made us feel like home. Her friendliness and patience is worth praising! 😊

The best thing about this hotel is the location. The room was spacious though lacks of storage space. The most disappointing part of our stay was the breakfast. They had a buffet and a la carte. The buffet was no better than Holiday inn’s and some fruits did not look fresh. It took too long for coffee to arrive.(I noticed that people who came in later than us had been served coffee.) When it finally did it was lukewarm and spilled all over the saucer. The plates were never cleared during the breakfast either. The dinner service and the front desk were great.

I recently had the pleasure of staying at the University Arms Hotel, and it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. The room I stayed in was incredibly spacious and featured a lovely balcony with a breathtaking view of the park, making it the perfect spot to unwind and enjoy the scenery.The service at the hotel was top-notch. Daniela at the reception was amazing, offering a warm welcome and providing excellent dinner recommendations that truly enhanced my stay. Her local knowledge and friendly demeanor made a significant difference.Breakfast was a delight, thanks to Nithin, who was very attentive and ensured everything was perfect. The variety and quality of the breakfast offerings were impressive and set a great tone for the day.Additionally, the hotel boasts a well-equipped gym, which I found to be a great bonus. It’s always nice to have the option to maintain a fitness routine while traveling.Overall, the University Arms Hotel exceeded my expectations in every way. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable, welcoming, and well-appointed place to stay.

Initial impressions and experience were good upon check-in. However, service is a fundmental issue at this hotel. Attention to detail is lacking having booked the romance package, bar service was very slow and breakfast was a total disaster, having waited an hour despite several complaints, the hotel was unable to rectify and resolve this time we ended up waiting. Finally, when the full English arrived, the beans were burnt, the poached eggs looked scrambled and the bacon burnt to a crisp. Appalling. Having escalated this to management, our breakfast was taken off our bill.

We stayed in a terraced room (903) overlooking the park, it was fantastic a lot of people in the lift commentated on how they loved the 9th floor. The hotel is centrally located and it is so well decorated inside. The Terrace was great for a private breakfast in the mornings and it was lovely on a sunny day to be able to have the doors open.The staff in the hotel were awesome and it was just a lovely weekend overall.Tip on Parking: Parking is not available, but you can drive up to the front of the hotel to unload your car. We found a perfect private secure underground car park on Justpark.co.uk, located a 15minute walk away in Ravensworth Gardens - it took our large XC90 and gave us peace of mind it was secure over the weekend.

I really loved this place. Heated floors in the bathroom, fantastic indoor space to read and relax, perfectly easy to get to city centre, amazing Saturday free tour of Cambridge right from the hotel. I would for sure stay here again.

Stayed here a couple of times this year, just got back from our most recent stay.A very stylish hotel in the centre of the city & a very excellent hotel, really enjoy staying here. The staff are excellent, check in is painless & fast, the hotel & rooms are spotless. The bar & restaurant are really smartly decorated & I think fairly priced.Highly recommended.

52-42 Regent St, Cambridge, CB2 1AD, United Kingdom•

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