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This post is in response to someone asking about the University Arms Hotel in Cambridge. I’ve put it as a separate post in this forum so others can add to it as they wish.
We stay it this hotel for a 2-night stay a couple of times a year as Mrs MoK has to get some treatment at Addenbrookes Hospital that usually takes 5+ hours so we try to make the experience as positive as possible by staying here.
We usually book through AmEx FHR and therefore have breakfast included and £80 hotel credit to use in the Bar / Restaurant. We usually receive an upgrade on arrival although I bid the minimum amount for a paid upgrade for our stay in August 2024 which was accepted. For this stay the rates were the lowest I’ve seen for August over past few years and they dropped too during the preceding months so I rebooked. Rooms overlooking Parker’s Piece are lovely.
The hotel is located on Regent Street one of the main roads through the City. We usually use the Park & Ride which is £20 to park for 48 hours plus £2.80 bus fare each way. The hotel has a car park but you can’t reserve a space and I believe it’s quite expensive. Public parking is also quite expensive with the nearby multi-storey car park at the Grand Arcade being around £30 per day. There is a big John Lewis at the Grand Arcade. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the station.
Breakfast is in the hotel’s restaurant Parker’s Tavern it has a good buffet and a selection of a la carte items too. We usually have dinner there on one evening which is pretty good and the bar is very pleasant for a pre-dinner cocktail. We also like The Old Bicycle Shop restaurant just down the road. Fitzbillies is good if you fancy a coffee and a Chelsea Bun during the day.
There is a spa at the hotel but haven’t used it. Overall we’ve never had any issues staying there and will continue to go there, the staff are always helpful, attentive and friendly – they seem to get it just right in meeting our expectations.
By the way I think I recall @Rob saying this is a hotel he really likes.
Great stuff, thank you
Nothing to add, but very useful for future reference, thanks for sharing.
And all the very best to Mrs MoKIt’s very good, there is a full HfP review if you search.
Not much to add but I concur the Parker’s Tavern is pretty good, the breakfast options I found to be good and fairly wide, dinner was also nice in the restaurant.
As mentioned, the train station is roughly 20 minutes away, or £10 in an Uber, however the location is very central for everything else in Cambridge.
I have a 3-day conference there and had thought I’d commute to and from daily. But perhaps my concept of Cambridge is closer to London than it is. So staying over may be best. Is it a safe and level walk from the station?
Yes, a level walk from the station. Never had any concerns over safety – Cambridge has its homeless problem just like many other cities but never had any issues. The most dangerous thing is getting in the way of a cyclist (and there are lots) when crossing the road!
I have a 3-day conference there and had thought I’d commute to and from daily. But perhaps my concept of Cambridge is closer to London than it is. So staying over may be best. Is it a safe and level walk from the station?
The walk is pretty much flat to the station, no concerns on safety.
I have a 3-day conference there and had thought I’d commute to and from daily. But perhaps my concept of Cambridge is closer to London than it is. So staying over may be best. Is it a safe and level walk from the station?
It is possible to commute daily, though it depends on how close to a station you are starting. It only takes one train delay for what is a longish but reasonable commute to turn into a major misadventure. If the conference runs three consecutive days, particularly if you have an early start and/or late finish, I would recommend staying in Cambridge; even without rail delays, I generally find commuting three consecutive days (in my case from Cambridge to London) exhausting even before considering what I might actually need to do during the day. Staying in Cambridge would also give you a chance to see other aspects of the city.
The station is a very pleasant 20 minute walk from the UA. Cambridgeshire is nearly entirely flat; there are no elevation changes from the station to city center (or, indeed, anywhere else in the city center). From the station there are also buses, or Voi electric scooters (if that is your thing). Where is the conference? If not at the UA or in the city center, there may well be other more convenient hotels – I’m glad to offer some suggestions.
As others have noted, Cambridge is generally very safe. Even the homeless/panhandlers are usually very polite.
@CamFlyer thank you. Event is on at St John’s College.
Don’t forget the free cycles for use as a hotel guest and more importantly a Wetherspoons just down the road.
I was in the vicinity yesterday.
Even the Lycra Bandits were reasonably polite: the occasional sarcastic “this is a road, that’s a pavement” comment to pedestrians. Quite a role reversal compared to large citiesDon’t forget the free cycles for use as a hotel guest and more importantly a Wetherspoons just down the road.
Cambridge has so many good pubs and restaurants at reasonable prices that I wouldn’t even think of the Wetherspoons! Particularly if one’s budget (and tastes) extend to staying at the UA. Nothing against Wetherspoons — there are just so many better options in Cambridge.
Wish there was a like function @camflyer I tried not to bite as I’m deffo not Spoons biggest fan
If you have any good bar and pub recommendations in and around UA please share 🙂
I was in the vicinity yesterday.
Even the Lycra Bandits were reasonably polite: the occasional sarcastic “this is a road, that’s a pavement” comment to pedestrians. Quite a role reversal compared to large citiesThat’s ironic. Cambridge cyclists are pretty ‘flexible’ when it comes to swapping between pavement and road. But it’s not the cyclists now that are the people with the death wish: it’s the people on scooters. Scooterists in Cambridge fly around with no care at all.
If you have any good bar and pub recommendations in and around UA please share 🙂
The Free Press just across Parker’s Piece.
Don’t forget the free cycles for use as a hotel guest and more importantly a Wetherspoons just down the road.
W’spoons? There are so many great/historical pubs in centrish C’bridge!
That’s ironic. Cambridge cyclists are pretty ‘flexible’ when it comes to swapping between pavement and road. But it’s not the cyclists now that are the people with the death wish: it’s the people on scooters. Scooterists in Cambridge fly around with no care at all.
True. IIRC, Cambridge was one of the pilot cities for electric scooters and it seems to have stuck pretty well — perhaps due to its size and student population.
That’s ironic. Cambridge cyclists are pretty ‘flexible’ when it comes to swapping between pavement and road. But it’s not the cyclists now that are the people with the death wish: it’s the people on scooters. Scooterists in Cambridge fly around with no care at all.
Absolutely – I often find scooters going down bicycle lanes the wrong direction at high speed (>25 km/h, so faster than most bicycles). It’s quite unnerving to be going head to head with one in a narrow bicycle lane closing at a combined 50+ km/h, with buses and cars on the adjacent road.
If you have any good bar and pub recommendations in and around UA please share 🙂
The Free Press just across Parker’s Piece.
Some of my favorites:
Cambridge Blue – incredible beer selection
Alexandra Arms – excellent hamburgers
Salisbury Arms – my local, excellent pizza
Grain and Hop Store – closest of the above to the UA; great views over Parkers’ Piece from upstairs (though much more of a ‘pub company’ atmosphere than the others mentioned)
Pint Shop – great beer selection and very good foodThanks for the recommended pub list (I was trying to add humour to the thread with the Wetherspoons comment but it is across the road).
Love the hotel, great value redemption, also recommend the The Old Bicycle Shop if you don’t qualify for free breakfast.
Never had a great experience in Parkers Tavern, fantastic room and bar area but the food always underwhelms.
I’m heading here this weekend. Bit of a flying visit, but wondered whether there were any cocktail bar recommendations for a pre-dinner drink (we are not dining in the hotel) or is the bar in the hotel the best bet? I’ve read about 196 on Mill Road, but that is in the wrong direction for dinner.
I’m heading here this weekend. Bit of a flying visit, but wondered whether there were any cocktail bar recommendations for a pre-dinner drink (we are not dining in the hotel) or is the bar in the hotel the best bet? I’ve read about 196 on Mill Road, but that is in the wrong direction for dinner.
Our favorite is 196–definitely the best cocktails around. Closer to the city center, for an interesting venue you could try the Orator, at the Cambridge Union. If it’s a nice day/evening, you can’t go wrong with a riverside pub, such as Anchor, Mill or Granta. The Eagle [pub] also has some good history, and is not far from the UA.
We were there again a couple of weeks ago and they have enhanced the breakfast offering by charging for the a la carte items – previously included in a breakfast inclusive rate.
I’m heading here this weekend. Bit of a flying visit, but wondered whether there were any cocktail bar recommendations for a pre-dinner drink (we are not dining in the hotel) or is the bar in the hotel the best bet? I’ve read about 196 on Mill Road, but that is in the wrong direction for dinner.
I had a decent cocktail in the Gonville last time I stayed in Cambridge. All the standards but they do have pornstars on the menu. Certainly not an All Bar One. Sort of depends upon what you think a cocktail is. If you know your nick and nora from your coupe, I would class it as acceptable if you don’t want a long walk. If you have no idea what I am saying, you will love it.
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