January 31, 2020
Varsity Hotel and Spa with spectacular views over Cambridge City centre
The Varsity Hotel is centrally located in the beautiful historic city of Cambridge, close to St John’s, Trinity, Jesus and Magdalene College. King’s, Christ’s, Queens’, Gonville and Caius, Clare, Corpus Christi and the remaining colleges are only a leisurely walk away and can be viewed from the Hotel. Ideal for punting, shopping, sight-seeing and nightlife.
We arrived at the hotel for an overnight stay in one of the beautifully decorated rooms, each one having different elements of design using fabrics and wallpapers from Colefax and Fowler, Osborne and Little, Farrow and Ball. The wallpapers and soft furnishing giving a traditional yet contemporary feel, comfortable and completely stylish. Our room had a practical layout ensuring maximum use of space.
Once checked-in we decided to venture down for a swift hour in the state of the art gym, located in the adjoining warehouse building, The Glassworks, where numerous exercise classes take place. The spa in the same building houses a jacuzzi sauna, steam room and treatment rooms. After our workout, we spent a relaxing hour in the spa taking full advantage of the facilities. We were then lucky enough to enjoy an Elemis facial and massage carried out in quiet, warm treatment rooms by expert, knowledgeable therapists. We felt rehydrated and relaxed.
We decided to book dinner in SIX for 8 pm to allow us time to enjoy our room and take in the views of the river and catch up on a little work.
SIX, a brasserie on the sixth floor has floor to ceiling windows giving a panoramic view of the city. SIX is open for lunch and this is also where we had breakfast. The menu includes dishes from the Wood Stone oven, Grill and Rotisserie, serving modern, seasonal, British and locally sourced food. We enjoyed from the Wood Stone oven Gloucester Old Spot Crispy Pork Belly, Apple Sauce with Creamed Spinach and Grilled King Prawns and Chorizo on a bed of Cous Cous. The pork belly was soft and delicious and the prawns fresh and succulent. The view over the River Cam and the city was stunning and we enjoyed watching the punters.
We didn’t finish there, the menu was just too enticing, dessert was calling, Brown Sugar Apple Crumble with ice cream was hearty and wholesome and the Hazelnut Chocolate Brownie with salted chocolate sauce and mascarpone, naughty but nicer than nice! SIX has a cool vibe, the service is top-notch and food divine.
We took a coffee to our room and watched a little TV before falling into a deep and satisfying sleep. Even though dinner in SIX was amazing we were ready for breakfast the next morning. Breakfast was a feast, fresh pastries, fruit, cereals and a selection of yoghurts and of course all of the usual hot choices. The difference here was the ingredients were all of the very high quality and locally sourced where possible. This set us up for a busy day of sight-seeing in Cambridge where there is so much to do and see.
The Varsity Hotel and Spa is a superb spot to relax, take in the city or to enjoy a celebration whether it’s with family or friends, ideally located close to all Cambridge has to offer.
W: The Varsity Hotel /Six Cambridge
Written by Josh and Lauren for Luxuria Lifestyle London and International