Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Location, atmosphere . . . It's luxury in a great city" |
| Disadvantages: |
Can be hard to locate |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
no |
Cambridge! Ah - what utter bliss! To a former Oxford student, it's known, somewhat scornfully, as "The other place". Fun rivalry, I guess! I've often been convinced that it's actually more beautiful, with fewer social problems. Visit both, but if you're only going to visit ONE of the UK's great university cities, I'm going to make no judgements. Make your own choice. Both our great.
It was our (cough!) 14th wedding anniversary and I decided to treat the gorgeous Amanda to a night away in a nice hotel. I actually do this fairly frequently - the hotel stay, that is - and I have to say that I was far from disappointed by this particular experience.
I'd booked on-line, via the Priority Club website and received a rate of just under £70 for the room and breakfast. We arrived on time and drove around Cambridge, I'd say, three times before ending up at the Moat House Hotel, who kindly gave Amanda directions to the Crowne Plaza. Embarrassing, yes! This is not the easiest hotel to find in Cambridge's eco-friendly travel system.
We found it, though. Eventually. And we're very, very glad that we did!
We arrived, finally, in Downing Street - and located the hotel - an easy task once you know where it is! We pulled up in the front drive and handed over our keys for valet parking. £7.50 was an absolute bargain, and valet parking is always a luxury, as long as you've managed to get everything you want out of the car. We didn't, quite, - but would certainly plan it better next time!
We entered the hotel at street level. To our right was "Quinn's Bar" - Cambridge's only Irish bar, apparently. There was also a concierge desk, and an escalator that led to the first floor. Wife, baby Josh and broken-leg in tow, I jumped aboard and soon found myself in a spacious reception area. No less, in fact, than a spacious, glass-covered atrium. Bloomsbury's Bar was to the left and a restaurant of the same name was to the right. Peace pervailed. We were efficiently checked in and soon found ourselves in our second-floor room. I was pleased to note (broken-legged guest that I currently am) that our room was convieniently near to the lift. It was not a marathon-hobble to our front-door!
We entered the room and were really pleased with what we saw. Standard Crowne Plaza stuff included a very comfortable, very wide King-size bed with pure-white duvet and foot-level bed-spread. They do style really nicely, I think. Nice working desk, comfortable chairs and occasional table. Interactive colour TV, iron, ironing board. There was a modern, quiet, efficient air-conditioning system - so nice to see, after our last trip to a non-air-conditioned hotel on the hottest night of the year. Nope - you'll be comfortable here!
There was, since I know you'll ask, a trouser press. Naturally. Didn't use it! Had to be said, though!
The hotel has an atrium, and I just love these to bits! The corridor overlooked it. The hotel has, also, a courtyard. Our room overlooked its somewhat ugly roof. Best left un-mentioned - air-conditioning units don't provide a great vista, wherever you are.
We loved the room. Man, however, does not live on luxury alone. And I write occasional hotel reviews. The bar needed a visit in order to complete said review. Sadly there were two bars. My work was cut out. Have sympathy!
I managed a whistle-stop tour of both. For your benefit, of course, you understand! Where are my expenses? Oh what the hell....here we go...
A series of two lift trips found me at ground level in Quinn's Irish Bar. Surprisingly quiet, but very friendly indeed; I was served a perfect pint of Guinness at a very reasonable price, with a perfect shamrock sculpted into the head by a really friendly barmaid. I'd have stayed there for hours, quite happily, but thought that I ought to check out Bloomsbury's Bar on the hotel's first floor.
Bloomsbury's is quiet, peaceful and, well, rather more expensive than the Irish pub downstairs. They were having problems with certain beer pumps and could only dispense their most expensive offering. I drank up and left. It's not a bad bar at all, but not a great place to sit drinking on your own.
A good night's sleep ensued and we descended to the restaurant for breakfast. It was good. Amanda had the full cooked version. Josh toyed with toast-y-things. I toyed with liquids. Great fruit juice and plentiful tea. We were all happy.
Check-out was very efficient and our valet-un-parked car was ready within 5 minutes.
A really great anniversary trip at a lovely hotel. Officially, it's the best in town and - once you've actually found where it is - I think you'll agree!
Enjoy it!
Recommended
Yes - very much so!
Andrew
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