A weekend away at the impressive Hotel du Vin, Cambridge
by Paul & Julie Larner
More than four million people visit the historic city of Cambridge every year. Paul and Julie Larner took two wheels to find out why so many people love this charming place
Ask anyone what they know about Cambridge and you can bet your bottom dollar they will reply: the university and bicycles. The city is proud to have the highest levels of cycling in the UK and wherever you are, at whatever time of day, you will see people of all ages on their bikes. And because everything is geared up for cyclists, it is a convenient way to see all the sights this breathtaking little city has to offer.
So, when we were invited to stay at Hotel du Vin and enjoy a sightseeing tour with Cambridge Bike Tours, we snapped up the offer.
Hotel du Vin has established a reputation for being located in interesting buildings. In Birmingham, it occupies the former Eye Hospital; in Edinburgh, it is a former asylum; and the former Tyne Tees Shipping Company headquarters is now the Newcastle upon Tyne hotel.
In Cambridge, it is housed in a former university-owned building and parts date back to medieval times. Situated in Trumpington Street, close to the magnificent Fitzwilliam Museum, it is a little gem with just 41 rooms. When we arrived, we were greeted by the warm and welcoming reception staff and loved the luxury of having our car valet parked. When you are in Cambridge, you don’t need a car.
All the rooms and suites are named after fine wines, such as WolfBlass and Huia and each is beautifully appointed. Ours was modern, stylish and comfortable, with underfloor heating.
All rooms are equipped with a coffee making machine, tea making facilities, fresh milk and hot chocolate for two.
The bathroom was also very impressive, with double ended bath, walk-in shower and the fabulous complimentary toiletries that you can take with you at the end of your stay. Divine! After we’d settled in we decided to take a stroll and explore the city.
What a jewel Cambridge is. Magnificent architecture, gorgeous colleges, winding cobbled streets, punters gently sailing visitors down the river Cam, afternoon cream teas and homemade ice cream at every corner making this a quintessentially English experience.
Shoppers are also well catered for, with plenty of interesting independent shops sitting comfortably alongside regular High Street names. Naturally, there are exquisite book stores. After wandering the city centre for a few hours, we returned to our city centre base to get ready for dinner.
Pre-dinner drinks were enjoyed in the cellar bar. Romantically illuminated by candlelight, with plenty of rustic sofas to encourage you to unwind. The bar has a relaxed ambience and sets the mood perfectly for a good evening.
While a great location for couples, the hotel caters perfectly for parties, too, with private dining rooms and an impressive library all of which have been decorated with murals by the highly regarded artist, Gary Myatt.
Dinner was taken in the Bistro. Informal, yet inviting and candlelit, the menu is bursting with the finest food Cambridgeshire has to offer, from Colchester oysters to meat, game and fish from River Farm Smokery in Bottisham.
Head chef Jonathan Dean and sous chef Damien Plum offer classic dishes and each one is of extraordinarily good quality. Our parfait maison with red onion jam and toasted brioche was a magnificent starter, while the perfectly pink rack of lamb with Dauphinoise potatoes was mouth-watering.
As cheese lovers, we were excited by the cheese course and enjoyed an array of strong blues and gooey Camembert’s, accompanied by a glass of port – although we were surprised that a hotel of this calibre did not have a 20-year-old vintage on its menu. It was a truly satisfying end to a fabulous meal.
And still we had the cycle tour to look forward to.
The following morning, after a hearty breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Smoked Kippers with Horseradish Mustard and Poached Eggs, we were ready for the second part of our trip.
We had a 10.30am rendezvous with guide Anthony Dean. We met him at nearby green and walked to his house to fetch the bicycles (antique ones were on offer, too, but we declined due to the fear of little suspension after all the wonderful food we had enjoyed at the Hotel du Vin!).
And then we were off on an inspiring two and half hour trip with this sixth generation Cambridge tour guide.
We toured the colleges in awe, admiring the imposing architecture, manicured lawns and took in the history of the place. Anthony was a great guide as he took us around Midsummer Common, Jesus Green, Round Church Trinity Great Gate, Cambridge University Real Tennis Club, The Backs, Senate House and Kings Parade.
The biking was easy and we would really recommend this as a way of discovering the secrets of Cambridge.
Cambridge is a wonderful place to visit and the Hotel Du Vin is a fine quality hotel with a character and ambience of its own. We can highly recommend this as a weekend away; we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Hotel du Vin and would encourage all tourists to experience the cycle tour.
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