THE LOWDOWN

As locations go it doesn’t get much better. Hotel du Vin Cambridge can be found on the sought after Trumpington Street, just a hop from the city centre. This area is also home to the Fitzwilliam Museum and the historic Fitzbillies Bakery (don’t leave without cinnamon buns) and the hotel is within walking distance of the Botanic Gardens and the city’s pièce de résistance – King’s College Chapel. With all these attractions on the doorstep you’d expect it to be snarled up with traffic, but it’s a lovely quiet location, thanks to the no-through, bus only road at the end. There’s no doubt that you’re in Cambridge here, surrounded by the oldest colleges, near to the river and with students and professors passing by the building at all times.

THE VIBE

Cambridge is all about the historic colleges, so it’s fitting that this Grade II-listed hotel is a collection of converted university buildings – making it the perfect blend of town and gown. Some parts of the building date back to medieval times, although the majority is Georgian, and the exterior is elegant and inviting. You’ll feel a real link to the university staying here. The former student’s common room is now a smart meeting room just off the library and there are old pictures and murals of Cambridge students at college balls on the walls.

No need to be an intellectual high flyer here though. The only challenge for your grey matter will be choosing from the vast and excellent wine list in the cosy and cool underground wine bar and cellar, and remembering the name of your room (all 41 are named after fine wine and Champagne producers). The rooms range from classic rooms to signature suites with lovely period features like exposed brick walls, huge French windows, roll top baths and original fireplaces. Rooms at the front of the building have the best views, looking out over St Peter’s Terrace, a leafy Georgian space that’s home to the students of Peterhouse, Cambridge’s oldest college. If you’re in a room at the back you won’t draw back the curtains to idyllic sights – these rooms overlook one of the modern uni buildings that flank the hotel.

As the hotel is a collection of knocked through terraces, the labyrinth-style layout, complete with quaint staircases and corridors leading off in every direction, is charmingly authentic – less so when you’re trying navigate them after several wines in the bar! To avoid lugging your suitcase up too many steps, head to the townhouse entrance for check in and just use the former carriage entrance for the Bistro and bar. There’s very little in the way of a garden, but there is a courtyard with several tables, a heated cigar cabin and the hotel also offers dog-friendly rooms. We visited in January so the chance of al fresco drinks in the sun was limited, but I imagine it would be a lovely spot in summer.

SCOFF & QUAFF

Step into Bistro du Vin and you’re transported to a posh Parisian bistro. They’ve really nailed it with the interiors here, mixing traditional historic elegance with cool modern touches like bright orange banquettes, house plants and calming blue walls that I quite fancied stealing for my house. Outside the huge windows it’s quintessential Cambridge – as you work through the wine list it’s very calming to watch the cyclists, students and tourists stream by. The laid-back yet sophisticated ambience is just right too, achieved by soft lighting, well spaced out tables, an open kitchen at the far end and the right acoustics.

Before you sit down to dine though, you’ll want to head to the wine bar in the excavated cellar for cocktails or a starter glass of wine. It’s a snug place to start your foodie experience and is particularly lovely in winter with all the exposed brick, dark wood, leather chairs and warm lighting. The cocktail list is extensive with French-inspired twists on classics such as French Fizz and Provence Rose Crush. As a G&T lover I was delighted to see a ‘Gin & Tonic Feature Serves’ section on the menu and started my evening with a very quaffable Sapling Gin with crudités, flatbread and beetroot houmous, instead of one of the larger starters, which include classic French options like onion soup and chicken liver parfait.

As a veggie, when it comes to eating in French restaurants I don’t have much luck usually. However, Bistro du Vin is really accommodating, with meat-free options on the main a la carte menu as well as a dedicated vegan menu. I chose to upgrade a starter of a tomato, olive and parmesan tart with a selection of sides including a bowl of the creamiest and smoothest pommes purée as well as some haricots verts. The tart was beautifully presented, light and delectable and formed a delicious plat principaux, especially when paired with a glass of the Muscadet.

After overdosing on potato I did the polite thing and chose to “just have a look at the dessert menu” thinking I’d finish French style with a coffee. My arm was twisted though by the Café Gourmand where you get to enjoy four little puds alongside your hot drink. These included a delightfully chewy florentine, a madeleine and a canelé.

The standout memory from this meal wasn’t the food or drink though, but the staff who were really attentive, very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to accommodate any queries or requests. The meal moved at the perfect pace, with just the right level of interruptions from staff and with every course arriving just at the point our stomachs felt ready for it.

Breakfast was back in the Bistro and it was delightful sitting by the windows again with the morning light flooding in. This meal is served my favourite way – half buffet, half hot menu, so you can fill up on cute little pots of yoghurt, granola and fruit, pastries and toast, while waiting for a larger hot meal. There’s also a coffee/tea machine to help yourself, which I preferred to being served at the table – I need a lot of tea to get going in the morning. Coffee lovers will appreciate the Nespresso machine in the rooms – and they can keep caffeine levels topped up at Hot Numbers roasters, a Cambridge resident favourite café, next door. While dinner was a very grown up vibe, breakfast was a family affair which gave the bistro a more lively and upbeat vibe.

PILLOW TALK

We stayed in the Wolf Blass Suite – the best room in the hotel. If you know anything about wine don’t be fooled by the name – Wolf Blass is a lovely full-bodied Australian red, but you can pick it up for £7 in Tesco! This suite is much more a Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Waitrose if you ask me with its double copper bathtubs and biggest bed I’ve ever seen. Seriously, my plus one had to practically shout at me from the other side of this Caesar-size bed, the magnum equivalent of bed sizes.

The gorgeous Georgian style, floor to ceiling windows in this large suite were enormous. With views of the science building, we recommend closing the shutters when in the bath, unless you want to give the scientists something to talk about. The baths are really deep but take next to no time to run and I whiled away a very enjoyable half hour or so reading and reclining in the bubbles. A cool feature of this room is that the TV can swivel so you can enjoy a bit of screen time in the bath or bed.

More of a shower person? You’re just as well catered for with a vast and powerful monsoon shower in the smart ensuite, plus cloud soft towels and robes to pad around in afterwards. There were lots of beauty freebies to work my way through too, including a loofah and L’Occitane products. There was a pillow mist to encourage a good night’s sleep by the bed, but I didn’t need it – the luxurious mattress and crisp Egyptian Cotton sheets meant I nodded off in no time.

OUT & ABOUT

Kirstie and Phil would have no complaints here because Hotel du Vin Cambridge is in the best position to explore everything the city has to offer. The stately pillared Fitzwilliam Museum (with its brand new café) is just across the street and houses some of the finest antiquities, art and every-changing exhibitions in the UK. Keep walking along Trumpington Street and it turns into King’s Parade, home to the most famous building in Cambridge, King’s College Chapel, as well as the Corpus Clock, The Eagle Pub where Watson and Crick are said to have discovered DNA, and all the shops of the market square.

The Grand Arcade shopping centre is just around the corner from the hotel, as are top instagram spots like the Mathematical Bridge and The Backs. The most stylish way to take in all the colleges and save your feet from pounding the pavements is by punt tour, and Scudamore’s has a station on Mill Lane, mere minutes from Hotel du Vin.

Plot your break around the Cambridge Literary Festival (19-23 Apr). It’s got a fantastic line up of authors – Patti Boyd, Jack Monroe, Andrew Marr, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson, to name a few. If Cambridge’s colleges and literary festival don’t raise your IQ, nothing will.

KID-FRIENDLY?

All ages are welcome, cots are free, but extra beds cost £30 per child, per night. It’s worth noting ages 12+ are considered adults here. Book The Krug Suite, the mini-cinema in a brick vaulted chamber will gain you some cool credits with the kids.

DOG-FRIENDLY?

Well-behaved dogs can share a room with their owners for an extra £20 pn. You will need to book ahead to secure one of the dog-friendly rooms in the courtyard. There isn’t any grass for dogs at the hotel, but the river and Coe Fen is a very short walk away.

ACCESSIBILITY

Lots of stairs and wonky floors means it’s not the most disabled friendly set up, although there is a lift near the bistro, some ground floor rooms and the carriage entrance is step free.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Good for: Anyone who hasn’t been the Cambridge before and wants to cram all the sights into one historical and cultural weekend. With the elegant interiors, cocktails and wine on tap it feels very much like a couples retreat, although families are well catered for too.

Not for: Car drivers. There’s no on-site parking, the car parks are a walk away and expensive.

The damage: An overnight stay starts from £127 per room per night, which is really decent for Cambridge and such a stellar location. Scan the room packages for some great deals: Suite Dreams (best room, Champagne and B&B) from £185, Deluxe Du Vin (2 nights stay, dinner, wine and breakfast) from £312 and Taste Du Vin (5 course meal, wine flight + bed and breakfast) from £273. Well behaved dogs over 1 year old may share their owners room for a charge of £20pn.

Hotel du Vin Cambridge, 15-19 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1QA, Tel: 01223 928991