Varsity Hotel & Spa

It takes something special to stand out from the crowd in Cambridge – even the high-falutin' boutique crowd – so mortar boards off to the Varsity. The location is very favoured - close to Jesus, St John's and Magdalene colleges and right by the River Cam – and the facilities are first-rate. There's an impressive full-sized gym, sauna, steam room and river-view jacuzzi, a spectacular roof terrace, a brasserie with more amazing views, and a riverside steakhouse and grill. That means, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner – or even a work-out – with one-of-a-kind city skyline views that really make a Cambridge visit sparkle.

The rooms are in an up-to-the-minute urban style, with all the bits and pieces you might expect, like tablets, bathrobes, DVD player and library, and priority access to the roof terrace. Continental breakfast is included too, though you can upgrade to to a cooked version. They've gone for the full varsity-academia motif, so the smallest, cosiest rooms (double beds, walk-in showers) are 'Graduates', with king and superking rooms being 'Fellows' and 'Senior Fellows' – some of these have four-poster beds or free-standing tubs. Meanwhile, a simply enormous suite has a private terrace and a bathtub with views over St John's College chapel. Heading out, grab a free hotel bicycle and cycle the lanes, greens and riverside paths – just like a student, only they don't get to come back to luxury quite like this.