Cambridge is a favourite destination for visitors, and it’s not hard to see why, with its dreaming spires, punting, great culture and restaurants and historic attractions. An area that it isn’t so renowned for is its accommodation, which consists mainly of anonymous chain hotels. Therefore, the stylish boutique Hotel Felix is a breath of very fresh air, offering a combination of comfort and sophistication and single-handedly establishing itself as the town’s best hotel.
Although it’s located a little way outside the centre, on the otherwise undistinguished Huntingdon Road, it’s well worth the short journey there, as the friendly welcome and more than helpful staff soon make any visitor feel welcome. The rooms are decorated and designed in tastefully opulent modern-boutique style, with the usual gorgeously comfortable, Egyptian cotton-sheeted beds, and are split between some in the original Victorian house that the building inhabits and some discreet modern extensions.
No visit here is complete without going to the double AA-rosetted Graffiti restaurant, which offers a range of Mediterranean-accented dishes without pretension or fuss, preferring to concentrate on top quality locally sourced ingredients and some mildly innovative combinations. Highlights of the regularly changing and strongly seasonal menu include shellfish ceviche, a selection of delicious breads with various pesto and tapenade sauces, suckling pig served four ways and a wittily deconstructed black forest gateau. There’s also a good selection of wines by the glass at reasonable prices.
Next time that you’re anywhere near Cambridge, and fancy a great base from which to soak up the town’s culture and heritage, pick the Hotel Felix, and you’re unlikely to be disappointed.
Whitehouse Lane, Huntingdon Rd, Cambridge. www.hotelfelix.co.uk
