Where to stay in 3 of the UK’s most celebrated university towns

Whether you’re visiting student friends or family, or fancy a break steeped in academia...
Artist Residence Oxford
Dipal Acharya7 September 2017

Artist Residence, OXFORD

Justin and Charlotte Salisbury are two of the hottest young British hoteliers in the business. From their cult first opening, a sweet B&B in Brighton, to outposts in Pimlico and Penzance, the latest hotel from the pair, the Artist Residence Oxfordshire, is their coolest yet. A 20-minute drive from the spires of Oxford city centre, they’ve taken over Mr Hanbury’s Mason Arms pub and transformed it entirely. Expect rustic rooms, exposed beams and roll-top copper baths (above), hearty pub grub (head chef Leon Smith trained Tom Aikens) and a superlative collection of art, curated by The Connor Brothers. Perfect for a pre-term break.

DA From £130 B&B (artistresidenceoxford.co.uk)

The Principal, EDINBURGH

The Principal isn’t exactly new: the five-storey Georgian townhouse first opened in 1848 on beautiful Charlotte Square garden. Neoclassical on the outside (below), the inside is elegantly cosy, with softly lit rooms decorated with quirky Scottish art and a reception tuck shop for you to restock your minibar with Walkers shortbread and whisky miniatures. Don’t fill up before trying Baba: the hotel’s Levantine restaurant, opening in October, comes from the respected team behind Glasgow’s Ox and Finch, with a bespoke charcoal grill blasting Scottish lamb plus some very interesting cocktails. Pistachio, chocolate and mint julep, anyone?

CC From £169 (phcompany.com)

Tamburlaine, CAMBRIDGE

The hottest kid on campus is Cambridge’s Tamburlaine, located mere minutes from the train station. The 155-room property very much has a sense of place: its name comes from a play by Christopher Marlowe, celebrated alumni of Corpus Christi. Rooms are decorated in a soothing palette of Cambridge blue and come with bespoke furniture, wooden panelling, Roberts radios and roomy beds made-up with Egyptian cotton and Foxford throws.

Elsewhere, the interiors are eminently Insta-friendly: afternoon tea is served in the dreamy Colonial-style Garden Room (left) where guests can lounge on millennial pink velvet sofas surrounded by ornate Victorian wallpaper and abundant greenery. After a day of punting and pints on the Cam, head to the relaxed brasserie-style dining room where wonderfully attentive staff serve a seasonal and locally sourced menu — try the Barnsley lamb with a Sophia cocktail, a gin-based delight containing Prosecco and violet liqueur.

NO’K From £200 B&B (thetamberlaine.co.uk)

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in