Hotel du Vin Cambridge

A hotel named for wine owes its guests a cellar, and Hotel du Vin Cambridge keeps extensive ones, with a sommelier leading tastings in the Cellar Bar. The building is listed and was once part of the university, and the Fitzwilliam Museum looks back at it from across Trumpington Street. Out front, a glossy black fascia and blue-grey doors are set into pale yellow brick. In the courtyard the green parasols are printed with the word Champagne, in case the hotel's name had been too subtle. Inside are exposed brick, restored fireplaces and, in some rooms, a roll-top bath. The Signature Suite has two, side by side, and a television that swivels to face the emperor bed or either bath, which leaves only the remote control to argue over.

Recommended for couples on a Cambridge weekend of the museum and a long dinner, who would happily give an hour of it to the wine list. The Fitzwilliam is free, and getting there takes no more planning than crossing the road. The bistro runs from breakfast to dinner against pale blue walls, with Sunday lunch to book. The Cinema Suite has a small cinema room of its own, along with vaulted ceilings and a private terrace, which is enough to make a wet evening something to hope for. Children can come: cots are free if booked ahead, and Deluxe Rooms and suites take an extra bed. There is no parking, so arrive by train; the station is a mile off. Dinner should be the Chateaubriand, for sharing, with Malbec, and the sommelier would have no grounds to object.