The Gonville Hotel

United Kingdom , Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE, Gonville Place
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100 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

07 Jun 2026

Janine

Property felt a bit soulless. It was a Monday. No food was being served - we were told we could order bar snacks but the bar wasn't staffed and there were no menus to be seen. Garden area was unkempt with weeds growing under tables, cigarettes butts lying around. could have been so pretty. a door to a staff room was propped open with evidence of someone's lunch. breakfast was good, but the roof leaked on us and we had to move tables. View from the widow showed the roof area above the dining room needed a good clean and paintwork was in need of refreshing. conditioner bottle in bathroom was empty. Either fill it or dont provide it ! It could have been a lovely hotel but attention to detail was sadly lacking. best bit was the Bentley tour. If only everything else matched that in terms of quality.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2026

Jonathan

Fantastic hotel. Great location, food and drink were top quality - poached eggs cooked to order were a highlight. Staff all very pleasant and helpful - booked for a birthday and we were given a lovely room and some fizz - many thanks, recommended and will return.

Partner

2/10

Poor

05 Jun 2026

Craig

Chaotic check in experience, a bathroom that flooded, no storage space in the room and very dated decor. Would not recommend.

8/10

Excellent

04 Jun 2026

David

The hotel is lovely but it seemed a little disorganised at times.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 May 2026

Sonia

Unfortunately we didn’t have a great experience. It was our 4th time at this hotel, but the day we arrived they were changing the chain of the hotel so they had problem with the system and it interfered with our stay. We arrived at the hotel 9:30 am. They promised our room for 1 pm, but the check-in was possible only after 3 pm. Very disappointing because we were exhausted!

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

26 May 2026

lina

dinner service very slow

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 May 2026

Adriana

Loved everything. i wish I would of stayed longer, must return. The bed was like sleeping in a cloud.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 May 2026

Sonia

Beautiful room, and the staff could not have been more lovely. This wasn't our first stay, and I doubt it will be our last

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2026

susan

The reception staff was very very helpful and patient. We had family there and a wedding event in the tent/garden. The setting was just perfect for a wedding group under 90 persons. Its location is very convenient to shops, coffee, restaurants etc. I would definitely stay here again.

Family

4/10

Poor

11 May 2026

Alwyn

I really like the Gonville, but too many niggles spoiled this visit. 1/ no one picked up the phone when I rang ahead in the afternoon. 2/ no hot water on arrival. 3/ strange mechanical noise at night required earplugs 4/ still no hot water the next day. I would go back, but they won’t get many chances like this.

Business

8/10

Excellent

10 May 2026

Mandy

It was fine- overpriced. Shower had to be fixed bc it didn’t drain.

Business

4/10

Poor

09 May 2026

Owen

We booked this as a last minute deal, myself, my girlfriend and our 3 month old. We had been to Cambridge before and this hotel is in an excellent location.
Important to mention we booked this through Hotels.com.
Before arriving I asked for a cot in the room and also confirmed this on the app. We also did this for room service. This cot did NOT turn up. As we had a basinet this was not the end of the world.
The hotel room is not well equipped. We had to ask for an iron and iron board but this did not turn up within the 45 minutes we waited. This hotel does not provide a fridge, dressing gowns or slippers.
Finally, we were there when there was a wedding. This was fine, however if I knew a couple has an infant baby I would not put this room as close to the music as possible. Not the end of the world if we did not have a baby but was difficult to put him to sleep.
Overall, this was disappointing. I may stay again but in my opinion you have better options in Cambridge.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

05 May 2026

Christine

The hotel was welcoming. The staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast was high quality. Having on site parking was good (but expensive at £28 per night).The bed was comfortable. The only negatives were that the wardrobe hanging space was too small (it was awkward to hang clothes 'sideways on`; you could not hang a long dress in it) and there was insufficient drawer storage space.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Apr 2026

Darren

Breakfast excellent good choice. Check in was excellent and all staff members very helpful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2026

Frances

Breakfast was delicious - almost too much food! Not easy to get food in the evenings though so we ate out, which was easy enough.

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2026

Kate

The staff were excellent, the breakfast food was also really good. But I felt the property was a showing signs of lack of care.

It was just small things, for example: the tables in the dining area were marble topped, most of which were visibly chipped. One of the blinds in the bedroom was frayed at the edges. The bathroom door was a sliding glass door which got stuck every time if you fully closed it. Once you spot one, the other little flaws become more obvious.

In addition, our bedroom was located directly opposite the cleaning/linen room, the door to which was open for the duration of our stay.

The room itself was clean and comfortable. Although it was facing the front of the building, which is on a main road. It would benefit from sound proofing. That said, the view across the park was really nice.

The location is about 10-15 minutes walk to the city centre, and you can benefit from walking through the park part of the way.

Overall, it was a nice stay. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. Check in was easy and swift. I wouldn't class this as an exceptional stay though.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Apr 2026

Paul

Stayed in January on one of the colder weekends. We had three rooms and two of them were incredibly cold overnight as they only seemed to be heated via the aircon which switched itself off. Hotel was good, good location and has a nice car and restaurant. Would recommend

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2026

helen

Nice room, well appointed with a comfortable bed. I was on the ground floor and it was very noisy until around 10:30pm. I was only a few steps from the bar and atrium areas which is why it was so noisy. There was no internal lock or chain for the door which is just a personal preference.

The staff were all really nice and breakfast was good. Excellent location

Self

10/10

Exceptional

19 Mar 2026

Jayne

As expected

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Mar 2026

Alex

Nice hotel, reception weren't particularly friendly. Glasses left on the table in the bar to hough the jazz was good. Breakfast and staff there were excellent.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Mar 2026

Gavin

Very friendly staff, nice breakfast, room clean, good location

Family

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2026

June

Poor lighting in certain areas as couldn’t read in room and no light by kettle, chairs in dining room didn’t work with table height. Specific problem in my mother’s room with no hot water from sink despite getting reception to look at this. Also an issue with wet patch on carpet on floor of room, which got larger during stay.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

09 Mar 2026

Dennis

This property has been partially upgraded but a number of things are old and tired. Elevator not working, calls to front desk unanswered, laundry not delivered on time etc.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2026

George

The Gonville is ideally placed overlooking Parker's Piece, convenient for the centre of town. Rooms are well appointed and clean.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

09 Mar 2026

sharon

We have stayed on several occasions and all the staff are lovely.
However, our room was cold and we were told there was an issue with the AC which would be fixed the following day. It wasn't and we were provided with a portable heater.

Also, the toiletry containers needed refilled - they were empty.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Mar 2026

Jennifer

Stayed before and will stay again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

David

The hotel staff folk are so helpful and charming. We could not have asked for better!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Ravi

The service by all members of staff was exceptional. The Bentley tour was super fun - loved our driver Zane

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2026

Wendy

Good size room - comfortable beds, good sized towels.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2026

Ann

As perfect a hotel as you will find. Great location for town .

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Feb 2026

Julie

Spacious clean room, great breakfast and complimentary use of bikes and Bentley tour

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2026

John

Great location, high quality.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2026

Carol

lovely room very helpful staff great breafast.

Family

2/10

Poor

21 Feb 2026

martin

Leak in the bathroom, air con was deafening, issues with plumbing. Didn’t sleep. Like faulty towers.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2026

Phil

Self

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2026

Rosie

Nice hotel, clean room, great lication

8/10

Excellent

13 Feb 2026

Kevin

Room was clean and well equipped. Amenities as you might expect. The staff were helpful and polite.
Only criticism was the room was slightly noisy - plumbing noises and could hear the next room quite easily.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Leanne

Spotless room, amazing service.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Darren

Very clean, well decorated and in very good condition.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Feb 2026

Neil

The hotel was very nice and the room was a good size and clean.
The breakfast was a bit disappointing, the food was fairly average and the team seemed understaffed so tables weren’t cleared or set properly and we had to get our own cutlery off another table. And also the coffee machine wasn’t working.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Corissa

Nice amenities, friendly staff, great area

Business_and_leisure Self

4/10

Poor

07 Feb 2026

SIMON

Room was nice
Breakfast was very disappointing.
Arrived 2 hour’s before breakfast was due to finish but all tables were full of dirty plates. The buffet food was almost empty and was not replenished. The hot food arrived warm at best. It was a real shame and not what we expected. Worst breakfast I’ve had at a hotel in a long time.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2026

Milena

Hotel is really lovely, good location, bed was really comfortable. Reception lady wasn’t very friendly.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Paul

Excellent

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Jan 2026

Anna

Very pleasant stay. All staff were very friendly, polite and helpful throughout our stay. Room was quite small but perfectly comfortable for the one night.

We ate dinner in the restaurant and enjoyed the food and relaxing ambience. There was a jazz singer and piano which made for a relaxing and enjoyable evening.
Breakfast was decent, although there were some issues with the coffee machine. The dining staff did sort it out promptly when told.
Good selection of continental , croissants, pain au chocolat, cereals , fresh fruits, yogurt, toast , cold neats abd cheeses with some tasty hot choices too. Husband chose the full english and I had the vegetarian option. Once again the service was impeccable.
I would ve more than happy to stay here again if visiting Cambridge as its such a short walking distance to the centre with parking.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jan 2026

Laura

Wonderful stay

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

19 Jan 2026

Andre

We asked for a quiet, twin room and got neither, despite the hotel only being about half full. We even reiterated this request at check in but were clearly ignored. We expected better from the Gonville

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Jan 2026

Dot

Staff very helpful and attentive. Room comfortable.

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Jan 2026

Paul

Check in was early. Room is clean. Staff pleasant

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jan 2026

Sara-Jane

Room 3 is on the ground floor. The window is out onto the carpark. It is close to the bar and restaurant.

It means there is noise of music and plates. It feels hemmed in and lacking in privacy, it’s a shame in an otherwise beautiful hotel.

Self

8/10

Excellent

09 Jan 2026

Mark

Hotel was good but was spoiled by not enough working EV chargers

Business

6/10

Pleasant

08 Jan 2026

The room was small but good. A little expensive, but OK.

The parking charge is £28 per night which is excessive beyond belief, and the EV chargers were not working upon arrival.

I was told the kitchen closed at 2100, I came down at 2010 and was told the kitchen had closed. I ended up with a burger and some deserts, which were OK.

Terrible nights sleep in room 202, even with the HVAC system turned off there were loud clunking noises from the ventilation system, turned on it was even louder and more frequent.

The hotel itself is perfectly located in central Cambridge, with ample but expensive parking, a good breakfast and above average coffee.

The highlight of this hotel was the staff, who generously refunded my parking and breakfast as a gesture to the noise and early closing of the kitchen - your staff and customer service do make up for a LOT.

I work away on average 10 nights a month, so this isn't just some random review. I get to sample a lot of hotels, in the UK and worldwide.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2026

Karen

Really nice atmosphere beautiful decor lovely rooms staff was lovely

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2026

Katy

Staff were all very helpful and friendly, the room was lovely and clean and nice and quiet.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2026

Paul

Rooms and ambience lovely. Bar nice very comfy bed and great location

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jan 2026

Lisa

Great hotel, great stay

8/10

Excellent

01 Jan 2026

Kerry

In general, this is very nice property, our room was very comfortable and cosy and we received good service. The free hot chocolate for Christmas in the lobby was a lovely touch.
2 points for improvement:
1- it seemed like our room hadn't been used in some time as when we entered it, it was freezing cold and took considerable time to warm up. Also, there was no coffee in the room or green tea or milk/coffee mate. It wouldn't take much just to make the room a bit more fit for purpose for guests if it hasn't been occupied for a while. We asked later for some green tea and they gave us earl grey and said that was all they had. We found out the next morning at check out time that they did have green tea available, there should have been coffee in the room, and that there was a coffee and tea machine (with green tea bags) which was free for guest use and we hadn't been told about it at check-in.
2- The lighting was so low in all areas of the room that I was unable to apply my make-up and had to use the mirror in the bathroom downstairs in the lobby.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

31 Dec 2025

David

All really comfortable and superb breakfast

8/10

Excellent

29 Dec 2025

Chris

Staff very good. Room lovely.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2025

Vimish

Pretty and comfortable hotel in a privileged location with the added benefit of parking. We greatly appreciated being able to leave the car at the hotel and walk into Cambridge town centre. The highlight though has to be the vintage Bentley tour which we just loved.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 Dec 2025

stuart

Nice stay. Will likely stay again.
Service in the restaurant however during dinner and breakfast could be improved.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

21 Dec 2025

Michael

The staff were really lovely and the location is great. The rooms are however very small with basically no where to hang your clothes - the tiny cupboard had the kettle with the cups on a tray and a random fan. Breakfast, was also disappointing.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2025

Claire

Love this hotel! Really nice room and a super bar area which had a lovely atmosphere. Staff were all fantastic.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Dec 2025

Yi Wang

Really had a great time to stay at Gonville hotel. Very easy to find the hotel after came down from M11. Check in was very quick and smooth, room is clean. I would specifically like to mention that hotel kept good communication with guests, I requested two beds, with a quiet room, all have been arranged no problem at all. Parking spaces are limited, but we arrived at 3pm where there were still 4/5 available. A big green space in front of the hotel, I walked my dog there. Absolutely a delightful experience.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Dec 2025

Jessica

Comfortable, clean room and common areas. Great location an easy walk into the city centre.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2025

lewis

Beautiful room, absolutely spot on location, welcoming arrival, delicious breakfast and very helpful staff.
The bar needs to sort itself out. Saturday night and cocktails stopped at 10:45, nowhere near enough staff when busy, hearing complaints from others about not being able to get a coffee.
Overall, can't wait to come back :-)

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2025

Anand

Clean rooms

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2025

Ben

Clean rooms. Welcoming staff

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2025

Durin

Everything top notch

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

Philippe

We had a wonderful 24 hours at Gonville Hotel. A superb facility matched by the professionalism and friendliness of all members of staff. Thank you, we’ll be back!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2025

Joanne

Everything was spot on. The receptionist who booked us in was exceptional.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Nov 2025

Chris

Nice room, lovely huge bed. Service from all staff was impeccable. Only thing that really niggles was the cost of the parking

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2025

ian

Overall excellent

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Nov 2025

Sarah

Wonderful stay, staff very friendly and welcoming. Rooms are beautifully decorated and very comfortable. Lovely products in bathroom. Breakfast had a great variety for all. Location is perfect for city centre and a short walk from train station. Will definitely return

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2025

Monique

Beautiful hotel and rooms. Staff are very friendly and welcoming. Highly recommended

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2025

Nigel

Good staff

Business

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2025

Jack

Amazing place and really convenient for access to Cambridge. The staff there are so passionate about what they do and the services provided.
We were back in time for the jazz in the evening, very nice.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Nov 2025

Georgi

We got a good deal through Expedia — and that’s where the good part ends. I don’t remember receiving a VIP beverage; if I did, it must have been just a bottle of water.

The room’s AC was running but had no effect. The temperature stayed uncomfortably chilly, possibly because we were in the last room on the top floor. On top of that, we were right next to a very loud ventilation system, so there was constant noise throughout our stay.

The staff were very friendly and kind, and I didn’t want to bother them with these issues, although the hotel deserves an honest review.

Also, what’s with the questions about a pool? We weren’t even made aware that the hotel had one.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

Anna

It was excellent. Lovely room. Polite staff. Central location.

Business Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Nov 2025

Miranda

We did not have breakfast in the hotel. It was a good sized room, clean but a bit dark. The desk lamp, TV and coffee machine did not work. It is a little walk from the main attractions.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2025

Peter

We really enjoyed our stay-the hotel is self-serve style,which was for us.
You just go down and get your own towels,extra coffee,pillows,etc.
The staff is excellent,friendly and helpful.
The breakfast(not included)was very good and we liked the room and bed.
Great value and location!

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

04 Nov 2025

Mrs. C

Our initial impression was the view whilst going up in the lift. There were dead flies and spiders webs on the sill.
We had booked Sunday lunch at 12 o clock so we had an hour to relax after checking out. We were told we could help ourselves to coffee from the coffee machine in the breakfast room. Numerous attempts were made to get it to work so we were told to come back after quarter of an hour as it needed cleaning. However nothing had been done so we gave up. We then asked the bar man if he could provide coffee but he said no.
When we eventually entered the dining room at 12 there was nobody else there. However we had to wait around 15 minutes until the menu arrived. Nico was very apologetic, especially when we had to wait another 5 minutes for the gravy to arrive separate from the meal. Not a relaxing stay at all.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Nov 2025

Rebecca

The feature room was absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed jazz in the bar. The service at breakfast was a bit sporadic and the coffee machine in the breakfast room didn’t work properly, causing some queues and confusion! Helpful staff on reception and in the bar and we were able to charge our electric car which was a big help (and softened the slow of the car parking charges!)

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Oct 2025

Yvonne

I just love to stay at Gonville every time I’m in Cambridge! The room is nice and bed is very comfortable and the dining is delicious. But I have to say that the Staff makes the difference!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2025

Kevin

Lovely room looking out over the adjacent park

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Oct 2025

Claire

Ride in a Bentley

Room was clean, spacious and comfortable. Check in was very efficient and a complimentary look around Cambridge in one of the hotels Bentley car was booked for the next morning. Breakfast was good.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

Jose Santiago

Cosy hotel conveniently located near town centre.

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2025

Ronald

Check-in staff on Sunday was very friendly and efficient. The Rolls Royce out front, the jazz music inside, added to the “first impressions”.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

11 Oct 2025

Maria

The room was great and spacious, but it was poorly located as it was too close to reception

Business

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2025

Lynn

Staff were excellent, helpful and friendly. The rooms were fairly dark which made reading difficult. My only negatives would be the bathroom was very small with no hanging space and the wet towels I’d put on the shower floor to be replaced were refolded and put back to reuse. Also, our toilet roll wasn’t replaced. These were very quickly replaced when mentioned to reception though.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2025

Terry

Nice centrally located hotel with very helpful and efficient staff. Stayed afew times before, will do again.

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2025

Thomas

Convenient to everything

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

04 Oct 2025

Lydia

This is a lovely hotel, with excellent professional staff who were all helpful and quick to respond to any requests. The breakfast was enjoyable and good quality, except for the tea/coffee as only one flask of coffee and one of hot water for the whole restaurant. I had to queue for tea/coffee and serve myself which surprised me for the type of hotel the Gonville claims to be, i would have expected this to be brought to the table. My only other issue was value for money, our room on a Friday night was £260 for a twin room room with breakfast. I discovered during my stay that there was a christmas 2025 party night package with 3 course dinner, wine, DJ, overnight stay and breakfast for 2 people for the same price of £260!!! Now given that christmas events are usually expensive i couldn't believe our ordinary stay had the same price tag, it left me feeling disappointed. The room wasn't that special although it was definitely smart looking, comfortable, and the beds great. The bathroom was small and no better than other standard 3* hotels. Shower caps were provided and these were needed as there was only a rainfall Shower and no handheld shower which is awkward if you don't want to wash your hair. The location was excellent and just 9mins walk from shopping mall. Parking was expensive but i learned this is normal in Cambridge.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Oct 2025

Marc

Good comfortable room. Dinner was good but a one page menu. Breakfast was a joke. For this quality of hotel I don't expect to be queuing up at the single coffee machine for a drink. The hot breakfast was good but the cold items availability was low as items ran out and took some time to replenish. Also note thank parking comes with an extra charge.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Oct 2025

Catherine

The air conditioning kept switching off

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2025

Julie

Very nice hotel staff very welcoming, bar staff were lovely and attentive, my only criticism would be the room carpet had alot of what looked like coffee or tea stains on the carpet which was a bit off putting and a steam clean should be done.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2025

Philip

Great hotel

Stayed at the Gonville as we are looking at using it a family base for a wedding next year. Great hotel, great staff.
If you stay there, take the complimentary Bentley tour, fantastic touch and a very knowledgeable driver Michael.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2025

Jamie

Highly Recommend The Gonville Hotel

We enjoyed a wonderful stay at The Gonville. The hotel was excellent in every respect- beautiful decor, great restaurants and convenient parking. However, the outstanding aspect of the hotel was the wonderful staff. Every person we dealt with from the receptionists, to the barmen, to the housekeeper delivered perfect customer service. I’d especially like to thank Dante (?) the receptionist for taking care of us. Highly recommend The Gonville, Cambridge!

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

16 Sep 2025

Jennifer

Nice room, pass on the breakfast

The room was lovely and the shower worked well. We were happily surprised to have a “pillow menu” from which we could choose different pillows from 6 options. That was a first. The breakfast should have been great, with items cooked to order, but my eggs Benedict were so bad, I stopped after one bite. The hollandaise tasted like it had vinegar in it. The croissants from the buffet were stale, so I ended up making myself toast for breakfast. The continental buffet is £15 and goes up to £20 with the menu. I don’t recall what we paid when we booked, but it was too much.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2025

Mark

Beautiful Cute Hotel

Beautiful chic rooms, wonderful staff. Pillow menu with firm foam pillow option was amazing! I hate most hotel pillows but they nailed it. Parking was busy (Saturday) but luckily we got the last space. Lovely bar!

Partner