Name: Poets House
Address: St Mary Street, Cambridge, CB7 4EY, GB

10/10

Exceptional

01 Aug 2026

Stuart

Excellent from arriving to departing, all staff superb throughout visit

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jul 2026

Lisa

Great hotel in the centre of Ely , lovely garden with tables and table service perfect for the summer . Controlled parking area a real bonus in a busy city

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2026

olufolake

Fabulous hotel. Wonderful staff. Cathedral opposite to the hotel. Beautiful views of the Cathedral and Oliver Cromwell's house and St Mary's parish church from my window. Absolutely fabulous copper bath-I will miss this!.I will certainly be back. Thank you for a marvellous stay. 🤗👍😁👏

Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jun 2026

John

The staff, in particular, the receptionists including the charming Lithuanian girl, were so helpful and informative.

The food was pretty good as well and well presented.

Having had to slum it in a rival establishment a few years’ ago, when there was no room at Poets Corner, it was a relief to note how well looked after we were.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jun 2026

Kathryn

This was our second visit to what is one of our favourite hotels. Highly recommend.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2026

Paul

Great views of Ely Cathedral from the bath.

Friends

8/10

Excellent

25 May 2026

Sam

Great location and lovely courtyard for drinks and food in the summer. Room was nice and very spacious for two people. Comfy bed and good shower.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 May 2026

Tony

Staff were helpful but pushy. Tried too hard - didn’t feel relaxed.

8/10

Excellent

03 May 2026

Frances

We were lucky with the weather and had a drink on the pleasant outside terrace before supper. Perfect location for site seeing in Ely. Private parking , although off site , is very welcome as no parking in town. All was good.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

16 Apr 2026

Charon

My partner got food poisoning from the chicken, when I advised the receptionist all she was concerned was were we going to report it.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2026

Amanda

We stayed room only. The room was very clean and had all the amenities you would expect. Lovely quality bathroom products too. We ate in the resturant and it was very tasty with lively staff in every interaction. Great cocktail menu too. Would recmmend in all aspects.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2026

Trudie

Great nights sleep. Lovely room and excellent staff

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2026

Lynda

Great location, good food, friendly staff

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

07 Feb 2026

William

Nice room (though the bathroom lacked a shelf for you to put your stuff) and well appointed. The parking was irksome (and even though hardly anyone was using it day and night the staff gave me a tedious \"if we break a rule for you we'd have to do it for everyone\" admonishment.) Frankly it was fine but not really £250-worth of value.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Dean

Beautiful room, great staff, lovely bar area.
A very accomplished Hotel

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2026

Chris

Lovely hotel

6/10

Pleasant

20 Dec 2025

Simon

Bed was quite small for such a big room and not very comfortable
Tried to get a drink in the bar but turned away. You would think they would try and accommodate residents.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Dec 2025

Mary

Room was enormous, bed was comfy, shower lovely.
Food was incredible and breakfast was perfect.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

David

Fantastic, helpful staff. Nice room and great breakfast options.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Nov 2025

Chris

The hotel is in a great place for a visit to Ely Cathedral. Our suite and the public rooms were in good condition. However the food was average. The bar whilst big was not very comfortable. Our suite was enormous but there was no comfortable chair.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2025

Roger

A very central hotel ideally positioned to see the sights and opposite the cathedral with nicely appointed rooms, even a bath in the room. Breakfast was excellent with a good choice on offer. Restaurant was also fun with a good range of dishes in a reasonably quiet ambiance. We enjoyed our stay.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2025

Vincent

First class dining, comfort and service.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2025

James

Beautiful property in a lovely location. My third visit and it will not be the last.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2025

John

Friendly staff

10/10

Exceptional

26 May 2025

nicholas

Great place

10/10

Exceptional

20 May 2025

Daniel

Very good

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2025

Thomas

All around great.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 May 2025

Michal

Great property. The room was slightly smaller than the last one but still cosy.

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Apr 2025

Joseph

Very nice

A very nice stay. Bath Tub made it in my opinion. Room was very large and the breakfast in the morning was nice.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2025

William

I liked the historic nature of the property.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Mar 2025

Robert

I have stayed at the poets house a few times now. Always get what is expected.

A first rate service and an excellent stay.

6/10

Pleasant

15 Mar 2025

Clare

For a high end hotel we were disappointed by a few minor things however we enjoyed the overall visit.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2025

Richard

Opposite the cathedral, a lovely quiet space and very pleasant staff, good food too.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jan 2025

Derek

A lovely boutique hotel in the heart of Ely. Our room was large and luxurious, and the hotel staff were friendly and professional throughout our stay.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Nov 2024

Richard

The staff and people were wonderful and friendly. The area was fun to explore with many points of interest.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2024

Peter

Perfect.

Super hotel. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. Lovely meal in the restaurant. Great stay and highly recommend!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2024

Rebecca

Lovely hotel but had a few issues

On arriving, receptionist was on the phone, so we waited. Then when the call was ended she made another call saying to us I’ll be with you in a moment? Bit rude as we were standing there in the flesh?
Went into the bar in the evening and ordered 2 drinks from the bar, we were told to take a seat and they would be brought over to us. We waiting over 20 minutes and had to leave as we were attending a concert so never had our drinks.
Apart from those two things our room was lovely, although did look a bit worn in places. The bath was amazing and bed very comfortable. View was perfect. Also most staff were friendly. Would return but maybe needs either more staffing or training.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jul 2024

Nigel

The air conditioning in our room worked perfectly and was a god-send in a hot week.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jul 2024

Peter

Charming.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2024

Alisha

Great place to stay to explore Ely

Business_and_leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Jun 2024

Verified traveler

Mostly nice but all tables in bar area reserved for non-residents having drinks or afternoon tea leaving no space for residents.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2024

Michal

Great location and friendly staff. The only downside is the lack of onsite parking sport but there are plenty of parking options nearby which helps a lot.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2024

Charlotte

Lovely hotel in a great location. It was amazing to have such a good view of Ely Cathedral from our room.

8/10

Excellent

24 May 2024

Robert

Almost a really good hotel

A pleasant, clean, well-maintained hotel in an ideal position, with friendly, helpful staff and good breakfasts. But yet another hotel where the designer has had the last word. Hotel managers should spend a week in each room in their hotel, then there would be more drawer space, plenty of sockets at useful heights, hooks for coats (especially damp ones), brighter lighting and comfortable armchairs instead of baths in bedrooms, mirrors everywhere except near the hairdryer socket, and no shaver socket. Our 3 night stay was enjoyable, but with a bit more thought given to practical living, it could have been so much better.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 May 2024

Carmen

Bathtub was outstanding!

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2024

Neeraj

Good property with vintage feel, the best hotel in Ely. And right across the road from the best restuarant (Old fire engine house).

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Mar 2024

Verified traveler

Poet House Stay

The room was very boujee. Creature comforts such as robes, slipers, and toiletries get a big thums up.

Room 19. The door handle to the room door was concerningly loose. It was escalated to the front desk but still awaiting repair after two nights stay.

The underfloor heating in the bathroom was too hot. It could do with controls that we could adjust.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2024

Jeff

Customer Service

Excellent customer service.

Lola was especially professional, helpful with my request for additional provisions for our room, without hesitation and a pleasant manner.
She is a credit to your team.

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2024

Zoe

Fantastic staff and a wonderful room.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2024

Verified traveler

Great nights sleep

Business

8/10

Excellent

27 Aug 2023

Mrs Theresa

Staff always very friendly and helpful. Helped us a lot with room and parking

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

We had a lovely stay at Poets House recently. Gorgeous room overlooking the front. Staff couldn't have been more friendly and helpful. Food delicious.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jul 2023

Olga

Beautiful town across from cathedral

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jul 2023

Pat

This is a gem. It is quaint and elegant, but has every wonderful contemporary amenity. So comfortable and an amazing staff. We enjoyed the restaurant. Great access to the cathedral and museums, can walk down to the river. Shop at the antique market or some sweet little shops downtown. Highly recommend.

Business_and_leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jun 2023

Michael

Really nice, well-run hotel in city centre. Staff are lovely.
Food is good if not Gourmet/great but the rooms are lovely.
Perfect location too

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2023

Suzy

Lovely overnight stay

Lovely hotel, car park is a way off but you can drop and pick up luggage which helps. Our ground floor room was spacious and well furnished but it looked onto the main road which meant the curtains needed to be closed for privacy. Staff were very helpful, well trained and polite. Food and drink which was tried was good too!

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2023

Lynda

Amazing!

Check in & Reception staff were very welcoming and professional. Amazing job! Bar staff matched that feel too.

The staff in the restaurant in the morning were very young and did not match the rest of standards as they were not on top of things. Refilling juice, replacing glasses, taking orders all very slow. Which was a shame as the food itself was great.

There was a wedding on the Friday night and we had dinner in the restaurant, the bar staff had reserved tables in the bar for diners, which I thought was a great touch and very welcomed :-)

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 May 2023

R

taking a breather

an overnight on a longer trip - perfect place to relax and recover

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2023

Lee

Brilliant Stay

The location was stunning, staff fantastic, high quality food. This was a exceptional place to stay, room 16 had wonderful views and amenities.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2023

Allen

Conveniently placed forfacilities in Ely

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Apr 2023

Alicia

Beautiful hotel and garden area. Perfectly situated to visit all of Ely in a day.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Apr 2023

Barbara

Lovely hotel, but ……

My husband and I were staying in Ely for the weekend and decided to have a treat and stay at Poets House.

Pleasant staff on arrival who advised about car parking (secure off site, about 5 minutes walk away).

Hotel was very nice, large bedroom with huge bath in, great view overlooking Ely Cathedral. Usual facilities, although trying to find somewhere to plug kettle in was difficult, ended up putting it on under bedside table!

Nice en-suite with rain shower.

We went down to breakfast quite early on the Sunday morning and ordered our food. There was cereals, juices, fresh fruit, yoghurts, pastries to have while waiting for your cooked breakfast. We had quite a wait and eventually asked where our breakfast was; we were told it was coming. Two other groups had come for breakfast in the meantime and had both had their cooked breakfast. When it came it was very disappointing. My scrambled eggs looked like they had been sitting somewhere, congealed and grey looking and they had forgotten the baked beans I had ordered. My husbands full English was very poor also, one bit of bacon and a very cheap and chewy sausage. I would have expected far better from this hotel.

Check out was poor, no customer service. We were not asked if we had had a nice stay etc.

A lovely hotel but very much let down by cooked breakfast and customer service. Had a lot better hotel stays for half the price.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Jan 2023

Max

Overall the hotel was fabulous. Lovely clean communal areas and superb suite.
Bar was cozy and inviting and the breakfast was lovely with quality ingredients.
The only negative was the evening meal. We both found it to be uninspiring, basic and with not a lot of finesse.
Other than that the overall experience was a really good one.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2022

John

Best hotel and Ely - 5 Star

Quality hotel in Ely in perfect location. Good bar and hotel food. Amazing breakfast. Car parking is offsite in public car park with private section with barrier. No problem with leaving my Jaguar F Type parked for 2 days.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2022

Linda

Had a lovely stay in this boutique hotel. Very friendly staff and situated with a view of the cathedral and within a short walk to the city centre, shops, pubs etc. would definitely recommend.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2022

Peter

Great for visiting Ely Cathedral

There was a bath tub IN the room!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2022

Verified traveler

Excellent

Excellent service, a wonderful place.

Business

8/10

Excellent

15 Jul 2022

Verified traveler

This is a very nice hotel in a great location, directly opposite the cathedral. The bar area and breakfast were very good and the room was clean and spacious. There were a couple of small issues with the servicing of the room (towels etc) but these were sorted quickly when raised. All the staff were friendly and helpful but I must mention Jordan on reception whose customer service during our stay was excellent.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Jun 2022

Lindsay

Very comfortable stay at Poets House. Highly recommend it.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 May 2022

James f

A lovely place to stay

Lovely venue in Ely and the hotel and its staff were very friendly.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

02 May 2022

Rosa

Lovely building but service underpar

Stayed with friends for a wedding nearby. Whilst we really enjoyed our stay the service was very hit and miss. Whilst sat in the garden staff muddled up orders bringing the wrong drink and food to wrong tables. At breakfast the next day we were told we couldn't have a hot breakfast as only one chef was working despite being seated on time and having pre paid. The staff did relent but only after pressure. On the plus the room was nicely done and well maintained.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2022

Peter

Flying visit

The room was clean & tidy
Staff friendly & helpful
Food was excellent
Limited parking on site, however off site free parking available and not to far to walk.
Ideally situated with easy access to the cathedral & other tourist sites.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2022

Jonathan

Beautiful hotel.

Absolutely fantastic. Comfy bed and lovely room and sumptuous bath. Only one thing that let it down slightly, was that there was no milk available with breakfast on one of the days even though a convenience store is only a few doors down the road! But still, breakfast was lovely.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2022

Verified traveler

Best bathroom

Amazing room, very comfortable hotel.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Feb 2022

Val

Relaxing break

Great location for exploring Ely also a lovely smart hotel and very helpful staff to make you feel very welcome. Only downside was we had a radiator in the bathroom that was so hot was like being in a sauna but they are planning to get new thermostats.
Lovely view of the cathedral from our window Breakfast was very good but some other meals were hit or miss. Would definitely stay again really liked it.
The restaurant across the road The Old Fire Engine House is a must to go to but must book well in advance.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2022

Peter

Great stay at a great hotel

Very pleased with the room, decor and in particular the staff are friendly, attentive & food at dinner was delicious.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2022

Ross

Definitely worth a visit

We love Poets House, this was our third visit & it wont be our last.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Jan 2022

Andrew

Overall excellent

Amazing, large, clean room with all amenities as you would expect. A nice touch was the card wishing us a happy anniversary. Breakfast was a little bit of a let down though..my only gripe.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2021

Calum

First class!

Absolutely first class accommodation with superb staff that were very understanding of my ever changing plans. Cannot recommend enough and will certainly be back!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2021

David

Night & Dinner in Ely

Poets House was an excellent venue. We would certainly stay there again

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Sep 2021

Chelsea

Hotel is stunning. Service and food amazing! Only downside, you have these amazing rooms with uncomfortable small beds.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Sep 2021

Matthew

Meh .. lacking in luxury

The rooms were nice, however everything was a bit dated and in need of some TLC, the coffee trap was broken in all four corners, the bedside draws has rubbish in from prior customer. The room was above the dining room and was noisy, though not to noisy that we wished to change room on a short stay, but it was luxury.

We went for breakfast, which was a wait to be seated, and after 5 minutes without any sign of staff we ended up walkinv into town for breakfast.

The evening meal was OK but nothing special, so the second night we ate elsewhere.

If its a business trip this would be nice, but for a couples retreat it left us a little disappointed.

Staff were lovely and cannot be faulted

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Sep 2021

Robert

This was our second stay at the poets house.
It is conveniently situated for the centre and a stone throw from the cathedral.
Breakfast is very good with plenty of choices.
My wife is vegetarian and there was choices for her too.
I must admit to being tight when parting with money. This hotel is a bit more pricey than some others nearby but for us the quality make it worth it.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2021

Tim

Great location, hotel and restaurant.

Business

4/10

Poor

25 Aug 2021

Sam

We are in mixed minds about our stay. There were definitely some positives, the breakfast was good, obviously the main feature of the room (the bath) and the heated flooring in the bathroom was a lovely addition. The bar staff, who served us cocktails was fab however, we did encounter some not so friendly staff on our arrival, which wasn't very welcoming and the shower head in the room had cracked plaster/mould and generally looked precarious to say the least. We didn't use the shower in the end and at one point it started dripping. The air conditioning was turned off at night and continued to drip behind the wall for around 2 hours so made falling asleep quite tricky.

Overall, for what we paid for the room (suite) we were left disappointed by the amenities and the overall quality that we were probably expecting.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2021

Miss D

Lovely night away

Beautiful hotel, room was great. Friendly and helpful staff.
The cocktails were delicious and the breakfast very tasty. Would highly recommend this hotel and would definitely stay there again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2021

Michael

Beautiful and Elegant

We stayed here early July and the whole Experience was amazing. The room was spacious and very clean. The bath was huge and really is a big selling point.
We ate in the restaurant the first night and I had the best steak I’ve ever had. My partner had the chicken and she said it was seriously good.
We had drinks in the bar on both nights and they again were very good.
Breakfast cannot be faulted. Great selection and tasted just as good.
Poets House really is a beautiful and elegant hotel

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2021

Sarah

Boutique hotel in Ely

Lovely boutique hotel, facing cathedral.
Spacious room, lovely bathroom.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2021

Paul

Perfect stay

The room was beautiful and overlooked the garden. The bed was comfortable, the bedroom had seating,good storage and mirrors including full length.The room was cool on arrival with gentle background music from the TV. A lovely welcome on a hot day and a long trip. Complimentary cosmetics were a bonus.We ate dinner and breakfast, both lovely. All the staff from all departments were pleasant and attentive. Parking is free and close by and included over night. You can pull in to the courtyard on arrival and departure if necessary. Ely was a lovely place to explore and the hotel is central to that . A perfect stay.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2021

Samuel

Very good all round

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2021

Carol

Lovely central location

Lovely central location, we had good weather and all the parking in Ely was FREE - so unusual these days. Great market on the Saturday and some lovely areas to walk and explore

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

Beautiful position and lovely old house. Food was excellent and rooms stunning and spacious.
Not great communication between reception and cleaners- we didn't want our room cleaned (Covid) but cleaners came in anyway. Had a really lovely stay and would return like a shot.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

13 Jun 2021

Verified traveler

It's a stylish property with attractive decor.
More power points in the bedroom would be helpful

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

02 Jun 2021

Verified traveler

Bedroom furniture looked cheap and in need of some tlc. Television set at an angle so you got neck ache watching it from bed. Cocktails were terribly made. There were no starters available in the restaurant (they had ‘run out’ of supplies due to a busy weekend!) and the selection of mains was limited. Service was also slow - it took nearly 2 hours before we were offered a dessert. We were charged the wrong price for a cocktail, even though the price was queried. My poached eggs at breakfast were hard boiled and had to go back. There were plenty of staff but most were young. Ideal position to explore the city of Ely and the courtyard setting was lovely. Unfortunately, the food presented was nothing like the photos on the website. At the moment this is a 2 star hotel masquerading as a 4 star and, definitely, overpriced.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 May 2021

Teresa

Rather disappointed. Breakfast rather mean considering cost. Did not have it second day.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2020

Michael

Christmas

Lovely Christmas stay! Thanks to all concerned!

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

29 Oct 2020

Sue

Beautiful room but it was tired and dusty.
The bedding was stained & the bathrobes worn,torn & rough.
The bathroom had mould & dirt around the shower & a mouldy bathmat.
The towel rail was broken And the door handle loose.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Oct 2020

JennieB

I'm not sure that there was anything unique about this hotel but it is certainly very stylish and the food is excellent.
I had only one or two comments for improvement. Firstly the size of the towelling robe offered. Mine was suitable only for a child or size 10 or 12 female adult, which I am not.
Secondly, there was no magnifying mirror in the bathroom. If I hadn't have thought to bring my own, make up and contact lenses would have been very difficult. One would expect this mirror in an establishment of this calibre.
Lastly, a plumber is needed to investigate why part of the shower runs when it has not been turned on. It was quite ghostly and I was glad of the door to shut out the noise of it which could have been disturbing through the night.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2020

David

5 Star

Quick overnight stay but would love to come back for a weekend. Great hotel and a nice area to explore.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Sep 2020

Will