We spent one night at the Helen Hotel while visiting a friend in Cambridge. We chose the hotel because 1) we thought it was near her college, but it wasn't--our fault! --2) because it had free parking for our rental car, and 3) it was affordable. In the end, there wasn't anything wrong with this hotel, but there wasn't anything special about it, either. I think the desk staff upgraded our room--she called it "bigger", and it had a full size and twin bed (we only needed the full size) but it was still quite small, and on the 3rd floor with no elevator. Linens and bed were fine, and there was plenty of hot water. Our room had a big fan, which made us think that it would be hot in the summer, but although we kept the window open all night, we definitely didn't need any cooling. Breakfast was the standard "full english", no surprises there. A couple of "cons": 1) the hotel is on a fairly busy street--a main thoroughfare into Cambridge proper. 2) It's not *in* Campridge proper, but rather a 20 minute walk along this busy thoroughfare to get to the interesting bits. I think that with some attention to decor, this could be a very nice boutique hotel that compensates for the deficits of a busy street and no elevator, but as it is, I wouldn't make a return reservation.
- Helen Hotel Cambridge
