THE APARTHOTEL: This new complex of 180 modern, spacious apartments, from Edyn’s aparthotel brand Locke, is in a newly-built sustainable district, called Eddington, two miles northwest of Cambridge city centre (15 minutes by bike). It’s set around a large, partly-covered courtyard that feels quite tropical thanks to a lawn, palms and other greenery in pots in various shapes and sizes. The 150-room Hyatt Centric Cambridge is on the opposite side of the courtyard and the two share an independently-run restaurant, Kota, and a bar, Dutch. There’s also underground parking for £15 a night, 200 bike spaces and 20 EV charging points.
Edyn holds up Turing Locke as an exemplar of sustainable living. The building is certified BREEAM Excellent. On-site renewable energy sources feed excess energy into the local grid and there’s also responsibly-sourced furniture, lighting and timber, a communal under-ground recycling system and the landscaped courtyard boosts local biodiversity
THE CHECK-IN: A cute reception desk sits in the middle of a funky, industrial-style co-working space. We were warmly greeted by Des, who was our super-friendly, super-efficient contact for the rest of our two-night stay. Communication with Des was mainly via WhatsApp. She booked us taxis, sorted out our bikes (stored on site) and told us where to find the cutlery (fyi it’s in a draw in the cupboard underneath the oven). The front desk is manned at all times but our keycards also gave us 24-hour access.
THE APARTMENT: Our two-bedroom apartment, on the second floor, was big enough to host a party. A bright open-plan living area had a well-equipped kitchen down one side, a sofa, dining table and a large flat-screen smart TV, which shows all the info about the property and contact details for the front desk. A large L-shaped balcony links the living space with the two double bedrooms and looks out over the leafy courtyard. Bedrooms have ample wardrobe space and the bathroom has a double sink and large walk-in shower.
THE BUSINESS: The lobby doubles as a work or meeting space with communal desks/tables and private alcoves and natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows. There are two separate meeting rooms, each seating 14 and which can be joined together. Sometimes these are used for guest activities, such as yoga workshops.
THE FACILITIES: Dutch is a classy, New York-style bar with a colourful cocktail menu (Mezcal is the speciality). The staff are young, enthusiastic and know their stuff. It’s a popular late-night spot for locals too. At Kota we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of sour dough with crushed avocado. Unusually, there’s no breakfast buffet – just à la carte. We hired bikes (for free) and there’s a mini gym. This area is also great for running and the concierge at the nextdoor Hyatt can provide maps for a nice 5km route.
THE VERDICT: A fabulous, sustainable aparthotel complex that’s fit for a Motown queen, literally. We stayed during The Cambridge Club music festival and discovered (from fellow guests) that the headline act, Diana Ross, was staying at Turing Locke too – in the same corridor!
THE DETAILS: 47 Eddington Ave, Cambridge CB3 1SE, lockeliving.com From £100 a night
Bev Fearis
