It won’t be long until the fire in our Duchess Lounge will be crackling, the Christmas Tree lights will be twinkling, Georgie will be sporting her festive collar and families all over the world will be reunited. But, judging by the entries in our Guest Book, it seems that people from all over the UK and even farther and wider have already been enjoying some form of reunion at Duke House in 2013, with visitors from Canada, Australia, Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Holland, Belgium, US, Norway, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Kenya, Eire, Bermuda, Qatar, Israel, Serbia, Spain, Brazil and Finland.

With over a third of Cambridge University students coming from overseas we’ve seen our fair share of tearful farewells, happy reunions and graduations. We’ve hosted birthday treats and anniversary celebrations as well as get-togethers and house parties for friends, work colleagues and college alumni, not to mention couples on cultural, romantic or city breaks. Here are some of the comments left by guests who have stayed for one reunion or other.

‘A haven of good taste, warmth and comfort’ (Uzes, France)
‘Wonderful house, great hospitality’ (Vancouver, Canada)
‘A special place for a special weekend’ (Leamington Spa, England)
‘A beautiful oasis, right in the city centre’ (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA)
‘Delicious breakfast, comfy bed, beautiful house’ (Johannesburg, South Africa)
‘Everything heavenly’ (Edinburgh, Scotland)
‘I felt like a Duchess’ (Shellharbour, Australia)
‘Wonderful stay’ (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
‘A lovely jewel’ (Beijing, China)
‘A serendipitous find’ (London, England)