Not bad for Colchester!…read more Being part of the Best Western brand of hotels, it serves as a nice hotel with a lot of character. Walking in, there is a well sized car park for overnight guests and the rooms are of good size. The beds usually don't feature more than a full sized bed, but the bathrooms are quite large and it is very clean. When booking, there is a breakfast option you can choose. The entire hotel has a creaky old English feeling, but it adds to its character. Try it out for size if you're ever in the area! :)

Very old, authentic building. Clean, friendly, comfortable, economical…read more The pub seemed great to us tourists. Pub food was very good and well prepared. We plan to return.

This hotel was absolutely terrible. When we checked into our rooms at the beginning of last month,…read morethere was no air in any of the rooms. I was told that the air had been broken for days and there would be no update on when it would be fixed. The room that I checked into had a broken window. When I asked them to fix the window, they attempted to, but the issue was never resolved. The second night at this hotel, someone attempted to break into my room. The hotel was completely nonchalant about the incident. No one came to my room to take pictures, no one called my room to check on the door or fix anything. The excuse the manager gave me about someone attempting to break into my room was that the person was possibly drunk. They didn't offer to resolve anything and I just did not feel safe.

I almost gave it 3 stars, but I decided to compare against the Park Inn in Telford…read more As there are plus points for this location, again st Telford, and vice versa. The night stay through my company travel agent was £7 more per night than the Telford ,location. The building has already been referred to by the previous reviewer. I had a very good welcome, unfortunately, my travel agent had forgot to inform them of my Club Carlson membership number. This was easily rectified by reception, and my room was upgraded I was offered a bag of sweets to choose from and I mentioned I'd have to select wisely, as it would be the kids eating them. Tomasz said have two instead....as I have two children. Large spacious room overlooking the Southend Pier. Given all the space it was disappoint to find a very small bathroom. I caught my foot on the edge of the door when trying to get access to the shower. There was a bathrobe and slippers available to use. Also had Aircon. Clean iron and ironing board. This scores points given the issues I've had in Telford. A pint of Becks - £3.90 Fillet Steak £20.00 I get 15% off via my Club Carlson card. The dining room was disappointing; very much like a canteen. Limited "specials" menu. Hence for choosing off the standard main menu. No free paper available. I asked whilst in the dining room if they had a paper, and I was shown, via a point, where to get the paper. So up I got and trotted over to get it. Look, customer service is all about customer service..... Get me the bloody paper..... OK I didn't say that, but after 4.75 hours of driving, I wasn't in the best frame of mind. Breakfast: Cold plates. Most of the bacon, sausages were cold. There were deep-fried mushrooms, and similar new potatoes. No fried eggs. Pretty disappointing, and where Telford score points. Took my tea in the bar lounge, and then noticed a few papers in the dining room being put straight. I took one, only to be told that they were for the dining room only. I promised to return the paper. The paper in the bar area was the previous day's. So with my discount my stay cost £86.45. Mainly charming Eastern Europeans serving. Met one Essex woman (newspapers for dining room only). I'd return, but then I'd have to as it is the one chosen by the company.....

This is my Dad's favorite hotel in South End On Sea. I thought I would have liked to stay at the…read moresmall B&Bs around just to really suck in the atmosphere but ultimately here's the low down. Pros Clean Spacious Plenty of parking Ideal location Right on the beach Right next to a pub/restaurant. Friendly Staff Big baths Cons Pricey Basic Generic Vending machine snacks Smaller TV than my laptop Paid wireless Overall i enjoyed the stay being so close to the pub/carvery was great but I think they charged way too much for what I got in the area.

With a great view Premier Inn is a great place to get a sleep, and also have a nice view to wake up…read moreto. The only downside are the odd drunkard who stumbles by at 2am yelling their head off, but you can't hold this against Premier Inn. Their staff are generally helpful, and will assist you if they can.

One of the funnier quotes I have heard from colleagues staying here was It was like the carpet…read moreattacks you! :) This was before they had a bit of a revamp, apparently this is much better now. I have not stayed here, but a lot of people that come for business are booked in here. They are generally happy with the accommodation, but not ecstatic. The bar is OK, however getting someone to help you can be quite difficult. Lots of older people frequent the hotel so it could get surprisingly busy. They also have conference facilities that I have used a few times, nothing to complain about there the rooms can be expanded to fit up to 50 people quite easily.

From the outside its not much to look at but once inside you feel the old Victorian oppulance as it…read morehas a beautiful wood finish, elegant cabinets and clasy touches from room to room. This is Felixstowe's biggest hotel and has 60-70 rooms (of mixed quality as half have been refurbished), an elegant restaurant with piano, a 'library' bar with plush leather seats, a huge hall which can be divided according to your needs and various little rooms and seating areas for you to stop for tea and scones. Everywhere is finished off beautifully, there is ample parking in the rear and a small sunken garden (which would have been a pool a long time ago in order to increase the star rating but the rules changed). This is ideal for weddings, events where you want a sense of occassion and more recently, business meetings. The only issue is the service, when they serve you it's great but with it being so big and 'pokey' its hard to get someones attention, howver once acheived it is fine. There are plenty of bars and a great wine list and the costs, although slightly above average are fine. Room costs are better than you would expect and if you are passing through, visting sons, daugthers, and grand children then treat yourself and try out the Elizabeth.

My partner and I (and our small baby) stayed overnight between Friday 27th and Saturday 28th May…read more2011. I phoned up to book the room just a few days beforehand and they had vacancies (make of that what you will). I paid £69 for their smallest double room which seemed significantly cheaper than the rates being offered elsewhere. The price included all-you-can eat breakfast for two. The first phonecall (where the person on the other end answered with "hello?" prompting me to double-check I'd punched in the right number) set the standard for the rest of my experience. Check in was allowed from 2pm. I arrived shortly afterwards and found, to my dismay, that for a hotel that boasts 24 rooms, the car park had capacity for just six vehicles (and at the time one of these spaces was being used by a staff member). I was told, rather unhelpfully, to park in a bay that required my partner to get out of the car first as the edge of the bay was the wall. It took me ten minutes to park, not because I am a bad driver but because it was so tightly packed that every second I feared I was going to hit another car or run over my partner (thankfully I did neither). The check in staff were friendly enough, although we weren't shown to our room or offered any assistance with our luggage (which considering we had a small baby would have been greatly appreciated). The room itself was nicely decorated and of a good size considering it was a "compact" room. The en-suite had clearly been cleaned thoroughly as it sparkled. The view from our window was less than breathtaking - we overlooked the service corridor (and a large pile of rubbish sacks) and part of the car park. You get what you pay for I suppose. The TV was OK for a hotel TV - we had a few good Freeview channels (although the reception was less than acceptable for a few) and supposedly a DVD player although I couldn't find any instructions of how to use it (same for the high-speed WiFi which is advertised on the website). There was also the usual array of hotel appliances we never use like the trouser press, iron and desk fan etc. The hotel had its own bar and lounge, although we didn't make use of them. They looked well equipped and busy. The hotel was reasonably close to the seafront, although the tricky one way system that surrounds it will leave you scratching your head. The use of a satnav is advised. I was also loathe to go out again as it meant navigating out of the car park (and back in again later), the thought of which really put a dampener on the whole trip. The place was generally quiet by about 11pm, save for a few thuds of people coming up the stairs and fumbling with their keys. I slept quite soundly and the bed was comfortable. The baby slept in the Moses basket we brought from home, although a cot was available had we needed it. Breakfast was served from 8:30am and was good even though the dining room was somewhat cramped. Our table featured a toaster (for what reason I'll never know as none of the other tables had one and I don't even think ours was plugged in). The full English was indeed all-you-can-eat and the food was of good standard. The staff were more than happy to cook more of something when the supply ran out. There was also a selection of cereals, yoghurts and toast. My partner mentioned that she thought the orange juice was watered down and not pure which, if accurate, seems like a slightly underhanded thing to do. I had two issues with breakfast: one was that the staff tended to hover around you and quickly took away plates and cups that we had used which is very off-putting; the other was the time you are allocated to eat. Breakfast begins at 8:30am and you are expected to check out before 10am. I like to take some time over my breakfast, particularly when it's all-you-can-eat and I felt somewhat hurried by it all and didn't have the time to enjoy it as I would have liked. An hour and a half to eat breakfast and pack up and be out of the hotel doesn't seem like a very long time. Then of course we had the nightmare of trying to get out of the car park... All in all, a decidedly average stay. There was nothing major that I can gripe about, just little things that add up and either frustrate or disappoint which can easily sour the whole trip. For the price we paid it was good, although I think next time I'll pay the extra £20 and stay somewhere a little more upmarket.

This hotel is gorgeous. Although it is a bit of a walk from the pier/attractions, etc. it is a…read morelovely walk along the seafront so you don't mind. The hotel has all the amenities, including a spa, the terrace is beautiful, the food is delicious and the staff are very friendly. Our king size, sea view room was large, clean and had everything we could have asked for. Why then am I giving it only 2 stars? Due to our schedules, my husband and I very rarely get out of London and we were only able to have a 3 day break, meaning our second day was our only full day. We planned to sleep late, mabey order room service, basically just enjoy one lazy, romantic morning. Unfortunately they were renovating the room next to ours and extremely loud drilling, hammering etc. started early. Finally I called reception and they apologized and said it would stop immediately. It did not. 30 minutes later I called again. Again they apologized and, eventually it stopped but by then it was too late for us to enjoy our relaxing morning as we were up and cranky. I spoke with the people at the front desk, who promised it would not happen the next day, but since we were checking out that day it wasn't going to be the relaxing morning we were in need of. I understand things like this happen but, although they apologized, they offered us nothing. I worked in hospitality for years and, if something like that were to upset one of my guests I would have, at the very least, comped something as a way to show the business was sorry. I am not saying a free night or something that major, just something small as a token. We had dinner on their terrace, drinks at their bar and room service, they had many options. Sadly, although I would rave about the actual hotel, that one major disappointment means I can not fully recommend them.

Great place to have a nice meal in the sun, although I do think its a bit expensive for self…read moreservice at the bar for outside seating The inside dinning area is a bit more of a posh affair with v nice food, but still on the tad pricy side for what you get. Cocktails are good (when they mix the one you actually ordered, on one occasion it took me a couple of attempts to get the correct cocktail) Overall, food good, wine list good, cocktails good, great location on a sunny day and people are friendly. I just don't think the self service for outside seating and getting your own drinks warrants the high-prices - although I'm sure it won't stop me going there - I'll just think of other options first

Not sure why the ratings are so low for this place. I've…read morebeen many times and always had an enjoyable experience, a real example of how to do 'pub with food & rooms' Dining room is excellent, great lighting, layout and atmosphere. I've stayed in the rooms and cool, fresh and 'sea side' in a modern way, recommended, especially the sea views. The bar is buzzy, warm and inviting, doesn't detract from the dining room but adds to the overall atmosphere. Of course, in the summer, the terrace is the place to be with wonderful, uninterrupted views of the sea. Took a trip up on my return to the UK and wasn't disappointed this evening, a changed menu but some excellent additions (although damn it, I miss the cheese straws and pigs'n'blankets as starters..) Shared baked halloumi, on a bed of of artichokes and chestnuts for starters. We both decided to go for the wonderful air cured gammon steaks with chargrilled pineapple and a selection of delectable side dishes - the gammon was really outstanding, been a long time since I've eaten gammon and this was terrific. Finished with apple crumble and custard for me, and a modern twist on Black Forest gateaux for her...both really rich, and delightful ways to end a lovely meal. I do hope some more customers rate Fludyers higher than it currently is...it's worth it!

The Fluders has recently been refurbished and the garish colour schemes have finally gone. In its…read moreplace is a much more neutral and welcoming pub with exceptionally friendly staff. Located on the sea front in old Felixstowe it boasts amazing views from its front conservatory with large windows. And being slightly further away from town you will find that it's not as rammed as the other sea front pubs. The menu is good and the specials are frequently changing meaning there is always something new to get your teeth around. The pub is separated into two areas, one with is very 'pub like' with a pool table, creaky wooden chairs and blackboards and the other is slightly newer with netting on the ceiling to give it that 'fisherman's' feel. Highly underrated pub that serves all day and if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the high street, take a walk to old Felixstowe and stop in for a bite.

Was staying in Colchester during our trip to London and wanted to do high tea last minute. My uncle…read morewas able to book at the Wivenhoe even though they required a reservation at least 48 hours in advance. The hotel was lovely and we absolutely enjoyed our tea experience. The ambiance was cozy and tables were pretty spread out. I loved the Tiptree jam that they provided and their scones were the best I've had. There were a couple of menu options, including vegan, and it was pretty filling. Their dessert plate was very interesting and we enjoyed the different chocolate decorations on the pastries. A lovely place to have tea.

Description of the hotel in general: - four star luxury…read morehotel near Colchester- surrounded by beautiful parkland, forests and quiet lakes - located near the campus of the University of Essex; only few minutes from Colchester, Britain`s oldest recorded town (10 min) - part of the hotel is an eighteenth century Grade II listed house, the other part is a new construction - the hotel offers a modern, award-winning brasserie open every day and a traditional afternoon tea served in elegant lounges in the main house Rooms: - free WiFi and parking area - had a room in the newly constructed part of the hotel: elegant and modern style, nice bathroom - nice view to the parkland, a terrace also belongs to the room - however, the room is not really spaceous - iMac computer for television/radio/internet in the room - tea and coffee making facilities - price: 305 GBP/2 nights/double room (breakfast included) Restaurant: - 2 different restaurants: Signatures restaurant serves traditional cuisine; Rosette brasserie restaurant in the garden wing serves creative dishes - did not try any of the restaurants for dinner, only for breakfast - breakfast: buffet very small (not too much choice); breakfast can be upgraded (with costs) - service okay but not too well educated for the standard the hotel pretends Service: - service at the reception was friendly but also not too well educated (three people are busy with checking in one guest) - questions about next bus stop etc. could not be answered by the staff at the reception Conclusion: Nice hotel (not as good as a four star hotel in London for example) but too expensive for the service offered and the room size! (for me it is between 3 and 4 stars because of the high price and more pretending to be than offering great service)