Hotels Near Gondwanaland in Colchester

We hadn't planned to stay here but I had booked us in at the Stansted Holiday Inn Express on the wrong night so Chrissy at Stansted kindly found us a room for the night at Braintree as we had a early flight the next day. The staff on check in who also cooked and served our food and drink were absolutely brilliant. This hotel seems to have been left behind a bit with any refit as it is very tired and dated however the amazing staff made up for it hence the 4 stars. We'd tried the Toby carvery but they weren't taking walkins probably due to being so busy so we headed back to the hotel to see what they could rustle up for us. Although the menu was extremely limited as quite a lot of items were unavailable (not sure why?) We had spicy wings and soup to start so tasty and wonderfully presented. Followed by a shared toastie and then 2 fab puddings. Full bellies and v.happy thankyou. We were up and about before breakfast but the chap said he would happily let us have a take away coffee and any cold items to take with us as they were complimentary anyway. Overall a good stay.

Having spent yesterday night here , it’s definitely somewhere we’ll visit again. Friendly staff, great location & rooms of the highest order. Whilst being slightly quirky, we personally thought the furniture & room layout was spot on. The rooms are very individual & spotless. We didn’t have breakfast, as we were on a tight schedule but from what we saw it looked excellent

Booked a B&B room for night (as we have 10-15 times before) but was very disappointed. We booked a room (10th May) it was a warm day and on check in was informed they upgraded to a split level room. I have stayed here (room 19) before and was not massively pleased with it. However we accepted checked in went to room and noticed it was very hot put air con on and left card in the room to keep air con on. When we came back to the room the downstairs part was cold ( the thermostat was by the door, and cold) however when going up stairs to bed (in roof eves) it was about 10oC warmer. We gave it a go but was incredibly uncomfortable at about 1.30am I went to reception to ask for a different room to sleep in as the design (thermostat downstairs and room up meant room was always hot). The guy on reception questioned me about the air con if it were on etc. it’s 1.30am I just want a room. He then came up to the room and showed me room 20 the same design and then said it works in there. It’s not the case the air con was not working it’s just the outlet is downstairs makes that nice and cool then switches off (they also limit air con to 19oC) He asked to come into room and as it was cold (where air con thermostat was) he said it was ok. In the end I left it. We did not sleep well at all and when checking out mentioned this. All we got was oh sorry about that. One of the basic things about a room is ability to sleep and you failed here and the failed with your service. We will not be staying here again and will use The George going forward and can’t wait for the Moxy to open up in the town. From someone who has stayed here for 15 times I suggest you book elsewhere

We stayed for just one night as we were having a school reunion nearby, so we didn't try the restaurant. We didn't have hreakfast either, so can't comment on it. The location is easy to find - just off the A12. The staff were very helpful and friendly. Rooms were clean and the bed was comfy. Easy car parking. Exactly what we required.

There is no hair dryer, so be sure to bring your own! !

Quite difficult to find this hotel and a few more signs would be helpful. Having said that we were pleasantly welcomed and shown the way to the Brasserie. Bev, the lady in charge, showed us to our seats and we arranged to have 2 mock tails instead of the Prosecco. No problem with this. The sandwiches, cakes and scones arrived promptly and were very freshly made. The scones were light and fluffy. Bev made a very good job of running the dining room which was very busy considering it was a Wednesday lunchtime. Highly recommend and would visit again.

Chosen for the price I was very pleasantly surprised at the service from the helpfulness of the receptionist to the breakfast prep guys and the cleanliness of the room. Tricky to find but a jewel of a hotel.

This place is fantastic. Really good value for money. The spa is excellent, I had one of the best massages I have ever had. The bar is nice and modern the food for lunch was really nice. The rooms are standard but clean and comfortable. I can’t recommend this place enough for a spa trip. One of the best spas I have been to.