Beautiful place. Lovely welcome. Room was spacious, modern and spotless. Bathroom appeared recently updated and was excellent. Lovely little touches like a little bottle of milk in the fridge, plenty of coffee capsules for the coffee machine and a large bottle of water.

Difficult to find. Unfortunately, the signs to the hotel were not well lit - or not lit at all. Not helpful when you arrive in the dark. The room was very warm; there is a fan but this did make a funny noise when on the higher setting. Also, I did not enjoy the brasserie at all. After reading other reviews, maybe it was just a one off? The soup and the gnocchi were both quite bland. I left 3/4 of the dish. The young waitress just took it away - no question on why I left so much. I did mention it was 'just 'ok' upon paying the bill; and again, nothing was said. The service wasn't great. From the way the head waiter spoke to some of the younger staff, I am not sure if they are in training or apprentices but for me, it was not an enjoyable experience.

The hotel is beautiful, and feels very tranquil and calming. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The rooms were well sized and the beds very comfortable. The hotel is close to the University campus, and close to stunning grounds, perfect for a run or leisurely walk around. The onsite restaurant is very convenient as the hotel is quite a distance from town.

There was no AC and we were staying there whilst it was very hot. There is a ceiling fan and coolers for the rooms provided, the latter being quite noisy and not as effective as AC. The restaurant had a limited menu, especially vegetarian options.

I felt that our cavalier King Charles spaniel was welcome. We tried to take her down to breakfast in the morning. Initially the host told us we were not allowed to bring her in but one of the waiters (I forget his name but he was french) made an area outside for us to eat with our dog. He really contributed to our experience being 5 star, I hope he sees this review.

The host at breakfast told us we weren’t allowed to bring our dog but did not offer us any alternative option, thank god for the quick thinking French waiter who sorted us out.

The room was very comfortable and large. Bathroom was excellent, bed was huge and comfortable, large screen TV (not that I watched it!) and great tea/coffee facility. We ate dinner in the restaurant- superb selection of food and drink, which was all excellent, 4* quality.

It was, for me, a wee bit warm but then I find that in almost all hotels and it was several degrees warmer in England compared to Scotland when I visited. My host at the University, for example, said she thought it was really cold that day :-)

Great hotel, fab stay. Every single member of staff we came across acknowledged us, including the maintenance staff. This really made us feel welcome. I was walking around in my graduation robe and the staff were so lovely giving congratulations and well wishes. The staff are an amazing asset. Breakfast was lovely and they made me veggie breakfast. My husband said his meat breakfast was lovely. Very very clean and comfortable! Excellent location to see Colchester and lovely walk around Uni of Essex. We are at the restaurant and that was delicious and very filling with great service.

it was amazing!

I recently enjoyed a wonderful staycation at Wivenhoe House and were thoroughly impressed. The location was perfect - easy to find and inside the University of Essex, where I need to visit. The house itself is stunning, with a mix of traditional charm and modern touches. My room was spacious and luxurious, with a very comfortable bed and a gorgeous bathroom. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, making me feel welcome and relaxed throughout our stay. I particularly enjoyed the breakfast at the Brasserie restaurant - delicious meals with excellent service. Overall, I had a fantastic experience at Wivenhoe House and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a relaxing and enjoyable getaway. I will definitely be back!

The bus from and to train station is not often and I am not sure about the availability at night. Probably provide a transport to and from train station?

Manager at the hotel was brilliant good at what she does. Answered all our questions arranged a late table for dinner for us. Rooms were very comfortable. Parking right at hand was excellent as well

Restaurant. Night service was maybe a good-, more like a poor. Hard to get anyone's attention. abruptly positioned in an awkward location despite a nearly empty dining room. Food was average. Took forever to get staff attention to close out the bill. I can deal with mediocre food if the service is great. Mediocre food with less than brilliant service...I'll make the effort to eat before arriving next time and forego the breakfast.

The building itself is a special place to me. The place where 2 SAS were based and disbanded. Later, it became 21 (V) SAS in 1947. Seeing it as a hotel feels odd but also good. The rooms and grounds have a lot of space and light. The lounge was nice and peaceful with a good view through large windows.

No double glazed windows, hence noise from people and vehicles in the car park was unwelcomed at 6.30am. Made friends with Marvin the massive spider in the bath. The prebooked breakfast order arrived incorrectly and slightly late. (The errors made me worry that the coffee might not have been decaffeinated). A tea order in the lounge led to a bit of a Fawlty Towers experience.

The room was amazing and we had loads of space. I fell in love with the bath which was brilliant. We both loved the breakfast, the food was amazing. The staff were super friendly and helpful. We both really enjoyed our stay.

The beds weren’t the best. They felt comfy when we first laid on them but both struggled to sleep because of the mattress. I woke up feeling stiff and sore and my boyfriend has hardly slept. This could just be our preference.

It's always a pleasure to stay at the Wivenhoe House. The staff are always friendly and welcoming, and the rooms are always amazing. We have been lucky to have always been placed in the main house, where the rooms have older features. Our room for this stay included massive windows, and a fireplace. As well as a massive bathroom complete with a bath. Breakfast is also always nice, typically being a full English buffet breakfast. With made to order coffees. As this trip was for Christmas the hotel was good beautifully decorated. They also hung a stocking with some gifts on our door Christmas eve night.