The location of the hotel was very central: being about a 15 minutes walk into the centre and a 40 minutes walk to the train station. The building itself was very pretty and old: the downstairs conference rooms used to be a prison! We loved the historical asoects. We would have liked to stay in the older section of the hotel. But we had a nice spacious room in the new part. Breakfast was nice too with lovely cereal and cooked breakfast served in an airy and light room. We liked the kettle with tea bags and milk in the room. The fan was useful too! Staff we met were very friendly and courteous.

We wished that breakfast was included in our rate! We paid an extra £12 pp pn for it. The rate rises if you pay in the morning of the breakfast. When we entered our room after check-in, we noticed some dry orange-coloured nuts scattered inside and outside of our room on the carpet. We are surprised that these were missed in cleaning as they were very colourful. These remained unsweetened throughout our two night stay. The toiletries were a bit fiddly to open with wet hands as they had the old-style foil covers. We had to ask for more as only one set was provided for a double room. There is no air con and rhe window didn't open. But fortunately there was a fan we could use. The ventilation after the shower was used was poor.

The property is a delightful heritage mansion in the middle of Colchester. The creaking of wooden floors feels antique. The staff was helpful - checked us in late evening and combined my two back to back bookings with a single room assigned at check in (this request was denied initially over mail). So full marks to the receptionist who checked us in. The bar serves good, cold beers and the feeling matches that of sipping in an old tavern. The room was comfy though a little smallish. Kettle and tea, coffee supplies were adequate. Given the hot summers, they provided a table fan which was a welcome addition - we had to use it all the time we were in the room. The daily housekeeping was great. There is ample free parking on the property. The receptionist (different one) was very helpful in suggesting a breakfast place nearby.

I made two back to back bookings for 2 and 1 nights. I requested (through booking.com message) to allow us continuous stay so that we dont have to check out and check in for these two. This request was surprisingly denied with an offer to hold our luggage between check out of one room and checkin of the next. Thankfully the receptionist remedied that. Apart from this blooper which happened even before we reached there, everything was great.

The room was comfortable and clean. The receptionist was helpful. The waitress allowed me to take bowls and cutlery for us to wat pur in breakfast.

But there was toilet paper in the bowl when I first looked. Toilet seemed clean. Maybe flush not strong enough. Also the entrance hallway was covered in dirt and leaves. Possible due to gap under the door. There was a dirty mark on the sofa in the annex entrance. My parents said the people above them were noisy after midnight, and I informed reception in case they were staying. The rooms were very hot, with no air-conditioning.

The main hotel area is beautiful, with oak beams and traditional decor (it was built in the 14th century). The staff were very friendly and attentive and went out of their way to help (the girl on the bar said it was her first day but seemed to be doing very well). The room was clean and comfortable and quiet, with very fluffy towels in the bathroom and free mini toiletries. Breakfast is a choice of cold buffet (cereals, bread/cheese and deli meat, selection of fruits and yogurt) or table service for a choice of full English breakfast, smoked salmon and eggs, or eggs benedict. The hotel is about a half-hour walk from the city centre, or 2-3 minutes away from a regular bus service which will get you there in 15 minutes.

The room was in an annexe with generic modern decor and furnishings, which was very slightly disappointing after the gorgeous Tudor public areas of the hotel. Some of the handles seemed loose and the lock on the bedroom door was a little fiddly - nothing was broken, but it needed some minor maintenance. (They thanked us for letting them know.) If you can choose what to include/exclude from the full English breakfast, this is not made clear - though they did honour my request to remove black pudding from mine. The hash browns were the best I've ever tasted!

Reception staff, Ramona very helpful, especially around room change. Continental breakfast very good. Bedroom large and warm. Bed comfortable

It would be extremely helpful if there was local information in the room, particularly about buses that go into the centre as staff had no knowledge of a bus stop a few yards away from the hotel !! we spent 50 minutes waiting for a bus only to learn tfrom a passerby that hey did not run on Sundays. The central heating was on all night which was uncomfortable and ecologically extremely wasteful. In the first room we occupied (206) an electrical wire to the table lamp next to the bed was frayed, the towel rail was not working and there was an appallng noise early in the morning from a boiler in a cupboard in the corner of the room-hence the room change.

Beautiful old building both outside and inside Friendly check in Large room In room tea and coffee always welcome Decent shower Really nice breakfast in a nice setting. it was really hot and luckily there was a fan in the wardrobe which was needed.

Lighting was poor especially in the bathroom - even with the mirror lights I was shaving from memory One packet of 2 biscuits for a double room was a bit tight to be honest!! Long way from railway station ( but I knew this before booking ) No aircon

Since we were a family of five, we had to book two rooms. It would have been even better if there had been a room for all five family members or if the rooms were next to each other. The large family room did not have any USB charging ports, while the single (or double) room did have USB ports. It seems that family usage may not be very common, and business usage might be more prevalent. For breakfast, we enjoyed a full English breakfast. It was great that we could order only what the children wanted, so my daughter ordered just hash browns, and they were very accommodating with that. Very nice staff!

We didn’t have breakfast so I can’t comment on that, but the building was stunning, the location was perfect, the staff were amazing and couldn’t do enough to help. And as a bonus, although they didn’t serve evening meals, we got a take away and we were happily provided with plates and cutlery to eat it in lounge, which was a beautiful touch. The bar person even poured the perfect pint of Guinness! The amenities in our room, especially the coffee machine and biscuits were a lovely touch, and although our shower tray was leaking, they were straight on it and had it fixed. We will definitely be coming back. My partner and I would get married there if it wasn’t so far away.

Nothing.. everything was amazing.

Fantastic location and historic hotel, full of history and quirks an old building like this has. The breakfast was superb and the bar at night was comfortable and with an atmosphere which suited the age and style of the hotel. Car park with lots of space.

The room though clean and comfortable, was in the new part of the building with a door which led on to the street, making it noisy and didn't have the feel the rest of the hotel gave you. Hotel reception staff though again nice, were not overly chatty or welcoming.

Lovely helpful and friendly staff on reception. There was one particular young lady but I dont remember her name that really was so helpful and kind. Very good value for money. Lovely big bath and plenty of hot water. Linen was clean. Plenty of coffee/ tea etc . Location was perfect..

The bathroom was tired and missing tiles all around the bottom of the wall. The radiator in the bathroom was dirty and dusty and the plug holes and around taps etc could do with an extra scrub.. The mattress felt old and slightly uncomfortable. Door to bathroom could do with a clean especially around the handle.