Hotel berhampiran The Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum, Colchester

I just wanted to thank you for such a positive experience that I had at your establishment yesterday evening. (01/06/2023) I arrived with my mum, the staff at the initial reception greeted us, explained which directions to take and told us to enjoy our stay. At the spa reception the staff member was warm, informative and professional. She took our details and confirmed the package that I had purchased. Again she wished us a pleasant stay. We used the delightful facilities, I had been worried that I hadn’t booked a treatment but it was so lovely to catch up with my mum in the warm, relaxing and calm environment that has been created. We then took our time having a fabulous shower, using the products that were readily available before we headed to the bar for a drink. Again, the staff here were smart and professional. We settled down in the bar and then ambled around the corner to the restaurant. We were greeted here by a lovely blonde lady, I’m assuming the restaurant manager, who showed us to our table, lighting our lamp and again wishing us a wonderful evening. Looking at the menu, I was a little concerned that there wasn’t anything that I was ‘WOWED’ by. We both (myself and my mother) opted for the tomato and basil soup, I had the pork chop and mum had the chicken. The soup was hot on delivery and so flavourful. The bread accompaniment was absolutely delicious, I would have liked another. We tore it and dolloped large amounts of the delicious butter that came with it. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Our mains then arrived, my mum said that her main was delicious, she was particularly enamoured with the sauce and is hoping that my husband might be able to emulate it. My pork was absolutely delicious, succulent, well seasoned and both of us commented on the large portions we received, this was totally unexpected. For dessert, I had gelato; hazelnut, chocolate and vanilla. Very nice and quite light after my big meal. My mum commented that “this is the best sticky toffee pudding I’ve had in a very long time!” The highest compliments to the chef(s)! I must give a special mention to the waitress, she did give her name but I’m afraid I forgot what she said. She was fabulous, a bubbly personality and ensuring that everyone was happy in her section. She had to work really hard with one couple, so definitely earned her wage last night! She had dark hair, was her name Suzanne? Even when leaving the night receptionist was lovely and helpful when we handed in our locker bracelets. It was an experience that you don’t want to end. The staff could definitely teach other establishments in the area about customer service, it was so refreshing to have all staff members so confident and accommodating. Thanks so much and hopefully we’ll be back to see you soon.

First thing I noticed was the excellent friendly service at the front counter. This service continued at breakfast the next morning, which was very nice - it was a menu-style breakfast where you order a breakfast you would like. Breakfast with salmon had a small supplement. The room was mostly okay, although there were some stains on the bedsheet. Inclusion of earplugs was a nice touch as it is on the main road - I happen to like the city noise, but ended up using them to block out the noise of the fan (there is no air conditioning). The bathroom had nice toiletries although we noticed that the cold tap ran hot for quite a while before it got cold. Overall the stay was fine, but with lots of hotels available in Colchester it wouldn’t be my first pick to return.