Have stayed here several times for its convenience as a great location for a stay in Colchester - right in the heart of the high street. I have always been very happy but on this occassion we left before sunrise & skipped the breakfast we had paid for. Had it not been for having had a few drinks, we would have in fact left in the middle of the night.
Its an historic hotel with charm but it is what it is, old & lacking mod cons. Not a problem at all normalky but on this ocassion we had a room facing the High Street. The noise from happy party people, the pub which was open into the wee small hours, people waiting on buses & taxis was relentless & it was impossible to sleep one wink. I accept a High Street hotel in any city, particularly a builing of this age will not be soundproof but you could hear word for word peoples conversations in the street below.
More significant though was a barely tepid shower as the water just never heated up. Additionally the room was not clean. There were cobwebs & dust in the beams & the bed was just awful. The divan base was splattered with some sort of liquid, possibly some blood. The matress had springs almost ready to pop out & my partner had an awful back ache as a result & could barely drive us back home pillows ( 2 squashed into one pillowcase each) were too big & lumpy.
Ill stop there as you get the drift. Dont be put off stsying but do make sure you dont get a room at the front. We will only stay again in a room at the
back