Essex Hotels

Other Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Travelodge Stansted Bishops Stortford Hotel: Dinning is Expensive here!

by greekcypriot

We spent one night at the Best Western Stansted Manor Hotel coming back from a trip in the Highlands. It is conveniently located just 10 minute drive from the airport.
What excited me most was that the hotel is set amidst 8 acres of woodland and we had the chance to enjoy some walks in the countryside.
The room was spacious and clean with different kinds of amenities that I always seek to find in the resorts I am staying at. There was a high speed internet access which is very important for me, a satellite television, tea coffee making facilities, a mini bar, an iron and an ironing board.
Now, something that I have to state and which I consider a negative is the fact that lunch and dinner are quite expensive here, and if a visitor does not have a car to drive in the nearby city, he feels stuck out here and has no alternative but eat at the hotel. The other negative was the fact that our bathroom was really so very small that we hardly fit out there. I have to state though that it was at least clean.
The reception desk people were helpful, and I can recommend it to other people.

Prested Hall, Feering: Outstanding value for money

by MikeBird

We really struck lucky when we booked a single night, midweek stay at this hotel set in its own extensive grounds on the edge of the village of Feering, south of Colchester. It's conveniently located just off the A12.

The receptionist had said we 'd been upgraded to the superior room and it certainly lived up to its designation. The photo shows the double room. The bathroom was big as well. There was a good range of teas and coffees in the room.

We didn't have time to explore the grounds but we tried out the swimming pool in the leisure centre adjoining the hotel. It was a 20 metre pool with separate steam room and sauna.

There is a bar and a well stocked library. The wood panelling in the reception rooms add an atmosphere of olde worlde luxuriance even though I suspect the hall itself isn't particularly old.

Breakfast offered the usual range of cereals/fruit but the best part were the fresh, locally sourced kippers. They were wonderful.

We had a meal in the restaurant which was very reasonably priced but the portions were not huge so if you're hungry you'd need three courses to make you feel full. Still our two course meal with wines came to only 41GBP which wasn't bad we thought.

All in all for the bed and breakfast the room was £75 which we thought was exceptionally reasonably priced. We would certainly return there

An atmospheric English hotel at very reasonable prices.

Radisson SAS - stansted: An airport hotel...but...

by sourbugger

Most airport hotels are not much more that upmarket knocking shops where bored businessmen kill time cheating on their high maintenance wives before catching a flight to a high powered photocopying covention in cincinatti - but this place is different, and worth considering as a base.

Its best feature is the Central atrium of the hotel is in effect a food court. It is dominated by a Las-Vegas style 'Wine tower'.

The 13 meter high contraption is loaded with thousands of bottles of wine, encased in a glass shell.

When you order a bottle an 'Wine Angel', although I prefer 'Wine Babe', glides up on a system of acrobatic pullies to retireve your desired bottle. The apparatus was origianlly developed for the show at the Millenium dome - at least they have found a good use for it now.

Very theatrical, very Las Vegas, very Kitsch - but great fun.

Marygreen Manor Hotel: Misrepresentation on website

by Daveway69

The website for this hotel shows a 17 century manor hose with excellent grounds. However, the appartments for families are what appear to be ex-council flats. They are not on the grounds of the manor house and are not worth the money. Our first appartment had mould on the walls and we had to be moved twice. The food and drinks are very expensive costing almost £5/pint.

90% of the staff are not British and when I wrote to complain about the apartment misrepresentation, I received a very unprofessional and rude reply from the manager.

For the price you would expect leasure facilates, but there were none at all.

Would never want to stop here again.

No pool, no spa, no leasure facilities.... just expensive.

Oak Lodge B and B: Romantic and conveniently placed

by piglet44

When you arrive at Stansted late at night and you want a place right near the airport to stay, or you have an early flight then Oak Lodge in Takely village is the perfect place.
We booked it from home on the Net and thought it would be hard to find but the instructions we printed off were wonderful. We could not believe the warm welcome we got from Jan and Ron and the lovely surroundings and comfort, so close to the airport.
Thank you !

Charming house and gardens, delicious breakfast and comfortable stay. The welcome was outstanding.

The Crown House: Outstanding!!!

by jkrobert

The Crown House is situated in the idyllic surroundings of Great Chesterford, a small village with plenty of character. This character is extended to the hotel itself which retains its pre-Georgian architecture in all its glory.
Personally i found the service was outstanding. I was a guest at a wedding earlier this year, and had a fantastic day and night. All the staff were working to the highest standard and the General Manager continually went out of her way to ensure the day was perfect.

I would highly recommend both the cuisine and accommodation, for both weddings and for short-breaks.

The Crown House: Awful Manager

by TheG

This hotel is in a lovely building, the rooms are nice, the grounds and the village are pretty and the food is very good. However, I must warn people of my experience. The hotel manager is the rudest person I have ever met. We were there for a wedding and her behaviour towards the wedding guests was completely unacceptable. I would not stay here again if I knew she was still there. She was short with the bride, rude to the guests (including one couple who had their room double booked because of a hotel error! No apology - just excuses - the couple ended up staying at a nearby friend's house), completely unfriendly and a deeply unpleasant person.

Best avoided!! Such a shame, as the hotel itself is lovely, but the manager is so nasty I wouldn't stay there again... :-(

Premier Travel Inn: Not Just In Essex

by johngayton

Premier Travel Inn are a national chain of budget hotels with units situated on the outskirts of most towns in England. Most rooms outside of the main cities cost a standard price (GBP 46.95 at time of writing) and can sleep up to 3 adults. The rooms themselves, whilst fairly spartan, are good-sized, clean, comfortable and have all the basics, such as en-suite facilities, TV, complimentary tea and coffee and toileteries. What they do not have is direct dial telephones though there are payphones in the corridors. Also most of the hotels do not have any dining facities but are usually adjacent to a licensed pub/restaurant owned by the same group, which opens for breakfast and then normal all-day pub hours.

The hotel that I have used on a couple of occasions is situated at Strawberry Field, on the outskirts of Southend and as with most of the group's hotels is easily located and has ample car parking.

As I said these are fairly basic but for an overnight stay are ideal and for small families represent very good value for money. Also because they are no frill then check-in and out are simplicity themselves since nothing can be put on the room's account.

BaysFarm: Bargain and stunning B&B near Stansted Airport

by LauraZ

This bed and breakfast is great if you want to stay overnight so you are close to Stansted airport.

They have an airport flyer rate of £45 per room with a take away breakfast for early leavers and free parking.

The rooms have a TV and DVD player with loads of DVD's there for you to choose fomr. :)

Airport Flyer rate - check in is between 7.30pm and 10.30pm

Airport Transfers are charged separately by the drivers direct at a price of £20 per airport trip.

-Directions:

Take M11 toward Stansted.

Exit at Junction for Stansted Airport and Colchester A120. Follow A120 Colchester Signs (you will pass the airport on your left) Exit A120 at Dunmow South and follow the B1256 signposted Stebbing and Blake House Craft Centre. At the Craft Centre turn left (signs for Gt. Saling - as a land mark this is directly after the Oak Service Garage and Palm Trees Restaurant – you cant miss the 5 meter high flashing palm trees at night).

Follow through to the village and take the 2nd right. (The 1st right is opposite the White Hart Pub, the 2nd is a few hundred yards outside of the village)

Baysfarm is 1 mile up, opposite the turning to the Congregational Church – Please note we do not yet have a sign.

NOTE: ***
It takes 25 mins to drive to the airport not 15 mins as they say.

Cool bathroom!

Private Accommodations!: An Old School Acquaintance from Zambia

by Bwana_Brown

My wife was one of those many thousands of British citizens who spent her early years being brought up in 'the Colonies' - in her case it was Zambia in Central Africa. Over the years and the course of history, these people have scattered to the four corners of the earth, with the prime destinations being UK, Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand. Through a website dedicated to those who had lived in the Zambian town of Luanshya, my wife was contacted by Mike, a long-lost school-mate of hers. Many emails were exchanged over a long period to catch up on history and, once word got out that we were coming to England, we had an invitation to spend an evening at Mike and Irene's house while we were in the area. It turned out to be a great visit, there were so many memories to share from those old African days of the 60's and 70's! Despite the fact that it was the first meeting for most of us, it was as if we had all known each other for ages.

The milkman is unique! Along with the fact that they still home deliver glass bottles of milk in England, he also free-lances as a photographer! Actually, we were just saying our good-byes outside their house, as we resumed our Essex excursions, when he happened by on his regular delivery!

Questions and Answers

Q: Buses from Stansted "Does anybody know if there is a bus service that takes passengers from home to Stansted Airport ? There is one for Gatwick (the..."

A: "Isn't the Gatwick Express the train between London and Gatwick? Anyway, there are some buses from Stansted to Essex, see..."

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