Best Western The Rose And Crown Colchester

The history of the hotel.

We were in the car park annexe which isn't a problem apart from the fact that the room was very cold and the bed mattress were lumpy. The annexe bedrooms need a refurbishment. There isn't a restaurant, you order your food from the bar and dine in the bar. Breakfast finishes early, we went into the breakfast room before finishing time and everything had been taken away and the tables had been cleared. It is for this reason that we decided to find breakfast and evening meals elsewhere, which is a shame for the owners and business however very good for their rival restaurants.

We liked the olde worlde atmosphere and the beer garden. The staff in reception and the bar/restaurant were friendly and courteous. Car parking is convenient and there is an overflow car park a short walk away if it's busy.

We knew it was located a little outside the city centre but beware there is a fairly steep walk to the centre. The weather was warm and consequently, the room was a little too warm at night. The big problem was the temperature of the en suite shower room. It was so warm in there at any time of day that you couldn't get dry after a shower. There was a fan in the wall which seemed to be blowing air into the room. There was dust in the vents which was blown out and on to our belongings from time to time. These things were mentioned to reception but nothing was done to remedy them. This experience alone would make it unlikely I stayed there again. We decided to try the hotel restaurant for our evening meal on the Sunday and opted for the Sunday roast. I have no hesitation in saying that it was the worst restaurant meal I have had for years. The beef was tough and everything else was overcooked. Enquiries revealed that they only make that meal at lunchtime so ours had been kept warm for hours or warmed up. They offered compensation - a free dessert!