Wivenhoe House

The service was very good, and the staff seemed happy to be working there. The old part of the hotel is lovely with beautiful high ceilings and large windows overlooking the grounds. The new part of the hotel is also lovely, very modern and clean. The gardens are nice to walk around and so are the university sports fields and campus. It was the summer holidays when we visited, and I wonder how busy or noisy it gets during term time. It was super quiet when we stayed though. Breakfast was good, there was a choice of cereals and fruit, not a huge choice, but it was enough. The hot breakfast options were good, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, eggs benedict, full English etc. We had breakfast in bed one morning which was perfect. We also ate dinner in the restaurant, not a huge choice on the menu, although it was Sunday and they had 3 roasts on offer which I didn't fancy (although they looked really good), but the food was good – the parsnip soup was very tasty. We had afternoon tea in the old part of the hotel which was very fancy, the servers were superb and the musician playing made the atmosphere great for the occasion. There were so many cakes though, we couldn't eat them all, but we asked for a box and took the leftovers to our room and ate them the following day – so delicious!! The ‘garden wing' room we had was very nice, not massive, but with a good sized balcony overlooking the sports fields. The room was very modern and clean and so was the bathroom. The dressing gowns and slippers were a nice touch. It was advertised as having an Apple Mac and Sky TV, but we just had a TV connected to an Apple TV box with Freeview channels. This wasn't a problem as we didn't come away to watch TV, but it wasn't what we were expecting. The bed was comfy, but the pillows weren't, it would have been nice to have a couple of options (hard, soft etc) even Travelodge offer that. There was no air conditioning in the room, even though it was in the new building. Luckily we could cool down the room by opening the balcony door. There was a fan in the room, but not brilliant, but I had read the reviews and took my own fan which helped with the heat. You can walk into Wivenhoe from the hotel, we went via the train tracks and river, which was really nice, although it took us over an hour. We walked back via the road, which took about 40 minutes. It's a short drive otherwise.

LouiseJ

The drive into the hotel grounds, is very pleasant with many different species of mature trees to view, the University campus grounds are some way off from the hotel and do not interfere in any way with the pleasantries of our stay, as we thought they would do. The exterior and appearance of the building, was everything we thought it would be. We were not kept waiting at reception, as soon as we booked in we were shown to our room, the room we had was a double, spotlessly clean very well kept and exceptionally well appointed I thoroughly enjoyed using the Mac computer. The room had everything that you would expect from a hotel of this standard. We had afternoon tea in the lounge which was a wonderful experience the sandwiches and cakes were divine, the staff who served the tea gave a thorough explanation of all the different cakes and the types of sandwiches that were served. The walk around the grounds and over to the lake was thoroughly enjoyable and the many old and different species of trees could be seen now and enjoyed up close. The evening meal in the brasserie was superb, and no piped music, the restaurant staff attended to our every need, watched over by manager Lionel, a charming host. The breakfast was also served in the brasserie and the choice again was fantastic with hindsight we should have had breakfast on the terrace as it was such a pleasant morning we could have also had breakfast in the room but chose to enjoy the brasserie. Without exception all of the young staff we encountered certainly went the extra mile to make sure our stay was as relaxing and as comfortable as they could possibly make it, they may be young in hotel service but their maturity and the caring attention they showed us, demonstrated a maturity far beyond their years. The manager also took the time to speak with us at some lenght, telling us the history of the building. We both could not think of any way the stay could've been enhanced to improve the quality and the service received we will certainly be returning and look forward to it. Room Tip: Balcony room are very nice and worth the extra.

BobF

Booked a room for our 10th wedding anniversary. The hotel is absolutely amazing, the staff are so well dressed and very friendly. Couldn't do enough for us. Soft fluffy white towels and robes. Our room was lovely, beautiful bed linen and facilities. Our only down side was our room was mega hot, we had the smallest window I'd ever seen on the hottest day. I asked housekeeping for a 2nd fan as I had recently had a head injury (4 days before our stay) and I was very impressed within minutes a 2nd fan was delivered. I would go back but would ask for a room with big windows/balcony. Beautiful breakfast in the morning and was served by a member of the Edge Hotel School, she could see I had an injury and asked if our table was ok or did we want to move somewhere more quiet. This young lady was credit to the hotel. Room Tip: Stunning hotel, If you get hot easily make sure you get big windows/balcony room.

KittsF

I accompanied my husband when he went on a business trip. Room was a decent size. Large comfy bed with balcony overlooking the park. Fairly private but if people look up they will see you. Totally relaxed in this place. Restaurant was good too. Lovely food for the price. Special packages for Sundays. Whilst husband was in his business seminar the staff were very attentive and looked after me very well in the lounge. Felt very much like a lady of leisure. The bonus with this hotel is the staff are all hospitality students at the next door university and are passionate about what they do. Very refreshing and was lovely talking to them about what they wanted to do and where they wanted to work in the future. Highly recommended to anyone who wants something luxurious and special. Stayed May 2016, travelled on business

Happyhippy3

Went to this lovely setting for afternoon tea with friends. The house itself is impressive. We waited in a lounge til our friend arrived. We were greeted and told our table was ready when friend arrived. We were shown to a table window with lovely view and our delicious tea arrived we were asked what sort of tea we preferred. Tasty sandwiches presented on seperate plate served by a very attentive young waiter. The cake stand was filled with fruit & plain scones , macaroons, raspberry choux buns , lemon meringue tarts , raspberry bake well sponges & a little pot of lemon posset. A wonderful selection everything very tasty and well presented. Can't praise the young waiters & waitresses enough. A very reasonably priced afternoon tea in a wonderful place.

GloriaL

The food is a little expensive but you do get a great meal and service. All staff are exemplary and a few of the larger chains should learn from this hotel. In addition, the upgraded rooms has a great balcony and the view is great. On a nice night, it's great to relax outside and enjoy the view (and and beer). The breakfast is at a high level with everything cooked upon order (none of this dried up food from under a heat lamp). The in room macs are a little different buts works really well. The only negative, room was really hot- but the floor standing fans certainly helps.

372E

Went here on a Sunday deal, missus treated me! Very nice room, bathroom and view! Had a three course dinner included, (not particularly to my liking, but different strokes for different folks, it's probably more me being a fussy water, so no minus points there) Ordered breakfast in bed which was promptly delivered at the requested time and was very tasty! Would definitely go again and worth a visit!

RogierG

Attended a friend's wedding and found everything delightful. Character filled older part of the building, alongside lovely garden & terrace and modern function room was ideal for an intimate wedding. Food was fab & the service was spot on. I found the staff helpful, polite and non-intrusive. Overall a pretty great place. Stayed July 2016, travelled with friends

SJH9

Absolutely fantastic location and the service was formidable. The room was much more than we expected and we had an amazing time remembering all those years of study when we used to go to Essex University! Would definitely recommend a visit to anyone!

ElenaD