Dragonfly Hotel Colchester

Breakfast was ok and the room was a decent size.

Paid for early check in and was given the key to check in only to discover the cleaners in my room and had to wait about half an hour in the lobby for it to be ready. No air con in the rooms and not very clean.

The true standout of this hotel is its incredible staff. Operating under what was clearly a demanding workload with limited hands on deck, the team’s dedication to guest satisfaction never wavered.

As a repeat guest who has spent many weeks at this property over the years, it is frustrating that the housekeeping service has never improved. Requests are consistently ignored. To highlight the level of neglect: during my latest 11-day stay, the sheets on my bed were not changed a single time despite asking. It is disappointing that a hotel I have frequented for years continues to allow such poor standards in room care.

Much nicer than a premier inn. Very friendly helpful staff Amazing bed

Sadly the light didn't work on the table and the room poorly lit

The reception / bar staff was excellent.

The hot breakfast wasn't great, especially the scrambled eggs.

Great car park easy access rooms staff really nice. All rooms and facilities were very clean, did was great as well. Thanks all Nigel.

Nothing to dislike will be going again next year.

Good food lots of choice

Booking .com should of information me this hotel offers 30% off for blue light card as hotel had signs in reception

Nice and quiet in the evening

We were told by booking.com to book for your meal in case of disappointment, there is no cooking on the premises. On the Friday we had to go out and find a local pub which was very nice

All staff helpful, polite and friendly. Plenty of hot water for showers. Room comfy

Hall carpets not clean. Room was very warm although the fan helped a lot.

Personnel souriant

Pas de wifi dans la chambre au bout d'une aile, toutes les lumières allumees/éteintes par un seul interrupteur y compris table de nuit. Pas de nettoyage de la chambre malgré la demande faite, pas de brosse pour nettoyer le WC, tables du restaurant non nettoyées, bref tout est fait pour que le confort du propriétaire soit pris en compte, pas celui des clients. A éviter.

Good quality hotel for a resaonable price. Hotel is clean and modern.

Hot breakast was faily poor quality, but continental offered good qualitya nd choices. A single hot drinks machine felt inadaequate for a hotel that size. Rooms appear nice qulity, but some small details were poor eg raw plugs still visible where a raiator had been moved, black marks in chower where something like a soap dispenser holder had been. Staff were friendly, but there were mostly no staff visible at breakfast.

Good breakfast

The security for this hotel is a joke..undesirable people hanging about..hotel door security was not applied..smart card operation not used..doors left open..anybody could have walked in and done whatever they liked.the wife felt unsafe....

Spacious lobby, dining and communal relaxation areas.

I was moved twice due to shower not working in first room, toilet flush not working in second room. Had to move back to first room after repair of shower. Window did not close in this room so could not sleep as I could hear people talking all through the night. Eventually got up and left for home at 4 am!

Quite location ,room good value and clean. Okay for going to Colchester on park and ride. Easy access to hotel,parking was good.

Breakfast had a choice but quality of bread was poor. Jams were also a cheap and poor quality. Tables needed to be cleaned better felt sticky. Did not eat a main meal here.

Kelly on reception

Breakfast hot food time restriction missed Sunday morning as after 9

Frühstück war in Ordnung, immer wieder lustig was Briten unter Kontinentalen Frühstück verstehen. Aber eigentlich war alles gut

Das Kontinentale Frühstück

Staff at check in were very helpful.

Flashing/broken light outside the room was very annoying disrupted sleep. Also emailing a blue light discount code after we’d paid and then not letting us use it was annoying. The travel cot also had an incredibly thin mattress

The room was average, good bathroom facilities

Wasn’t clean Poor food choices at breakfast no hot food or croissants left Uncomfortable bed

Friendly & very helpful staff , very welcoming too

There was not anything that we did not like , we was very satiety the hotel

The rooms was clean the small chair in room needed a good clean . The bar area didn’t smell nice an the lounge area needs a good clean

Lovely hotel very friendly staff, very clean, beds were so comfortable. Good location to get around, the shower was amazing.

At breakfast time there were 2 men who came down both mornings i was there and kept taking food and filling up there bag they took loads of plastic cups tea coffee sugar and milk they took all the porridge pots fruit, yoghurts and pastrys there was not any staff around at the breakfast time to stop them

The staff couldn't do any more to make your stay wonderful, the included breakfast was lovely and hot nice sausages and the bacon was nice and meaty ( not cheap thin bacon). The rooms are a nice size, and the plug sockets have USB ports as well. Nice soft towels in the bathroom, a very handy iron and ironing board in the room and hairdryer.

The bed wasn't very comfortable we woke up with sore hips and stiff backs. A very minor thing ,the bathroom is a small size but your able to do what you need to do. The door to your rooms close very slowly.

The room was HUGE. Much larger than I was expecting. Very comfortable, grateful for the TV near the bed.

Nothing, it was a lovely stay

Room was very hot, making it uncomfortable to sleep. No air conditioning. Window fitted with locked restrictor only allowing window to open a maximum 75mm at the bottom of a top hung window. Not enough ventilation to cool room down before trying to sleep. Window faced onto busy and noisy A12 trunk road, couldn't therefore leave window open. No staff visible at breakfast time and very limited choice available.

Ive stayed at the Dragonfly Hotel, Colchester during Colchester Pride Weekend for the last 3 years. I have written praising staff and facilities and its familiar and friendly and has up to now been a joy to stay in. Its peaceful at night and the beds are comfortable.

I hope that what I encountered this year was simply a blip. I did overhear that they are currently experiencing some challenges with staff for the mornings. There was a young lady possibly a manager who manned the bar on Saturday evening and cleared breakfast on Sunday. She worked tirelessly and with good humour and politeness and deserves praise and support from higher up. What really brought my scores for this trip.down were experiences at breakfast. Of the three mornings I stayed the single coffee machine only produced coffee once. The first morning it was explained there were no.other options and the single member of staff in the dining room said they would attend to the problem but showed no further inclination or evidence of doing so and simply carried on clearing the hot buffet away. No effort to explain if there was any other option. And frankly once located the instant coffee was a very unsatisfactory alternative. My other gripe is that hot buffet offering is sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and beans. Cold option mini croissants and mini pain chocolat. Yoghurt. Orange juice and chilled water. I personally feel this menu to be unattractive and utilitarian. I dont remember feeling so aggrieved about breakfast when I stayed last year.. so what is actually going on? Come on Dragonfly !! Dont let your standards drop.

Ontbijt was prima. Het restaurant was gesloten maar personeel wees op een geschikt reataurant in de buurt. Het hotel is slecht te bereiken op een fiets . Het ligt russen grote snelwegen in

Nvtheerlijj

Breakfast well it wasn't. When I arrived most of the buffet was missing the crucial ingredients - food! The scrambled egg looked like it had been there for a week, the beans looked like they had been reheated 20 times. Bacon was tough and the sausages weren't very nice. Very very disappointing. I waited for 30 minutes for more food to arrive but none did, during which time I saw one employee, the hotel obviously has a problem that needs to be sorted.

Nice and clean. Good clean white linen. Nice simple breakfast. Staff were nice. Secure parking. Good for lone travellers

No one ever answers the phone

Prima hotel voor een overnachting voor de overtocht Harwich. De ligging is ideaal: vlak naast de snelweg en op minder dan 30 minuten rijden van de haven. Wij hadden twee kamers met twee losse bedden. De kamers waren netjes en schoon en de bedden lagen goed. Het ontbijt begint al om 06.00 uur, wat ideaal is als je een vroege boot moet halen. Het restaurant is een aanrader met een ruime menukaart en redelijke prijzen. Al met al een prima hotel voor een overnachting als je de volgende ochtend vroeg met de boot vanuit Harwich vertrekt.

Er is geen airconditioning, maar wel een ventilator aanwezig.

De locatie, dichtbij De ferry van Harwich

Erg warm binnen. Nergens airco, ventilator bij de receptie aan. En er stond een ventilator op de kamer

Clean rooms, comfortable bed, lovely white towels. Breakfast was basic but good. Good value for money.

Understaffed. Praises go to Kelly appeared to be running the ship single handed. She deserves a pay rise.

De dame bij de receptie, bijzonder sympathiek en behulpzaam. Helaas was deze dah het restaurant gesloten. De bar was open en de ruimte is gezellig. Het bed was comfortabel. Prima hotel.voor een overnachting.

Het hotel is wel.gehorig , vooral als de andere gasten met de deuren smijten en gesprekken is de gangen voeren.

Well situated, queit location. Rooms are fine, staff very nice ( especially Nathan). Will be back...

Nothing

The room was very clean and adequate although no shelves.

Then breakfast was unedible. The scrambled egg was solid and grey and the bacon could not be cut. Dinner was not much better lith being told it would take at least 30 minutes as only one chef on duty - only 5 tables to serve!

The hotel looks tired. Few staff on duty when we arrived, had to wait 15 minutes for a drink.

De locatie.

Good location,clean room,clean bathroom and good staff 👍

The cooked breakfast was meant to finish at nine we went before nine there was nothing left.The continental breakfast was also short in some items.The staff serving breakfast was not fast enough to check what's needed.

Clean and well maintained. Staff were great. Nice bar

Breakfast is hit and miss. Keep running out of eggs and beans and take ages to refill. Orange juice is always empty. One morning all tables were covered in dirty dishes so had to clear some space to sit

Hotel great staff good food great.

N/A

Gezellige plek

De warmte. Kan het hotel niets aan doen.

Budget. Nice bed,clean

Breakfast included but pretty basic and sparse. As things ran out slow to restock

Not much, one helpful and lovely staff member who listened to my concerns and cooked myself and my kids a warm breakfast after everything was finished.

I was told food will be served until 8:45 for dinner, went downstairs and was told dinner was already closed before 8:45, no lift put on the 2nd floor with a 1 year old whilst I had luggage and a Puschair. Fan in hotel room was very dirty and dusty. Shower curtain was absolutely filthy , needs to be changed. Breakfast was all finished by 9am with no cooked breakfast left, all the tables in the breakfast area was all dirty and not been cleaned after people had left, had to tell someone to clean a table before we could sit. Definitely won’t be visiting this hotel again, definitely not worth the money.

Close to port

The location was close to office, I was travelling for work purposes

Cleanliness. Staff or lack of. One member of staff covering bar, waiting tables and doing check ins. This meant long waits when my room key stopped working multiple times, and at initial check in. Room carpet was practically moving around by itself it was so dirty.

Uncomfortable bed plus empty shampoo bottle. Only one little fan despite being 32 degrees.

It was good location Decent rooms and beds . Breakfast was OK

No food served in the evening

Good clean hotel

A little out of town but fine for our purposes

Pleasant welcome Excellent breakfast Beautiful views around

Quietness

No aircon and breakfast limited

Ideaal adres om te overnachten als je van de veerboot in Harwich komt. De kamers zijn basic en wat outdated, maar schoon. Het ontbijt is eenvoudig, maar prima. Verder is het heel handig dat je je auto kunt opladen.

Alles was prima.

Easy access to main roads

There didn't seem to be any form of management on the ground. We arrived at 1700hrs for check in and there was no one at reception. We rang the bell for 10 minutes and then rang the hphone line and no one was answering. We went to the bar to get assistance and there was on one to assist. Eventually, after 30min wait staff from the Kitchen assisted. On Sunday, continental breakfast was clearly indicated to be served until 1000hrs and hot breakfast until 0900hrs, however, when we went for breakfast at 0930hrs the restaurant was already closed and food cleared. This hotel really needs to review their processes and how its managed

Bien placé, chambres confortables, bar et restaurant disponibles, staff très agréable

Manque de personnel, la personne à la réception doit aussi gérer le bar et le service à table… dommage pour les clients et pour le staff aussi…

The breakfast was an improvement on our previous visit. Staff were very friendly and helpful

The room was extremely hot (no air conditioning) but it was a time when the weather was exceptionally hot.

The location was ideal as we were at a wedding locally, the room was spacious and had a comfy sleep

The breakfast could have been better, did not like the english breakfast and finished at 9am

Staff friendly and helpful. Good location for our visit, like the overall layout and buildings. Good menu and food/drink fairly priced.

There was a smell from the pipes/drains in our bathroom The staff are overworked and need more support The food wasn't as good as my last stay, probably due to it being busy and being understaffed.

The location suited us.

We were not happy with the service when we arrived was not greeted in a happy atmosphere. You had one member of staff running the whole of the hotel e.g reception desk. Bar, ordering your food and also dealing with queries. We also had to change the room we had cob webs in the bath and all over the shower. We had no glasses for us to drink water in. We had no aircom no fridge in the room looked like it had not even been cleaned.

Rooms similar to premier inn. More than adequate for a one night stay. Dining area a bit shabby eg tables past there best along with toaster only half working. Walkway areas and general seating areas good. Note you have to pay for car parking !

Dining area a bit run down

Check-in good and did good job , there is simply not enough staff.Friday night no food at all . Saturday 1 member of staff on reception , the bar , the waiter and cleaner. At least 4 groups left to walk 5 mins up the road to another bar / restaurant where the food and staff exceed expectations. Sunday as advertised brekkie is 6-10 BUT only 7-9 for hot food . At 8:50 the egg was removed and no more brought out. 9 am the rest of the hot food taken away . The hot food that was available was hot but overcooked . In general the company need to help the staff do what they could clearly do but need more hands to do what they do well

See above

Het bed was heel fijn.

Weinig verlichting

Good value

No sockets next to the bed so had to charge phones on the back wall The pillows were flat and hard No a/c Not enough staff - felt very sorry for the one person on reception AND the bar!

It was clean and the staff were friendly. Room was really comfy

It was very well presented with lovely flowers and pictures. I was only there for a very short stay as I was leaving early but from what I saw the place had a lot to offer. It was also nice and quiet in the room with lovely blackout curtains.

Very clean, food was nice and staff really friendly

No air conditioning

Lovely hotel visited for a graduation, located just a 12-15 minute drive from the University of Essex. The location offers convenient parking facilities, including six EV chargers for electric vehicles. The staff were consistently polite, and their availability to assist was always assured. The food menu offered good value for money, with particularly tasty steak and steak and ale pie. The room was spotless and equipped with all necessary amenities such as a hairdryer, iron, and kettle, ensuring a comfortable stay. The grounds had outdoor seating and well-maintained lawns; the only improvement would be to cut back the evergreen trees more to enable a better view of the lake.

No

Staff brilliant and helpful !!

Nothing

Unfortunately the reception desk, bar and restaurant areawas being run by one person. Items at the bar were unavailable such has lemonade and other basic items. There was no mayonnaise available in the restaurant area. and we were constantly pestered by flys when eating. No glass in the bathroom for rinsing or drinking. Breakfast was adequate although the one drinks machine was empty of coffee when we arrived. Again it looked like the areas i mentioned above were being run by one person, which in my opinion is inadequate.

Breakfast was nice. But we got there a bit later today and the choice was somewhat limited. The member of staff that assisted us at check in was also covering the bar and serving food as well. He was rushed off his feet but managed to do everything. He deserves a payrise!!

There was no spoons in the bedroom so we couldnt make a cup of tea on arrival. There was also alot of dead flies on the carpet. When we brought this up to the single male member of staff who was doing reception/bar/restaurant. He said he would sort that as well! I felt so sorry for him as he was doing everything!! This was on our check in night.

Lovely and clean

Came down for breakfast,no hot food ,no croissants,no orange juice or water ,very disappointed

Easy location to access, nice staff, comfortable rooms. Saw a rabbit outside my room in the morning grazing which was very nice. Everything you need is n the room and it's clean, breakfast is good and has vegan and gluten free friendly options.

There are some things which are dated but it's to be expected from a mid range hotel.

The gardens were lovely.But the pictures on there website were false there is no lake that is visible.

They asked me to book dinner because it would be busy. But they haven't had a chef for weeks and weeks because they send them all to the pub.

Tidy safe grounds with good free parking. Clean fresh sheets and good soundproofing in the rooms. Good breakfast.

Completely impossible to contact the property at short notice. They NEVER answer the phones and have a long turn around for email.

Good location Open and spacious bar lounge areas.

Bedroom/bathroom needed a thorough clean Restaurant tables tired/ tatty Breakfast was poor

Spacious, comfortable

Basic breakfast

Rustige omgeving

Geen lift

Reasonable price,easy to get to,pleasant surroundings, helpful staff

4pm check in , staff weren't aware of the cost of the car charging. But what was quite shocking was finding a pair of dirty boxer shorts in the bathroom!

Convenient location and good value for an overnight stay to attend a family event.

Restaurant wasn't open because the chef was off. Surely they should have a backup plan for this kind of eventuality. As a consequence, we had to order some food to be delivered as there aren't any places to eat in the vicinity and we didn't want to have to drive to centre Colchester.

Decent overnight stay while heading to the Harwich ferry port. Have used before and would so again.

Dragonfly hotel Colchester How were your Hosts? 2/10 Kind and friendly but totally incompetent He couldn't find our booking and took a long time to book us in. He couldn't pour a pint and didn't know what a shandy was. The 2 memood staff we saw were working on their own (day and night staff) They were expected to do the job of multiple people, but then they weren't able to be present for the guests. How clean was the Dragonfly Hotel 6/10 The fan in the room was disgusting, full of dust. some.of the cutlery at breakfast was still dirty and one of the glasses at for the orange juice had a lipstick mark, which we didn't notice until after using. How were the facilities and amenities? 7/10 There in no Aircon at all. There isn't a plug near the bed at all. No mirror near the desk and could use a chair near the mirror. The bathroom room creaks whenever opened. The shower was either hot or cold to the extremes. Nice there was EV chargers How did you sleep? 9/10 Quite well. Just like at home How was your breakfast ? 2/10 Lacking Nice having the coffee machine and takeaway cups The milk for the cereal was out with cling film on top, not sure how long, the continental was sparse and only one flavour juice. Hot breakfast - again minimal, 4 items and as a buffet style it was left out quite a while. The produce was budget. On the Sunday the breakfast was insufficient. The eggs looked old, the items weren't refreshed, this is down to the the one member of staff doing the job of many and not having the time to be aware or keep an eye. Would you stay here again. NO

We had a lovely overall stay for our special wedding anniversary! Kelly was the very first person to greet us when we arrived; she was incredibly welcoming and could not have been more helpful. When we reached our Executive Suite, we were delighted to find two beautiful towel swans and little confetti hearts on the bed. Kelly had thoughtfully arranged this with housekeeping for our anniversary, which was such a wonderful personal touch.The suite itself was fantastic—perfectly clean, with a massive, ultra-comfortable bed that gave us the best night's sleep. We loved the patio doors, the spacious layout, the fully stocked tea and coffee facilities, and the ample hanging space for our clothes. The bathroom was also spotlessly clean.The breakfast buffet was well-stocked with hot choices like bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and beans, alongside fresh fruit, cereal, a coffee machine, and toast. While a few extra items like hash browns or mushrooms would have been a great addition, Kelly took amazing care of me as a coeliac by freshly making me gluten-free toast in the kitchen every morning. Our evening meal was absolutely delicious. However, as a gluten-free vegetarian, there was only one option available to me for dinner. It would be wonderful to see the hotel expand their menu to include more variety for dietary requirements.Thank you to the whole team, and especially Kelly, for making our anniversary trip so memorable.

Dies war Unsere letzte Unterkunft in unserem England Urlaub mit einer Übernachtung. Wir waren angenehm überrascht von dem Dragonfly Hotel.😁 Mit so einer Unterkunft hatten wir gar nicht gerechnet. Ein großer Biergarten mit Restaurant und Bar. Sehr freundliches Personal und große helle Zimmer mit nem Riesenbett 🤭 Keine 30 Minuten bis Harwich zur Fähre....Wirklich ideal,da es von dort direkt zur Autobahn geht.... Beim nächsten Urlaub 2028 werden wir dieses Hotel auf jeden Fall wieder nutzen.

Das ziemlich laute Knallen der Hotelzimmertüren.....

Very clean

Breakfast not great

Very friendly staff clean rooms great food

Nothing to add all good

Ok

Room 226. Too hot . Unable to open double balcony doors for ventilation as locked. Windows only open partially. Couldn’t sleep with windows open as A12 runs close by. Noisy. Main complaint is we stayed 3 nights and our room was never entered for clean towels etc. Each day we put the green card on the door handle asking for light clean eg new towels. Never happened! Reported each time and was assured it was sorted but it was not! Restaurant does not open each evening. No warning of this. Returned at 8 pm for a meal to be told it does not open that evening!

Breakfast was lovely, beautiful location.

Nothing to fault

Location fine for our needs - staff friendly even if not "good" (first day), but I stood at unmanned bar for several minutes several times.

I normally leave a "good" review for such places, but staff seemed unattentive not available several times. Room poor - one "circuit" for lights, so bed side / main light turned EVERYTHING on / off so one couldn't read in bed whilst other slept for example. (and VERY bright lights!). By today's standard very poor TV, just terestrial / non-HD etc. way too hot, winter duvet on bed, desk fan only "help". Paid extra for breakfast which was poor (bacon good, egg poor - powdered?). I also tried to contact them - went to call center that only got back to me after I was back home!

Great hotel, easy to get to, everything you could need in the room (iron, board, hairdryer, kettle). Breakfast had good options and staff were very friendly.

Very good staff Very helpful and polite

Nothing

Prima, niet uitgebreid.

Niets

Die Lage

Dreckiger Frühstücksraum überall hat es geklebt. Handwerker sind mit dreckigen schwarzen Hosen aud den Frühtücksstühlen gesessen, dann kommen Leute mit schönen Kleidern, ekelig

Prijs kwaliteit uitstekend, ontbijt mogelijk om 06.00u

Koud water kraan gaf bijna geen water...

Poor choice of cooked food

Breakfast choice

Good all round hotel and very friendly.

No AC

Lovely hotel , nice and clean , friendly staff nice big bed

A little bit disappointed that the restaurant was shut for the night

Breakfast was included, room was comfortable with tea/coffee making facilities & plenty of parking

Short staffed

room very spacious bed very comfortable.

breakfast very poor toaster burnt the bread scrambled eggs sausages, beans and bacon not appetising. hot food stopped at 9am and at that time 8.55 no scrambled egg left and not replaced. hair dryer in room very dodgy felt like and sounded like it was about to blow up. no extractor fan in bathroom bathroom

All the staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms had everything we needed. The bathroom was very modern and nice. There was sufficient clothes hanging space. The beds were comfortable.

The continental breakfast was excellent. There could have been a bit more choice/ different options on different days for the cooked breakfast eg tomatoes/mushrooms instead of beans, boiled or fried eggs instead of scrambled. No vegetarian/vegan option. We didn't check what time the restaurant finished serving food in the evening and brought some friends back for a meal at 8.30 pm, to find it was closed.

Mooi hotel, gratis parkeren, fijn restaurant vlakbij, ruime kamer.

Jammer dat er geen airco is. Verder heel fijn hotel.

Room was clean and staff in the morning were lovely

Poor customer service on the evening. Waited at the bar for 10 minutes (I was the only one at the bar). Rang the bell at reception in the end but still no one came out. Man eventually came out, looked at me and walked past me with food and a drink for a regular who was outside. He dropped it off and proceeded to continue to chat with them for approximately 5 minutes. All the time, I was waiting at the bar. Eventually got served and ordered food. Check the buttermilk chicken description in the menu then get in touch if you want to see what was served. In fact - I’ll add them. Appears to be missing some bits. No explanation, no apology. Service was absolutely appalling

Prima plek om ochtends de boot naar hoek van Holland te nemen.

The rooms were very clean and comfortable and was in a good location. I liked the fact that it was a very quiet hotel.

It was disappointing because I thought you'd be able to see the pond from the hotel like it shows in the picture but you can't. So isn't as scenic as it's portrayed to be. I found it absolutely crazy that there was no chef on a Friday night so couldn't get any food. I was not informed about this until I was sitting at a table about to order 😡. The cooked breakfast was a bit disappointing. The scrambled egg wasn't very nice at all. It was all grey on the bottom. Never seen eggs like that.

The man on reception was friendly

In 1985 - I’m sure this was lovely but didn’t seem to have seen paint since then. Lots of dark work and brown paint. Very depressing. Small rooms Had to change rooms because of damp smell. For £120 this was not as pictured and crazy price for such poor quality