Best Western The Rose & Crown Hotel

Lovely property and well maintained.

History of the building and the car park plenty space

The size of the room or bit or could get into the bathroom with disabled person

It was so comfortable , the staff were lovely. Central to where we wanted to visit.

My sister has slight mobility issues , so a grab rail on the bath would have helped

What a fantastically quirky, historic hotel! Love that so many original features have been kept, but the fact it’s also very clean & comfortable with a lovely staff team! Slept very well with no noise disturbance.. Beautiful breakfast too, very good value for money!! Would definately recommend!

Nothing!

Location

Nothing

The staff were attentive, friendly and helpful.

The room has a slight damp smell.

Venue for wedding

Basic accommodation in different building

Great location, close to shops and museums, Colchester Castle, Castle Park. The in-house Portuguese restaurant was stand out.

No complaints, the staff were excellent, food was great, location was great.

Staff very nice, clean, car parking. Walking distance to town centre.

Room was hot, couldn’t open the window as on the ground floor.

Olde style and very friendly

Very nice room with good facilities and very clean and quiet. Excellent value for money.

Just one person serving in the bar - did his best but we had to wait a while.

Clean

Service in dining room was terrible waited 50 minutes for breakfast asked few times in the end we walked out second morning first morning no plates for toast no glasses for fruit juice no spoons cereal

A beautiful medieval coaching inn within walking distance of the Castle, park, theatre, shops etc. Bus stops across the road. Good parking. Mersea Island, Frinton, Wivenhoe all within short motoring distance

It was all good

Location to city. Charming building with great history

Very limited parking and none close by except on the street

Really nice vegetarian breakfast. It was served quickly with the reassurance that the black pudding was vegetarian

Didn't like the choice of bar food menu in the evening. Only one vegetarian dish which was a bit bland.

neutraal

Het personeel was onvriendelijk met name in de avond terwijl wij met moeite iets te drinken mochten bestellen werden er rondom stoelen op tafels gezet.

Lovely place to stay

All the history

Staff tried extremely hard to make our visit comfortable Breakfast good

We should have been advised that a wedding was taking place and music would go on to midnight The restaurant dinner menu was based upon Portuguese food

Nice location and nice staff

Small bed

The age & history of the building 👍

N/A

Comfortable beds, lovely bathroom, very good breakfast

Area around the property

Excellent staff ,freshly cooked breakfast, historical building with tales of Dick turpin

Restaurant in the evening wasn't open but was offered plates and cutlery to accompany local takeaways, so opted for a snack from local off newssgents ,never ruined my stay.

Authentic olde world, but very comfortable

N/a

Beautiful old building,staff were very kind and happy. So yes, Better than the reviews made out. Beds comfy and clean room, very important to us, so thank you. Breakfast was good but not sure about the £3 surcharge for the ordering egg florentine instead of the cooked breakfast that we paid for! So a little cheeky we thought. But other than that. I would highly recommend it for a stay. Kind regards. Gary. Northamptonshire.

The building, the staff, and the nice cosy bar.

prachtig historisch hotel, dateert 700 jaar terug, met (Portugees) restaurant/pub met fijne moderne kamer. Goede service bij de receptie, heel behulpzaam. Gratis parkeren op eigen terrein. Op korte (1 km.) loopafstand van het centrum van Colchester, een historische stad, met delen van de oude Romeinse muren en prachtig kasteel in centrum stad.

niets op aan te merken. Wij hadden last minute geboekt, zaten in het gedeelte wat herbouwd is. Wanneer je persé in het historische pand wilt slapen, kun je dat bij de boeking aangeven.

Leaving

1. They do not accept cash: at the front desk, in the restaurant, at the bar. No Cash. I'm travelling with UK Currency so why do I have to pay using my US or German Bank Card and suffer exchange rates when I have perfectly good Pounds in my wallet? PS. The nearby Chinese Restaurant DOES take cash and offers extremely good value and delicious take-away. Hard luck Best Western Restaurant. 2. The age of the Hotel should have alerted me to the fact that it is 'Quaint' rather than practical. No A/C, however I did have an electric fan in the closet. 3. Bed was uncomfortable however the Bed and Bath Linens were spotlessly clean. 4. Although I accept the building is old, why is the furniture also old, and brown? 5. Bathroom tired and dated with Bathtub and showerhead over the tub. Slip hazard. 6. Needs a room fridge to chill cold tap water which is constantly warm. 7. No Room Service because the room lacks a phone. No Restaurant Menu Card in the Room. 8. No Vending Machine able to deliver that 'middle of the night' craving for snacks and/or soda. 9. No Ice Machine hence no Ice Bucket in the room to fill the plastic disposable cups. 10. Google Maps struggled to find the location of this place. Be patient and ask for directions.

Comfy rooms. Nice shower and bathroom. Ideal location for things in town and a nice breakfast.

Keurig hotel.

niets

Incredibly helpful and friendly young lady at reception

Nothing

No air conditioning and our room was on the ground floor. Had to open the window, but nervous because on the ground floor which is on a busy road

It was a historic setting with lovely old bar & prisons underneath but our room was in the outhouse opposite

Would’ve like to have stayed in the main building . Noisy on ground floor couldn’t have windows open

Hotel molto bello,in stile inglese d'epoca. Staff gentilissimo,posizione per il concerto al castello buona.

Abbiamo fatto la doccia a notte fonda e l'acqua era più verso il freddo che calda.

Character building. Very old. Good breakfast.

Noise in night from electrical equipment.

Location wise was fine for the town, just a 20/25 minute walk into town.

The walls were paper thin. We could hear EVERYTHING from the next room which wasn't amusing at 12.30am. No phone to call reception and too far to walk to reception when we're in our nightclothes.

Very quaint, really historic but they have sympathetically modernised it. Breakfast good. Parking by side of property.

Did not eat dinner there as restaurant only served Portuguese dishes which we didn’t find appealing. I do think they should offer alternatives.

Liked the location close to town.

I ended up not even staying the night and left before midnight it was to noisy with the trainline and there was another room nearby and could hear a man snoring so loudly so I ended up packing my things and leaving.

Old building

Only one thing bedside light was faulty.

Good location and price.

A bit outdated but nothing crazy. Good value.

Lovely old building ,full of character

Hotel was easy to find and a short walk from Colchester. I arrived to a friendly greeting and was immediately checked in. Stay came with 24hrs free parking which was useful. Breakfast was well presented, voluminous and tasty.

The problem was more weather related than to the accommodation. It was exceptionally hot and with the low ceilings and small window openings that come with a property of such age the night was uncomfortable.

Breakfast good. Didn't have dinner

Beautiful building

Proximity to the railway. It was so noisy all night, we got no sleep and left very tired and grumpy.

Good location and bed comfortable.

Overpriced. Need to get to hotel early to get a parking spot as car park not that big. Didn't appreciate the early morning wake up call from a delivery driver at 6.40 am shouting and banging and crashing around. No hot water and shower sprayed all over the bathroom. Bar also only open until 10.30.

Quirky exceptional old building

Luke warm shower, dated room, hard pillows and mattress

Location friendly staff

No hot chocolate in the rooms

Lovely hotel. Amazing food. Sooraj working behind the bar was excellent..

It's a typical Rose and Crown, we have one in Tonbridge. A fantastic building, early 14th century, with limited facilities such as no lifts (understandable) no air conditioning (not understandable), but a fantastic breakfast really well cooked and presented. All in all it was what I expect, more or less, from a budget offering. I just love the building though.

No service to speak of and I was particularly unimpressed by the bar which shut at about 10:30. when I had been out all day in the hot sun. Reception managed to get me one beer but the barman was very keen to shut up shop and no more were forthcoming despite me asking. Also no food, not even a sandwich was available, so I was reduced to a takeaway. It's very much a budget experience but on this occasion not at budget prices

The fact it is one of the oldest properties in Colchester! A 15th century building

Room was a bit stuffy, given the hot weather, but it did have a fan to alleviate that

The history.

Very disappointing stay – Room 124 Unfortunately, our stay at the Best Western Rose & Crown in Colchester was extremely disappointing. We were staying in room 124, in the newer part of the hotel, so we were particularly surprised by the condition and noise we experienced. The biggest concern was the ceiling. Throughout the night and again in the morning, there was persistent and significant creaking coming from the ceiling, which repeatedly disturbed our sleep. The level and frequency of the noise was genuinely concerning and went far beyond what I would consider normal building noise. What made this more worrying was the presence of an asbestos warning/sign on the ceiling. I appreciate that a warning sign doesn't necessarily mean there is a safety issue, but combined with the level of creaking coming from the ceiling, I feel this is something the hotel should investigate properly. The room also had a strong smell of cigarette smoke, despite being advertised as a non-smoking room. The bed was also very uncomfortable, although this was secondary to our concerns about the ceiling and the cigarette smell. Overall, we had a very poor night's sleep and did not feel that room 124 was of an acceptable standard. We have raised these concerns with the hotel and requested a refund. Hopefully the hotel will take the ceiling issue seriously and investigate it properly, as this is more than simply a matter of personal comfort. Rating: 1/10

Check in was straight forward and the receptionist showed me to my room. I have a disability following a back operation so I had requested a ground floor room as stairs can be difficult. It was comfortable and basic and fine. Breakfast was tasty and generous. No concerns.

N/A

The building was absolutely beautiful and I would have liked to stay longer. The staff were very helpful.

There was a power cut which wiped out the hot water system. The back-up system didn't work. We had no hot water for an evening bath or morning shower.

The friendly staff clean rooms

Just the position of room 216 heard every train that went past and if the where going fast or frieght trains they woke you up

Tired & in need of modernisation

Everything

NONE

Very friendly staff and fine breakfast.

Dicht bij de veerboot

Verouderd hotel waar de stroom was uitgevallen in een weinig aansprekende stad. Daarbij bleek het niet mogelijk iets vroeger wat ontbijt te regelen

Siza of room, breakfast

Traffic noise

We had a family room which was large enough for us 3 adults, its a very old building so was low ceilings, creak, uneven floors, but this for us adds to the charm. Room was clean and comfortable.

The beds were comfortable and the food was amazing in the bar

The property

Staff was friendly and helpfull

Old hotel with poor facilites. No hot water was available at the tap during our stay.

Spaliśmy tylko w drodze do promu na koniec wycieczki po Wielkiej Brytanii

Mogłaby być lepsza kawa do śniadania. Brak windy - ale obiekt jest w zaadaptowanych starych budynkach, więc nie można mieć wszystkiego, ale przy większej liczbie bagaży lub jak w naszym przypadku niepełnosprawnym dziecku robi to pewien problem.

Very pretty

Breakfast service wasn’t great, I didn’t get a cup of tea with my breakfast

Friendly staff

Furnishings. Food was expensive but poor.

Très calme Accueillant

Clean

Room looked over a thingy backyard

Olde worlde accommodation quietl location nice stroll into centre..

Nothing not to like.

Lots of history , very comfortable , lovely staff, lovely food

Old fashioned room. No bottled water. Needs up dating.

Having had a poor experience several years ago, I decided to once more stay at the Rose and Crown. What a difference! My room was clean, the bed was comfortable, the bathroom modern and well appointed. Although close to a rail line, there is very low noise. The reception was friendly and welcoming. I didn’t have an evening meal, but the breakfast - included because I booked direct through Best Weztern - was delicious. Good quality food and properly cooked to order. The scrambled eggs were cooked to perfection, soft and delicious. I enjoyed my stay, and will stay here again when I next visit. Great turnaround Best Western!

Nous avons adoré le charme très British de notre vaste et très confortable chambre. Très belle hôtellerie pleine d'histoire. . Excellent petit déjeuner

Escalier assez incommode pour accéder aux chambres

Very comfortable bed. Old world room was a good change from the basic hotel room. E xcellent breakfast with very attentive staff.

Lovely old building with amazing character. Great breakfast too.

Locatie uitstekend. Te voet 10minuten naar centrum. Personeel uitermate behulpzaam Ontbijt zeer uitgebreid

We used the restaurant and the food was good.

The flood lights in the car park lite our room up at night

Original

Nothing

Die Lage ist sehr gut, der Check-in und Check-out war einfach durchzuführen und man hat die anderen Gäste kaum gehört

Das Bett war für zwei Personen sehr klein, das Zimmer hätte sauberer sein können und allgemein wirkte es etwas "in die Jahre gekommen"

The staff was friendly, breakfast was included for a reasonable price, and the location was OK – – not great, but not bad.

The location was about a 1 km downhill from the center of town.

Always a good experience staying at the Rose and Crown. Would recommend it to anyone staying in Colchester.

Would like an earlier check in if possible

Location

It was extremely hot, and there was no way to open the windows to let in some fresh air. The water was also scalding hot and could not be adjusted to a cold temperature. We had booked four rooms, and this was the case in all four of them. The breakfast service was also very disorganised. We were told that if we booked breakfast the day before, the cost would be £12 per person. We purchased breakfast for three people and went the following morning. There was a continental buffet with bread, croissants, and similar items, but there was virtually no source of protein. There was also a menu showing the continental buffet at £10, while we had paid £12, and English breakfast dishes were listed at £15. The waiter asked whether we wanted to order one of the English breakfast dishes, and when we asked if there would be an additional charge, he told us it would cost £15 per person. We therefore only ate from the continental buffet. Later, purely by chance, the reception staff informed us that the £12 breakfast we had already paid for actually included the English breakfast. In my opinion, this should have been explained to us the day before, or at the very least the waiter should have clarified this instead of telling us we would need to pay an extra £15 per person for eggs and beans. Overall, the breakfast service was very poorly organised.

Location was ok

It was extremely hot, and there was no way to open the windows to let in some fresh air. The water was also scalding hot and could not be adjusted to a cold temperature. We had booked four rooms, and this was the case in all four of them. The breakfast service was also very disorganised. We were told that if we booked breakfast the day before, the cost would be £12 per person. We purchased breakfast for three people and went the following morning. There was a continental buffet with bread, croissants, and similar items, but there was virtually no source of protein. There was also a menu showing the continental buffet at £10, while we had paid £12, and English breakfast dishes were listed at £15. The waiter asked whether we wanted to order one of the English breakfast dishes, and when we asked if there would be an additional charge, he told us it would cost £15 per person. We therefore only ate from the continental buffet. Later, purely by chance, the reception staff informed us that the £12 breakfast we had already paid for actually included the English breakfast. In my opinion, this should have been explained to us the day before, or at the very least the waiter should have clarified this instead of telling us we would need to pay an extra £15 per person for eggs and beans. Overall, the breakfast service was very poorly organised.

Vriendelijke staf, mooi historisch gebouw met de sfeer van een oude herberg. Fijne gratis parkeerplaats naast het hotel. Colchester op loopafstand

Hoewel er een ventilator stond was de kamer erg warm. Door het felle licht van de parkeerplaats moesten we de gordijnen dicht houden wat koelere lucht van buiten tegenhield. Wij hadden een eenvoudige kamer in een bijgebouw

Convenient

A little tired but satisfactory

Convenient

Accommodation is a little tired

Perfect location for our event at castle park. Lovely Tudor features and a warm welcome. Good breakfast and decent shower.

Cheap uncomfortable mattress let it down but otherwise all good

Goede parkeerplek en mooi oud gebouw.

Het bed is aan vervanging toe. Het raam kon slechts 10 cm open waardoor het binnen veel warmer was dan buiten.

Bathroom was great. Breakfast was decent.

Rooms were hot and the hotel could not provide even an extra fan when asked. The windows are openable only to an extent of 10% making the inside of the rooms like a boiler even when the outside was pleasant. The strangest part was that, we were 3 persons in the room, the room was almost 25 sq meter and only one table fan was provided which was insufficient. Even when requested for an extra fan, it was rejected. we even thought of sleeping in the toilet which was strangely comfortable and cooler. No aircon was strange in today's date.

Good location great bar service excellent bar staff!

Poor breakfast service confused order and took a long time!! Needs better organisation!

Het is een 600 jaar oud gebouw (van oorsprong herberg) met krakende trappen en vloeren. En hier/daar ongelijk. Maar het heeft charme ! Kamers zijn modern ingericht; één mengkraan wastafel. Twee stoelen op de kamer. Goed bed. Eigen parkeerplaatsen (registreren bij receptie). Loopafstand tot centrum. Leuke pub 10 min. Lopen. Goed ontbijt. Continentaal en Engels ontbijt samenstellen naar keuze. Vriendelijk personeel.

Voor ons geen probleem, maar je moet goed ter been zijn. Trappen en treden. Er is ook een klein bijgebouw; wellicht kun je vragen voor begane grond. Wij hadden een kamer (211) aan de parkeerplaats kant. Bij de keuken staat n airco aan. Geeft wel geluidoverlast tot laat (hete zomer 2026). Maar ondanks dit tevreden verblijf ! Ik zou weer boeken.

freindly clean love the old style builing

no aircon

Extremely characterful property with lots of history, ideally located close to town. Reception staff were friendly and helpful. More than enough parking available.

Rooms are small and very basically / poorly equipped. An example is that there are glass panels in the bathroom door that are clear and do not offer privacy. There were also no curtains on the bathroom window so no way to block out light and support sleep. Beds not brilliantly comfortable with thin mattress and small pillows. Room was tired, dusty and not visibly clean. Restaurant staff at breakfast spoke little to no English so did not understand simple requests despite being asked three times, once even if they were sure they understood to which they replied yes but orders were missed and incorrectly completed. When food did arrive it was adequate although the buffet was poorly stocked and had to ask for basics as there were no plates / bowls available.

Beautiful, well preserved for age and lots of original features maintained

It has been very hot of late and our room could only be described as a sweat box .it was cooler outside, cooler in the corridors . In fact cooler everywhere else in the hotel but our room. It was a very uncomfortable night .

The room was lovely and very comfortable. Big bathroom and very clean

The food was a Portuguese menu and very limited and although cooked well, not much choice and not that tasty. Could have done with an alternative even if it was only bar snack food/chips etc as we didn’t want a full meal but needed something small to eat so struggled to find anything. The restaurant was empty too which I think may have reflected this. Very niche menu.

Location. Restaurant. Lovely staff. Clean.

Room was tired and dated. Window wouldn't remain open. No AC. Mattress was too small for the bed base resulting in knocking my shins; in my opinion, the mattress is not suitable for 2 people. Outside area needed a good clean and tidy. Breakfast was too expensive @£16 pp. so gave it a miss.

The friendly helpful staff. The evening meals were outstanding.

The bath was very slippery.

Beautiful property and the staff were wonderful… a real credit to the hotel

Bed wasn’t particularly comfortable and the hotel is slightly further away from castle park than we thought

Location. Staff. Food. History of hotel.

All good

Sian on reception was a pure gem. Went above and beyond to accommodate us. We arrived early having travelled from Ireland up at 5am. She gave us cold bottles of water and took our luggage. Gave us directions where to go etc. We felt very welcome. Thank you Sian

The unexpected heat wave. No fridge to put a bottle of water. The pillows could have been better. There was a fan available but not great

Comfy bed Clean room Good shower

It was really really hot and there was no aircon or fan available in the room, I couldn’t open the window much more than a couple of inches

Fijn hotel om een nachtje te overnachten! Erg schattig en authentiek. De kamer is ruim genoeg en heeft wat je nodig hebt. Parkeren kan naast het hotel.

Wij vonden het bed niet super comfortabel, maar prima voor een nachtje.