The Essex Golf & Country Club Hotel

Kitchen undergoing major works so our evening meal and breakfast was veryyyyt limited! Never got told when booking, Showers completely broke, awful, Booked golf, wasn’t even on the tee sheet Pillows would be better from Poundland, Rooms red hot, Not great The only positive to come from this was the lovely barmaid who couldn’t do enough for you, she was great and a really nice person, Amelia I think her name was

We were staying here as my best friend was getting married and this was close to the wedding venue. The deluxe room was okay pretty standard, two single beds pushed together, which is dissapointing. There was milk spillages, it hadn’t been hoovered. You couldn’t flush the toilet, you had to go back and try pushing both buttons together, you should have a functioning toilet. The cleaning was not up to scratch. I left my hoodie at the hotel, I was really saddened I’d left it, it was hard to get in touch with the hotel via the telephone, I got intouch with them through email, the communication was better by email. They found my hoodie and sent it back, they also covered the postage fee which I appreciated.

SAVE YOUR MONEY, TIME AND HEALTH! Travelled 6 hours to turn up to a hotel that’s absolutely filthy! However the manager see’s no wrong doing in this. We checked in around 15:00 to find walking into our room it was left full of the previous guests rubbish, the room hadn’t been cleaned. They stated they had hired 2 new staff members and this wasn’t acceptable. They had offered to change our room for the night but to then to check out for 11 the following day to go back to that room at check in at 3pm which with an 8 month old baby wasn’t practical and we were at a wedding the following morning. The head of house keeping (really lovely lady) couldn’t apologise enough and came and cleaned those up immediately. These were soft drink cans , rubbish, used tissues, milk spillages down the desk etc. However once we started inspecting the room further it really wasn’t fit for purpose. The room was filthy! There was mold in the bedroom which had transferred onto my brand new dress for a wedding (we hadn’t noticed this until the morning of the wedding) which resulted in us staying elsewhere. we were not going to stay in the room full of mold with a baby. We had been breathing this in. It wasn’t safe it was a health hazard. The manager wasn’t phased by this, they were fully booked and in her words ‘you booked a standard room, the rest are deluxe and the rest will be updated soon’. Standard room is fine, doesn’t mean cleanliness shouldn’t be there. The room had absolutely no standards. Very quick to take your money, not willing to give it back! Due to us being here for a wedding, there was lots of guests staying, a handful of complaints were made for the state of rooms. They did deny this also when brought up to them. when my partner returned our key card it was said the mold was never discussed which it was and at the time currently in my dress she was shown and shown pictures. For the safety of my baby we booked a premier inn down the road, much cheaper, really clean and a friendly team. Save your money and find elsewhere to go! 100% don’t recommend this hotel. The pictures speak for themselves- doesn’t even deserve 1 star.

If you like to relax in other peoples scummy water then this is for you! Hot tub was filthy, lots of foam which left scum around it and the managers solution was to clean off the scum with toilet roll!! They could add a de foaming solution as to empty it and refill it would take 3 hours! Yet was never done so out of a 4 night stay it was used once for 20 minutes!! Even the one inside the spa was exactly the same! Staff couldn’t care less ! All bits of something in the hot tub and was told it was the filtration system, so that’s not doing its job is it?! It’s not even worth 1 star rating! Save your money and go somewhere else

Very poor stay, we were staying here as my best friend was getting married and this was close to the wedding venue. We booked a deluxe room, deffo don’t book a standard room, they are awful. The deluxe which was okay pretty standard, two single beds pushed together. So one of you slips down the centre, milk spillages, obviosuly left from previous people in the room but not cleaned. Floor was dirty, clearly hadn’t been hoovered. You couldn’t flush the toilet, you had to go back and try pushing both buttons together, pretty disgusting when you don’t have a functioning toilet. The Matt that to stop you slipping was just full of water from the previous guest, hadn’t been dried or cleaned. The cleaning was not up to scratch, it really lacked in cleanliness, very unhygenic. BUT the most dissapointing is I left a hoodie, it was super expensive & sentimental, it was a gift off someone who has now passed away. I know I’ve left it in the hotel room, we left and came straight home, there’s no way it can be anywhere else. I left it on the bed ready to put on, They said they can’t find it, but it’s 100% there. Going to contact the police to ask for permission of CCTV. Dont stay here you’ll be dissapointed.

The reception staff were very friendly & helpful. The room was comfortable, clean and had everything we needed. Our stay was spoiled by the food & drink offerings. On our first evening we headed to the bar. It's a lovely spot to sit out but customer service was lacking. The white wine was warm (we were offered ice in the glass to cool it down) and the same drinks cost different prices on 3 seperate rounds. Wine glasses were dirty too. Breakfast wasn't much better, certainly not worth the price. Not necessarily worthy of a complaint, but certainly nothing special. Cheap ingredients and not much choice. Coffee machine wasn't working, which apparently is normal, but staff sorted hot drinks form the bar. We discovered that the local garden centre does amazing breakfasts, wish we'd known earlier. We should have considered that being a golf club, the groundsmen would be working, We were woken at 7.20am with a lawnmower right outside our window. Our weekend away lie in didn't happen.

Staying in a lodge and visited the onsite Pulse bar restaurant. The quality of the food is very poor a side salad was a small amount of lettuce and cucumber. The fish and chips had the worst soft soggy batter and the mushy peas were hard and dry. Pizza is very fake with a strange base plus more sauce than topping. This and a few fries with a portion of onion rings was over 40 pound. The worst food I have tried. We did complain but it fell on deaf ears as they passed our comments to the chef. We left the food and will never return.

On arrival they tried to ask for payment even though it has been paid via *******. They then tried to charge an extra £10 for a child’s bed when we didn’t request this. I refused. The sleep was awful with the rooms being very hot and constant noise outside. When I mentioned it the next morning they had informed me that the night porter has said it was a quiet night with not disturbances (was he even at work) as it sounded like a herd of elephants in and outside!! Upon waking in the hottest room ever we decided to take our 3 year old daughter for a swim. This was met with a firm no as we had to wait until 10am for a family swim. Even though there was nobody in the pool or the baby pool. We managed to get in at around 9am and then got told to leave due to it being adults only (again nobody actually in the pool and the baby pool just left) We booked this hotel for what it offered (swimming mainly). I will never stay here again and would tell anyone who asked that this is an awful place to stay. If I could give it 0 stars I would.

**Hotel Review: The Essex** My partner and I have stayed at The Essex on numerous occasions and have always had an amazing experience! The staff are incredible and do everything they can to create a welcoming and accommodating stay. A special mention goes to the cleaning staff who do a fantastic job, are always busy, but still manage to greet you with a smile. We stayed in the Garden Suite, which is clean, modern, and a lovely size. Having previously stayed in standard rooms, which were also very clean and perfectly fine, we would never go back from the suite. It's well worth the extra money. The location is superb and makes you feel like you are miles away from your normal day-to-day life, even though I only live a few miles away. The views on the golf course side are definitely better than those facing the car park. The spa facilities are brilliant and highly recommended. On every occasion we have stayed here, we've found there to be a minimal amount of people in this area, and they have all been friendly, welcoming, and talkative. The spa and swimming pool are open to local members, which adds to the friendly atmosphere. Our only gripe, and it is a very small one, is that the hotel did not mention at check-in that a local school was having their prom at the hotel on our second afternoon. We had no issue with the actual event, but we weren't informed it was happening. When we went to Earls Colne to collect dinner, it took us 30 minutes to get back to the hotel due to slow-moving prom vehicles. Once we arrived, there was nowhere to park, and we had a long walk back to our room. Certain areas were also blocked off, making it a bit of a struggle to navigate. However, once we voiced our concerns, the staff were very apologetic and compensated us with complimentary drinks. The following day, they offered a complimentary lunch. This was perfect customer service in our opinion. We also experienced a fire alarm going off the night of the prom, likely due to some prom attendees vaping or smoking in the toilet. We had to wait in the car park for about 30 minutes while the fire brigade handled the situation. These things happen, but it was reassuring to see that the staff took it seriously and were very organized in ensuring all guests were evacuated, accounted for, and kept informed. Although we checked out at 11:30 (extended check out as another complimentary), we didn't leave until around 2:30 as we stayed for lunch and one final dip in the pool. Overall, The Essex is a fantastic hotel with excellent staff and facilities. Perhaps informing guests of any future events like proms ahead of time would help them plan better. We cannot wait for our next stay!