Hotels Near Martini Fashion in Frinton-on-Sea

(A little better than average, but it went from average to very good - no option for ‘good’) I’ve been to this hotel spa many times over the years and I noticed that there’s been quite a few changes since my last visit. We were welcomed really nicely and the staff were all very friendly and helpful, except a couple of people who i guess may have either been new or just a bit shy because i had to ask them to repeat themselves as we were confused about what they were explaining. Our twin room was strange but only because our beds were on opposite sides of the room, which I’ve never experienced before in a twin room, regardless of who you are sharing with you’re going to be comfortable in close quarters and it was just strange being so far apart. No biggie though. The next thing was that there was no fridge in the room - so we had to put up with room temperature water to hydrate us (no complementary bottled water either). I went with my niece and both of our treatments were great, really relaxing and couldn’t fault the beauticians. The restaurant and food options have changed a great deal. I was telling my niece beforehand how much she will adore the food and how great it is, all being healthy but all yummy too. But now it’s just the same type of hotel food you’d expect anywhere else. The breakfast particularly used to be so much on offer, granola of all kinds, lots of healthy options, honey and preserves from local farms, an array of pastries and if you asked you could have cooked breakfast options. This visit was less of an emphasis on health - lots of cooked breakfast options, a toast machine and a small selection of cereals and pastries. I don’t mean to sound really demanding but I was a little disappointed about this aspect. All of the little issues combined just made it no where near as incredible as it used to be. I really hate to say this because Lifehouse Spa has always been a really special treat and experience. I haven’t made my mind up whether I would return again.

The location of the hotel is fantastic-town centre, in front of the beach, sea view. Parking is alright, at the back yard. Staff is very friendly, nice and helpful, let us in 1 hour prior to official check in time. Soundproofing is good, didn’t hear our neighbours. Breakfast was lavish, fresh and tasty. In this property location sells itself. The building is tired, but luckily maintained. Curtains in the room are crying to be washed, dust is not wiped for days (if not weeks), tv was very stinky and not working, our bed was small and short for two of us (queen size I believe), water pressure in shower was too weak, carpets with all the possible stains, same as sofa, very unpleasant; waited for our breakfast for more than half an hour (though I received my vegetarian breakfast as I requested in my booking), coffee was only instant. I think, one night stay was too pricey for what it has, but overall impression is still rather good. Summary - if you want a good location with easy access to the Clacton city centre and the beach - here you go, just don’t expect a lot

Booked a 2-night stay via Booking.com. Between the two of them, they messed up the booking so only had it down for one person not two, so the hotel decided to change the room and downgrade it then had the audacity to charge an extra 50% on what we had already paid. Due to it being half-term and nothing else available plus being there for a wedding, we had no choice but to just do it or miss the wedding. All the more strange given my friends had booked an identical room to the one we were dumped in yet paid considerably less. Looking back on it, feels like I was mugged. The hotel itself was clean and is in a great location but is incredibly old and outdated. Bed was uncomfortable, the carpet had holes in it, the wallpaper was ripped in places, the toilet took 30+ minutes to refill and the shower made a noise like a jet aircraft was taking off in the corridor (water pressure was dreadful). Plus, I've not seen a sink in the bedroom rather than the bathroom since the 70s. Overall, a pretty dismal experience to say the least and somewhere I will ensure I inform people to avoid.

Came with family had such a nice time pier and shops close hotel was lovely comfy bed very clean staff was lovely and friendly. Jenny the manager was great very helpful kids loved her said she was a nice lady Deffo be back .Will be telling friends and family as reasonably priced well worth the money .

Alarm bells started to ring when we arrived twenty minutes before the official check in time and were asked to wait in the lounge with no attempt to check if our room was ready or not. On retiring to bed on our first night when we pulled the duvet back we were greeted by faded brown stains on the bedding which was stomach turning, .Because it was late at night I had to report this to the night porter who was also shocked at what he was looking at , he immediately removed the bedding and returned some time later with more sheets . We offered to make the bed on doing so found the replacement bedding to be as badly stained as the previous bedding. Once again we had to report to the night porter who again expressed dismay at the situation ,he returned sometime later plonked the new bedding on the bed explaining there was no bedding other than what he had in the hotel, luckily this was clean. The issue was reported to reception where we were informed by the general manager an investigation would be taking place , and we would be contacted on conclusion in a few days time as to the result . Three months later after numerous emails and the obvious blocking of our phone numbers we are still waiting to hear from the Orwell hotel. We stayed at the Orwell for four nights bed and breakfast, on three of the days we went for breakfast we found ourselves with half loaded plates waiting in a queue for staple breakfast items to be replenished ,staff handling bread and clean plates without gloves as well as removing used plates and cutlery. The only advice I can offer any one who has the misfortune to be staying at this hotel is to bring your own bedding and do not eat the food.

Quite difficult to find this hotel and a few more signs would be helpful. Having said that we were pleasantly welcomed and shown the way to the Brasserie. Bev, the lady in charge, showed us to our seats and we arranged to have 2 mock tails instead of the Prosecco. No problem with this. The sandwiches, cakes and scones arrived promptly and were very freshly made. The scones were light and fluffy. Bev made a very good job of running the dining room which was very busy considering it was a Wednesday lunchtime. Highly recommend and would visit again.

First thing I noticed was the excellent friendly service at the front counter. This service continued at breakfast the next morning, which was very nice - it was a menu-style breakfast where you order a breakfast you would like. Breakfast with salmon had a small supplement. The room was mostly okay, although there were some stains on the bedsheet. Inclusion of earplugs was a nice touch as it is on the main road - I happen to like the city noise, but ended up using them to block out the noise of the fan (there is no air conditioning). The bathroom had nice toiletries although we noticed that the cold tap ran hot for quite a while before it got cold. Overall the stay was fine, but with lots of hotels available in Colchester it wouldn’t be my first pick to return.