Holiday Inn Basildon by IHG

The room was clean, though the bathroom was on the small side. The buffet breakfast was very good, but could you add non-dairy butter? Even with the hotel full, staff were polite and attentive, from check-in to the breakfast room. Another excellent stay, though sadly just one night. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.

The view over the water and grassy area was great, and the room itself was clean and fresh. We got an upgrade to a king room, but it was two twin beds pushed together, with a noticeable gap. There wasn’t a separate bed for our child, which surprised me, though we were able to share. The shower ran far too slowly. The bathroom had Dove soap, shower gel and shampoo, plus clean white towels. WiFi and a large smart TV were provided; we could use our own accounts, but couldn’t get the casting feature to work. The worst part was the noise next door. It sounded like a group of young people playing music, chatting and laughing for hours. I’m sure they were having fun, but my seven-year-old didn’t fall asleep until 10:20 pm, and we had to get up at 5:30 for a busy, important day. The walls were so thin we could literally hear someone peeing next door. I called reception twice after 10 pm, but nobody answered. Really disappointing planning by the hotel, and I’ll look for somewhere else next time we’re here. I just hope the lack of sleep doesn’t spoil the next day. The room could also use a soft night light. The light above the headboard was too bright, so we ended up leaving the bathroom light on. We only stayed one night, so didn’t have much contact with staff, but they seemed friendly and helpful.

The staff were friendly and great, and the food was good, if a bit pricey. The rooms were clean and had big TVs, but otherwise just standard hotel rooms, nothing special. Try to get a room away from Pizza Hut: boy racers meet in the retail park next door at night, revving cars and bikes and beeping horns late. That’s not the hotel’s fault.

The staff were very friendly, and Thayn in the bar deserves a mention. We also heard boy racers late at night, since the hotel sits in a retail park with no shops. There was a mix-up about breakfast. At check-in we were told it was included, but the next morning a young woman asked us for a voucher, which we didn’t have. She wasn’t particularly friendly, and the whole thing felt awkward. I ended up paying £24 for very little, as neither of us was very hungry. Had I been given the right information, I wouldn’t have bothered. Otherwise, the stay was good.