Premier Inn Basildon - East Mayne

Taylor, the hotel manager, was extremely polite and helpful throughout my stay. The hotel felt warm and welcoming, and my room was exceptionally clean. Having Beefeater next door was convenient, and the prices were good.

The bed was comfortable and the room was quiet, but the rest felt very tired and shabby. We booked because of an event at a nearby hotel, and this room really needs attention and an upgrade. The old design showed everywhere, with flaking paint and not even plugs by the bed, which Premier Inns had five years ago when I stayed in them. The bathroom fan sounded like a plane taking off, the heating squeaked continuously, and there was an overwhelming smell of mould and mildew cleaner on arrival. The bathroom itself was in poor condition, with black spots all over the door. The TV didn't work, and the WiFi signal was very poor, though we may have been in the room furthest away. Definitely not worth the £90+ we paid.

This was our second family stay here over the Christmas period, and we really enjoyed it. The staff were lovely and friendly. Big thanks to Leigh for greeting us so warmly on Christmas evening and helping with the car park, and to jackie for helping us book a taxi. Lovely place.

We had a comfortable room and check-in went smoothly during our usual pre-Christmas family visit. The evening meal at the Beefeater next door was another story: service was shockingly slow, and untrained staff took three hours to serve two courses. Breakfast there the following day was reasonably okay, but the coffee machine behind the bar was filthy. I'm also aggrieved about the £6.50 overnight parking fee. This isn't a city centre location with attractions nearby. There's absolutely nothing around except the burger van across the road.