Dragonfly Hotel Colchester

The food has always been good, the rooms are okay and I’ve had no problems with them. The staff are really good, but they need more than one person on duty to cover reception, the bar and bringing food. Wi-Fi is shocking at best. Just a few small tweaks and this hotel would be amazing.

On 14/04/2022 I had a below-average hotel stay, and the parking situation was a real problem. The vehicle registration app froze, which led to a hefty fine and, more than a year later, a county court judgement. This had happened before. In October 2021 I dropped off a friend staying at the hotel and was in the car park a little longer than expected because there was a queue at reception. I was hit with a £170 parking charge notice then too. The hotel didn’t support me with either issue. If you’re prepared for unexpected parking fees and no help from the place you’re giving your business to, this is the place for you.

The seating area in reception was lovely and gave the place the feel of a country pub. The rooms were clean and functional, and the staff helped me when I needed a taxi into town. It’s on the outskirts of Colchester, and yes, I’d visit again. Breakfast was fair, though mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns and fried eggs would have been welcome. One person in our group of five can’t eat scrambled eggs because of a dairy intolerance and doesn’t eat meat, so they had very limited choice. The EV chargers were a nice touch. I could have charged there, but chose the Tesla chargers at Delta hotels a few miles away.

The room was a decent size for the price, and it’s a good hotel to stay at. A few things let it down: our shower curtain smelled damp and could do with more regular replacement, and the bathroom tap had so much pressure that it took some fiddling to find a setting that didn’t soak your outfit. Breakfast was underwhelming. They seemed understaffed, and after getting food we waited 15-20 minutes for cutlery. Some items had run out too, bringing another long wait. On a weekend I’d expect enough staff to keep things moving, and the hot breakfast finishing at 9am felt too early.