University of Essex - Colchester Campus

The bed was surprisingly very comfortable, the room had adequate options for storage despite it's overall small size. Nice fob security system. Great location. Fast WiFi. Clean room.

No elevator in the building so it's not ideal for disabled or people with lots of luggage. The location for where you have to collect/ drop off the room key is quite far if you're carrying luggage. Would've been better if the place was moved closer to the Houses. The room is very small so only ideal for solo travellers. You have to bring your own toiletries and kitchenware as theirs is a bit lacking. They gave towels and one of those small spherical soaps.

The campus environment is really nice, and the houses are quiet, which is great for a short stay. The rooms are okay for a few nights—nothing fancy, but they do the job. The location is super convenient, and the hot breakfast is a nice bonus. With a few small improvements, it could be even better.

Accessing taxis could definitely be easier—maybe adding QR codes for booking or calling a taxi would help a lot. The service overall was good, but a few things could be improved. Clearer instructions on how to collect orders would make the process less confusing, and offering more cake or croissant options would be a nice touch. I was also charged extra for my coffee, so clearer pricing would be appreciated. One last note: the FindMyWays page and the Uber app don’t work properly—they often can’t detect the location automatically, which makes booking a bit difficult.

Was very clean!

Bedding, and towels provided, room was clean

Check in was horrendous. I arrived at 5pm when it was dark, insufficient signage to find where to collect the key. Also unable to find the right car park. Eventually a student directed me to security and security then were able to guide me to key collection. You need to allow 30 mins to check out as you need to walk key back to main campus then walk back to accommodation as you can't drive round (unless you leave the campus then re enter at another entrance). Noisy at night (doors slamming) as the accommodation has fire doors but they don't have silent closures so every time some one comes in / out a room there is a slamming door. Bed was uncomfortable (could feel the springs)

Great opportunity feeling I am a student and good price with breakfast.

I understand no shampoo and water but I needed dryer and few hungers. and the bed was bumpy.

Relatively cheap, shops and food around, in Colchester. It’s basically student en-suite flats being let out to visitors, which is fine as long as you understand this isn’t hotel standard. Breakfast was fine, a basic cooked one at the canteen 5 min walk away.

They don’t say that the accommodation is near the car park, so I lugged my bags down to where you get the key, only to be told I needed to lug them back. Apart from a student fast food burger place, all campus sit down food shuts at 8pm in term, though there is a restaurant at the nearby hotel, which was fine. Don’t understand why they provide a fully-equipped kitchen apart from no cutlery, crockery, pans or utensils!

The view from my room was lovely and the WiFi was excellent. It was easy to get to my classes from my room. It felt safe.

I didn't take the breakfast option because £49 per day was already too steep. I felt the spring in my body while sleeping on the bed but I just slept in it because I didn't want to get in the hassle of getting it exchanged. . The room was way too small and the bathroom even smaller. I kept banging into the door every time I went. Also, there needs to be a sign outside for smokers to please use the ashtray. Cigarette butts were strewn around and no one cleaned it for 18 days that I was there.

Clean and good location.

Shower not powerful enough

Nice room and facilities, car park and a forest park next to the house.

Noisy doors

My room was a dorm which was very comfortable. It was nice to enjoy the outside benches as well.

Noisy room when people were also in the same hall. There was no cutlery in the common kitchen. It would have been nice to have a few items stocked so I could have had a yogurt in the morning without trying to find a spoon.

Staff was nice and helpful

I received no directions on how to reach the campus accommodation and the number provided did not work after 5pm. I had to walk 50 minutes on a deserted campus to find the room.

very basic room, as expected for what I paid

Minor gripes, No cups or kettle in the room, I saw other reviews so brought my own. I was only down for 2 nights visiting so this room was OK for my needs.

It’s quiet and a nice environment with friendly people.

Good value. A nice walk from Wivenhoe

The water in the shower was boiling hot. Couldn’t make it colder.

This is a basic university room so there are no thrills. Room was clean. Breakfast was good and in comparision to other establishments on this night, the value for money was OK. Free use of the university Gym was very useful

Room was functional, but a bit smelly and the bed was not great. No hairdryer or shampoo/conditioner, just a bar of soap. Confusing messaging over check out and break fast times, which were stated as 7:30 to 9:15 for breakfast and checkout by 9:30, whereas they are flexible on both up to around 11am. Only single rooms so for a couple we needed to get two rooms which doubled the cost, although still much cheaper than other places in Colchester on this date.

They responded well to my complaining, but still I can't help but feel that if they cared these problems wouldn't exist in the first place.

The big heavy fire doors slam all night. The one on the kitchen adjoining the room has no stopper on it at all (others had non-functional stoppers). The room literally shakes with the explosive slam which is very loud. The windows are tethered shut (they open an inch) and there is no way to control the temperature on hot days. They brought a fan to the room once I complained but still I had a very uncomfortable night. The room was around 30 degrees. I was very upset with the contrast between that and all the propaganda/publicity around campus that talks about values. Values begin with respecting peoples' basic needs like sleep. I found the whole situation shameful.

Room was fine for a stopover. Good WiFi. Good value for what it was and quite quiet.

There was no TV in the room or kettle. The campus is sprawling and I arrived after dark so it was tricky to work out where everything was.

Staff really friendly and helpful

No teabags/coffee sachets provided, basic amenities really 09:30, too early for a check-out: should be 10:00 at least

As a former student, staying at Essex in accommodatino again was a great nostalgia trip. Great location, with lots of to do nearby and further afield.

No crockery or cutlery, forcing you to get creative. Please add crockery and cutlery to all rooms so the guests can propeely use the kitchen

It seemed good value for money

The description of the property did not match reality. I was asked to go to Car Park B as it was deemed the closest to the key collection point and accommodation but the latter was the completely opposite side to where I was asked to park. The staff were lovely and courteous and suggested I move the car to where the accommodation was but would have to exit the complex and drive around the boundary of the university to it. Once I located the accommodation I was greeted with a made up bed and towels where the description said I’d have to bring my own so now I have brought my bedding for absolutely no good reason! The shower was fairly disfunctional - nowhere to hook the shower head up. The toilet lid was grimy. The kitchen where I had been informed had no crockery had absolutely nothing in it whatsoever other than a kettle and a fridge. No saucepans or things to cook with. I’d read all the details well hence I brought a mug and cutlery with me just in case but I really didn’t expect literally nothing to cook with! I feel totally let down with the description. It took me a long time to find my way into a room which I’d only booked for one night and then had a 20 minute walk to and back from the event office just to hand my key back! If I was staying longer I might not have felt quite so let down. The saving grace was that the staff were lovely and friendly.

Clean big space and a walk in shower makes it so good… bed was great and I really enjoyed my stay.

No complaints at all… it was perfect

Good location for our needs, clean etc

Banging doors!

Good location for Colchester and local area, free parking and some decent enough places to eat on campus. Good value if you are looking for simple accommodation

Room could have been a bit cleaner - still bits left over from students who had lived there recently. Had to wait a while for someone to come and check me in. Room was very very hot!

Good vibe around the campus. Staff very helpful once they had been located and contacted.

There was a really unpleasant smell in the kitchen. The kettle in the kitchen was disgusting having been used by someone to make pot noodle. The mattress was a bit lumpy.

Handy to visit my son at University.

Facilities were basic, clean and spartan

Location and nature beauty

To improve bed facilities

None

Location

The bathroom was broken and no one fixed it

That I had to run to the main campus to use the toilet!

To be honest i thought it would be a double room but it was fine to see the gig and sleep in. I only noticed becuase there was only one cup and towel etc. It gave the Mrs something to moan about, lol.

As a weekend visitor It was well serviced by public transport as I was visiting relatives this suited me well. The facilities although basic were ok for a few days .

The basic furniture was good; however, the wardrobe had only one hanger inside and the kitchen had nothing to eat off or with, I wouldnt of minded paying a deposit for cutlery and a plate but it wasn't offered. The noise this weekend was also a little intense, and it's something I believe people should be warned about.

There was no information provided about where to actually find breakfast. I even sent a message to the contact provided asking and no one responded. The room(s) were clearly very outdated and smell of dampness. The ironing board was hardly usable, but it didn't matter anyway because the iron did not work. There also seems to be some sort of bird family living just on the other side of the closet wall. They were quite noisy and were not the best neighbours. I certainly don't blame the birds though.