Greyfriars

Located in an historic building in the centre of town, Greyfriars is probably Colchester's most upscale hotel place to stay, with a good range of very comfortable rooms and a restaurant that serves excellent food. It’s convenient for Colchester’s castle and the shops of the centre of what is officially Britain’s oldest town, with relics of both medieval and Roman times dotted around its busy town centre.

The hotel occupies a Georgian house that was built on the site of a dissolved monastery  - hence the name. It has been fitted out with style and has all the trappings of a full-service luxury hotel, with  24-hour room service, a restaurant and bar, afternoon tea and good, relaxed service. There are 26 rooms, divided between the original Georgian property, with its handsome staircase, a later addition and All Saint’s House on the other side of the reception area. Each room is different, and there is an unusually high ratio of suites to regular rooms. The rooms are traditionally styled, and come with air-conditioning, robes and slippers, Nespresso machines and mini-bars with complimentary water, soft drinks and a couple of beers, and bathrooms with L’Occitane toiletries. Bathroom tend to be large and marbled, with underfloor heating and baths as well as shower in the higher grade rooms; a few have his-n-her showers and baths to go with his-n-her sinks.

The Baroque Bar – cosily lit in winter, opening out onto an expansive terrace in summer – is an inviting place for an early evening cocktail, while, housed in a former chapel, the Cloisters restaurant has a nice sense of occasion while still being a cosy place to eat, and the food is very good indeed. Local oysters are usually available in season, and there are other other high quality, locally sourced ingredients like Dedham Vale beef, Dingley Dell pork, local fish, and they even include a couple of decent Essex wines on the wine list. For breakfast, there's a generous buffet and they also serve a good Full English along with other hot dishes.

After breakfast, get out and see a bit of Colchester – its not a bad place for a weekend break, with a handful of sights including its renowned zoo, scenic hotspots in nearby Constable Country and coastal attractions too, in cool Wivenhoe and Mersea Island.