Little Baddow Vacations from $643

Check-in was fine, but the leisure facilities were a letdown. The pool was cold, the jacuzzi didn’t work, and the steam room was out of order. Lockers were unreliable and needed a £1 coin, which is odd for a card-only facility. The saunas are segregated and located in the changing rooms, which isn’t ideal for a couples stay. The male sauna also smelled strongly of urinals. We left almost immediately. At least we weren’t charged. We booked an Executive room, but it didn’t feel like one. The lighting was poor, leaving parts of the room dark. The shower-over-bath setup was awkward due to the curved bath, and not what I’d expect at this level. Worst of all, the “double” bed was just two singles pushed together — unacceptable for an Executive room. Why do some hotels think this is OK? If I wanted a budget hotel, I would have booked one. Oh, and the miniature soaps where annoying at best and useless for a shower. There must have been more plastic used in the packaging than shower gel inside it. Staff were generally pleasant, though the older bartender could do with smiling every now and again. Food was very nice, dinner and breakfast. Some options for vegetarians but this didn't seem to please 'Karen' who found an opportunity to be rude and moan at every opportunity. I guess you can't please them all, especially the Karen's of this world. Wouldn't choose stay again, though I’ve stayed in worse and it's not the worse place for a bed for the night.

We spent 3 days at the hotel,l was so impressed with friendly staff nothing was to much trouble. Rooms were clean and bright a nicely decorated. The complimentary breakfast was excellent so much choice. We had 2 evenings meal at the inn and wasn’t disappointed with any of them. I would recommend this holiday inn express as lm not easily pleased and l certainly was there.5*

Absolutely wonderful, extremely helpful staff. The atmosphere was very comfortable. Breakfast was very good. I would highly recommend this location for food, for drinks, or for a room. Personally I would do all 3 again.

Lovely and pretty well-kept property. The staff were fantastic and the ambience was delightful. I was surprised at how modern the room was, but it was in one of the more modern wings.