Hotels near Walton-on-the-Naze, Walton on the Naze

(A little better than average, but it went from average to very good - no option for ‘good’) I’ve been to this hotel spa many times over the years and I noticed that there’s been quite a few changes since my last visit. We were welcomed really nicely and the staff were all very friendly and helpful, except a couple of people who i guess may have either been new or just a bit shy because i had to ask them to repeat themselves as we were confused about what they were explaining. Our twin room was strange but only because our beds were on opposite sides of the room, which I’ve never experienced before in a twin room, regardless of who you are sharing with you’re going to be comfortable in close quarters and it was just strange being so far apart. No biggie though. The next thing was that there was no fridge in the room - so we had to put up with room temperature water to hydrate us (no complementary bottled water either). I went with my niece and both of our treatments were great, really relaxing and couldn’t fault the beauticians. The restaurant and food options have changed a great deal. I was telling my niece beforehand how much she will adore the food and how great it is, all being healthy but all yummy too. But now it’s just the same type of hotel food you’d expect anywhere else. The breakfast particularly used to be so much on offer, granola of all kinds, lots of healthy options, honey and preserves from local farms, an array of pastries and if you asked you could have cooked breakfast options. This visit was less of an emphasis on health - lots of cooked breakfast options, a toast machine and a small selection of cereals and pastries. I don’t mean to sound really demanding but I was a little disappointed about this aspect. All of the little issues combined just made it no where near as incredible as it used to be. I really hate to say this because Lifehouse Spa has always been a really special treat and experience. I haven’t made my mind up whether I would return again.

We have the same room each year. Previously it was a messy layout, this year a real effort had been made and it was very comfortable except for the ventilation. Both windows can only be opened fifty millimetres and there is no air-conditioning. The provided fan stirs the air somewhat but it was still uncomfortable during the hot weather, Breakfast requires the staff to take action to keep food and liquids topped up Balanced provision is necessary, e.g. not all marmalades one day and all jams the next. The constant requests for dishes etc. should not be necessary.