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Reviews of Saffron Hotel

3 out of 5
Saffron Hotel
8-12 High Street, Essex, Saffron Walden, England

Reviews

6.0
Rating 10 - Excellent. 9 out of 76 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 18 out of 76 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 24 out of 76 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 17 out of 76 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 8 out of 76 reviews" "

6.8/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Staff & service

5.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

4/10 Poor

graham, ipswich

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent location but noisy front room
The goods: excellent location,the farewell receptionist polite,reasonably priced The bads: couldn’t find initially any member of staff to check me in and when I did she was very impolite,rooms facing the road despite secondary double glazing are noisy and woke up early, the shower needs a makeover as it’s very tired and old looking.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

2/10 Terrible

James, London

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
run by a bunch of amateurs
I don't think the people who run this hotel care about the guests - Fawlty Towers without the charm. Not much right with it. Stay somewhere else if possible.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Walked into a renovation project - without warning
The main part of the hotel bedroom area was having major renovations. Plaster dust on the stairs. Booked a premium twin but very poor accomodation in an annexe area. Can't imagine what the non-premium rooms are like! Apparently the whole place is to close in January. No restaurant available, notice saying closed but no reason given as all tables laid up ready. Downstairs looks fine but bedrooms are definitely poor.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

jaccy, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Lovely staff but bathroom beyond shabby!
The hotel is saved by the delightful reception staff who were friendly and very helpful. My room at the front of the hotel also had double glazing which blocked out the road noise. However the room - and bathroom in particular - are a good ten years overdue for a refurbishment. Whilst clean the bathroom was a disgrace. Even a hole in the internal wall that had been stuffed with toilet paper! Broken tap (still functional), a plug that didn't fit, big gaps in the flooring, paint off the walls etc etc. The price doesn't reflect this poor condition.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Mrs J L

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A very nice hotel. No complaints at all
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Anon, Englsnd

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
No beer available.. Outer door locked at 11pm so no nightcap. Place deserted.. In need of renovation (rooom we had).
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

virginia, London

Liked: Staff & service
Friendly staff but hotel could do with an upgrade
We stayed only one night. The hotel was pleasant enough for a short stay and the staff were really friendly but the tv didn’t work in our room and when we enquired about it we were told the system was off and would only be back on Monday. We feel that we should have been informed of this on arrival and a discount should have been offered. Other then this we had a good time.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

6/10 Okay

siobhan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

2/10 Terrible

Peter

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hotel is plain and boring which I expected, however, the facilities were terrible. The bathroom gave me the impression it was modelled after a prison shower block complete with no hot water.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

6/10 Okay

Jack , Southampton

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointing for the cost
Quirky old hotel. Paid £115 for a king size bed but it was smaller than that and lumpy mattress. Only place available in Saffron Walden really - did not bother with breakfast. .
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

4/10 Poor

Ian

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
saffron hotel
hotel was shabby and out dated ,only room for three cars ,not very clean, did not use shower as it looked dirty,people in room opposite had been smoking which made the corridor smell.could not get comfortable in bed so very poor sleep.The breakfast was over priced at nearly £8 ,went to weathersoons just around the corner and paid £3.50 for a large breakfast with free refillable coffee.Room was well overpriced at £78 only worth £30 if your desperate like we were.saffron itself is a very nice little town overall nice people
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Only room free
We stayed here as we couldn't find any other rooms in the area for the night we needed. The room was in the attic, the twin beds were at one end of a narrow long room. The TVs was small and at the other end of the room so could hardly be seen. The bath towels were small, about double the size of the hand towels and the tea spoons with the drinks hadn't been changed since the last occupant.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
No heating in room, no hot shower, 45 mins to get breakfast, place need revamping
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Alban

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean comfortable hotel.
Only stayed one night but really enjoyed our stay.The staff we're really friendly and efficient. The room was clean and comfortable.The food was lovely,plenty for breakfast. Good position in high St,which leads to the only downside, limited parking,but there is a big car park 5 mins walk away,so not to much of a problem.All in all can't fault the hotel. I don't understand the negative comments on here,its an old building so you could get a few problems with things,but the staff are so good you only have to ask.would recommend this hotel for anyone wanting to stay in the lovely town of Saffron Walden.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

6/10 Okay

Ben

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

2/10 Terrible

bill, london

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Shabby
The hotel was shabby and in need of a thorough refurbish, It felt as if the owners were concentrating on profit with little concern about guests satisfaction or comfort.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

A, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice quaint hotel
The building and setting are historic making for quaint features. The room was comfortable and the space had been ingeniously adapted to fit in a small shower room.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

6/10 Okay

Martin, Suffolk

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
OK for an overnight stay
Conveniently situated but very limited parking space so had to park in a public car park some way from the hotel. Good check-in experience and the duty manager offered us an exceptionally good deal for breakfast and dinner. Room was adequate but one window would not shut which meant a lot of traffic noise as the hotel is on a busy road. One light in the bathroom not working and the other one flickering, but the worst point was that the shower mixer was faulty meaning a hot shower was out of the question. On the plus side dinner and breakfast were excellent and exceptional value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great for one night for the price.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

4/10 Poor

Kegan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very poor hotel. No parking within 200m of hotel. Room was very poor, electric not working at first and only a few channels worked on the TV. Bathroom was tiny and shower sprayed everywhere. Breakfast was good and bar/restaurant was nice.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

6/10 Okay

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Saffron Hotel comments
Well placed hotel - friendly staff - limited parking. Bedrooms could do with complete facelift. Nice breakfast.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

Kishoo, U.K.

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Tired, old and avoid
Poor - pay heavily for the location. Pay a little extra and go elsewhere
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

6/10 Okay

paula

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
the staff were really pleasant but the shower has black mildew in the tray which was off putting, the large window had a sign saying do not open, it was 29 degrees when I arrived , the manager did eventually wedge it open with a metal bar after I insisted it was far too hot to be in that room with it shut. parking is only for four cars and very tight at that if I hadn't of got there early I would have had to park on main street a very busy street at that ! had a big desk but no plug sockets near enough to plug in lap top?
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

Jo, NZ

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Historic Hotel in a lovely old town.
I do like historical hotels and pubs but this one had a very uncomfortable bed and a shower that was impossible to regulate in any shape or form. Prices on the menu shown in the room were 2 pounds cheaper than when you got to the restaurant. I don't know if this was oversight or a markering ploy. We ate elsewhere.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

4/10 Poor

Visitor, UK

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location - in dire need of refurbishment !
The main comment I would make was that my room was in the attic, accessed via a narrow flight of stairs. The stairs under the carpet were rotten and had given way underneath the stair carpet in several places. Very dangerous ! Room was in desperate need of refurbishment. Furniture looked like it had come from a junk shop. Carpet was very old and heavily worn. Room was excessively hot and stuffy. Some of the lights / bedside lamps didn't work, and I was unable to access most channels on the TV. Inside of bathroom door had been 'smashed in' by a previous occupant and clearly not repaired, but bathroom was clean at least. Despite shortcomings, bed linen was clean and the bed itself was quite comfortable so I slept OK.
Stayed 1 night in May 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Hotel needs a bit of work done to it, I was on the top floor and had no hot water for the shower. Bed was comfortable and the food was good. I have stayed in better hotels for less
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A must stay!
Though this hotel could do with some tlc I couldn't fault the cleanliness or the staff. The owner in particular was extremely helpful. In fact we had ordered a taxi for 7.30 pm & the company were unable to provide one as they were busy so the owner offered to drive us to our location as he had a taxi licence. Not only that but he wouldn't accept any fare charge & even offered to collect us at the end of our evening. Customer service at it's best! I cannot comment on the breakfast as we didn't partake but the food menu looked good.

6/10 Okay

Chris

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, room comfort

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
One night stay aborted and refunded
Pleasant helpful staff but falty radiator and unable to control heat and TV not working. Mutually agreed that we leave as no other room to offer as stiffling heat and have refund.

4/10 Poor

Jo

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disappointed
No one at reception on arrival had to go looking for someone. When asked if we wanted breakfast we said yes but was not told it would cost £7.50 each per day. Room was very hot not really a problem if you could open a window but a poster on the window said DO NOT OPEN. Couldn't close the shower door without a struggle. The waitress at breakfast was very nice and friendly.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Town centre location
Excellent food and service. Limited parking. Service closed very early on Sunday evening. Poor plumbing arrangements in some rooms.

6/10 Okay

Nigel

Disliked: Staff & service
Different to our last stay
The hotel was fine service slow at times due to low staff numbers to which the waitress at night was a cleaner in the morning to run a successful hotel you need enough staff.I also didn't like the fact it was a limited menu due to Sunday winter menu so not much choice on offer

2/10 Terrible

Paul Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Sleepless In Saffron Walden
kept awake all night by loud air conditioning fan switching of and on all night.

2/10 Terrible

Arleen , N. Ireland

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old, tired hotel
Attic room which looked grubby old and dated. No hot water in shower. Wouldn't stay again. Staff friendly , didn't use restaurant so can't comment.

6/10 Okay

Gill, Gosport

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Town centre hotel close to amenities
This is an old, "quirky" hotel right on the Main Street in the town. Good breakfast. The town itself is lovely. The car park is tiny and difficult to access. It was full when I arrived and we had to park in the main town car park.

4/10 Poor

Barnaby

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Convenient but overpriced
A lot of noise from the road, tv didn't get BBC channels, shower didn't get hot and the water only came out 3 holes in the head so it was painfully powerful. Check in staff were friendly, but the room was too expensive for what you get.

8/10 Good

melyza

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
No BBC coverage on the TV and also very noisy at night with drinkers everywhere even on the entrance steps

6/10 Okay

darren

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Great staff
Small independent hotel in historic building. Staff are the largest benefit to this accommodation. Food was good. Room I had was medium sized but the floor was unbelievably uneven, at least 2ft height difference between corners. As a test I dropped an item in 1 corner and it rolled freely from 1 side of the room to the other. Radiator thermostat was broken and room was red hot. Had to sleep with window open which faced on to main street so never slept well due to noise and thoughts of someone climbing into the room. Bathroom was ok but not great. Carpark is tiny, fits 3 cars snuggly so need to park on main road and move car before 8am. Would stay again only if I had to as staff and food were great.

6/10 Okay

lps, Eastbourne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Good location but
In need of update - almost impossible to switch on/off and dripped all the time. Breakfast good but very slow. Everything looks a bit tatty. Staff very pleasant.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

2/10 Terrible

Chris, Watford

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Oh dear...
I'd read a few reviews so I knew the rooms were going to be questionable but it was only 1 night for a nearby wedding and It was one of the cheapest options in the area so I took my chances. There were several other things that let this place down though... Strange smell in the room Teabag stains on the skirting board by the bin someone else’s clothes left in my wardrobe waitress was rude when we asked for vinegar 2 items on the lunch menu weren't available food order was incorrect and no apology was made Variety of drinks on the bar was very basic offering table service but just didn't know how to handle it had to get my drinks separately at the bar food was very basic and quite expensive first pint of beer had crumbs floating in the head one bulb in my room was out There are several things you could do to improve the rooms for free. E.G. just burn those awful bed covers and cushions from the 80's. It’s scary to think how long you've had those and there are good white sheets underneath. Why have you left a stereo with a tape deck in the TV cabinet? It's 2016 and it doesn't even serve as an alarm clock! They said they had just had a kitchen/restaurant refurbishment and I'm guessing that this has only been recently acquired by Greene King. I think they've been asked to run a very different format from the one they are used to and it may take some time before this place is a good option.

8/10 Good

S, Wales

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice atmosphere and great breakfast
We enjoyed our stay, however our suite was quite dark and very warm in the hot weather as it was difficult to open the windows. Reception and serving staff were friendly, helpful and chatty. A great breakfast too. Was disappointed to find that for the money we paid for a night (through expedia) that Breakfast was not included. We needed early check in as we had travelled 250 miles and needed a room to change in. They accommodated us without question.

8/10 Good

Terence

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Saffron Waldon stay.
The hotel is centrally situated so there is ease of access to the town's facilities. The rooms were pleasant though the first one we were allocated had a shower door that was well and truly jammed. We were immediately allocated another room, an upgrade to a suite, which while larger did not have the sunny aspects of the former. The room had good furnishings though I do not personally like 4 poster bed, and a good sized bathroom. The public areas were very pleasant, dining facilities good and the food well prepared. Breakfasts were excellent in the conservatory breakfast area. A downside could be the parking which is limited and can be a bit tricky as you have to come out onto a busy main road. Staff were friendly and obliging.

8/10 Good

Kevin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

Richard, perthshire

Liked: Cleanliness
good stay
enjoyed a good stay - staff helpful

6/10 Okay

HSF

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Room comfort
Not expensive but still overpriced.
Bathroom facilities poor, cramped and shabby. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
One night in Saffron Walden
On arrival the hotel was covered in scaffolding & looking a bit tatty generally. Room was a decent size but the bathroom was quite cramped. Floorboards were really creaky - I realise it's an old building, but it felt like you were waking everyone in the hotel up when moving around the room. There was a locked door adjoining another room - conversations could be clearly heard through this & therefore it didn't feel very private. We had a decent nights sleep though. Didn't have breakfast so can't comment on that.