The Brook Red Lion Hotel in Colchester, Essex welcomes you to a historical and magical stay in this Grade 1 listed building dating all the way back to 1465, and is one of the oldest inns in England, right in the centre of town. Enjoy magnificent Tudor features and exposed wooden beams, warm red and gold fabrics and 3-star luxury in the 24 individually furnished rooms with all the amenities of a modern hotel. The Red Lion Brasserie in the unique setting of this medieval hotel offers exquisite dining choices with fine wines for lunch and dinner with many original features and a special atmosphere. The Brook Red Lion Hotel also boasts function and event rooms with natural daylight, free WIFI and LCD projectors and more, and is the perfect venue wedding receptions, banquets, business meetings and celebrations in this spectacular Tudor hotel.READ MORE

The Victoria Inn is a proper pub located in Colchester, Essex and offers an award winning experience in this 17th century Grade II listed building. With a traditional friendly pub atmosphere and function room, this freehouse welcomes all and they are renowned for their fine ales, perries and real cider and even have a dedicated craft ale pump. The Victoria Inn has a real fire in winter, comfortable sofa area, a sheltered courtyard and a covered converted stable block with comfortable conservatory style seating. They welcome you any night of the week to enjoy a visit to a real local pub and regularly host live music and events.READ MORE

Acacia Cottage is your Colchester comfortably furnished holiday home built in the 1800's with a very central location. This character property with modern facilities is ideal for families or couples on holiday, and boasts a secluded garden with patio area ideal for alfresco dining or a barbeque, and the area is fully enclosed and safe for children to play. Acacia Cottage has two good sized bedrooms, an open plan downstairs living space, a fully fitted kitchen and bathroom. There's garden furniture and a BBQ, a dining room, central heating and much more, come for the perfect home away from home stay.READ MORE

Greyfriars Colchester offers luxurious rooms and suites to the discerning in a beautiful building dating all the way back to the 18th Century, and once a grand private family house, after extensive refurbishment, it is today the perfect venue for dining, socialising and celebrating. Accommodation options include superbly appointed rooms and suites including Grand Luxe Signature suites, deluxe suites and junior suites with 5-star standards. They offer dining at the Cloisters, the Rose Room or the Salon with excellent menus and a wide range of options from Breakfast through lunch, afternoon tea and dinner and a superb Sunday lunch. The Baroque Bar, Venetian LOunge and Library lounge are all in the original old quarters of Greyfriars offering an incredible atmosphere of old world charm with solid woods and leather, and there's a large terrace perfect for good weather days. Greyfriars Colchester is a luxurious and elegant venue for special occasions from large to small with high standards of service and exquisite cuisine, and they cater to corporate events and meetings.READ MORE

Il Padrino meaning The Godfather is located in Colchester, Essex and is a wonderful Italian restaurant with mouthwatering food offering great value for money in a relaxed atmosphere, it's everything you want for great dining out. Open for lunch and dinner with head chef and owner Fausto, this 70-seat restaurant offers an intimate atmosphere over three floors, with open plan kitchen on the ground floor where the meals are prepared. Il Padrino offers an exquisite a la carte menu and there's a mouthwatering selection of fish and seafood specials on the blackboards. They also have brunch dishes, starters, pasta and rice dishes, chef's salads and drinks, and will create a menu specifically for groups, come experience the Italian divine.READ MORE

The Colchester Zoo offers an award winning experience with over 270 species over 60 acres of beautiful parklands and lakes, and is constantly developing. Come for an action packed visit into the magnificent world of these animals, see white rhinos, maybe even feed the elephants and giraffes, there's ostrich and kudu a roaming at Kingdom of the wild, and even an underwater walk at the tunnel of the Playa Patagonia sealion pool, as well as Komodo Dragons and many daily displays, and the road train, the Lost Madagascar Express will take you on a magical ride. The Colchester Zoo has a Butterfly Glade with free flying butterflies, a state of the art enclosure housing two beautiful sun bears, a tropical walkthrough with lorikeets, plus the sensation station where you can handle some scaly species and furry friends. The Colchester Zoo offers an excellent visitor experience, and they have delicious food outlets, two souvenir gift shops with unique products and so much more, come for a memorable day out.READ MORE

The Minories Galleries in Colchester, Essex is located in an A listed Georgian building, and is a public contemporary art gallery run by the Colchester School of Art providing contemporary art and design. With a proud history dating back to 1885, they year the orginal art school was founded, today their focus is on developing and environment where the imagination can flourish in studios and workshops. The Minories Galleries showcases exhibitions and hosts events, and offer workshop facilities in ceramics, textiles, printmaking, photographic darkrooms, fashion construction, Mac suites, and wood, metal and plastics, and each course has it's own dedicated studio space.READ MORE

The Riverside Hotel, Colchester is housed in a 17th century building on the banks of the River Colne, just 5 minutes walk from the heart of Colchester, England's oldest recorded town. With 18 en-suite rooms and choices of single, twin, double and family all are welcome and there's free parking and a complementary English breakfast for all guests. The Riverside Hotel, Colchester has a bar and lounge area, 24 hour reception, free WIFI in public areas and is ideally located close the town's main train station. Come for a fabulous stay in this Grade 2 listed building built all the way back in 1604, and to this day still retaining many original period features.READ MORE

Leisure World Colchester offers year round fun for the whole family and they have swimming pools, a gym and a fantastic range of sports facilities including multi purpose sports halls for badminton, squash courts, tennis and basketball, and an astro turf pitch for football. Their swimming pools are available for water fitness classes, pool sessions and there's a swim school with teaching pool. Their comprehensive group fitness classes include over 60 exciting classes for people of all ages, levels of fitness and interests. Leisure World Colchester offers holiday fun, and is available for birthday parties with plenty to offer for memorable celebrations, there's a coffee shop with excellent menu and drinks, and Zoggs shop stocks all your swimwear needs and accessories, come visit, there's something for everyone here. READ MORE

The Dog and Pheasant is a bar, restaurant and holiday cottage in the coastal village of East Mersea, Colchester dating back to 1750 now refurbished and modern. The menu is vast with excellent starter choices, and mains of steak and kidney pudding, sizzling ribs, delectable char grills, chefs curry of the day, beer battered fish and chips, lunch offerings, bar snacks and much more, and their take away menu includes burgers, baguettes and jacket potatoes. The Dog and Pheasant holiday cottage is thatched and a charming Grade 11 listed building retaining much of its original character and period features but with modern facilities ideal for families, couples and groups, set in countryside adjoining the public house and restaurant. Come for a spectacular meal and fabulous stay in beautiful surrounds.READ MORE