Colchester Hotels

Colchester is regarded as a beautiful town in which to live and work, and has museums, a world-class zoo, Rollerworld skating rink and Leisureworld leisure centre, concert halls, a theatre and a lively arts scene. Award-winning Castle Park provides recreation for thousands of people a day; other open areas include the High Woods Country Park, Hilly Fields, Lexden Park and Cymbeline Meadows.

The Hotels

• Superior Hotels

• Best Western Marks Tey Hotel 4 star

• Tourist Hotels

• Ramada Colchester 3 star
• Holiday Inn Colchester 3 star
• Maison Talbooth Hotel 3 star

Did You Know?

Colchester was originally Camulodunum whose king was Cunobelin - Old King Cole in the nursery rhyme. It was the main centre of Roman Britain before London grew sufficiently to become the capital.

Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni tribe, sacked the town in AD60. There is hardly any evidence of settlement in the town in Saxon times.

The Norman invasion of 1066 led to the building of Colchester Castle on the foundations of the former Roman temple. The castle is Europe's biggest Norman keep.

Colchester is now the main town in north Essex with a population of 100,000. It is Britain's oldest recorded town and lies on the River Colne. Its garrison houses more than 5,000 troops and Essex University, two miles from the centre, has 5,500 students.

Colchester benefits from its closeness to London's Stansted Airport and the seaports of Harwich and Felixstowe; the Continent, via Harwich, is just over four hours away. The A12 London-East Anglia road runs to the north, and the town is on the London-Norwich main railway line with a trip to the capital taking 50 minutes.