The Victory at Mersea

We stayed at the Victory for 4 nights from the 1st June. It is truly in a lovely location across the road from the harbour and seafood shacks. We paid for the rooms with balconies and it was lovely to sit out there and watch the sunsets on a nice evening. Breakfast was always good, prompt and well served, I had the full English each morning, with cereal to start and toast & marmalade to follow, with a large pot of tea. We eat in the restaurant a couple of times and it was ok - could be top quality with a few tweaks and a bit more polish. Nicole the manager was very helpful.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Victory. There are lots of positives about this bed and breakfast. Cleanliness could be looked at. Throughout the site, there were lots of cobwebs both in the dining room and in the room I stayed in. The staff, super friendly, were very helpful. However, there was a lack of experience with some younger staff not knowing where the extra toilet roll was. There was no welcome pack or information card in the rooms, so I was unsure of how to use the WiFi and the irregular timing of the restaurant (understandable as it's a small community) made me unsure of whether it would be open or not. Lots of places close at 5 in the area. Communication could be improved (no response via the questions sent in message centre on hotels.com). I liked my room and I was very surprised about the size of the bathroom, however the shower had very low water pressure. There are no fans to use or borrow, so I brought my own. Luckily there was a strong wind during the time I there. There is a lovely area to sit outside and it's close to the beach where I spent a lot of my time. The area is in dire need of a small convenient store as the closest one is about a 14 or 15 minute walk away from the area. Lots of really great restaurants in the area, including the Victory itself. Don't forget anything! Cars would be helpful to get around the area as there is not a lot of public transport or taxis.

I recently stayed at this hotel and unfortunately found that the overall condition and service fell well below expectations, particularly given the room rate of £130 per night. Upon arrival, I found the main entrance locked, with the door handle missing. I accessed the hotel through the adjoining bar and was met by the manager. She was friendly and helpful, though the check-in experience felt somewhat prolonged due to an extended personal conversation. The condition of the room was disappointing. The carpet was heavily stained and appeared unclean (as shown in the attached photo). Complimentary biscuits had been unwrapped and left exposed, raising concerns about hygiene and attention to detail. The bathroom had visible cobwebs, stray hairs in the sink, and a significant buildup of grime and mildew around the shower screen. The bed was overly soft and lacked proper support, which impacted sleep quality. Dining arrangements were also inconvenient. Guests were informed that evening meals had to be ordered between 7:00 and 7:30pm—an unusually narrow window. Breakfast service did not begin until 9:00am, which is unsuitable for business travelers who typically start their day earlier. Despite not having breakfast, I was still charged £15 for it. Overall, the hotel appears to be in need of a deep clean and significant renovation. Staff training in hospitality standards and guest service would also be beneficial. Given the current state of the facilities and the pricing, I would not recommend this property to others.