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We hadn't planned to stay here but I had booked us in at the Stansted Holiday Inn Express on the wrong night so Chrissy at Stansted kindly found us a room for the night at Braintree as we had a early flight the next day. The staff on check in who also cooked and served our food and drink were absolutely brilliant. This hotel seems to have been left behind a bit with any refit as it is very tired and dated however the amazing staff made up for it hence the 4 stars. We'd tried the Toby carvery but they weren't taking walkins probably due to being so busy so we headed back to the hotel to see what they could rustle up for us. Although the menu was extremely limited as quite a lot of items were unavailable (not sure why?) We had spicy wings and soup to start so tasty and wonderfully presented. Followed by a shared toastie and then 2 fab puddings. Full bellies and v.happy thankyou. We were up and about before breakfast but the chap said he would happily let us have a take away coffee and any cold items to take with us as they were complimentary anyway. Overall a good stay.

Our home from home stay We booked the laurels via my work employee benefits portal but had a look at a few reviews prior to visiting. Let me tell you how relaxing and quiet this stay was. The owner Stan met us at the door when we arrived, was friendly and sociable. The house was immaculate and extremely well presented. Guests have the ability to use the main lounge and a tasty breakfast is served in the morning in the dining room. There was a great selection of food and it was fresh and tasty and cooked to our preference. Our room was the luxury deluxe double and was very comfortable and clean with some little luxury additions of body wash and lotion ( and essentials for the ladies ) The queen bed and pillows enable a lovely deep sleep. The en-suite was a wet room and hot water on tap with some super soft bath towels. I had three showers and hot water available at each time. The brilliant furnishings and home comforts of the room added to the relaxing stay. However I must comment on the host’s Stan and Tricia. They made our stay all the more enjoyable their obvious high standards and pride of their BnB is extremely evident and is the main reason we will be back again in the future. They are extremely communicative and I felt they were available during our stay for anything we needed. We had struggled to get a taxi due to the village location and Stan advised us he would have fetched us. ( next time we will arrange this, Thanks Stan ) The little added touch of the purified water in the decanter in the fridge and the tray of biscuits and selections of tea and coffee in our room felt like a luxury. The Dyson fan was a great addition during a warm evening. The Laurels is a lovely beautifully decorated and well situated place to stay . If you are looking for a home from home break then look no further than the Laurels because it has all you need. I would highly recommend it. See you again soon Tricia and Stan. Ari and James