A lovely grand old hotel built in 1891, on a cliff overlooking the Thames estuary, with view rooms…read morelike ours on the front. The Tuxedo bar serves great Cosmopolitans, and there is a full dinner restaurant in the lobby called the Great Tides. Bring a credit card because they are cashless.

The Westcliff Hotel is run by the Muthu Group. It fronts Westcliff Parade Street with sweeping…read moreviews of the Thames Estuary. It is across from the gardens and walks along the bluffs. A short walk takes you to the Pleasure Pier and amusement park, or to Seaside's famed shopping/restaurant area. The hotel was built in 1891, but is nicely kept up and upgraded. There is a large lounge area on the ground floor as well as a bar and restaurant. Outside seating areas also are available in front of the hotel. The staff are pleasant and quick to please. We were very pleased with the bar and restaurant, both gave excellent service. Well crafted cocktails and delicious, well presented meals. Our room was on the 3rd floor with a commanding view of the river. The room was pleasant and had a small but nice bathroom. Fluffy white towels and a full set of toiletries. A very nice choice for the bank holiday weekend!

This little Boutique B&B has a fantastic reputation in the area…read more When the Mrs suggested a 'romantic weekend away', I can't say Southend On Sea was the first destination to spring to mind. Still I fell a little bit in love with the place. We found it really hard to find a place to stay, TripAdvisor being next to useless on the subject, we eventually came across the Pier View website and booked straight away. Lots and lots of gorgeous pictures that didn't disappointing in person. The B&B has only actually been around since 2008 and has since won lots of awards. The owners Ian and his wife (sadly we didn't meet her) live just down the road. Ian was a delight from check in to check out. Very friendly, informative and pleasant. He gave us some great suggestions for eating out and things to do. I also have to give a little shout out to David the Duty manager. He'll be there making sure you're coffee's topped up all breakfast and is a sweetie. Breakfast is continental, self-service. Its a good selection of pastry, toast, boiled eggs, fruit and cereal. Even a selection of babybells. The breakfast room is just the epitome of good taste. Bright, comfortable, clean. There's a little balcony out there too if you wish to enjoy your breakfast al fresco with an amazing view of the coast. Sadly, Southend may boast the smallest rainfall in England, but safe to say bank holiday weekend in August, we saw a bit of downpour. I love this place because it is here that I had the best nights sleep ever. The bed is the most amazing thing ever. The bed itself is just right, not too soft not too hard. The pillows are out of this world. Huge and sooo comfy I would happily pay a hundred pounds for those bad boys. The rooms are however smaller than you think they are from the pictures. However, we moved around just fine and what do you expect in a house like that. Now, big bad point. The shower. The bathrooms are tiny but practical. However the showers are just not good enough. No pressure, very dribbly. We coped as we both have short barnets, but if I still had my long locks, a shower would take me an hour. Still, despite that I just loved the place that much, I'd have to give it a big old 5*.

Growing up I spent a lot of time in Southend as my grandparents choose to retire in the area. So…read moreSouthend and what was then call Peter Pan's Playground (Now Adventure Island) was one of my favorite places in the world. 25 years on and wanting a trip down memory lane, Southend was the final stop on our road trip tour of the UK before heading back towards London and we came across Pier View via Trip Advisor. The reviews seemed good, so we thought we would give them a shot. We had scheduled to arrive pretty late getting close to 10, they still had someone on staff when we arrived, and even offered to make us sandwiches if we wanted after a long day's driving. Since it was the evening parking on the street was very easy, we got a spot right outside the property, and quickly moved from the car to our room. The room was tight, but more of what I expected from a B&B, (I think we were just spoilt from the night before) The room was very clean, bed was comfortable, full ensuite. Everything was very nice. The next morning, the continental breakfast was great. The room had a wonder sea view and lots of different food options, juices, and drinks, were available. We quickly wanted to get moving as we only had a little time in the area. Location was great, the Pier was right across the street. Lots of food options, especially Fish & Chips and if you wanted to get away from the Seaside, the Southend High Street, shopping centers, etc are right there also. Next time we are in Southend, without question we will be back.

Having been here both as a performer and an audience member, the venue is a lot bigger than you'd…read morebelieve, as are the shows. Thriller: The Michael Jackson Story was here a while ago, and blew me away, (even though I felt only the young kid was the only one to pay a true tribute to the undisputed King Of Pop). Sometimes they do have the sound a little too loud for the venue, but this is only on the more rock/metal style live performances, such as Thriller, and other such shows. If you do have a balcony seat though, beware of the steep overhang, and the low hand-rails, as a 6'2" Epileptic, I could easily fall over these, (I've had further drops though, heh), and I feel that as far as safety is concerned, (not just for me, but also for others, such as blind people such as my Mother), that these hand-rails should be raised more. In short, a great place to go for a reasonably priced show, but don't get a balcony seat if you've had a few to drink, lol.

One of two theatres in Southend, the Cliff's performances can be a bit hit and miss so it's best to…read morecheck the website in advance to see if anything interesting will be playing. However, sometimes musical productions form London will tour and they often have a short run of a week or two at the Cliffs. I have been lucky enough to see the touring production of Fame and also The Woman in Black (which was terrifying!) here. The prices are also much less expensive than going to the West End and the theatre is smaller and more intimate - you definitely get a better view of the stage. The sweets are just as pricy though!

My partner and I (and our small baby) stayed overnight between Friday 27th and Saturday 28th May…read more2011. I phoned up to book the room just a few days beforehand and they had vacancies (make of that what you will). I paid £69 for their smallest double room which seemed significantly cheaper than the rates being offered elsewhere. The price included all-you-can eat breakfast for two. The first phonecall (where the person on the other end answered with "hello?" prompting me to double-check I'd punched in the right number) set the standard for the rest of my experience. Check in was allowed from 2pm. I arrived shortly afterwards and found, to my dismay, that for a hotel that boasts 24 rooms, the car park had capacity for just six vehicles (and at the time one of these spaces was being used by a staff member). I was told, rather unhelpfully, to park in a bay that required my partner to get out of the car first as the edge of the bay was the wall. It took me ten minutes to park, not because I am a bad driver but because it was so tightly packed that every second I feared I was going to hit another car or run over my partner (thankfully I did neither). The check in staff were friendly enough, although we weren't shown to our room or offered any assistance with our luggage (which considering we had a small baby would have been greatly appreciated). The room itself was nicely decorated and of a good size considering it was a "compact" room. The en-suite had clearly been cleaned thoroughly as it sparkled. The view from our window was less than breathtaking - we overlooked the service corridor (and a large pile of rubbish sacks) and part of the car park. You get what you pay for I suppose. The TV was OK for a hotel TV - we had a few good Freeview channels (although the reception was less than acceptable for a few) and supposedly a DVD player although I couldn't find any instructions of how to use it (same for the high-speed WiFi which is advertised on the website). There was also the usual array of hotel appliances we never use like the trouser press, iron and desk fan etc. The hotel had its own bar and lounge, although we didn't make use of them. They looked well equipped and busy. The hotel was reasonably close to the seafront, although the tricky one way system that surrounds it will leave you scratching your head. The use of a satnav is advised. I was also loathe to go out again as it meant navigating out of the car park (and back in again later), the thought of which really put a dampener on the whole trip. The place was generally quiet by about 11pm, save for a few thuds of people coming up the stairs and fumbling with their keys. I slept quite soundly and the bed was comfortable. The baby slept in the Moses basket we brought from home, although a cot was available had we needed it. Breakfast was served from 8:30am and was good even though the dining room was somewhat cramped. Our table featured a toaster (for what reason I'll never know as none of the other tables had one and I don't even think ours was plugged in). The full English was indeed all-you-can-eat and the food was of good standard. The staff were more than happy to cook more of something when the supply ran out. There was also a selection of cereals, yoghurts and toast. My partner mentioned that she thought the orange juice was watered down and not pure which, if accurate, seems like a slightly underhanded thing to do. I had two issues with breakfast: one was that the staff tended to hover around you and quickly took away plates and cups that we had used which is very off-putting; the other was the time you are allocated to eat. Breakfast begins at 8:30am and you are expected to check out before 10am. I like to take some time over my breakfast, particularly when it's all-you-can-eat and I felt somewhat hurried by it all and didn't have the time to enjoy it as I would have liked. An hour and a half to eat breakfast and pack up and be out of the hotel doesn't seem like a very long time. Then of course we had the nightmare of trying to get out of the car park... All in all, a decidedly average stay. There was nothing major that I can gripe about, just little things that add up and either frustrate or disappoint which can easily sour the whole trip. For the price we paid it was good, although I think next time I'll pay the extra £20 and stay somewhere a little more upmarket.

From the owner: 20 Bedroom Hotel and Self-Catering Apartments in Southend-on-Sea, UK. Newly refurbished bedrooms…read moreand bathrooms, large apartments for business and holiday.Book direct and Save

What can I say? It's a Premier Inn. It's better than a Travelodge, but it's never going to be…read morefancy, is it? Stayed here with work last night. The receptionist was dead friendly and that, and my room was clean. The towels were a little bit tired and thin, not fluffy and warm like I like them, but that's one of the reasons the room was only £64 I bet. I sound like I wasn't impressed, and I wasn't, but I did have an incredibly comfy and satisfying night's sleep. Lovely, it was. I heart blackout curtains and hard mattresses. Incidentally, I went to see Othello at the West Yorkshire Playhouse the other night, and now I've seen Lenny Henry in action I sort of want to compare Premier Inn notes, like we're friends or something.

I am a bit of a fan of all of the Premier Inn hotels of late. Many of them I have been refurbished…read morewith the last 12 months at the most. The Southend branch near to the airport is of a very good standard with a very clean and good quality room. Staff on resection are very professional and gave. Avery warm welcome. The attached Beefeater was equally good with very. In summary very good quality for the price

we stopped for fish & chips. traditional pub with huge indoor and outdoor seating (ocean view)…read more staff is very friendly and helpful, food was fresh and served very fast. only con - if you order food you have to go to the hotel since the bar will only serve drinks.

Quirky pub, beautifully outdated decor with some quality real ale, real cider and vegetarian/vegan…read moremenu. We popped into the Railway for a mid week pint. First things first: the booze! I was really suprised to see a range of proper cider, in boxes and plastic barrels, and promptly order a scrumptious scrumpy. Hubs was pleased to have a pint of Leffe Blonde, which he liked for not being too gassy. There was also a range of real ale, and a pleasant lack of cheapo yellow lager. The spirit bar looked well stocked, with a good supply of Sailor Jerry and other premium style brands. The inside totally appealed to my not so inner goth. There are a range of distressed musical instruments, Victorian portraits and battered, eclectic furniture everywhere. The effect is kind of a cosy shambles. It won't appeal to everyone, so if you like your drinking establishments clean and minimalist, this place probably won't be your cup of tea. While we didn't eat, the food that we did see pass us was large of portion and looked tasty. We will certainly be coming back to try it out. It's vegetarian and vegan, with some epic looking burgers to try.

So love this pub loads of basic greatness , decor is faded grandeour with loads of old furniture…read morefrom the skip :) . Great music and lots of great real ale . Ignor the outside step over the theshold and enter a great pub :)