Bistro and Bar Below in Colchester, Essex is a restaurant and wine bar offering an excellent venue to dine on sumptuous home made meals and put a British twist on bistro food for the ultimate indulgence in relaxing surrounds. The basement bar is fully air conditioned and offers tasty and traditional favourites in one of the finest Grade II listed buildings in Colchester. The Function room is part of the restaurant but can be booked as a separate corporate venue and they can supply everything you need for your business meeting. Bistro and Bar Below also boasts the Salon Privee for romantic private dining and can seat 4-6 patrons. Come for an unsurpassed dining and drinking experience in stunning surrounds.READ MORE

Trotters Bar and Kitchen in the heart of Colchester, Essex is small and cosy offering a variety of draught beers, wines and cocktails with a great menu for breakfast and lunch, and they are the ideal party venue for anything from 20-100 people. They also have convenient on-line ordering for take aways, and offer freshly made coffees and orange juice, and menu items include full or Small English breakfasts, a healthy starts, sandwiches and toast, and for lunch there are sandwiches and baguettes, jacket potatoes, soups, omelettes, wraps, lasagne, chili con carne, cheesy chips, a Mexican chicken salad and more. Trotters Bar and Kitchen is also great for office and Christmas parties, drinks events, Summer barbeques, business meetings, anniversary parties and more, and they have free WIFI.READ MORE

The Red Dog Cafe and Restaurant in Colchester, Essex offers a wonderful dining experience, with the cafe separate from the restaurant in the Inworth Barn serving an extensive selection of full day breakfasts and snacks with full table service, and is historic and rustic with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams. The restaurant in the Prince of Wales freehouse boasts a contemporary a la carte menu and is most famous for it's steaks and prime beef burgers, they also have a stunning wine selection. The Red Dog Cafe and Restaurant hosts regular events and have a fabulous Christmas menu every season. They specialise in small parties and groups and will design a menu that suits from the basic buffet to the burger bar, a fantastic dining experience with delicious menu awaits.READ MORE

Firstsite offers contemporary visual arts in Colchester, Essex and their programme includes projects, exhibitions and publications by established and emerging artists, they also offer extensive learning opportunities and artists' support initiatives. They have since 1994 supported and invested in artists across the Eastern region, and now have a spectacular new building with front portico rising to 11 metres high comprising exhibition space, gallery spaces, a shop selling creative gifts, and a restaurant all lit throughout with natural light. Firstsite also has a state of the art auditorium which comfortable seats 190 people, and the venue is available for hire and is ideal for conferences, presentations, and product launches as well as celebrations, club and society meetings and private parties with a stunning backdrop.READ MORE

Castle Road Cottages are ideally located in the heart of Colchester, Essex offering a high quality self catering stay with the perfect blend of stylish accommodation and a good location as they say. They ensure your stay is as comfortable as possible with fine quality towels and bed linen, complementary tea and ground coffee as well as fresh fruit to welcome you. Hope Cottage, a one time Quaker bakehouse is the perfect retreat for couples and boasts an intimate atmosphere, snug lounge and cosy kitchen breakfast room and much more with upstairs Edwardian elegance. The 6 Castle Road Cottage is a classic Victorian artisan cottage with lovingly restored period details including cast iron fireplaces, antique furnishings, pretty back garden and much more ideal for three to four guests. Castle Road Cottages true delights in beautiful surrounds, come for a magical stay. 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 George Hotel Colchester is a 500 year old coaching inn that resonates with history in the heart of historic Colchester, Essex right on the high street, close to Colchester Castle. Boasting choices of executive, superior family, classic double, twin, single and mini double room choices, all individually decorated to a high standard, a fabulous stay awaits both the leisure and business guest. There's a stylish lounge bar with original features, and a Courtyard Brasserie serving English dishes and regional specialties by talented chefs for a memorable dining experience. The George Hotel Colchester is also the perfect venue and setting for private dining and functions in bespoke function rooms and they cater to parties, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, retirements, Bar Mitzvahs and other special occasions, complete with banqueting and events coordinator. READ MORE

Dedham Vale Vineyard in Colchester, Essex produces six styles of award winning wines set in 40 acres of rolling English countryside, they also have a proprietary cider and signature fruit liqueurs. There's an on-line shop if you can't visit personally, and during wet walnut season, the Wet Walnut & Vineyard Shop, Trail and Tasting Barn are open seven days a week. The Dedham Vale Vineyard Trail welcomes you on a self conducted tour, to see how the grapes become wine in a bottle, with wine tasting and the Grand Tour and Tasting welcomes you on a full English wine experience with guided tour and tasting from their expert winemakers followed by afternoon tea or lunch in the Tasting Barn, plus there are group tours available in this idyllic setting with catering as required.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

The Headgate Theatre is the home of amateur theatre in Colchester, Essex with a variety of spaces and is a very adaptable multi purpose building as they say, with disability access and excellent facilities. There auditorium is perfect as a performing space or meetings and conferences, and the Hervey Benham Rehearsal Studio is ideal for activities including dance classes and rehearsals and appeals to actors, musicians and dancers, there's also the Bar Lounge or kitchen tearoom area available for hire or as a smaller venue. The Headgate Theatre an excellent calendar of events including drama, musicals, plays and more, and they off Kids acting and theatre skills programmes and The Stephanie Cook School of dance offers classes in ballet, tap, modern and contemporary. It's all here and more, come see what's on at the Headgate Theatre.READ MORE