We were looking for somewhere to stop for a five day visit to Suffolk to look at the great wool churches. Stowmarket Travelodge was well positioned for the area we wanted to be.
It is on the old A14, so is well away from traffic and was quiet. The Little Chef next to it is now boarded up and for sale. The BP petrol station a few minutes drive away, sells sandwiches, hot snacks and drinks.
This is one of the earlier Travelodges so rooms are large with plenty of storage and work space. We had a large double bed and the bonus of a settee and armchair. The mattress on the bed lacked support and was in need of replacing, unlike the pillows which were a bit too hard and unforgiving for me. Towels were generous although only one was provided when we arrived. A second was quickly provided by reception when I went to ask.
The room was clean although an overflowing waste bin was not emptied one day.
The room was warm, almost too warm.
The corridor was in need of attention as there was damage along the walls caused by suitcases.
Our main gripe was the low water pressure. The toilet cistern was very slow to fill and the shower was pathetic. I needed to stand over the taps as the water trickled out in a series of pathetic pulses. I mentioned this to the receptionist the first morning, who said she would report it, but the problem seemed to be the wrong shower heads had been fitted during the last refurbishment.
The following morning we were stopped by the manager as we went out. He quizzed us about the shower and problems with the water supply. I again explained it came out in a series of half hearted pulses which were hardly enough to wash the soap off. He admitted this was a long standing problem and wouldn’t be fixed by the end of our stay. He would issue us with an e-voucher refunding the cost, which we felt was very generous, as we hadn’t complained.
It took took nine days and a phone call before we got this. We were beginning to think it was the modern equivalent of ‘the check is in the post’ …
So would be stop here again? To be honest, I don’t know. We wanted to be based around Stowmarket the Premier Inn (which we prefer) was Ipswich. Rates are cheap compared with other Travelodges. The rooms are a good size with plenty of storage space, but they do need to sort out the issue of water pressure.
