Holiday Inn Express Leicester City Review
Disclosure: We were invited on this break for the purpose of this review however all opinions are my own.
During half term we were invited to spend a couple of nights at the Holiday Inn Express Leicester City hotel, part of the IHG hotels group. We’d only ever stopped off in Leicester briefly and had never had a chance to explore the city so couldn’t wait to have a little mini break somewhere new.
Where is the Holiday Inn Express Leicester City?
Holiday Inn Express Leicester City is situated just outside Leicester city centre, a stone’s throw from the Leicester City Football Club stadium. It’s easy to find and has plenty of free parking right next to the hotel.
When we checked in the staff were lovely and friendly. All the important info was given to us – breakfast times, check out times etc – and we were pointed in the direction of our room.
Holiday Inn Express Leicester City rooms
The rooms at Holiday Inn Express Leicester City are pretty standard with a double bed and a sofa bed. As I was travelling with LP and Little Man the sofa bed had been made up for us and Little Man couldn’t wait to sleep in it!
We love staying at Holiday Inn Express and the Leicester City hotel was just the same as we’ve come to expect from the brand. It’s very much no frills but warm and comfortable with everything we could need for our stay.
There were signs up at reception saying that the air conditioning wasn’t working at the moment however, ours was working fine during our stay and let us both heat and cool the room, making it the optimum temperature for us during our stay.
Our room had a storage unit and a desk with a TV plus tea and coffee making facilities and a hairdryer. The bathroom was compact but well designed so that the toilet could be used whilst someone else is using the rest of the bathroom.
The shower was a good size and there were free basic toiletries – hair and body wash in the shower and hand wash by the sink. There were also plenty of towels, with a bath towel and hand towel per person.
One thing we really appreciated was the plug sockets by the bed! There were standard plug sockets and USB sockets either side of the bed which makes life much easier than having them over the other side of the room!
The local area
The hotel is around a 25 minute walk to the centre of the city and we spent the first evening of our break doing a Treasure Trail around the city centre. We didn’t realise how historic Leicester is and it was great to learn more about the area. Plus, all around Leicester there are boards telling you more about the different buildings and the famous people from Leicester’s history.
The National Space Centre is just a short drive from the hotel and a fantastic place to spend a day, we loved our visit, and a little further is Twycross Zoo, where we spent a day during our trip. It’s a lovely zoo and well worth driving to for a day out.
Sports fans will love being so close to the Leicester City’s King Power Stadium and you could see a game or have a tour of the stadium during your trip. Plus, the hotel rooms all have views of either the stadium or canal – football fans could request a stadium view to add a little bit more excitement too.
Breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express Leicester City
We all slept fantastically well at the Holiday Inn Express Leicester City and couldn’t wait for the breakfast buffet! Served 6:30am to 10am daily, it’s a self service buffet on the ground floor of the hotel.
The buffet was a nice way to start the day. There was bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, beans and tomatoes as well as bread to toast, croissants and muffins. There was also a selection of cereals, jams, fruit juices, fruit, yogurt and hot drinks.
A variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options are available by request and we all found options that worked for us. It was a fairly basic buffet but fantastic at no additional cost and really set us up for the day.
The Holiday Inn Express Leicester City was a nice base for a mini break and our only niggle was with the free wifi. It was incredibly intermittent and I asked whether that was normal and was told that yes, it’s a bit temperamental when the hotel is full. It was fine – we can live without wifi – but it’s something to bear in mind if you’re looking to travel for work or have children who can’t survive without an internet connection.
We really enjoyed our stay at Holiday Inn Express Leicester City. We slept really well, got to explore somewhere new and had quality time together. It’s a great value hotel with lovely staff and a really welcoming feel. It’s somewhere we would definitely stay again in the future.
You can find out more about Holiday Inn Express Leicester City over on their website and for reference the hotel address is: Filbert Wy, Raw Dykes Road, Leicester LE2 7FL
