Orida Hotel Maidstone: discover the Maidstone hotel where every stay feels like a mini escape
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I recently relocated from Belfast to England on a military posting. Although these moves can be quite stressful, there was one definite highlight of the whole process: our stay at Hotel Orida Maidstone, Kent.
Here’s my full review and everything you need to know.
Orida Hotel Maidstone
The Orida Hotel is conveniently located off the M20 and just ten minutes from central Maidstone. This modern and welcoming hotel has 146 rooms and caters to both business and leisure travellers. The location and motorway links make it ideal for exploring in Kent and also for the ferry and Le Shuttle services from Folkestone.
The hotel has ample parking for guests (charged at £6 per night for guests) and a drop off point at the front entrance.
On entering the hotel, it’s straight into the beautiful lobby area. Spacious, light and with ample seating to relax. A fabulous first impression.
Check in after a long day travelling was fast and friendly. Our booking had been made on our behalf by the MoD and a few mistakes had been made, but they were sorted out seamlessly by the receptionist. It was also acknowledged that we had a dog on our booking and we were asked if we needed anything for him- a nice touch. Dog friendly is always nice, dog welcoming even better.
Orida Hotel Maidstone. Unusual name, isn’t it? No idea where it comes from. Sounds like a Spanish supermarket. But with a lovely first impression like that, what’s in a name?
The Rooms
Rooms are spacious, well equipped and very comfortable. We had a two queen bed room with an extra seating area. As we were booked in for three nights and in-between homes, it was really nice to have that extra bit of space to spread out and relax without sitting on the beds all the time.
Plenty of floor space for Little Wolf to spread out too. He needs it, he’s a big lad.
The room had everything we could need including a well stocked hospitality tray, mini fridge, iron and ironing board.
Bonus points to Orida Hotel Maidstone for the bathroom- full bath, shower, piles of fluffy towels, Dove toiletries and loads of space. I do like a good bathroom pamper session when I’m in a hotel and this one ticked all the boxes.
Daily housekeeping is available, but if you prefer you can hang a notice on your door to say you don’t need your room cleaned that day. As a thank-you, you’ll receive a discount voucher for the hotel bar and restaurant.
Food & Drink
Breakfast was a highlight. A generous buffet with a range of hot drinks, juices and both cooked and continental choices set us up for each day beautifully. The jewel in the breakfast crown was a dedicated pancake station complete with a toppings bar to customise your choice. Did I over indulge? Absolutely. No regrets.
It was nice to see the breakfast buffet also had a dedicated gluten free selection.
A Starbucks coffee shop in the lobby is the perfect morning or afternoon coffee option. Our stay coincided with a heatwave so there was an iced coffee or two on the go.
We ate in a couple of times in the bar and restaurant. The food was very good. Pizza were a win- huge, freshly cooked and served with fast and friendly service. What more can you ask for? Oh, a drink you say…
There’s a comfortable, well stocked bar with a range of draught beers and a decent cocktail/spritz menu. Outdoor seating in a pleasant courtyard to the rear of the hotel meant Little Wolf could join us in the evenings. A lovely way to round off the day.
Although there are lots of options in the local area if you want to dine out, and some in walking distance, you certainly wouldn’t need to if you just wanted to check in and relax.
The Spa & Leisure Facilities
Orida Hotel Maidstone might have been piling on the indulgence with the pizza, pancakes and cocktails, but they also offer a bit of balance and time out at the hotel health club.
Facilities include an 18m swimming pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi. Full access to these facilities is included in your room rate.
There’s also a fully equipped gym with a range of modern cardio and weights machines, plus free weights and floor space for stretching and so on.
The only (slightly) negative thing I encountered at the hotel is that despite the spa and gym being a good size for the hotel, it does get busy. We were staying over a weekend and on Saturday morning there was quite a crowd. This is partly because the club is well used by the local community. It says good things about the hotel, but can mean a busier experience for guests.
Orida Hotel Maidstone Is A Dog Friendly Hotel
Orida Hotel Maidstone is a dog friendly hotel, but there are a few points to note:
- Pet stays are charged at £30 per reservation, maximum of two dogs per room
- Dogs need to be on a short lead when outside of the room
- Hotel policy is generally 2 dogs per room, each pet weighing no more than 25kg. We called ahead to check that a single bigger dog was acceptable. It was, but always worth confirming ahead of check in!
- No dogs in the restaurant, but they can sit with you in the lobby and courtyard.
Peneden Heath is just a 10 minute walk away from the hotel with a large open field and some shady woodland paths. Perfect for walkies.
Orida Hotel Maidstone as A Stopover in Kent
With comfortable and generously sized rooms, generous breakfast and relaxing leisure facilities, this hotel is a great choice for anyone exploring Kent or travelling onwards to Europe via Folkestone. The Le Shuttle and ferry terminals are around a 45 minute drive away.
Places to visit near the hotel include:
Mote Park: A 450 acre park with walks, a boating lake, cafe and toilets. Great place for dog walks.
Knole House & Deer Park: National Trust managed palace and medieval deer park on the edge of Seven Oaks in Kent. A must for deer lovers, the resident deer are not one bit shy!
Maidstone: County Town of Kent and home to a couple of fantastic museums, river walks and plenty of places to shop, eat & drink.
So, that’s Orida Hotel Maidstone. What do you think? I genuinely enjoyed my stay, it was a lovely place to start my new life in Kent.
Find full details to view and book Orida Hotel Maidstone here.
Our stay at Orida Hotel Maidstone was booked and paid for by the MoD as part of our military move, but all opinions are my own. Due to issues with our new married quarter, we stayed in three hotels in the area across a two week period. Orida Hotel Maidstone is the only one I’m recommending!
If you are exploring in Kent, you might like to read these posts next:
How to Visit the Battle of Britain Memorial, Kent (2025)
Dungeness: The Unusual British Beach Voted One of the Greatest in the World
Helen x
Looks a great place Helen, particularly for our 4-legged family members
Thanks Sheree, it is nice when the whole family can travel together. Even the 4 legged ones.
Especially those ones
This looks like a wonderful hotel to stay in, especially as there is a pool at your fingertips. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Thanks for dropping by Aiva, I definitely made full use of the pool and sauna.
Great review Helen and I’m glad you were made to feel comfortable there especially with all the problems with your house move.
Thank you Marion, it’s a fantastic hotel. Was definitely a bright spot when things were going wrong!
Looks like a lovely hotel. We lived just outside Chatham in Kent, when hubby left the army back in 1989 (yes I’m old). We were there for five years. Fond memories, lovely area. Enjoy.
The hotel nights are the nicest part of a military move. I’m enjoying Kent so far, thank you.
Oh gosh, your last paragraph sounds like a horror story! I hope you are now settled.
It was an interesting few weeks to say the least. Well and truly bedded in now and enjoying Kent, thankfully 😊
Not all fun and games being a military wife. Glad they’ve got it right now xx
I didn’t give them any choice but to make it right 🤣 We’ve had pretty smooth moves up to now but our luck ran out. It’s home now though 😊
The hotel looks wonderful…and you had me at “Pancake Station.” I’d be pulling into that station for sure. The Orida sounds like it served as a bit of an oasis during an otherwise challenging time. Glad it was there for you all.
It certainly made a tough few weeks easier. Pancake station was a fine consolation prize!
Hope you enjoy Kent! Broadstairs is a fav as is Folkestone now it’s become an artists draw. And do let us know if the Bisons are still doing their thing in the Blean woods near Canterbury
Bisons! I will look into that one.
They are apparently marvellous for clearing overgrown bracken and rejuvenating previously choked woodland.
You had me with the word ‘dog friendly’ and ‘Kent’!. We’re always on the lookout for places near the tunnel where we could stay with the Zeph. The rooms look extremely comfortable. Hope all goes well for you in Kent.
Thanks June, so far so good in Kent! Orida Maidstone is a lovely dog friendly hotel.