Me and my boyfriend were looking for a 2 day (1 night) mini break to get away from the hustle and bustle of working life. A friend had stayed here a short time before and highly recommended it so I set about trying to find a good price.
The usual cost of this one night's stay at the 4 star hotel is approx. £110 per room, bed and breakfast. They also do other deals which include dinner, bed and breakfast. We paid £80 for the night, booked through Superbreak (it was cheaper as we went on a Wednesday night).
Carden Park is situated approx. 15 minutes from Chester city centre, just off the A41 towards Wrexham. It is set in 750 acres of Cheshire countryside (the driveway leading to the hotel is one mile long!). We found the location to be perfect. It meant we could spend the day in Chester, stay at Carden Park, then head to Chester Zoo the next day. Though perfect for us, this would not be an ideal location if you were planning a night on the tiles in Chester as taxi's would be expensive back to the hotel.
Our room was pretty good. With hotel rooms, it is difficult to hedge one against the other, as essentially the facilities are generally common. Carden Park was no different. Yes, it was obviously of better standard than a Travelodge but there is only so much a hotel can do with the room!
We headed to the pool area to take advantage of the facilities. The pool was of good size, though it was unfortunate we got there just as a water aerobics class was starting. This meant the pool wasn't accessible for an hour. This was a little disappointing - but it couldn't be helped. The aroma steam room was lovely - you just choose your desired aroma and steam away! The sauna was also good but very small. It would fit many three or four people at the most. The only problem with the pool area was the heat - it was very warm and sometimes quite unbearable.
For our evening meal we decided to bypass the 'Garden Restaurant' and head to 'The Brasserie'. The Garden Restarant was the main one but was very expensive for us. The food we ate at the Brasserie was good, though the portions were small. The average price of a main course was around £9. The desserts made up for the small portions though - we had the 'assiete of desserts' - it was £9 but to share this wasn't too bad. I think there were 6 different mini desserts on the plate - each was amazing!! We struggled to eat it all but they were superb.
Breakfast the next day (included in the price) was the best hotel breakfast I've ever had. They had a wide range of offerings - both hot and cold. They had a full english as well as cereals, pastries, fruit juices, fresh fruit, toast and jams etc. It was a huge spread!
Overall the hotel was great. If you are looking for a romantic (though somewhat expensive) mini break in the North West then this is the place for you. This is the hotel Michael Owen got married in, and other locally based Premiership footballers can often be seen on the golf courses!
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Situated between the open landscapes of the Cheshire plain and the rugged Welsh hills De ... more
Vere Carden Park Hotel Golf Resort and Spa is the ideal location whatever the occasion Having recently invested £25million on bedroom refurbishments each of t...
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Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Apr 27th, 2006
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