NAME OF LOCATION: Quality Hotel, at Chester. There are 75 ensuite bedrooms but you will need transport to Chester as it actually at Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port and was at least 11 miles from Chester itself.

TRANSPORT
We visited Chester by coach and used this hotel as a base only. Some people on our trip had been informed that it was possible to walk into Chester from the hotel but this is not possible as its 11 miles away and you would have to cross the M56 and the A41, which are extremely busy roads.

Free car parking available at the hotel.

PRICE (2006)
We had gone on a group rating and paid £89 each for dinner, bed and breakfast and coach travel to and from Chesterfield, including 2 drop offs in Chester.

MEALS:
As I am on a wheat free diet, I always have this mentioned on my booking forms and to back it up mention it when I book in to reception and when ordering my meals in the dining room. It was a set three-course meal in the evening and we had to sit with our coach party in the Woodhey restaurant. The waitresses were very helpful and directed you to your table(s) and gave you the menu to select from.

The main courses included pork with apple and leek sauce, chicken and a vegetarian option of pasta. Both Robert and I chose the pork but he wasn't keen on the sauce, whilst I adored it, but he doesn't like sweet and sour much whereas I do. For those on a gluten free diet, it was heaven as the gravy was thickened with cornflour so you didn't need to have a "special" one, without gravy, especially as this would have been rather dry. The waitresses served the potatoes, broccoli and carrots so you could have which you wanted rather than it already being on your plate - a bonus for me as I dislike cooked carrots - I prefer to be Bugs Bunny and eat them raw!
The sweets all sounded gorgeous but I was limited to the fruit salad and cream because they all had a pastry or biscuit base - cheesecake, apple pie and custard, etc. Robert nearly missed his apple pie as the waitresses brought them out one by one and he was beginning to think he wouldn't get it and then one of the waitresses realised he hadn't had his and went to check in the kitchens.

Toast was served once people were sat down on the tables, so it was hot - they even toasted my special bread for me. Teas and coffees were served and top-ups were available. I couldn't fault the food at all.

BAD POINTS
1. Rooms were not ready on our arrival at 12noon. Our coach driver had rung in advance of the trip to check if we could come "straight through" to the hotel and been advised this was OK but when he rang on route was told "we were not expecting you till after 2pm". If he had known this, he would have dropped us off at Chester for a walk round first instead of at the hotel. He had gone past Chester so had to drop us at the hotel. My room wasn't ready so I just used the facilities, dumped our luggage and returned to the coach for our trip back to Chester.
2. Distance from Chester so could not experience Chester in the evening and virtually nothing to do in the hotel, if you are not interested in the fitness facilities. On the weekend we went the bar had a small disco set up but this seemed to be to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary party so we felt like we were intruding. Robert and I went to the room to watch TV, especially as the bar prices were expensive - I spent nearly £4 on two soft drinks (J20). {As a point of reference I can get 1 J20 at my local Wetherspoons for £1.09}.
3. Swipe cards were issued to get into the rooms but if you share a room, you only get one swipe card so if one person wants to have an early night you have to go back with the person to retrieve the card.
4. The bar only had 1 member of staff on so it got rather busy quickly and she didn't know who to serve next.
5. The bar was rather darkly lit and had a TV in it, which only seemed to show sport on it - I am not a lover of sport and found this irritating and rather loud. There did not seem to be any facilities such as toilets nearby and I didn't find any in the reception area either, which for most people meant a long trek up to their rooms.
6. Disabled people need to specify a downstairs room as those upstairs although accessible by lift often have steps between the lift and the rooms for some reason. We had a downstairs room but this was some distance from the reception and restaurant and took at least 5 minutes to get to, so leave plenty of time.

From Chester: Take the A41 towards Birkenhead. Turn left at the first set of traffic lights in Little Sutton into Ledsham Road B5463. At T junction, turn right and the hotel is on the right hand side.

MORE INFORMATION FROM
Quality Hotel, Chester, Berwick Road/Welsh Road, Little Sutton, Ellesmere Port CH66 4PS Telephone 0151 3395121 Fax 0151 3393214 or email enquiries@quality-hotels-chester.com or use the website www.quality-hotels-chester.com. Conference calls on 0500 616263.