Our weekend in Chester was a last minute Christmas break and we didn’t spend much time researching family friendly hotels.
We quickly stumbled upon the Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen.
Located in the centre of Chester with family-friendly rooms, full English breakfast and a reasonable price… it ticked all of the boxes.
As we were booking for the weekend before Christmas and only a few weeks’ beforehand, I didn’t hesitate and booked it without barely a glance at the TripAdvisor reviews.
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Arriving at Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen
On what was supposedly one of the busiest shopping days of the year, our journey to Chester was surprisingly good. Clearly, everybody was already at the supermarkets in a frenzy to get their Christmas turkeys and Brussels sprouts!
We found Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen straight away, opposite Chester Railway Station and the car park is located directly next door.
With the train station on your left and the hotel on your right, continue to drive through an archway with ‘Queen Hotel Mews’ written above to get to the car park. You don’t need to purchase a ticket, you can pay for parking through the hotel (28 hours for £10 in the week or £15 at the weekend).
With the build-up to Christmas, it had all been a bit manic. As we walked towards the entrance, I remembered that I hadn’t had time to check out the reviews so had no idea what to expect.
As we walked through the grand entrance and into the lavish reception, we were very happy with our first impressions.
The lobby area was beautifully dressed with Christmas decorations and a huge Christmas tree stood tall – now was the time for a family photo!
We even had fun in the ladies toilets, posing in front of the full-length mirrors!
A simple, friendly check-in and a goody bag for the girls
We were greeted by a traditional hotel porter who chatted away to the girls whilst we checked in.
The reception staff were also very friendly and helpful, providing us with a map and different routes to walk to the main shopping street in Chester.
They even gave the girls an activity pack each (after they’d finished helping themselves to the jars of sweets from the counter).
We purposefully arrived early to make the most of the day, so were too early to check out our room. The reception staff checked us in quickly, took our luggage and we headed into Chester to explore.
Located in the centre of Chester
You’ve probably already picked up by now that Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen is conveniently located directly opposite Chester Railway Station if you are arriving by train.
There is also a car park located right next to the hotel with extended overnight rates if you are arriving by car.
The main shopping street in Chester city centre is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. There is an underpass to avoid crossing the busy roads, or you can walk along the canal.
You can also take a detour and walk through Grosvenor Park adjacent to the River Dee and up to the Queen’s Park Suspension Bridge.
Enjoying a complimentary nightcap in the bar
After a long day exploring Chester, we returned to Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen.
The girls were desperate to see our room but we had a complimentary drinks voucher with our reservation to take advantage of.
It was now evening time and the hotel had a warming and classy ambience to it with lots of guests relaxing and enjoying a drink.
As if we were in Downton Abbey, we withdrew to the drawing room to enjoy our glasses of wine. At that moment, with our girls, it really felt like Christmas with our family… cheers!
Our spacious family friendly room
After our nightcap, the wait was finally over and we climbed the grand staircase to find our room.
We stayed in Queen Mary I – an executive double room, and it certainly exceeded our expectations.
Often these grand hotels can have dated décor but the room was modern, really spacious and very clean.
Even the girl’s double sofa bed looked comfy and within seconds they had run over to test it out.
We put the television on, put on our pyjamas and enjoyed some complimentary sparkling water and a cup of coffee.
After calming down from all of the excitement, the girls soon settled down and to our amazement were soon both asleep. We relaxed in our incredibly comfortable bed and continued to watch Saturday night television.
We all had an amazing night’s sleep and girls didn’t wake up until after 7am – bonus!
Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen pride themselves on providing a fabulous night’s sleep and we certainly go that. For the size of the hotel and the fact that we stayed on a Saturday evening, I was surprised at how quiet it was. We never heard a thing all night.
We all had a lovely hot shower before heading down for breakfast.
A breakfast fit for a king (or fit for a family)
Breakfast is served in the beautiful Kings’ Grill restaurant and what a magnificent breakfast it is. We were shown to a table straight away, provided with a highchair for our youngest and served pots of tea and coffee.
It was not too busy and we were able to help ourselves to the huge range of food from cereals, fruit, yoghurt, pastries, meats, cheeses, breads and of course a delicious full English breakfast.
I loved that they warm the plates for your hot food!
There is plenty of choice for kids and the girls ate really well.
They even had a really good singer called Jack Woodward (check him out here), playing the guitar and singing a mixture of Christmas songs and really good covers.
The weather outside was drizzling with rain, so we sat for ages listening to the music whilst the girls danced. I think it was the most relaxing and enjoyable breakfast I’ve ever had.
Our final thoughts…
I’ve written this review with such warm, cosy memories and desperately want to go back and do it all again.
Chester is a beautiful city with charm, character, history and great shopping. If you are planning on visiting and are looking for a great hotel, then Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen is certainly one to consider.
Admittedly, I didn’t research other accommodation in Chester but for us, this was the family-friendly hotel in the centre of Chester that we were looking for.
Finding a luxurious hotel that is family friendly and great for kids, is often difficult but Hallmark Hotel Chester The Queen gets it spot on.
This looks absolutely amazing! I’ve never been to Chester before, but that hotel looks so grand! The lobby looks so festive, you’ve made me want to go stay there just from reading this post! Glad you had a great time 🙂
Chloe Chats xx
Aww, thanks for your comment Chloe. It was very grand and very cosy too, would definitely recommend if you ever visit Chester (which I would also recommend too) 🙂