vividventures

Hotel Review

Hotel Indigo Chester is a boutique hotel located in the heart of Chester’s beautiful and historic city.  Newly built in 2019, it was designed to reflect the Roman city’s architecture and its famous racecourse.

Location:

The hotel is conveniently located being just a ten minute walk from Chester railway station.  Direct trains from London take under two hours and with regular services between Manchester, Leeds and North Wales the city is ideal for a city break without needing to bring the car.  For guests who prefer to travel by car than the M53 motorway is close at hand linking to the National road network.

Arrival and check-in:

We decided to travel by train and on arrival into Chester station it was a quick and easy walk to the hotel.  Hotel Indigo is situated on a fairly quiet road which has a church next door and a park further along.

The entrance lobby is bright and welcoming with its green padded armchairs and floral cushions.  Two receptionists were on duty and with only one couple ahead of us, we were soon checked in by Kurt who was very welcoming, enquiring if we had travelled far and of any plans we might have made for our stay.

After confirming the time of our dinner reservation and explaining when breakfast was served, we were handed our key cards and soon taking the lift up to our room on the first floor.  The lift doors have a fun, retro feel as they are painted to resemble old fashioned metal door gates.

The Room:

Rooms are designed around three different local themes: architecture, horse-racing and the city’s famous Eastgate Clock.  We had been booked into the Edmund Kirby suite, named after a local architect who designed the large stone built gothic style church of St. Werburgh of which our room had views.

Our deluxe room had a large entrance hallway with ornate metal coat hooks and a suitcase stand.  With an armchair covered in sumptuous gold fabric by the window, the spacious room oozed elegance.  The king sized Hypnos bed felt like sleeping on a cloud and its surrounding wood panelled headboard featured gold stencilling.  Continuing with the hotel’s retro theme, there was an antique black telephone on one of the bedside tables and pictures and plates adorning the walls continuing the architecture theme.

At the foot of the bed was a chaise longue on which I relaxed whilst watching the large wall mounted television.  As our suite was on the corner of the building we had the benefit of four large floor to ceiling windows, three of which overlooked an ornate row of Victorian Gothic houses whilst the one to the side had views of the church and park gates.  Although there was a certain amount of  traffic along the road we didn’t hear any noise at all and slept soundly both nights.

A multi purpose dressing table / desk along one wall had numerous power points and with super fast W-Fi was an ideal work station when we needed to use our laptops.

Moving into the bathroom, this came complete with a rainfall shower, luxurious, large, thick towels, bathrobes, slippers and fragrant Zenology toiletries.  I liked it that there was a speaker built into the bathroom so that I could continue listening to the News and other TV programmes from there.

Other room features included air conditioning, tea and coffee making facilities and a complimentary mini bar replenished daily and filled with gin, beer, soft drinks, water and fresh milk for our tea.

To accompany our pre-dinner drinks were tasty snacks of irresistible hand cooked crisps.

Dining:

Dinner: The open plan ground floor is home to a vintage style cocktail bar and The Forge Restaurant.  It’s a meat lover’s paradise with its menu offering the finest locally reared steaks and venison which are all displayed in a meat fridge that diners are invited to select from.

Mike Robinson, a leading chef and restaurateur has established a strong reputation for excellent casual dining based on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients and we looked forward to our dining experience.

We were shown to a cosy booth to the rear of the restaurant which was the perfect spot for watching the chefs who were expertly cooking over wood and charcoal in the open kitchen.

The decor of The Forge continues the hotel’s theme of horse racing with artworks of horses, rosettes and other equine-themed decorations adorning the walls.  Helen, who was to be our server for the evening introduced herself and offered helpful suggestions from the menu.  Although the restaurant is noted for its succulent meat, also on offer are a range of tempting vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Whilst sipping glasses of Malbec (most wines are available by the glass and bottle) we made the difficult decision of selecting from the menu.  My starter of blue cheese mousse with walnuts, grapes and celery was light and flavoursome and so beautifully presented that it looked almost too nice to eat.

My husband’s cider braised ham hock with tempura mussels was also a popular choice as it was not something he would usually order.

For mains I chose the breast of Gressingham duck with quince, beetroot and kale whilst Mr. C. opted for the Bathurst Estate fallow deer with artichoke and broccoli.  Again, these were both well presented, bursting with flavour and modern interpretations of traditional dishes.

Never being one to refuse a dessert I enthused over my sour lemon posset served with salted oats whilst the winter spiced crème brûlée across the table was a clear winner too.  Dining at The Forge is a relaxed affair with top notch cuisine and friendly, attentive service.

Breakfast: This is also served in The Forge when the restaurant is transformed with a vast array of tempting fresh fruit, cheese, yoghurts, pastries, cooked meat and cereals to start the morning with.

A friendly and efficient team of servers led by Steve and Joanne brought us pots of freshly brewed coffee and took our orders from the hot menu.  On one morning I ordered the full English and on the other I chose smashed avocadoes with poached eggs.  Both were cooked to perfection and very tasty.

The Facilities:

The hotel features 75 uniquely styled guest rooms, two lifts and 24 hour front desk service.  Adjoining the open plan lobby are attractive lounge areas and the vintage inspired Forge cocktail bar where we enjoyed relaxing and mingling with both guests and locals.

Due to its city centre location the Indigo does not have any car parking on site except for a drop-off bay for loading and unloading.  The hotel has made arrangements to provide a discount rate of £12 down from £20 for 24 hours at the Pepper Street car park an 8 minute walk away.

Out and About:

City Walls

Take a walk along Chester’s ancient city walls which extend for 2 miles (3 km) and are an ideal way to gain a perspective of the city from above.  If you prefer to join a guided tour then these start from outside the tourist office offering a wealth of information and uncovering hidden gems.

Eastgate Clock

Admire the beautiful Eastgate clock positioned on a footbridge overlooking Eastgate, Chester’s main shopping street.  The clock was erected in 1899 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria two years earlier and is the second most photographed clock in England after London’s Big Ben.

Chester Cathedral

Visit the magnificent Chester Cathedral, a stunning Gothic structure that was a medieval Benedictine abbey before becoming a cathedral in 1541.  Join one of the Cathedral at Height tours for a behind the scenes view of the cathedral and for stunning vistas from its tower top.

Chester Racecourse 

Spend a day at Chester Races which opened in 1539 making it the oldest racecourse still in operation in the world.  The racecourse, also referred to as The Roodee was built on the site of an old Roman harbour and can be viewed during an extended walk along the city walls.

The Rows

Go shopping along The Rows, Chester’s unique Tudor shopping streets.  Steps lead up from ground floor level to long covered balconies lined with shops, galleries and restaurants.  These continuous half-timbered walkways are arranged directly above those at street level.

Pleasure Boat Trips 

Take a relaxing boat trip along the River Dee.  Tours depart from the Groves Promenade with a choice of 30 minute city cruises and longer two hour boat trips (summer season only).  Further details available at Chester Boat.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo was opened by George Mottershead and his family in 1931.  It is one of the country’s largest zoos covering 125 acres and houses over 7,000 animals covering 500 species.  It’s easily accessible from the city centre without a car as there are frequent bus connections taking around 15 minutes.  (Buses 1 and 1X).

Chester Museums 

Learn about the city’s history at the Grosvenor Museum and explore the macabre history of medicine through time at Sick to Death, a new visitor attraction housed in a former church.

Overall:

Our stay at the Hotel Indigo Chester was a superb high-end boutique hotel experience.  It’s sumptuous design with modern and quirky twists create a relaxed and welcoming appeal and with the cathedral, river, city walls and shopping all just a few minutes walk away, it’s the perfect place for a city break.

Details: Hotel Indigo Chester, Grosvenor Park Road, Chester, CH1 1QQ

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During our stay we were guests of Hotel Indigo Chester and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.