Earlier this month, Carl and I were invited to The Queen at Chester for the weekend to lay our eyes on their new 5 and a half million pound refurbishment and enjoy a specially curated weekend to celebrate the hotel and Chester itself. Neither of us have been to Chester before but based on this quick visit alone, we’d definitely be keen to return!
A brief history of The Queen at Chester
This hotel has a rich history. The Queen at Chester was built in April 1860 and has had many famous and noteworthy residents and guests. Including Charles Dickens and Lily Langtry and a visit from late Queen Elizabeth the Second and The Duke of Edinburgh in 1957.
Just a year after opening in 1861, a fire broke out on the roof and spread throughout the upper floors. Thankfully no structural damage took place and they were able to save the furnishings and fittings. This marked the first refurbishment the hotel underwent.
In 1867, their sister hotel across the road (then called The Queen Commercial, now it’s The Town Crier pub) was opened which offered cheaper accommodation to travellers and lower class guests of The Queen Commercial entered through a tunnel linking the two!
The room and amenities
The room we were allocated was on the first floor and the hotel contains a beautiful sweeping staircase (pictured below) or a lift. We were treated with this sweet little dessert plate (everything was delish!) and some drinks to welcome us on the first night, which was a lovely touch.
Our room contained a large double bed, plenty of wardrobe space, an iron, hair dryer, telephone and extra pillows (which Carl and I always need when we’re staying in a hotel) and the bathroom had a bath and shower.
After a 5 and a half hour journey to get there from Lincolnshire, I spent most of the night in the bath with my book!
I liked the cool and calming colour scheme in our bedroom – especially the panelling on the wall behind the bed. One thing we would both agree it could use though is Netflix on the TV. Our room had a large high quality TV but the only thing available was the TV channels and there’s never much good on these days.
You’re greeted with the beautiful sweeping staircases as soon as you enter the large reception area which is a fantastic feature to have as soon as you step through the door.
As you wander around the ground floor, you’ll be met with an array of beautiful, whimsical, modern and traditional artwork and décor. Carl was actually the one that pointed out that he liked the mixture of the two combined.
Some of the photo frames on the wall date back to the original hotel and are potentially over 100 years old. I think that, sitting next to more modern and fun artwork is a nice touch.
The ground floor holds the reception, restaurant, a separate bar, a breakfast room and various conference rooms as well as a beautiful room in which they host weddings.
The food at The Queen at Chester
We had breakfast included in our stay which was a help yourself buffet breakfast, hosting everything from cooked breakfasts, toast, cereal, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, coffee and fruit juice.
But the real standout and highlight of the weekend was the excellent dinner The Queen at Chester put on for us on Saturday night. We were given a limited menu to choose from for starters, mains and desserts. But each dish you can find on the main restaurant menu of the hotel.
Here’s a break down of everything we had:
Bread and olives for the table: I don’t often have much to say about bread and olives but these olives were absolutely divine (and we’re both massive olive lovers!) and the bread was delicious. I definitely ate about 4 slices before dinner was even served after not eating since breakfast!
Crispy shredded chilli beef: We both had this starter and it was absolutely delicious. Coming with a honey chilli dressing and veggies, it’s the perfect blend of flavours with a little bit of a kick.
50 day aged sirloin steak: This was Carl’s main and he really enjoyed it, even though sirloin isn’t usually his cut of choice when it comes to steak. He said the onion rings were incredible and the peppercorn sauce was a great accompaniment.
Grilled seabass fillets: I chose the seabass for main which is unsurprising as I’m a big fish lover and this dish was so full of flavour. The leeks were cooked beautifully and the lemon and tarragon butter… say no more.
Lemon cheesecake: This was hands down the highlight of the meal. We both absolutely loved it. It was beautifully presented and the lemon cheesecakes were divine but the extra additions like the macaron, berry compote and berry sorbet made this dish so multi-layered and beautiful.
The room was set up beautifully and the service from the waiters was exceptional. We were also treated to live music from Ron Sanders which was amazing, he’s exceptionally talented and it was a joy to listen to him play.
Cocktail making masterclass
Before dinner we were offered some bubbly and a short tour around the ground floor by the hotel manager, who told us some interesting facts about the history of the hotel. We then had a fun cocktail making masterclass by one of their amazing bar staff.
We all had a chance at making a cocktail ourselves with his help and The Queen Victoria Sour was a highlight – a super strong whisky based cocktail sure to have you on your back in no time!
Chester Zoo
On Saturday during the day, we were taken to Chester Zoo. I love a zoo visit and – aside from the terrible signage around the zoo which had us literally walking around in circles – Chester Zoo is brilliant. It’s massive (hello 12,000 steps!) and homes such a brilliant array of animals.
Chester Zoo are at the forefront of conservation and every ticket goes directly towards protecting animals and their habitats. Being one of world-leading conservation charities, they are on a mission to help wildlife survive and thrive.
There’s lots of information scattered around the zoo about conservation, what they’re doing to help, along with facts about what can happen to some of these animals when they get into the wrong hands. Although deeply upsetting, an important reminder that we should try and do what we can to help.
Final thoughts
The whole weekend was absolutely brilliant. The whole team at The Queen at Chester really did go to a lot of effort to ensure we had a smooth weekend and could leave feeling special.
The hotel itself really is lovely and it’s situated across the road from Chester station, so it’s an absolutely perfect spot to stay if you’re heading to Chester on the train for a long weekend. In fact, that’s pretty much what we’re planning on doing at some point as we’d like to visit more of Chester.
All the staff we spoke to throughout the weekend were lovely and super helpful and it feels like the kind of hotel where nothing would be too much trouble. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Chester, The Queen at Chester should definitely be on your radar!