The Chester Grosvenor Hotel and Spa

the ultimate elegant lunch

by allaboutnice about "La Brasserie" at the Chester Grosvenor Hotel

La Brasserie is the restaurant attached to the Chester Grosvenor 5-star Hotel. It is open to non-residents for coffee, lunch, afternoon tea etc.

You feel very splendid as you go through the main entrance to the Hotel past the doorman - the entrance to the restaurant is on the left.

The atmosphere is expensive and refined and quite 'french' as suggested by the name. The restaurant is large with a separate area with sofas and low tables for coffee etc and then through to the dining room which has leather banquettes around the perimeter of the room and tables beautifully laid out, a discreet distance from each other. There is a wonderful stained glass ceiling in the centre of the dining room, allowing light to flood through.

The service at La Brasserie is very high as you would expect for a 5-star hotel. At least four different people will look after you throughout the meal and you will feel very relaxed and pampered. You are allowed plenty of time to make your choices and enjoy the food.

Although you do not have to be smartly dressed to eat here, it is worth dressing up a little so that you don't feel out of place, so no cut-offs and rucksacks! I have to say that I nearly always have the same meal here. The 'Traditional Caesar Salad' for 7.50 pounds. It is prepared at your table, which, if you were not expecting it, can be quite surprising. Now, I know what's coming and I sit back and enjoy the show!

The menu is extensive and unusual, for example, Duck and Beetroot soup at 4.95 to Terrine of fois gras layered with smoked duck, grape jelly and brioche at 12.72 and that's just 2 of the 12 starters. There is also a children's menu from 2.50 to 4.25 and they do appear to welcome children and babies - which is nice for such a fancy upmarket place.

There is a wide range of prices for the dishes and wines so it needn't break the bank. On the other hand, if you are very rich, it is a good place to take someone you want to impress! "Cote de Beouf" for two at 40 pounds and the highest-priced Champagne is 105 pounds! (I didn't have that to go with my salad!)

See the menu and wine list for yourself (you will need an acrobat reader)

Why you will LOVE Chester... What to do there..

by laptopshopper

Chester is a 45 minute train ride from Liverpool. Return costs about 4 pounds. Its an hour from Manchester.

One of the rare cities which looks like one pulled right out a children's fairy tale book. You will feel the charm of this place in the air.

I was in Chester for about 3 months and really, I would want to live there again. Small city, very friendly people and fewer problems than most other cities in England.

Its a GREAT place to shop! Try Burtons in the Chester Grosvenor for clothes. Really cheap but good shoes at ShoeFayers in the Chester market).

Try sipping a coffee sitting outside of Starbucks right in the city centre. Charming old buildings...

The area near the eastgate clock and the cathedral are great.

If you have time - you can also visit the BEST place to shop in the UK. From the Bus exchange, take the Bus No. 1 which will take you to Cheshire Oaks... The biggest outlet shopping destination in the whole of europe. I had bought a couple of GAP jeans from here at 5 pounds each!!!!

If you are with kids - take them to Chester Zoo...

Chester does not much of nightlife, but there is this place called Freak near the cathedral...I have heard it is good.

Spend 3-4 hours in Chester... you'll find the place great. That's for sure...

Amazing hotel

by TripAdvisor Member little-katie

My husband and I stayed at the Chester Grosvenor this weekend. At all times we were made to feel pampered and special, from the moment we checked in to check out. We had an executive room which was very spacious, and the decor was lovely. Molton Brown toiletries in the bathroom is always a plus. The library is a very comfortable place to have afternoon tea as well as drinks in the evening. Breakfast was great, although there was no buffet, you had to ask your waitress for what you wanted. We very much enjoyed our time there and I am already planning our next trip so that I can make use of the Molton Brown Spa.

5 Star Luxury and Service

by A TripAdvisor Member

Stayed at the Chester Grosvenor for a night before we flew off for our honeymoon. It was, without doubt, the best hotel I've ever stayed in. We had booked in to one of their executive rooms on a dinner, bed and breakfast rate but when we got there they had seemingly upgraded us to one of their four poster rooms (Mayfair Suite). The room was fantastic, but it is the service that really separates it from anywhere else I've stayed. The staff were so helpful and couldn't do enough for you. It was all the little touches that made it so special, the full turndown service, the guided tour when you arrive, the early morning wake up call of a pot of tea delivered to your door etc. The meal in their Brasserie restaurant was also spot on. I really can't fault it at all. It isn't cheap, but you get what you pay for.

wronged priced ruined date

by A TripAdvisor Member

My parents paid for 1 special night for my partner and i to stay at this 5* hotel on valentines night this year. When my dad enquired over the phone, he was given a price which includes the room, breakfast and evening meal. When he went to pay, the price did not at all included the evening meal and my parents had to give us £100 more so we could eat in their restaurant. They gave my dad a menu for me to choose from with me being a veggie. My partner and i decided what we wanted after a long debate and off we went to the hotel. We were greeted by the door man who was extremely friendly and escorted to the reception to sign in. I felt like i was being treated like royalty and lapped it all up. Little did i know that my partner was to decorate the room with roses, wines, chocolates, candles etc, i am sure you get the picture!! The room was marvellous and nothing like any of the other hotels we have stayed at. The bed was enormous, the curtains were of thick good quality material, the furnishings were of excellent quality so we could not fault the room or the service at all. We had a reservation at 21.30 and off we went, smartly dressed and was greeted to our seat but no in the arkle restaurant. We were extremely surprised that they gave us a competely different menu. This was more of 5* star gordon bleu cooking menu not what they gave my dad. We ordered and had another bottle of expensive wine which i know i could have got it £10 cheaper else where. When came to pay the meal, that when it ruin the night. For 2 people have a 3 course meal including 1 bottle of wine plus vat plus service charge, all came to nearly £180, thats £80 more than my parents have given me and i had no choice but to use my heavy credit card to pay this ridiculous bill. No one stated that i would have to pay vat and service charge and could not see this anywhere in the hotel. We sat in the lounge next door and sat in silent because of how much we had paid plus on top of that the drinks we had ordered in the lounge before and after. They did not tell us as well that asking if i wanted a newspaper and having coffee in my room that i had to pay service charge on top. Only until the morning when i was reading the information on the big desk in the room that everything you order to your room is subjected to a big service charge. We went down for breakfast and was not told what we could order so we ordered just 1 item for breakfast while i thought other people were being extremely greedy by ordering the whole lot which i found out way after, i could have done the same. The final bill including the room (£264), 2 lots of drinks, meal, newspaper, tea/coffee (which was never drunk in the room, waste of nearly £10), came to just under £500 for ONE NIGHT ONLY!! I did write a complaint letter to the hotel to tell them how annoyed i am with them giving the wrong information to my dad and lack of it to us. I never received the reply. If they gave my dad the right info in the first place, i would have gone elsewhere without a doubt. This has lead to the 1 night getaway been spoilt because of the prices and killed the next day as both of us wanted to go home with having no money left. We felt extremely deflated and hope that in future they give out the RIGHT information.

Two Very Different Experiences

by A TripAdvisor Member

I stayed at this hotel twice this year; once in June 2005 and again in November 2005. As my visit in June was so excellent, I did not hesitate in returning.

On the first visit, we booked an executive room which, although expensive, was worth every penny. The room had two large twin beds, a seating area with a sofa and two chairs, bathrobes, slippers and all the other luxuries you could expect from a 5 star hotel. Breakfast was included in our rate and was one of the best I have ever had. The staff were most professional and pleasant. All in all, it was the perfect stay.

However, the second visit proved somewhat different. We booked the same room, again an executive twin, but the room we were given this time was considerably smaller than the first. On the first morning, after returning from breakfast at 8.45am, we returned to our room to discover the maid was already cleaning the bathroom. Her english was atrocious and she did not understand when we asked her to come back later, so we were forced to use the public bathrooms in the basement of the hotel, which I feel is totally unacceptable for any hotel, never mind a 5 star. Despite getting in early to clean the bathroom, they never replenished any of the toiletries in the bathroom. They seemed to think one small bottle was sufficient for two women for three days. Despite repeated calls to reception, nobody would answer the phone. We ended up physically having to go down and request more shampoo.

The location of the hotel is excellent, being right in the centre of town and there is no other hotel of a superior standard that is more centrally located. I hope that the second visit was just a once-off bad experience, maybe as it was getting near to Christmas, but this I feel is no excuse for bad service.

Luxury in Chester

by TripAdvisor Member Steve from Bristol

Exceptionally good hotel and a haven of relaxation in the very heart of Historic Chester. This was our second visit in recent years.
Want some history? Walk the walls, or some sport? walk to the race course. Or just walk to the shops or restaurants. So easy and so near
Staff are friendly and professional. Rooms well equipped and the whole experience most enjoyable.
We stayed at a busy time (hotel was full) but felt we were treated as the only guests.

Book the room via Amex and you may get an upgrade (we did this year)

Wow, we had the perfect stay.

by TripAdvisor Member 20407

I arranged a surprise stay for my mothers 50th Birthday. After having laser eye treatment in Chester we had walked past the Grosvenor on our many follow up appointments, each time she wanted to "pop in for a cuppa" so I knew she'd be thrilled with the location.
In all, there were 12 of us, all girls (aged from 21 to 50ish). We all had twin deluxe rooms & received a wonderful group discount, we got £100 off each room.
I would just like to say to anyone who's organising a surprise trip, you have to go through a barrier to get to the front of the hotel, the guy on the barrier spilled a few to many beans when he asked for the name in which my booking was made. I advised him of my surname & he said "Oh yes, the rest of your party have arrived already". I could have kicked him, but also myself - I could have got out of the car to speak to him instead of him coming to me. My Mum guessed there were more people at the hotel at this point but nothing could detract from the look on her face when she walked into the bedroom.
The concierge was fabulous & can direct you to any shop you want! The hotel is SPOTLESS. The mini bar isn't too overpriced but I was disappointed that there was no complimentary tea or coffee in the room.
We didn't eat in the restaurant in the evening, we went to Club Globe (5 mins in taxi) as this has a dance floor & served until 1am-the food was fabulous & unbelievably reasonable. Our breakfast in the Brasserie was excellent.
Every one of us had a fantastic time, we congregated in 1 room until 4:30 am with room service Pinot Grigio & it will be a weekend I know my Mum will never forget.
I cannot recommend this hotel enough. I wouldn't pay full price but I know where all our family gatherings will be held in the future.

Chester City Centre

by allaboutnice

"5-star opulence in the centre of the centre!"

Chester is a very pretty Roman city and most visits here end up at the above hotel - the Chester Grosvenor which has a superb location, right in the heart of the City. I have only ever stayed here once, but I usually have lunch or at least a coffee in the gorgeous brasserie - to recover from the exertions of retail therapy.

I am sorry that I have not added any information about the historical significance of Chester - I will try and add a pertinent link shortly.

"for ladies who lunch..."

As a special treat, have a spot of lunch in 'La Brasserie', part of the Chester Grosvenor Hotel. (see my tip)