More about Chilston Park Country House Hotel
A Happy Anniversary at Chilston Park
by TripAdvisor Member LondonSiman
We booked a weekend for our wedding anniversary through Last Minute.com and almost cancelled when we read some of the reviews on this site! But we were very pleased we didn't. Chilston Park is a gorgeous hotel and the staff were charming and attentive - the service could not be faulted. A complimentary half bottle of champagne awaited us in our room and dinner was great on both evenings, breakfast was delicious and extensive.
There was a wedding held on Saturday afternoon and evening but this did not impact on us at all. My only criticism was that our room was a little on the compact side, but there was a large bathroom with a deep bath and the bed was very comfortable. Yes you can hear the M20 from the grounds, but not from our room or the restaurant. All in all we thought it was very good value at £110 per night inc breakfast
Lovely hotel, what a pleasure to stay!
by TripAdvisor Member crazyfish
My b/friend and I stayed here last autumn and had a lovely night. Luckily I hadn't checked out the reviews on here before I booked, or else I may not have chosen Chilston Park.
Last autumn we stayed in the Music Room which was large with a comfy bed, and a really nice big bathroom. For our second stay, which was the night of the late May bank holiday, we were in the Gothic Room. This was smaller however lovely nonetheless - with a big comfy four poster bed and a spacious bathroom.
We had dinner in the restaurant which was very nice, with excellent service. The rooms are a nice mix of modern (flat screen TVs and DVD players) with traditional (furniture, four poster etc). The staff were extremely friendly and helpful - I couldn't fault them.
I am a little puzzled by some of the negative reviews and find it hard to believe that we have just been lucky! We travel a lot, and I stay in hotels throughout the UK on business 2/3 times a week, and I would say Chilston is a quality 4 star hotel. Please remember this IS a Grade 1 listed building - I think its conversion to a country hotel has been tastefully and sympathetically carried out but this is completely different from a purpose built city hotel!
Breakfast on Tuesday morning was gorgeous and taken in beautiful surroundings - the cutlery and linen in the restaurant was of a high quality and spotless - and the service was helpful and attentive without being intrusive.
Thanks Chilston Park - we will be back :o)
Nice venue - but at a high premium
by TripAdvisor Member lewis0506
I will always praise a hotel where praise is due and this hotel is very nice. It is set in beautiful surroundings and decorated in a style that suits the property.
The bridal suite before the wedding was stunning and most of the guest rooms were also very nice. However, my mother-in-law is disabled and the disabled room facilities were poor, I suppose you should expect this with a grade 1 building but the standard price for rooms is £190, and although you can find them slightly cheaper on the internet, the room was still disappointing. Luckily, she had friends to help her otherwise she would have been completely stuck. If booking a disabled room then I would suggest carefully making sure the facilities are adequate beforehand.
The meal in the restaurant on the night before the wedding was decidedly average but the wedding breakfast was amazing and more than made up for it. However, you will need to bring a fair amount of money with you if you want to drink. The bar prices are extortionate, even soft drinks are very overpriced and most guests were quite upset when the bill came through. I work in London so am used to paying over the odds for drinks but the prices even exceeded those.
If you hold a wedding here you will be guaranteed a lovely ceremony and beautiful photos but it may be an idea to hold the evening reception elsewhere. Your evening guests may have a much better time as the room which held the band/disco was very cramped with only a handful of places to sit. This meant that all the guests were very separated which spoilt it for the bride and groom slightly.
Overall, although the setting is very grand, I have been to much better (and cheaper) country hotels and would not have chosen this for my wedding'.
Love this hotel!!!
by TripAdvisor Member c4baker32
We are getting married at this hotel in March, so I took my husband to be there for a romantic pre wedding gift. We stayed in the Gilt, a beautiful 4 poster deluxe room. The room was gorgeous with a plasma tv. The food as always was a delight. The drinks are a little pricey but a good choice. The hotel is charming and the staff go out of their way to help you. Our Wedding Planner, Emma has been very accomodating to our every need and has bent over backwards to arrange and organize our wedding. We love this hotel.
Great from the outside
by TripAdvisor Member ToshKent
Our room was very small and dark. It was sold to us as a double but the bed was tight to one wall and it was easier to crawl across than to try to squeeze up the side. Bathroom was brighter but not particularly clean and one of the bathrobes had clearly been worn previously !
Food and drink grossly overpriced for a four star hotel and service was very slow. Staff seemed disinterested to any complaint. "I'll tell maintenance about it" was the stock reply.
Great pity as the building looks great as you approach it but inside it is obviously living off past glories.
Disappointing...
by TripAdvisor Member Happy_Traveller32
Hotel looks lovely from the outside, when you eventually find it - don't trust the Sat Nav - myself and two other colleagues ended up in the middle of a field! We booked this through a travel agent and paid a very reasonable £85, the hotel was worth this but not much more and I would never consider paying the extortionate rack rate. Food is average and again very pricey. Rooms are dark and stuffy and over decorated. Lift was broken, not that is was any hardship walking up just one floor, but could have caused problems for less able travellers. All in all, there are nicer hotels in Maidstone, which are less remote, have better facilities and are far more reasonable.
Disappointed
by TripAdvisor Member RestingEngland
We are elderly (late 60's) and on approach thought the hotel looked great in a lovely setting.
Plus side. The staff were confident, clean and tidy and well uniformed The Breakfast room was airy, bright and had immaculate linen, cutlery and table linen. Plasma screens in the bedrooms
Negative side. I phoned up in advance and asked for a map to get there and was brusquely told to look at the internet. I advised her we were arriving the following day and would it be possible to have an early check-in because we were going to a wedding in a nearby village, say 1 o'clock. The reply was 'No' but upon a little bit of persuasion she said 'she would do her best' but she also suggested we should travel to the hotel wearing our wedding outfits. I explained we were travelling 200 miles and that might not be the answer. The rooms in the annexes were poor, dark, ill lit and badly stained brown furniture. The first room we had allocated was the 'Spy Hole' which was approached along a first floor corridor wioth a sloping ceiling which could only be navigated by sticking one's head at an angle and at the same time avoiding the concrete beam hazards. Even the door was cut at an angle. The toilet did not flush. The second room 'the Bloomsbury' was so dark and gloomy. There was also a huge step down to the en-suite which was bad enough but it was so ill lit I had difficulty in shaving. The beds were not comfortable enough to let one one sleep through the noise of the wedding disco. The approach to the hotel was chained off so we had to park in the car park which, although not too far away, meant that in rainy weather you might have a wet dash to reception. I asked if I could bring my car to the main entrance and was told 'Health and Safety would not allow it'. In the late evening the 'in house' wedding guests were parked right up to the front door. What nonsense! The bar, main rooms (with the exception of the Breakfast room)corridors, reception area in the main building are dark and gloomy. The price was steep for the lack of real comfort and in my opinion did not reflect value for money. This is my first bad review of any hotel, ever.
Over priced
by TripAdvisor Member jimbells
We stayed one night in a superior room. The building is excellent as are the grounds. The room was way overpriced and I wasn't happy with the heavily discounted rate of £160. Breakfast was excellent in splendid surroundings. The room was called Evelyn and was near the kitchens with the air extractor channel not far away. Staff also were underneath the window smoking. The TV was malfunctioning and they hadn't been able to fix it prior to our visit. I tried to ask for a different room, but was advisecd that it was reception and not the TV itself that was at fault!
Wonderful experience
by TripAdvisor Member essexos
We stayed at this hotel on June 1st, where we were attending a wedding. The whole atmosphere of the place is wonderful, the staff are excellent, and the setting magnificent. We stayed in the very comfortable Rowlandson room - it was like stepping back in time, although the bathroom was up to date and spotless. It was certainly worth paying a little more to get a whole lot back. Would definitely recommend it and would love to return soon.
Chilling at Chilston
by TripAdvisor Member SallieHerts
I love Chilston it has everything you need in a hotel and more. The staff are friendly and helpful and manage not to be intrusive.
We stayed a couple of nights after a funeral and were both feeling somewhat delicate.
When we saw the big bed and the bunnies hopping across the lawn we immeadiately felt at home.
We visit this hotel often as we have relatives in the area, we go for meals, drinks and now often use it as a stopover.
It is a very serene hotel because of it's surroundings, and it is a joy to stay there. I always feel well rested afterwards.
Room service is expensive and a bit hit and miss they could do with improving that slightly.
Breakfast is great a good choice served in a beautiful way. I think those that have moaned about the plumbing etc are a bit unreasonable it is an old hotel of course it will have a few quirks.
It is always immaculate which helps as my boyfriend has dust allergies.
If you are looking for a romantic retreat where you can chill and truly get away from it all then go here, if your budget doesn't stretch to meals in then go to the dog and bear in nearby Lenham. They do great pub food and it's good quality.
Photos
The maze and vineyards
The maze
Royal Albion
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