Hotel Indigo, Chester

I always thought that the York's walls were the longest in the country but it turns out that the walls in Chester are the most complete.

Something completely new in Chester in the brand new Indigo Hotel in the city. The brand is expanding rapidly but rather than each one being a carbon copy of each other they are all different and try to reflect the city in which they are situated.

The 75 rooms draw inspiration from the key elements to Chester - the famous timber framed architecture known as The Rows, the iconic 1897 Eastgate Clock and the world famous Chester Racecourse. If you look closer you will see references too to Chester zoo.

The walls and the Eastgate clock are within 5 minutes walking distance from this centrally placed haven of tranquillity. The hotel does not have any parking but they have an arrangement with a nearby car park that offers discounted rates for hotel guests.

We stayed in the Grosvenor room on the fourth floor. Being the top floor it had a wrap around balcony with a settee and tables that overlooked Grosvenor Park and in the distance the Cheshire hills. The room itself took inspiration from The Rows with white and black evident throughout.

At this level you get a complimentary fridge with a bottle of proper milk to mix in with the coffee you might make from the provided Nespresso coffee maker. Expect some soft drinks and a few alcoholic beverages too.

It was a spacious room with a good bed, large flat screen TV, a writing desk, good air conditioning and very fast WIFI with lots of USB points. The bathroom had a walk in rain shower, a free standing bath and Molton Brown toiletries. Pure Luxury throughout.

As seems to be the case these days the restaurant has been leased out to a famous restauranteur, namely 2015 MasterChef champion Simon Wood whose Wood Chester restaurant occupies the ground floor. The 96 cover restaurant has a relaxed style with the chefs table and Theatre kitchen at the heart of the restaurant.

What was pleasing to see that most of our fellow diners were those who had made a special visit to the restaurant and not just the hotel guests. What was not so pleasing was the use of loud rock music. Iggy Pop, I'm sure, turned my bread to sourdough! The "Godfather of Punk" and bands like Disturbed, Feeder and the Happy Monday's did not go well with the fine dining experience. Save it for the Hard Rock Café, not a high end establishment.

We tried the 5 course Taster Menu, which is served blind: you do not know what will be put in front of you, it's a surprise! Your server will ask you beforehand if you have any food allergies and also if there is anything you do not like.

The cottage pie was perfection, the Lamb Assiette was a little undercooked to our liking so we sent it back to the kitchen to be cooked more. The Sea Bass with chorizo was one of the best I've tasted, with a buttery taste whilst the Tutti Frutti with Lemon is one of Simon's award-winning desserts. Overall, we had good service and food that any foodie would enjoy. Each course is explained to you by your server with precise detail, which added to the experience. If you are willing to experiment with food you will be fine.

Breakfast is served in the Wood restaurant too with a continental buffet or cooked to order English breakfast that was one of the tastiest cooked breakfasts I have eaten this year.

After all this glorious food you could always walk it off by walking the entire length of Chester's aforementioned walls.

The hotel has only been open for a few months but it seems to be a well oiled operation. Clean, comfortable and great service all added up to a very satisfying visit.

Hotel Indigo Chester, Grosvenor Park Road, Chester CH1 1QQ. Telephone 01244 735745
More information: https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/gb/en/chester/cegct/hoteldetail