Mill Hotel

We stayed here before in July for a 2 night mid week break and had a lovlely time, therefore had no qualms about booking it for our anniversary weekend. The dine and dance night was really good, the food is tremendous. The leisure facilities were brilliant, lovely pool, sauna, jacuzzi etc. The only downfalls for this hotel was that everyone went for breakfast at the same time and we had to wait to be called and then were stuck in a dingy corner, also if the weather is good no facilities for sitting out apart from smokers corner beside the canal, not much room though. We would stay again and had recommended it to friends who happened to book the same weekend as we did, so really brilliant.

the room was on the small side and very busy with all manner of apparatus on the walls, however it was functional and practical

The location is ideal for a holiday: it is within a pleasant easy walk of the town centre along the canal or the city walls and there is plenty of parking (though spread over five car parks). We had a standard room which was quite well appointed (the wall mounted iron and ironing board are a nice touch) though there was no sofa and nowhere you could sit in front of a mirror. The room was a little dated and the layout of the bathroom was poor (the towel rail was too small for the towels and out of reach of the shower and there was no surface to put things on apart from the shelf over the sink). The bed was comfortable and the room very clean. The domestic staff who serviced the room were very thorough. I would not choose the room if on business because it was not light enough to work but the more expensive rooms may be better in that respect.
Curiously, other than one small generic leaflet, the information pack in the room did not contain any brochures for attractions in Chester itself, nor did the racks in reception.
The staff were very efficient and helpful and, for example, replaced a broken light bulb immediately. The bill was put under the door on the last day and checkout was quick and efficient.
There is a choice of restaurants. We had one evening meal in the hotel which was nice though not special. The breakfasts were adequate and there were no delays though the hot selection was quite limited (I think you could ask for other items).
We felt the real ale bar was out of keeping with the style of the rest of the hotel. It was a rather dark public bar with cheap furniture and very crowded and noisy. There was a jazz band one evening who were quite good but extremely loud. I would have preferred a quieter bar though I think there is a resident's lounge somewhere. You have to walk through the bar to get to the lifts in the old part of the hotel. We did not use the pool or health club but they looked inviting.
Overall, given the range of facilities in the hotel and the location, it was good value for money though I have had better rooms in cheaper hotels with less facilities on offer. We enjoyed our stay.