The Chester Crabwall Manor in Cheshire West and Chester

Although I was staying at the hotel I wanted to write separately about our meal in the restaurant! From start to finish we had great service. We choose a bottle of Merlot to have with our meal. We shared a duck spring roll starter followed by a Rib Eye Steak for my husband and the Lamb Rump for me both were tasty and cooked to our choice. We both chose a dessert of ice cream medley and sticky toffee pudding and finished with an Irish coffee. Although it’s not a big menu there was a good choice. The staff were extremely hard working throughout our meal and a credit to the hotel.

We booked this as a 2 night luxury stay Monday-Wednesday. The hotel itself is lovely, although a little worn in places. Rooms were spacious, the bed was comfy and overall it was fairly clean. However, we were in room 32 and there was something that sounded like muffled fireworks above us, these went off every 45 minutes all through both nights. Included in the booking on our first night we had £30pp in Jacob’s brasserie. We waited around for a good 5 minutes before someone came out of the back to greet and seat us, the room itself was quite dark and had a good atmosphere with some soft music playing however, 10 minutes in the music stopped for the rest of the night. It took around 15 minutes for the drinks to be brought to the table despite the restaurant only having 1 other couple in at the time. The starters and mains were average, nothing special and the steak was not cooked to how we had ordered. That being said, the desserts were lovely. The next morning we ordered breakfast to the room. The selection was fantastic, everything came as we ordered but unfortunately, it was all cold. We called reception and an apology was given, but there was no breakfast food left other than toast and cereal of which we declined. The spa was great, facilities are excellent. Everywhere was clean. If you’re wanting a massage or any spa treatments though the ESPA lady told us that you have to book 2-3 weeks in advance. When it came to checking out, we were given a bill. The bill was not accurate, we had been over charged for the meal the night before. The receptionist was actually quite rude and dismissive about this. She then advised there was a service charge that had been applied - yet was not shown on the bill. We had not been advised of this, the lady muttered something about it being American and said she would take it off. The bill was still incorrect but we were told to email about this as there was not a manager available to recalculate the bill. So, overall the stay was ok but I won’t be booking again.

Stayed at the hotel so opted to eat here on the first night! Little atmosphere in the restaurant but service was friendly. Cod was chewy possibly through excessive microwaving - at least one other diner sent hers back and I wish we had done the same! The wine and dessert were fine but they experienced a shortage of salt pots in the restaurant. Not an experience to repeat so we ate elsewhere on our second night.

Been for afternoon tea as a treat for our wedding anniversary as we got married here , we’ve been coming for afternoon tea and stays since 2018 and today has totally put me off !! The cakes and sandwiches had obviously left out for a while as they were both dry/stale ,coffee was luke warm and for £32 it’s a disappointment !

We arrived waited for the receptionist to stop talking to a colleague to ask where the dining room was, we then waited for about 5 minutes for someone to show us to a table. The room was fairly empty except for a table of four men sitting barefooted in shorts, a table with a couple on and one with two ladies on, not the best start to our experience, we were asked if we wanted tea or coffee, the afternoon tea arrived and to say it was basic is an understatement nothing outstanding plastic bread sandwiches cut in triangles, tiny scones and tiny cakes. No choice of jams, we certainly won't be going back there again.

Awful nothing fresh about it basic value bread and cakes seen better at a kids party. Decor tired and beige carpet cover in stains.

I’ve not done a negative view before, and I’m sorry to do it now as in the past I found Crabwall Manor good. However, our recent visit was so disappointing. We went for afternoon tea for my husband’s 82nd birthday , which was on Monday 30th January. Maybe Monday has limited staff? When we were about to be seated we asked if our coats could be taken. The response was that we’d have to hang them on the back of our seats. The table had dinner size plates with tea plates on top, looked pretty, but chips on the china ( I have photos). The tier tray also had large plates, our table was small. The waiter said “make me some space”. He put tier tray in the middle which meant our plates hung over the table edges ( I have photos) The tier tray was wobbly. The tea was okay, but no more than ok. We were the only people in there, in the background was noise of something like sticky tape being ripped. Webb found out what the noise was when a waiter came to the table, lifted the corner of the table cloth to stick a label on, ( couldn’t he have waited until we’d finished?) We were ,fortunately, just leaving when drilling sounds started from behind a door nearby. This tea was a gift from our granddaughter, obviously we will tell her we had a great time. I usually do reviews for the benefit for the hard workers of the hospitality industry, but I can’t just ignore this. Crabwall, what’s happening, you used to be so good?

Booked for Christmas Day. No one to meet us on arrival. Bubbles were left on a table and were flat and warm. Canapés were stale and just left on a side table. Service was poor. Starter was awful and the salad on the plate was turning brown. No water for the tables as they had no jugs. Dinner was disgusting. Brown sprouts, no roast potatoes at all. We couldn’t eat the food, we then had to queue to complain to the manager and the best he could do was say he’d call us between Christmas and New Year to discuss further. All came home hungry. We paid almost £400 for 4 of us. Have never been anywhere so bad! So no Christmas dinner for us.

Although Crabwall Manor is caught up in the austerity of the past 10 years and is in need of a refurbishment, the size and quality of the rooms are amazing. All our needs were met by the hospitable staff from within the hotel and spa. Our evening meal and superb breakfast was also a great reason why I’m recommending Crabwall Manor. I don’t think I’ve had such a better breakfast as the one I ate this morning. No meagre portions, the full range of breakfast foods from muesli to a full English, is buffet style, in other words, you can eat as much as you can manage. Yum, the bees knees folks. Well done catering department, you’re a real asset to the success of Crabwall Manor.

Atmosphere - underwhelming, Dining Room - underwhelming Food - underwhelming, Service - underwhelming

The hotel is in a nice location, only £10 taxi ride. The staff were friendly and happy to help with request and generally a smiling bunch which help u relax during uour stay. The hotel is a bit tired, warn carpet, untidy courtyard, mold on sealants etc etc. Value for money as not too expensive, so the made review a 4, not a 3. Thanks

All the meals we had here were made with top quality ingredients, well prepared and presented. The service was excellent (Thank you Andrew for making sure everything went smoothly) Had a bar meal (pizza) which was the best yet.

Be warned, the afternoon tea served here is nothing like the photo they advertise. We ordered a pot of coffee but had to send it back as it was just lightly coloured water. It just hadn’t been brewed. 2nd pot was better. The scones were not home cooked & there were no patisserie. It was various bought in slab cakes cut into small squares with the thickest icing on them. They were awful. Infact we left most of them. There was no effort of thought into their afternoon tea. It was the most disappointing one we’ve had in our lives. The room is soulless and drab. All in all a depressing afternoon tea. Please see photos. This one is the actual afternoon tea we received. If you check their website or their Groupon advert what they portray is a completely different afternoon tea with lovely homemade scones and petit cakes and patisserie. False advertising.

Service was very poor long wait for our drinks ordered food starters again very slow mains came but chips came out 5 minutes later onion rings never came out food was ok but not great it was a bit bland but well presented a disappointing meal

Awful restaurant and terrible food despite the hotel the rooms and spa being really good set in a lovely area

The dining room is dingy with grubby, charmless too-modern decor and no views out of the windows. We asked for Earl Grey and veggie sandwiches, they brought regular tea and ham sandwiches. Changing the sandwiches took 40 minutes for some reason (they were not busy) and then they were just supermarket sliced bread with egg and cucumber. The cakes were largely inedible - scones not fully baked with raw dough inside, brownie that was like some sort of insulation. Generally extremely poor - I would strongly advise going elsewhere.

3/5 - Very average food, it’s a very run down hotel, and the menu is very limited. When we ordered wine, it didn’t even come out cold which was a shame. I wouldn’t recommend going if im honest.

Went here for a birthday treat, and what a hotel! Stayed in a suite room 8 and it was beautiful. Very spacious with modern decoration and an outside space. Used the pool which was great. Had a 2 course meal from the festive menu..delightful and the service was extraordinary. The receptionist Dan and the waitress were very hospitable even informing us of discounts for shopping at Cheshire Oaks. A fantastic hotel will be visiting again

When I first went into the room I was amazed of how fabulous it was but that’s not the first thing I was amazed by I got lost and I’m from another city late at night and the receptionist came and picked me up I realised then it was down the road but I had been looking for the hotel all day I thought that was a lovely gesture and very sweet and kind of him so I would like to let hotel manger know how amazing his staff are especially this sweet man the facilities were amazing tea cookies in room and comfy bed

Lovely Burger from the bar and our COVID Breakfast was well cooked and quality produce, We understand it was below their normal standards but we enjoyed it.

Very dissapointed service appalling , food only reasonable Prosecco warm and flat , took a friend as a birthday treat, certainly will not be visiting again !

It’s my partners birthday and I asked if they could do something special and they only went and room upgraded us with Prosecco, I am so grateful the superior suite is beautiful. Thank you for making our weekend perfect. X will be returning x

This is our 4th time we have stayed at the manor. Things just get better and better each time we stay. All is first class good food clean and very nice rooms with very comfy beds.

Have eaten here on a few occasions, dinner in the bar, room service and breakfast in the restaurant. Dinner on the first night in the bar was good, although service a bit slow and the pizza was a little burnt. Ordered room service the second night and just had toasted sandwiches which were very nice although the nachos a bit plain. Breakfast was good with a good choice, definitely worth it at £10.95 when booked in advance

Té crema anunciado con una selección de tés de Ceilán. En realidad se le dio una tetera rota con una bolsita de té.Anunciado como una selección de bollos de elección. En realidad dados los bollos de frutas más pequeños que hemos visto. Sin elección. Plato Ramekin con mermelada, otro con cuajada de limón y uno con lo que se suponía que era crema coagulada. Yuck Los platos Ramekin eran en realidad más grandes que los bollos.En general muy pobre. Lo que debería haber sido una tarde agradable tomó veinte minutos. Estafa en veinte libras para dos personas.Definitivamente no es recomendable.

Friendly staff good service not a vast range of food, quite basic tables and chairs not really a luxury place

Sólo me alojé aquí por 2 noches y quedé muy impresionado con esto, las habitaciones eran muy modernas, muy limpias y muy relajadas, absolutamente nada para lamentarse sobre un montón de café, té y agua embotellada y también galletas, tuvimos té de la tarde, que era uno de los mejores que La cena fue una delicia y, definitivamente, una excelente cena. El personal fue excelente, muy profesional y amable. También contamos con el uso gratuito del spa, es decir, el gimnasio y la piscina. Se requiere pago adicional para otros servicios. En general, es un gran lugar para alojarse cerca del centro de la ciudad de Chester y a una hora de las ciudades del norte de Gales como Llandudno y Conwy. .

Esto fue comprado como un regalo. Tomamos un muy agradable té de la tarde, servido por un caballero muy amable y atento llamado Nick. Disfrutamos la comida. . . Especialmente los bollos que estaban deliciosos.El entorno era precioso, con jardines muy bonitos para cuidar. Si el tiempo hubiera sido mejor, habríamos dado un paseo para ver qué había más lejos.Me gustaría comentar que para una casa solariega con muebles bonitos, los baños de mujeres eran bastante básicos y decepcionantes, no al nivel de otros lugares que hemos visitado.

Me alojé aquí como local para ir de compras de Navidad en Chester y Cheshire Oaks. Un montón de aparcamiento! Encantadora bienvenida de la recepcionista. Realmente satisfecho con mi habitación, grande, muy cómoda y limpia. Tranquilo hoy! Tenía servicio de habitación que fue entregado sin demora y la comida era realmente encantadora. El desayuno también era bueno, con mucha variedad. Buen servicio.

Nos alojamos aquí sólo por una noche, pero lo disfruté de nuevo. La habitación era elegante y tenía todo lo que necesitábamos. El spa era excelente y relajante. Tuvimos nuestra cena allí y nos pareció bastante caro por la cantidad que recibimos pero estaba delicioso.Sin duda nos alojaremos de nuevo en algún momento.

I booked an afternoon tea deal on The Big Daily Deal website £19 for afternoon tea for 2. I have booked deals like this before and recently went to the Hilton in Liverpool for the same price and I have to say the afternoon tea at the Hilton was so lovely. Sadly I cannot say the same for Crabwall Manor!My son and I arrived at the hotel and on entering into the reception area, which is simply a desk in a room to the left, there was nobody around; we proceeded through a very small lobby area that wouldn't have looked out of place in the waiting room of a care home. It was incredibly quiet! There were 3 gentlemen having a business meeting, whispering away due to the deathly silence; the area was completely soulless, miserable and grey looking. Again no one around and we, therefore, made our way into the bar/restaurant area where we had to wait and wander around for a further 5 minutes or so before any staff actually appeared. We were told the afternoon tea could not be served in the usual place due to a funeral taking place that day and that afternoon tea would be served in the lobby!! Given the description of the lobby I have just left you can imagine that we did not fancy this option, however, we were hungry and had booked in for this so felt obliged to stay. I asked if we could sit in the small, again very soulless bar area to have our afternoon tea, I felt at least we wouldn't be listening in to every word of the business meeting going ahead in the lobby area! We were the only 2 people there; there was no gentle music playing, no sounds at all, it was very bleak and very miserable. The staff served our afternoon tea which I am sorry to say was terrible. Maybe I am being picky here but the cups were bog standard canteen style cups. The sandwiches were all white bread, stale on top and had awful fillings, grated cheese, and Branston pickle, cream cheese, and cucumber, ham on its own and some bizarre otherr filling that I cannot even describe, they bread was so thick with butter my son had to scrap it off before attempting to eat the sandwiches! The cakes were ok, very small taster type cakes, very small scones with 1 cream between 2 and a lemon tart type cake cut into 4 pieces. All quite bizarre really given other afternoon teas that we have had and thoroughly enjoyed. Sorry to say we ate what we could and left immediately, the ambiance was so poor you did not want to sit around and relax!!!!Sorry, Crabwall Manor but you really do need to up your game! Try some gentle background music to drown out the deathly silence of the place and create a more warm and welcoming lobby!

Had the girls night in package booked for me as a surprise it was amazing the food was really nice the staff are so friendly and the spa well we booked back in and went back for more treatments the morning after

Llevé a mi hija a tomar el té de la tarde como parte de un regalo de cumpleaños y tuve que seguir disculpándola porque me avergonzaba la mala calidad de la comida. Había reservado esto a través de Travel Zoo, pero en mi opinión eso no debería haber hecho una diferencia en la calidad de la comida que se sirve.Los sándwiches estaban hechos con el pan más básico, el relleno de queso crema era horrible con pepino muy flojo y empapado por dentro. El jamón era sabroso pero cubierto de mostaza inglesa caliente, que es un gusto adquirido y no del agrado de todos. Deberíamos habernos preguntado si lo queríamos. Los sandwiches parecían haber sido hechos bastante tiempo antes de que llegáramos. Los pasteles eran piezas muy pequeñas, pero agradables. El camarero fue muy amable y servicial, reponiendo la tetera cuando sea necesario. El té de la tarde no se parecía en nada a las fotos que había investigado en línea sobre el té.Después de esta experiencia, no recomendaría Crabwall Manor para el té de la tarde.

Fuimos aquí para celebrar el cumpleaños de mi esposa. No le dijimos al personal, ya que no le gustan las sorpresas, pero aún así, vale la pena señalar que esto tenía que ser una comida muy especial para nosotros.Nos atendió un camarero muy agradable: nos reímos con él y pensamos que las cosas iban a ir bien.Ambos elegimos prácticamente las mismas comidas. Comenzamos con la lubina: trozos encantadores de pescado muy bien cocido.Para el principal, elegimos bistec, uno medio raro, uno raro.Aparecieron, los filetes fueron excelentes. La casa especial, las patatas fritas eran todo lo contrario.De cuero por fuera, seco e insípido por dentro, eran, a todos los efectos, incomestibles. El menú indica que los comentarios son apreciados; que la única forma en que pueden progresar es escuchando lo que el cliente tiene que decir.Así que, cuando el camarero regresó y preguntó si todo estaba bien, dijimos que el pescado había sido genial, el bistec era fabuloso, pero las patatas fritas no estaban nada bien. Tan malo, que había dejado todo, excepto los dos, que había intentado ver si era uno que era malo, y los pocos que mi esposa había seguido intentando, pero desistí del resto.El camarero dijo que le pasaría nuestros comentarios al chef y le preguntó si quería un postre. Sí, por favor, respondimos y estábamos a punto de decir algo de la misma manera fácil en que habíamos estado hablando hasta ese momento.El camarero se volvió y regresó con los menús, se los entregó y se fue sin decir una palabra. 15 minutos más tarde, después de tratar de llamar su atención para hacer nuestro pedido, tuvimos que darnos por vencidos. Era bastante obvio que no nos iban a servir, así que nos pusimos de pie para irnos.Muy rápidamente, un camarero diferente nos agarró para firmar la factura. También preguntó si todo había ido bien: nuevamente dijimos que las fichas no eran comestibles, y que parece que nos dejaron en nuestros dispositivos.No escuchamos nada a cambio. Reportamos al personal del hotel al día siguiente. Todavía no escuché nada a cambio.Al momento de pagar, lo planteamos con el gerente del día, quien pareció sorprenderse de nuestros problemas. Eventualmente ofreció buena voluntad, lo cual fue apreciado.Sin embargo, cuando un cliente brinda retroalimentación, particularmente cuando se trata de una parte de la comida y no exige nada sobre e. gramo. recompensa: lo que se supone que es un buen restaurante debería tratar mejor estos problemas.La experiencia arruinó la comida para nosotros. No volvimos, aunque tuvimos algo de la comida del bar cocinada en las mismas cocinas. La comida era buena, aunque todavía teníamos un par de problemas con el frente de la casa, por ejemplo, donde se había ordenado un plato de patatas fritas de la casa (evitando las papitas gruesas) y aparentemente olvidado, para ser servido sin mucho comentario cuando el verdadero la comida estaba a mitad de camino.

Desayunamos aquí 4 mañanas y hay mucha variedad de desayuno continental y si quieres una comida completa inglesa o cocinada, hay un menú que se sirve en tu mesa, en algunas ocasiones hay servicio de buffet, que prefiero, nunca tuve un la cena aquí, pero los precios son un poco elevados, pero es un hotel de lujo, así que esperas pagar esos precios, supongo

Visitamos con un vale de té de la tarde Travelzoo. Después de ser recibidos inicialmente por un sistema informático confuso, nos dispusimos a tomar el té en una habitación preciosa, solo, mirando hacia el césped encantador.

Beautifully presented after waiting a considerable time for us to be seated despite having booked. Food cold, inedible and although offered another meal, I declined, however they did charge me.

Tenía muchas ganas de cenar en Crabwall Manor para celebrar nuestro 3er aniversario. El taxi nos dejó en la puerta y cuando entramos no estaba claro hacia dónde ir, no pasamos por una puerta y encontramos una recepción vacía. Un tipo llegó y nos mostró el bar / restaurante. Decidimos tomar algo antes de cenar. Nos sentamos al lado de una chimenea ardiente, pedimos una segunda bebida y la llevamos al bar, ya que el personal había abierto las puertas dobles de la habitación y hacía mucho frío. Hasta ahora ha sido bastante agradable. Nos llevaron a nuestra mesa en un comedor que podría haber sido en una comedia de los años setenta. Ya habíamos decidido lo que teníamos que comer, así que le dimos a la camarera nuestra orden y también pedimos una botella de champaña y agua con gas para la mesa. Bueno, nos quedamos allí bastante tiempo sin un trago en la mesa entre nosotros. Llamamos a una mesera y reiteramos nuestra orden de bebidas. Nos aseguraron que sería ordenado de inmediato. Bien, nuestros entrantes llegaron seguido, finalmente, por nuestras bebidas, la camarera solo logró abrir el champaña, ¡luego no lo sirvió o tiene un cubo de hielo para ponerlo! Los entrantes no eran nada increíble, habíamos pedido el solomillo para main, tuve patatas dauphinoise, mi compañero tenía puré. ¡Sentí que mis ollas estaban poco cocidas, demasiado firmes para cortarlas! Los dos también tomamos una jarra de salsa de pimienta. Mi otra mitad había terminado su bistec pero no pude con todo, así que lo tenía. . . . . . y el resto de mi salsa de pimienta, solo para empujar la salsa, diciéndome que la que tenía era mucho mejor. ! El bistec estaba perfectamente preparado y probado fabuloso. Pero eso fue todo, el resto de la comida de la noche fue mediocre.

Después de venir aquí en el pasado para celebrar el cumpleaños número 18, pensamos que sería el lugar perfecto para celebrar aquí el 21 cumpleaños de la calle. Llegamos a Crabwell Manor para ser recibidos sin decoraciones, es decir: Globos o confeti en la mesa que habíamos dejado dos días antes de la reserva. Tuvimos que hablar con un miembro del personal que dijo que tendrían que ir a buscar las decoraciones y que se haría antes de que estuviéramos sentados.

We booked the overnight stay with allowance toward our food, and initially were satisfied with the accommodation, however there were silly items that let the side down in our room. The tv would not switch off and we had to balance on a chair to reach behind the screen which was attached to the wall, and one of the bathroom lights did not work, which made my morning ablutions more difficult. The evening restaurant food was good and wine per bottle was not excessive, so that side of our stay was satisfactory. Good for a short break.

Good value for money,conveniently situated near to Chester,friendly professional staff,large well appointed room,huge en-suite bathroom.Breakfast included (in our package),good quality,varied choice .Only slight niggle dining room has strange decor(in my opinion)choice of evening meal not to my complete satisfaction.Spa facilities good,pool area clean,maybe a touch tired in places,but staff very helpful and efficient .

Great value for money. Booked a romantic retreat for me and my boyfriend. Dinner bed and breakfast deal. Food was fantastic but expensive. Went over the £25pp allowance easily but quality of food was exceptional so didn't mind. Room was beautiful and spacious. Only disappointment...

I took my friend for Afternoon Tea for her 70th Birthday. Everything was perfect. The food was excellent, fresh well presented and plentiful. Every member of staff was so pleasant, clean looking and well dressed. The venue was lovely, clean and fresh. Following the food...

Top class food highly recommended, we both had a three course meal and it was all cooked beautifully.

Mi pareja y yo comimos en el restaurante del hotel durante nuestra estancia allí me suele aléjate, ya que el restaurante no era de mi gusto, a diferencia del hotel, que era precioso. Pero mi pareja no sienta bien, así que decidimos comer en el restaurante del hotel en vez de salir.

Teníamos la cena y el desayuno. Tenía sólo la habitación reserva así que tuve que pagar por las comidas que eran muy agradables, aunque un poco caro (desayuno 13 libras. 95) tenía que era muy Inglés caliente y recién hecha, servir usted mismo buffet para...

No había estado aquí por un largo tiempo, pero para el almuerzo en el llamado hace unas pocas semanas. No estaba mal, nada más y nada menos, lo cual es una pena porque es un lugar muy agradable. Una cosa más... A pesar de estar...

Personal muy amable y eficiente. La comida estaba bien presentada, caliente y sabrosa. Noche agradable.

Estupendas instalaciones, un personal amable, excelente relación calidad-precio y muy cerca de Chester! La suite era enorme y muy bien equipado. Es este uno de los secretos mejor guardados en el REINO UNIDO?

My sons wedding was the day after the post I just read and I agree with every word of it ,

Habíamos estado decepción por un restaurante local así revertido al hotel. La comida era de naturaleza hotel pero bastante buena, bien servido y sabroso. Excelente espresso caliente!! No está mal en absoluto

Menu was average as was the prices. We both ordered steak and was good although nothing special. The atmosphere was a little flat and we had an issue with the next table constantly on their phones so we asked to move tables which was not an issue. They even gave us free desserts afterwards which showed they went the extra mile. This should be 5 stars to match the hotel....

Stayed her for 4 nights. Room ok size wise...bathroom layout not good...large area but not well lit or laid out. Room serviced every day.... Our room was on first floor facing car park and could get a bit noisy at varioys times what with arrivals and departures. Watch out for noise between room walls. We received a call at 8.35pm from the occupants in next room asking us to turn down tv as they were trying to get to sleep.....Eh?. Yeah well our tv wasnt too loud...we do appreciate that we have neighbours but what the heck..... Breakfast was really good and value for money. Evening meal selection was ok but not worthy of cost, not specials of the day so could get repetative if staying for more than a few days. Staff throughout the hotel were exceptional. Friendly and helpful and couldn't do enough to make our stay enjoyable. Location is perfect and hotel well maintained. Would we stay again? Not too sure.....sorry. we enjoyed our 4 days. Taxi cost £7.50 ish in and out of Chester which was really good. Would recommend Chester Taxi Service......brilliant.

Not much atmosphere although staff were attentive after initially having to go to bar myself to request drinks. Menu was reasonable in choice of meat dished but could have done with a wider variety of fish choices.Main gripe though was 10% discretionary service charge put on to bill without this being advertised prior to booking or on menu.

I have visited the restaurant twice but haven't stayed in the hotel(which looks lovely). Unfortunately the restaurant misses the mark. The staff were brilliant though - no complaints there. Unfortunately the same can't be said of the food. The menu is in a time warp. The mussells starter was disappointing - mussells were tiny. Sauce was nice but the bread was so stale and dry that you couldn't tear it, it just crumbled. There's really no excuse for this. They replaced with garlic bread. Steaks were ok, nothing special. Wall lights were very bright wherever you sat. Not appropriate for dining. I think an overhaul of the menu injecting some imagination would benefit greatly. Definitely not good value for money.

Food in the bar on Sunday evening. Not very busy, and quality of offerings was fairly good as well, but not a lot of choice. Plenty in terms of quantity, though, so no grumbles there. Young and friendly Staff reasonably well informed on menu, even if they did forget to bring the dessert menu and a round of drinks ordered.

Had amazing meal whilst staying in hotel after lovely afternoon spa staff very attentive to your needs had a shared starter then salmon dish stunning

Excellent hotel friendly staff first class room but restaurant very poor Sadly lacking in atmosphere and definitely needs a new chef Very average quality food whitebait coated in overcooked breadcrumbs poor quality meat in a steak and average commercial standard ice cream not what you expect in a country house hotel Service from the kitchen also slow particularly at breakfast

We arrived at 4.30pm having booked on-line some 6 weeks previously. We had been allocated Room #2 which was a surprise upgrade to a Master Suite. The room was split-level, away from the hubbub of the hotel and extremely nice. We even had our own separate wi-fi!All the staff we encountered were brilliant. My wife had the gel on one toenail repaired in the Spa and there was no charge! Wow - this is a customer focused hotel.I used the Pool (2/3 degrees cooler than I liked), the steam room (eek! - now that was HOT) and the Jacuzzi ( again slightly cooler than expected). Clean everywhere and some great facilities here.On to the evening and the Function Room for a Wedding Reception. The room was well decorated, the area put aside for the function were good and the staff were excellent throughout the evening.Breakfast the next morning was good with the usual buffet but also a cooked to order breakfast.And my bill? Totally accurate. A great stay here and highly recommended.

We stay a week - good breakfasts, friendly and helpful staff, who by day 5 were asking what music I would prefer playing in the dining room for breakfast! Clean rooms, huge. If you require more than a cursory Hoover and bed made then there is a 'maid service'label for your door. Reception staff very helpful. Looked up phone numbers for us, provided Sellotape when required. Upgraded my mother to a superior room, but still made sure there was a shower for her as she is less able at walking. Evening food fine although slightly more pricey than I expected - slightly cheaper for the same food in the bar. Our week rushed by and I would certainly consider this hotel again should I be around this area.

A really cosy, intimate restaurant in a beautiful hotel. After a bit of confusion with the reservations, the staff made sure that we were still able to dine and were very warm and friendly.

The evening meal menu was imaginative and well presented.The dessert would have been improved by a covering of brulee as the description was crème brulee .The breakfast was of a good standard with plenty of choice

Booked to go for afternoon tea today and was really looking forward to it. On arrival at the bar, we were asked what drink we wanted- tea or coffee. I did have to ask if there was a choice of tea which he confirmed. We took a seat in the lounge area next door. When a lady came round I advised we wanted the Royale option. Food came out eventually but didn't look as I expected and no glass of bubbly which was included. Thought that was slightly odd and checked with the waitress. Turns out they had not checked the menu and given us the cheapest option. She did apologise and said she would get it swopped! 30 mins later the food had not yet arrived! In the end we agreed to leave with our food nowhere in sight. Very disappointed service especially when I had booked. Was a bit of a way out to drive too! Won't be making a visit there again.

Wanted a spa weekend in Chester and this is the place we chose! The 3 of us (ladies aged 24-30) were very impressed!! The rooms were clean, spacious and well presented as was the place in general!! The staffs were polite and couldnt do enough for us .. carried our bags to our room and booked taxis! Loved our day at the Crabwall Spa on Saturday and were pleased to be a short distance from Winter Wonderland and Chester Oaks Shopping Centre! Would highly reccomend staying here :)

Rooms were quiet and comfortable, breakfast was very good, staff very helpful and it isn't too far from Chester

Visited the restaurant for an evening meal during a stay atvthe hotel. Although we were originally told we could choose from two menus we were advised to choose from the bar menu as we'd have to wait a long time for food from the other menu. Having said this we waited a very long time for the food we had ordered from the bar menu. When the food came it was OK, nothing special, especially considering the prices paid. Having said this the staff were lovely.

Lovely food.Service was very friendly. Star was very much the breakfast lady.So friendly and attentive to her guests needs

I recently attended the wedding of a good friend, beautiful sunny day so the setting was at it's very best, lovely room for the ceremony, so far, so good...now the food and service, or should I say lack of service. Starters came, most of our table had king prawns in the shell, after de shelling the prawns, my friend asked for a finger bowl the waitress almost asked her 'why?' Looked bemused and came back with one bowl for 8 people.....the main course, the steaks arrived, lightly done ( no one was asked how they liked it) my friend asked them to take it back and bring her a well done steak....so she waited......and she waited......after much asking she eventually got her food some 30 plus later! The whole party had finished the main course! Not one member of the staff apologised or even made an effort. I had ordered duck, it arrived and frankly it still had a pulse! It was so rare it would not cut and was oozing blood and absolutely disgusting, I could not attract anyone's attention as the staff had disappeared, so I was left waiting, when I finally got someone's attention I had gone past caring and just asked them to take the vile thing away, again no apology or concern. I have used this hotel many times over the years and was truly shocked at the poor service and food! Avoid this, it maybe beautiful on the outside, but that is where it ends, we have far better hotels in our lovely city!

We visited the spa today and enjoyed afternoon tea after our work out. The service was very friendly, the food was tasty and the coffee great. The afternoon tea consisted of a selection of tuna, cheese and ham sandwiches with a tier of lemon tart and chocolate brownies and a top tier of scones with jam butter and clotted cream, accompanied by a glass of champagne and a latte.There was a larger than usual amount of food, it was lovely and we managed to share it with two ladies who had just sat to have a coffee as it was too delicious to waste.

We had our daughters christening at Crabwall manor, and some of the food, was dangerously poor....! Apparently the OVEN had broken, so the cooked the children's sausage rolls in the microwave...The pastry was a disgrace and the contents boiling hot in the centre...We provided afternoon tea for the adult guest, however the scones were the size of a 2p piece....The hotel offered no apology and after challenged offered us a £15 good will refund....The venue itself is beautiful, just a shame they tried to hide the fact they could not offer what we asked for, had they been open and honest, Im sure we could of found a solution...Most of our guests left early and when on to another Hotel that could offer cooked food and proper service

Lovely location and hotel facility. My family have stayed and dined here over the years for major celebrations etc and always been very pleased. Recently, we were to meet outside Chester for a summer evening bar meal. The bar had absolutely no atmosphere and was generally unwelcoming, the layout of seats and tables made this very clear. The place was empty (surprise!) and yet getting tables to be configured for six adults and two children was a major issue. The menu was very limited, which we knew beforehand online. The service was very slow and the food only mediocre at best. We still laugh about the server with the white gloves! Looks like there is no clear direction or oversight here and lack of quality clearly speaks to that!

The place smells discussing like a wee and other customers play music through the night the management did nothingAvoid avoid

Were really excited by the beautiful building and entrance when we arrived. Room stunning too.but the beauty was only skin deep. The food from the canapes to the dessert varied from acceptable to dire. The profiteroles were raw, inedible and left by most of the party - they should not have even been served up. It was an insult.Then, the next morning we, and several others, had no hot water in our rooms and despite the receptionists knowing the day before of a problem, nothing had been done. We had to get dressed and go down to the spa for a shower.The corridors were tatty, there were trays of dirty dishes left in them for most of the day, the fire doors were filthy dirty, and the spa shower trays had scum and other detritus in the corners.So very disappointing. I've never had such a bad experience in such a hotel.

Booked afternoon tea for myself and 3 friends checking with their reception/management the Gourmet Society officer 2for1. We arrived early and were asked would we like tea but 2 of the party had not arrived. We sat down at 1pm and tea was served straight away unfortunately we had to wait over half an hour for the food. It was well presented on a tiered cake stand and a fresh pot of tea was provided. I must comment on the scones which were so well cooked they were crisp like a cookie, but we had plenty of jam and cream to soften them. The waiter Jose was very efficient although when he gave us the bill was not aware f the afternoon tea offer as requested when I booked however this was soon put right. Seems to be poor communication between reception and waiting staff. However the Hotel has undergone a big refurbishment and the public areas are clean and fresh, however the Dining room does not have any obvious views of the lovely grounds, some windows appeared to be obscured, and the main hall you walk into has a view of the garbage area although the refuse collection turned up as we left. Overall not the best afternoon tea experience! There seemed to be plenty of staff on duty who were very pleasant and keen to help!!!

lovely meal, but give diners a choice of wether they have the garlic butter in a little pot,or on the steak .as it did spoil my evening meal.

We don't normally eat in hotels - they are places to sleep...ok yeah I know there are loads of Celeb Chefs working in hotels but call me old fashioned then.On this occasion we had our grandson with us so our options were limited. The bar staff were brilliant and looked after us very well indeed. A good selection of beer wines and spirits, not huge but perfectly adequate.There were several menus all of which looked very interesting but, more importantly, they catered for the youngsters as well with their own dedicated menu.I chose the black pudding scotch eggs followed by scampi. My wife chose the starter size fish platter as a main and my daughter in law chose fish and chips for our grandson and the breads with olive oil as a starter but followed me with the scampi to start.Service was prompt and very polite with a great deal of fuss being lavished on our grandson which he lapped up.The scotch egg was a tour de force; an outer shell of crispy pork sausage wrapped around soft black pudding encasing a lovely gooey quails egg ..... it was scrummy. The breads were fresh and devoured with alacrity by my daughter in law and grandson. If that was just to start what, we wondered was to follow??The scampi arrived. The presentation was something I have not seem before; a plank with small bowls of home made tartar sauce, sweet chilli dip and tomato ketchup with a small bucket of beautifully cooked chips - golden and crisp on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside.The tartar sauce was a revelation, the consistency of soft butter but with lots of crispy pickles, it complemented the scampi perfectly.Having mentioned the scampi....they were in fact prawns, they arrived in a bucket and were crisp, golden brown and plentiful. My daughter in law and I were very happy bunnies indeed.The fish platter arrived!! It was, we were told, a starter size for two or a main course for one; beautifully presented on a plank there were three small kilner type jars which were full to overflowing with roll mop herrings, scampi with tartar sauce, and smoked salmon. On the side were a Quinnell of smoked trout mousse on Melba toast, battered squid and slices of cured salmon as well as a selection of breads. It was amazing. I did help by eating the squid !! The little fella had his fish and chips which followed in the same vein, beautifully cooked and presented.Could we fit in a dessert? You betcha!! My wife and I had the chocolate ganache whilst my daughter in law had the sticky toffee pudding. Thank goodness the potions did not equal the main course otherwise......the chocolate was light and fluffy without being heavy and sticky whilst the sticky toffee pudding was what it said on the tin.All in all a fabulous meal with great service.Breakfast, on the other hand could not have been more different. Really poor service, cold overcooked food. Not a good experience, shall we say chalk and cheese.

What a fantastic hotel . The rooms were large and stylishly done up with a modern influence . Fantastic tranquil surroundings .The staff were fantastic and very helpful giving plenty of advice on local attractions . The staff could not do enough to help even with a bus full of Japanese tourists booking in at the same time . The food in the restaurant was very good and the waiting staff extremely helpful would highly recommend this hotel to family and friends

We were on the Valentine package; it was a 4 courses meal that was one of the best I had in a long while.Scallops to start; followed by seared duck; my main course was a fantastic Fillet steak and my gf had a massive lobster!to finish we had a sharing trio of chocolate dessert.

Visited with my partner a couple of weeks ago and the good was lovely, apart from the panacotta, which was like rubber! The rest of the food was faultless, service was great and a nice quiet atmosphere!Will recommend

The hotel has just been updated so we thought that we would try the restaurant and we found this to be a very pleasant experience .The staff were all very friendly and nothing was too much trouble and the food was very well cooked and presented, we never felt rushed so we were able to relax and enjoy the meal

I had the misfortune of booking dinner for 3 at this appalling establishment on Aug 21st 2012. The date is important as it's evident no one has spent a penny on the place for at a guess 50+ years. A more drab, lifeless dinning room it's impossible to imagine. Tragic swirly carpets, dirty drapes and two, yes two nasty chandeliers to light a room that would take 100+. As for the menu/food it bland and banal. Despite the fact their were a total of 6 people in the place in addition to my party it took the 3 bored looking staff over 30 mins to take an order and about as long to serve each course. The place does not have a single redeeming feature. It's a total dinosaur. Avoid at all costs

Was impressed with the building, very beautiful. And first impressions seemed ok however after sitting in the bar for 10 minutes you started to notice how tired and unkempt the place is. This could have been overlooked had everything else been fine however our family party was badly let down. We were given a set menu and told it was all we were allowed to order from, no steak and only 3 choices of each course. After ordering it turned out we could have ordered from another menu. Placing the food order was a nightmare, the barman skipped from person to person missing orders out. We did it ourselves in the end. Conservatory restaurant was quite pleasant but dingy and we had ask for the lights to be turned up. The candles on our table were old and burnt out. Couldn't light them. They started serving our starters before we had even sat. Duck pate like cat food Ordered wine and the bottle was unceremoniously handed to us. Main meals were ok but two were missing and we had all finished eating by the time they came . We got to free drinks to compensate but they were left sat on the bar for AGES! desert bland. Cheese and biscuits served as three HUGE wedges and 3 tiny crackers. When we asked for a knife to cut the cake they brought a butter knife ( it was an iced fruit cake) then they brought a huge blunt bread knife then eventually a steak knife. Cold coffee. Also heard other customers complaining.

Quality of food was poor - (this was the bar menu) - No steaks available early on Friday evening - the curry option had to be with lamb as there was no chicken available - the fish was fine but the accompanying chips were very average

Stayed here 20 yrs ago regularly when the hotel was in its prime and very popular. Stayed recently the place has not been redecorated in 20 yrs! Bedrooms exactly the same, heating broken electric radiator put in room which did not keep it warm. Brown rust filled the bath when taps turned on, bulbs out everywhere seems owners just don't care what a shame had so much potential!

Decided to book a table in their Conservatory restaurant having looked on their website and based on it being. as they say on the site -"Set in a conservatory with views over the beautiful gardens, our restaurant serves delicious and modern, interesting and varied English cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere"How disappointing to find the restaurant located in a very drab and dull room. The food is a basic hotel menu designed for the Dinner B&B package. Service is disorganised and to pay the bill by credit card I had to be "escorted" by a waiter to reception.Food was edible if not inspired everything else a bit naff really.

Good food some issues such as no butter at breakfast or still water served in a unsealed sparkling water bottle