The Hotel: This is an imposing 196-room mansion hotel on a beautiful 1000-acre estate situated between the open landscapes of the Cheshire plain and the Welsh hills. Its location is about 20 minutes from the city of Chester and the welsh town of Wrexham.
Check-In: We were met at the entrance by the concierge who took our bags from us and then parked our car for us. After a smooth and quick check-in procedure, we were soon settling into our room.
The Room: The room looked out over one of Carden Park’s two golf courses. It was stylishly decorated and very spacious with a fully equipped en-suite bathroom with both bath and power shower. Facilities within the room itself included a 32-inch plasma TV with Sky channels, free broadband internet connection, work table, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities and an in-room iron and ironing board available.
The Business: The hotel has a range of 12 meetings rooms which can cater for any event from two to 400 delegates and has a can-do flexible approach to arranging meetings and events. There is the option of private dining facilities for delegates and a dedicated business centre offering all the usual office support services. A complimentary wifi connection is also available for all delegates. In addition, the hotel has a dedicated activities centre within its grounds with a high rope course, quad-biking, 4x4 driving, archery and laser clay shooting – all perfect for motivational team-building gatherings or corporate events with a difference.
The Facilities: The hotel has an impressive spa area where facilities include a 20-metre heated swimming pool and sauna, plus a steam room and Jacuzzi and numerous treatment rooms offering a range of therapies and beauty treatments. The hotel's two golf courses: The Nicklaus and The Cheshire offer 18-holes of championship golf and there is a golf school and practice range. As mentioned above the activity centre also offers a range of ideas to keep guests fully occupied during their stay and those who hire bikes can explore the extensive grounds of the hotel with ease. The recently refurbished Redmond’s Restaurant offers a menu to suit all tastes from light snacks all the way up to a full three course meal.
The Verdict: This is a really relaxing venue for anyone needing to get away from it all. The setting in the heart of the Cheshire countryside is superb, and the property offers a wide-range of facilities for everything from a small meeting to more extensive team building activities or corporate events, golf days and also makes a great place to just simply get your head down before a day at work.
The Details: Room rate prices start from around £90 for bed and breakfast with day delegate rates starting from £40 and 24-hour delegate rates from £150. Carden Park is a member of the De Vere Hotels group.
See: www.devere-hotels.com; tel: 01829 731000. David Clare
