We stayed at the De Vere Carden Park for 2 nights in August and were pleased that we booked this hotel, although being picky there were a few things that could have been better. The setting was lovely, location is great (we enjoyed a couple of hours shopping in Chester, 20 mins away) and there are lots of activities and sports facilities available at the hotel plus the spa.

We stayed in a newly refurbished exec king room in the main hotel with a nice view over the golf course. The room was comfortable, spacious, clean and the bathroom had a good powerful shower (would have preferred more than one bar of soap but no other complaints). The only downside to the room was that we stayed on a hot day/night and there was no air-conditioning (strange when they have spent so much on refurbishment recently) and there were only 2 small windows we could open, when we shut the curtains at night there was no breeze from outside at all. On our first night there had been a wedding reception at the hotel and after we went to bed we heard people chatting loudly outside our room and doors slamming (the bedroom doors are fire doors, which slam loudly if you let go of them) until late into the night, but our second night there was much quieter. We did also hear some noises from the next door room, bathroom, tv and baby crying (not what we wanted as we were on a rare break from our 1yr old and hoping to get a good nights sleep!), although I guess this is pretty common in hotels.

The staff were generally pleasant and helpful during our stay. We enjoyed a round of gold on the Nicklaus course and a snack lunch at the club house afterwards. The massage I had at the spa was very relaxing. We also used the tennis court and went Quad Biking for the first time, lots of fun but not having very strong arm muscles I had sore arms the next day!

We had one meal in the main Garden Restaurant and one in the Brasserie. In the Garden Restaurant the food was generally very good, although to start our bread rolls were cold and hard, they forgot one of our side dishes and our table was near the piano which was pleasant but also a little intrusive at times. The service was ok but the waitress couldn't anwser a couple of simple questions about some items on their menu (which wasn't that large). The food and service in the Brasserie was also good and probably better value if you want a smaller meal, or more casual place to eat. Breakfasts were ok (the usual cooked breakfast, cereal, fruit, toast and a few croissants) but we have had a lot better in many of the places we have stayed before.

So, although there could be some improvements made I would still recommend the hotel especially for all the facilities available.

Carden Park is one of the best hotels we have visited. My niece held her wedding reception here last October and we enjoyed it so much we wanted to go back. We were certainly not disappointed. Everything was great, we had nothing to complain about. The newly refurbished rooms were tremendous and the facilities and staff were excellent. We stayed 3 nights, used the leisure centre, the golf and par 3 course. The staff were friendly and efficient.

This is so good we are surprised it is not 5 star.

we have just stayed at Carden for a family birthday celebration. from the minute we arrived at reception we were treated to excellent customer service. Our bedrooms ( all in the main part of the hotel) had been recently refurbished and were exceptional with huge beds and more cushions and pillows than we could cope with! We made use of the spa and golf activities in the afternoon and although the hotel was busy we never felt rushed or ignored. We had planned to have a special dinner at night to celebrate the birthday and the staff in the restaurant went out of their way to make sure it was just that rounding of with a chorus of happy birthday accompanied by the evening pianist. Breakfast the next morning was unrushed and such a huge variety of hot and cold dishes. we will be looking forward to the next excuse for a family weekend away

We have just returned from a one night stay at Carden Park, we had stayed for a couple of nights last November and I can;t help but feel the hotel (particularly the rooms) seems to have become some what 'tired' since our last visit.
The rooms (we stayed in the courtyard) are very spacious and they could be so fantastic with a little TLC, there were a lot of marks and scuffs around the room, a constantly dripping shower (though I must say a great shower when you actually use it). The bed was 2 beds pushed together which is a personal niggle of mine. There was no folder telling you all about the hotels services tho I was advised these were being updated when I asked.
Breakfast - not bad but not great, finished a little too early and a little greasy compare to other hotels I have stayed in recently.
The gardens are beautiful and great for golfers, we wanted to enjoy a drink in the club house but it seems to shut rather early, the main hotel bar is very reasonably priced but lacked any atmosphere at all.
That all said, its a charming English hotel and when booked on a Devere deal on their own website pretty good value.
When I came away last November I couldn;t wait to go back....now I think I'll wait a while.