my partner and i wanted to go somewhere for new years eve as we both had a very bad year. we decided on hoole hall with it being victorian building and set in some wonderful grounds. we only wanted a room only and ended up staying for their party and meals and i am so glad we did. i have alreay paid the deposit and then i remembered to go on tripadvisor to see what other people have said about this hotel. i was shocked, stunned and upset that all reports were bad. imagine how i felt after paying the deposit and wonder where do we go from here. we decided to go ahead with the new years break despite me having the flu badly. we paid the rest which is the room, party till 2am, 5 course meal and brunch next day till 2pm. i wanted a room with a view and i got it despite the hotel being full. there was some confusion about the invoices and all the staff who i spoke to where very helpful with the matter. we arrived there, me with a runny nose and looking like a zombie, my partner dealt with the reception and they were very friendly, helpful and very pleasant with him. we went to the room and it was spacious, clean, warm, modern, everything you needed from extra pillows to writing desks. unfortunatley, the bathroom fan was very noisy. i am deaf and having the flu affected my hearing even more so if it is noisy to me then it must be more louder to someone else. that was the one and only thing that my partner and i found wrong, just the bathroom fan. the bath was big enough for two, will not say anything more!! plenty of room in the bathroom, the bed was very comfy that we had trouble leaving it the next day! my partner asked the restaurant manager if we could sit away from people with me having a cold as i did not look rosy. he led us to a quite spot in the corner and was asking all night if i was ok. the food was out of this world and the selection of wines and spirits were excellent as well. you could have a choice of what you wanted from the food and drink menu. they let you have breaks in between so you do not get filled up quickly. it was a service with a smile as well. then he reserved a space for us in the disco party area which i think is the atrium. we had our own table right near the heater for me to keep warm all night. everybody who was there enjoyed themselves and not a bit of trouble anywhere, no fights or drunks. it was a respectable party where everyone go dressed up for the night. the dj was playing decent music not the crap you get in the charts now. at midnight - new year when big ben was bonging away, we were all given champagne to celebrate and we did. it went on til 2.30am and both of us retired to bed. no-one bothered us the next morning and it was upto us when we wanted to go for brunch. again, we had a choice of what we wanted to eat. unfortunately, it ws time to leave this wonderful hotel and to start the new year with a trip into chester. the staff all asked how i was and did i enjoy it. the answer was of course!!! it was more than brilliant. a big massive thank you to all the staff there both in the reception and in the restaurant for being friendly to us. we will be going back there again and i will be writing another review when i do. please go ahead and go to this hotel, you will not regret it at all. well worth the money spent. it is upto you if you want to read the other reviews but by doing this, this nearly costs me a weekend that nearly got cancelled because i took it to heart what other people said. i will be writing a letter to the manager of the hotel to say a big thank you for providing my partner and i with a wonderful rememberance evening. we both know all about hotels and what they are like and what to expect with both of us being coach drivers who use to do a lot of european tours constantly and stayed in many nice basic hotels and disgusting very bad hotels that do not have any stars at all. before i go, i enjoyed this hotel a lot more that i did at the 5* chester grosvenor hotel where i paid nearly £500 just for 1 night and i never paid anywhere near that for hoole hall and immensely enjoyed myself and so did my partner, so go to hoole hall and see for yourself and decide whether i am right or the other reviewers are right.

This was our 2nd stay here. Both times we were with a tour company. Both times were horrendous. The first, we were given a small double bed when we requested twin beds. There is no air conditioning and it was the hottest day in Chester. Their only ventilation was a small window that basically has no air flow. We requested a fan & got one that didn't work.
The second time, we got our twin beds but was put in a smoking room when we requested non-smoking. It was very stuffy and the only ventila-
tion was a door to the outside (no screen). It was ground level so any bugs, animals, or people could come right into our room. We once again requested a fan and guess what? It did not work either. They did change our room the next day. But the worst part of the stay was the horrific smell in the hall that everyone had to pass through to get to the restaurant.
They said it was a chemical overflow. It smelled like raw sewage.
There were two positives, however. The staff was pleasant and the food was great. However, the dinner staff are all forgeiners and don't seem to know the meaning of the words costumer service. It's a good thing they have good cooks. I'm really surprised that tour companies are still using this hotel.

In spite of marketing this Hotel as "Near to the family attraction of Chester Zoo" there is absolutely no childrens facilities at the hotel - not even a childrens menu.

A poster by the door states separate areas for smoking but the bar area had smoking throughout so in the evening there was nowhere to sit with our two year old and have a drink, we had to leave the hotel both nights to find somewhere to eat - luckily Cheshre Oaks isn't too far away and has plenty of family restaurants, however it was inconvenient.

Also the hotel placed us in one of the furthest rooms from the entrance meaning we had to push a buggy through miles of corridors & fire doors.

Never Again !!!

My partner and I stayed for two nights at the hotel in March 2005. It was our second visit and we were really looking forward to it as the previous one was excellent. However, we were a little disappointed. We had booked an exectutive room but it was worse than our previous stay. The room was small and a little shabby. Our 'exectutive' extras consisted of some sctatchy towelling bath robes, cheap silppers, some water and a plate of fruit.
The receptionist on arrival was very rude and off hand with everyone, including other staff. She reminded us of Basil Fawlty!
On a better note, the food was good, both breakfast and dinner and usually served well. The rest of the staff were very helpful, and the hotel is in lovely surroundings close to Chester. Despite everything we still had a lovely relaxing break.