Leonardo Hotel Chester

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Cheshire, Chester, North West, Recommended Stays, United Kingdom

Hotel Review

Location: 

The Leonardo is a recently opened hotel located within Chester’s historic Roman walls.  It’s just a 15 minute walk from the railway station which has frequent connections between London, Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.  It’s also just 10 miles (17 km) from Liverpool John Lennon airport for guests arriving from overseas.

Arrival and check-in:

Reception area, Leonardo Hotel, Chester
The hotel reception

We had an early start to the day, arriving into Chester by train around lunchtime.  It was an easy walk to the hotel and we were greeted by a friendly and welcoming receptionist.  The lobby has a spacious, contemporary design with circular seating.  As we were too early for check-in we left our bags and went off to explore the city centre.  On our return, our key cards had been prepared and we were shown to our room on the first floor.

Leonardo Hotel Chester Entrance lobby and lifts
The entrance lobby and lifts

The Room:

Bedroom, Leonardo Hotel, Chester
Our stylish room

Our stylish room was of a good size with views from the window over Pepper Street.  It came equipped with a well stocked hospitality tray with both a kettle and a Nespresso machine.  There was also a fridge with complimentary water, a safe, iron, ironing board and hairdryer.  The bathroom featured a bath with shower over, a large pile of thick, fluffy towels and eco friendly toiletries.

Leonardo Hotel Chester bedroom
The room had a comfortable armchair

There was a comfortable armchair for relaxing and watching the large wall mounted television.  The desk lamp wasn’t working and on phoning down to the front desk I was impressed that this was attended to promptly with a member of staff arriving to fit a new bulb.  We slept on a very comfortable mattress nestled beneath a down duvet.

Dining:

Restaurant, Leonardo Hotel, Chester
The hotel’s attractive restaurant

Breakfast is served in the hotel’s stylish restaurant with a varied selection of both hot and cold dishes.  A waitress welcomed us and after noting our room number let us know that we could request eggs cooked any way we wished from the open kitchen area.  On both mornings I ordered two poached eggs which were perfectly cooked and brought to the table.

Leonardo Hotel Chester Restaurant/ Bar
The restaurant where we enjoyed breakfast each morning

The restaurant serves meals and snacks throughout the day and although we did not eat dinner there, it seemed popular.

The Facilities: 

The lounge bar, Leonardo Hotel Chester
The hotel’s bar lounge

The hotel has a 24 hour front desk, lifts to all floors, an attractive lounge bar and a fitness centre.  Wi-Fi is strong and reliable and once logged in, worked for us in all parts of the hotel.  Despite the hotel not having its own car park, there are chargeable car parks available close by which allow 24 hour parking.

Leonardo Hotel Chester lounge area
Cosy seating areas at the hotel

Out and About:

City Walls

Chester City Walls
Chester City Walls

Take a walk along Chester’s ancient city walls, the nearest access being just steps away from the hotel at the Newgate Arch along Pepper Street.  The walls extend for 2 miles (3 km) and it’s an ideal way to gain a perspective of the city from above.  If you prefer to join a guided tour then these start from outside the tourist office offering a wealth of information and uncovering hidden gems.

Eastgate Clock

Eastgate Clock, Chester
The magnificent Eastgate Clock

Admire the beautiful Eastgate clock positioned on a footbridge overlooking Eastgate, Chester’s main shopping street.  The clock was erected in 1899 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria two years earlier and is the second most photographed clock in England after London’s Big Ben.

Chester Cathedral 

Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral

Visit the magnificent Chester Cathedral, a stunning Gothic structure that was a medieval Benedictine abbey before becoming a cathedral in 1541.  Join one of the Cathedral at Height tours for a behind the scenes view of the cathedral and for stunning vistas from its tower top.

Chester Races

Chester Racecourse
Chester Racecourse

Spend a day at Chester Races which opened in 1539 making it the oldest racecourse still in operation in the world.  The racecourse, also referred to as The Roodee was built on the site of an old Roman harbour and can be viewed during an extended walk along the city walls.

The Rows

The Rows, Chester
The Rows, Chester

Go shopping along The Rows, Chester’s unique Tudor shopping streets.  Steps lead up from ground floor level to long covered balconies lined with shops, galleries and restaurants.  These continuous half-timbered walkways are arranged directly above those at street level.

Boat Trips

Chester Boat trips
Chester Boat trips

Take a relaxing boat trip along the River Dee.  Tours depart from the Groves Promenade with a choice of 30 minute city cruises and longer two hour boat trips (summer season only).  Further details available at Chester Boat.

Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo was opened by George Mottershead and his family in 1931.  It is one of the country’s largest zoos covering 125 acres and houses over 7,000 animals covering 500 species.  It’s easily accessible from the city centre without a car as there are frequent bus connections taking around 15 minutes.

Museums

Grosvenor Museum, Chester
The Grosvenor Museum

Learn about the city’s history at the Grosvenor Museum and explore the macabre history of medicine through time at Sick to Death, a new visitor attraction housed in a former church.

Dining 

Artezzan Restaurant, Chester
Artezzan Restaurant

Look no further than Artezzan, a Mediterranean influenced restaurant with a delicious menu and great vibe, located directly opposite the hotel.

The iKitchen, Storyhouse, Chester
The Kitchen at the Storyhouse Library and Theatre

Also recommended is The Kitchen at The Storyhouse, serving middle-eastern dishes in the convivial setting of the city library.  Food served daily until 9.00 p.m. and perfect for a pre-theatre meal in the Storyhouse Theatre.

Pastry Pedaleur, Chester Market
Stephanie from Pastry Pedaleur with some of her sweet treats

Finally, don’t leave Chester without sampling some of Stephanie’s delectable French patisseries from her Pastry Pedaleur stall in Chester market as they are to die for.

Overall:

Lobby lounge at the Leonardo Hotel, Chester
Lobby lounge at the Leonardo Hotel, Chester

We found the Leonardo Chester to be an ideal base for a short break as everything is close at hand.  Our room overlooked the road but we weren’t disturbed by any outside noise during our stay.  Being just a few months old, the hotel still looks new and showing no signs of wear and tear.  Careful thought has gone into its stylish interior creating the right tone with its casual chic design.  Staff have all been well trained and were friendly and helpful from the front desk team through to the restaurant and housekeeping, making it a lovely place to stay.

Leonardo Hotel Chester
Leonardo Hotel Chester

Details:  Leonardo Hotel, Pepper Street, Chester CH1 1DW.

We were guests of the Leonardo Hotel and Visit Chester and Cheshire and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.

 

If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may also like:

A Weekend in Chester

Exploring Chester

 

If you use Pinterest please consider sharing and pinning the image below:

Leonardo Hotel, Chester

 

Advertisement

50 thoughts on “Leonardo Hotel Chester”

  2. Pingback: Leonardo Hotel Chester – Matic swap

  6. Another posh-looking hotel to stay at! I’ve been hearing such great things about Chester (especially the gorgeous The Rows) that I have it bookmarked to visit there on a return visit to the UK! Looks like a lovely time spent, and having wonderful accommodation certainly did help!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. I keep hearing great things about Chester Marion, sentiments that your article does much to confirm. The hotel looks really modern and stylish and wow, that clock, which I’d never even heard of. This is all very much on the list, lord only knows when we’ll be back to The UK. Hope you’ve managed to stay cool in these crazy recent temps. It is projected to hit 43 degrees here in Serbia today!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your interest in thus post on Hester and the Leonardo Hotel Leighton. It’s a lovely city and the hotel ideally placed for touring the cut on foot. Hope you get to visit one day. As you probably heard, the UK hit 40 degrees on Tuesday and around midday we got stuck on the motorway due to an accident ahead of us. The car air-con cut out and it was stifling for awhile even with the windows open. Luckily we had some water albeit lukewarm!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. The Leonardo is definitely stylish, while being warm and welcoming Marion. It looks like a comfortable place to stay. Chester also looks worth exploring with the right mixture of history, scenery and cuisine. Thanks for sharing. Happy Friday. Allan

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  15. I like your stylish room … just from your photo, I can see how comfy that bed must be 😉. And the cosy seating areas in the hotel are also nice – it brings out a warmth that you don’t often get in hotels. And, I just have to mention it again: I really admire the lovely Eastgate Clock – such a striking clock!

    Like

    Reply

  17. Hola! Thought I’d pause and have another look at Chester, as it’s been such a long time since we were last there.(Around 25 years…) The hotel looks very inviting, and your photographs are fabulous! Now I’m 90 (?) and my husband’s 94 (how did that happen) I’m so pleased we travelled when we did as our legs protest sooner than they did…We both keep curious and our minds busy though. Bless him, ‘E’ does the main shopping and cooking, allowing me time to write. I still write a column for one of the local newspapers and have just finished my 10th book (awaiting a publisher). Good luck in all your travels and don’t forget to write a Memoir or Autobiography. Have you read Bill Bryson’s travel books? You would enjoy them. Take care. Cheers. Joy xx

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. How lovely to hear from you Joy and I’m so pleased you are both active and keeping well. It’s great that you still write a newspaper column and how amazing that you have just completed your 10th book. Take care and best wishes. Marion

      Like

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.