Our Stylish and Baby-Friendly Apartment in Chester

Doing this travel blogging gig for over 7 years has given me quite a high standard when it comes to hotels and apartments. I don’t mean that in the sense that everything has to be 5 star. But I want style, I want comfort and above all, I want a convenient and accessible location. Now that I’ve had a baby I don’t want to have to compromise these things or lower my standards when looking for places to stay. That said, it’s tough. There are so many more things to consider when you’re staying in a hotel or an apartment with a baby, so finding great family-friendly accommodation often seems tricky. That’s why I want to tell you all about the amazing family friendly apartment in Chester which we stayed in in December 2019.

About Oddfellows Hotel, Chester

The apartment we stayed in is part of the Oddfellows Hotel, a characterful 4 star hotel in central Chester. The hotel features a modern restaurant, stylish bar and boutique rooms all within a historic Georgian building. What is unique about the Oddfellows Hotel is that it also has a handful of apartments which are located in a separate building, on a quiet street just a few minutes walk from the main hotel. The apartments come with their own kitchen, lounge area and ground floor parking spaces.

We stayed in 'Apartment One' during our Chester mini break which had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and 3 bathrooms. There was ample space in the apartment and it turned out to be an amazing choice for our December family break to Chester.

Reasons Why I Loved our Oddfellows Family Friendly Apartment in Chester

• It was a self-catering apartment with a fully equipped kitchen. There was a microwave for warming his food, a kettle for preparing his bottle feeds and a huge fridge to store everything. The kitchen also came with all the crockery, cutlery and pans that you could need to cook a meal.
• The decor was quirky and characterful, meaning we didn’t have to compromise style over function. I loved the stylish velvet sofa.
• The apartment and parking space were both at ground level, meaning easy pram access and easy car unloading
• There was plenty of space to leave the pram in the entrance hall
• An Ikea Antilop high chair was provided
• A travel cot was supplied on request in one of the bedrooms, complete with clean sheets
• There was a bath in one of the bathrooms. Perfect for keeping Theo’s evening bath time routine whilst we were away
• The whole apartment was incredibly spacious and felt very clean and safe for Theo to crawl around and explore (under our supervision)
• White company toiletries for a bit of luxury
• A breakfast hamper was delivered to our door every morning with fresh fruit, yoghurt, bread, butter, milk, eggs and meat for a cooked breakfast. It also included Weetabix for Theo which was a very thoughtful touch
• It had a dishwasher which gave us a much-appreciated break from washing up
• The king size beds were extremely comfortable and had definitely had that luxurious hotel feel.

Dining at Cultivated, Oddfellows Hotel

On the first night of our two night stay at Oddfellows, we dined in the hotel restaurant. As we had Theo in tow, we reserved our table ridiculously early which meant we were the first diners of the night. We received a friendly welcome from the waiter who showed us to our table. I was impressed that a high chair had already been set out on the table, following our reservation of 2 adults and 1 baby.

Instead of two starters we opted for three dishes from their small plates menu. Sticking to a festive theme, we went for breaded camembert with cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets and candied cashew nuts. For the main course I went for sea bream which was beautifully cooked and came in a delicious sauce. Dessert was an orange bakewell tart which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dining at the hotel was so easy and stress-free but the price points are definitely at the higher end which is something to consider.

Pram and Disabled Access at Oddfellows Hotel

The main entrance to the Oddfellows Hotel is up a long flight of stairs. From first impressions this looks incredibly unfriendly to prams and wheelchairs, but the hotel does have an accessible ramp entrance around the back. Although this access is available, I was definitely glad to be staying to be staying in an apartment rather than the main hotel.

What did you think of my review? Would you stay in this family friendly apartment in Chester? I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions to please leave a comment in the box below. Jess x

What's next?

• Check out our baby-free getaway in the Yorkshire Dales
• Read more reviews of The Oddfellows Hotel

Our stay at the Oddfellows Hotel in Chester and dinner at Cultivated was provided on a complimentary basis in exchange for blog coverage. All words, views and images are my own. My trip to Chester in partnership with Marketing Cheshire.