Chessington Hotel

Very good

Had a nice family time.

Liked: Loved the hotel
Disliked: Food in dining area was very expensive. We all had to go out in evening to get dinner. Other than that we had a nice time.

Really enjoyed the day and...

Liked: Fun and room just what we hoped separate area for the little boy looking after. Be good though if the side room had his own door. But nice sized room. Food in the restaurant was very expensive and sadly nothing our daughter wanted to eat. But we were able to eat out fairly locally. The rooms were really clean. Staff helpful and friendly. Only down side for us was cost of food to eat there in the evening. So we had to go out to eat. Breakfast was included in hotel cost and was really nice. Def worth going to the hotel made the day out special with hotel stay.
Disliked: Cost of food in dining areas. That’s the only thing we didn’t like.

Great place, expect resort prices...

Liked: My son loved it, we were able to visit other parks close by the location also. The views from the hotel foyer and restaurant were nice.
Disliked: More detail should be provided in relation to the absolute necessity to book tables for breakfast and evening meals.

Superb

A fabulous 2 day break...

Liked: Loved everything about it.
Disliked: Could do with more choice for buffet.

A mixed bag

Liked: Location for the theme park is great, a very short walk away. The theme park itself is nice, well maintained, absolutely loads to do (at least a couple of days worth). The hotel entrance / lobby was lovely, a great start.. My little boy enjoyed his stay. In hindsight, I would have stayed at the Premier Inn down the road!Although there's a brilliant view of the safari from the hotel lobby, the hotel doesn't offer much else that makes it worth the extra money. The evening walk promised to be exciting, but there were very few animals to see at that time of day. We only saw the safari animals the next morning - of course, this is down to chance, I'm just making the point that you can see a lot of exciting stuff by visiting only the theme park.The room (Safari Room with bunk beds) was a little disappointing - fine for purpose, but a bit tired, not much of a safari theme other than some stickers and a wall hanging, and a window that overlooks the bins (expect a wake up call at 6am if you're next to the bins!).
Disliked: The pool experience was a bit rubbish. The safari splash pool (our main reason for booking) was closed with no explanation or apology (just a grunt from the 'lifeguards' when I asked). Half the normal pool was closed off for swimming lessons, and our half was too cramped to move. The lifeguards seemed half asleep - when my little boy fell over poolside, the lifeguard sitting on the bench less than 5 feet away didn't even bother to stand up, never mind ask if he was ok. He did, at one point, actually have his eyes closed for a few minutes.The restaurant (Zafari) was appalling, really. Given that it's a 'bar and grill' restaurant, you'd expect the meat to be good? The chicken was chewy. And £7 for a very small bowl of pasta in tomato sauce and cheese? The food across the site is massively overpriced, which would not be so offensive if it were actually good. I noticed a lot of people had brought food in (picnics, sandwiches, fish and chips) and were making themselves at home in the (very large) hotel lobby area, which seemed a MUCH better idea - I recommend you do this, too!Breakfast in the Temple restaurant was better, the food was fine, albeit in a slightly grubby feeling restaurant - I mean, it's okay, and the staff parking their massive cleaning carts and bins next to you while you're eating (gross) mean well, but it just feels like it needs a deep hygiene clean!The 'entertainment' was dire - two girls offering a game of Simon Says in a fully lit conference room while baffled parents watch on (and buy overpriced drinks to ease the pain)..? Possibly better for very small children?All in all, I just felt like - although I got a much better price on booking than doing it direct - you are definitely paying for location and hotel lobby area - don't expect anything above a travelodge for the room.To a friend, I would say: Pack a nice lunch, enjoy the theme park and zoo, book a premier inn or drive home!

Good hotel overall

Liked: Great location and atmosphere
Disliked: Rooms are run down and dated

Disappointing