Chester hotels

I like the Indigo brand: Its hotels are bright, colourful spaces with personality, and while part of a chain, they do "boutique hotel" better than many independent outfits. Chester is no exception. With the river, Roman walls and Rows a short walk away, this is one of the best hotels in Chester for location.

Design references to the racecourse include stirrup door knockers, rosettes and equine fabrics and prints, along with nods to the medieval architecture and nearby zoo. Even the teacups are stylish.

It’s also got one of the best hotel restaurants in Chester, Forge, which fire-cooks dry-aged beef, beetroot, cod and scallops over oak and beech, and plates up inventive dishes such as ragu of wild muntjac. (The bar has a more informal menu, including crumpets with potted shrimp.) A lot of fun.

With its top-hatted doorman beside the colonnaded entrance, the collection of artwork from Chatsworth House and the 28,000-piece chandelier (a hand-me-down from London’s Carlton Club) in the lobby, this is one of the best hotels in Chester for a special occasion. You can even arrange for the private chauffeur to take you on a tour around town.

Bedrooms are luxurious, with scalloped headboards (some suites have four-posters), botanic-print fabrics and photographs of lotus flowers. But the highlight for me is the main restaurant, Arkle. It no longer has a Michelin star but the five-course tasting menu is a real treat, showcasing local ingredients via inventive cooking (chalk-stream trout, Herdwick hogget lamb, a lovely date and ale cake with milk ice cream). This is surely Chester’s grandest hotel.

Charles Dickens stayed at this railway hotel when he paid Chester a visit in the 1860s, stepping off the steam train and walking straight across the road. It’s the best hotel in Chester for sheer proximity to the station, but it’s also the most historic, from the vintage luggage that forms the check-in desk to the original atrium and the rooms named after kings and queens.

The rooms have changed since Dickens’ stay and are quite contemporary, though some suites still have fireplaces and Victorian-style décor. There’s the Albert Lounge for afternoon tea and the Grill for familiar comfort food. Despite the Italianate stucco facade, statues and grand staircase, this is a very relaxed place and one of the best hotels in Chester for families, who can make good use of the extensive back garden.