The Saddle Inn0

This was a very last minute booking as we decided to stop off on our way to Wales, and wanted something that would give us easy acccess to Chester that was budget friendly and a little quirky. Our stay was a Tuesday night so there was no music/entertainment or cooked food on (this isnt a complaint!), and the place was pretty quiet, however we were looked after by the lovely staff and spent the evening listening to our favourite tunes from the juke box. The Saddle is a rock based pub, and everywhere you looked there were things of interest. Our room was the Black Sabbath room which delighted us both. The breakfast the following morning was an additional £10 but worth every penny as it was exceptional. Access to Chester is literally out the door, turn right and you are in the centre. There were plenty of places to eat in Chester itself and early evening wandering around the town once the crowds have gone home was very pleasant, and we got to really enjoy the atmosphere and see the buildings in all their glory.

Our room was quite warm as it did not have an opening window, however fans were provided so all good.

We had no idea what this place was like when we booked it. We just wanted something very close to the Chester Racecourse that didn't cost an arm and a leg. There is no doubt this will be our Go-To place next time we visit Chester. To start with, it's within 10 mins slow walk of the racecourse. The Saddle Inn is a Rock Pub/Hotel with band memorabilia everywhere you look, some of the beer pump handles were the necks off guitars, the room keys had headphone jacks attached every wall was plastered with band posters. The rooms are named after rock acts. We stayed in the Guns'n Roses room, and our friends stayed in the Jimmi Hendrix room. The bedside tables were drums, the walls had framed pictures of rock legends and platinum disks. It was ace. Back down to the pub and there was a pool room at one end, and Karaoke was blaring at the other. The atmosphere was brilliant, everyone was really friendly and just out to enjoy themselves, locals and tourists alike There was also a good selection of beers on 5 we enjoyed until well after midnight. All the staff were great, smiling and chatting with us, we felt we were in our local. We hadn't booked breakfast initially but were asked if we would like to order it for the morning and all agreed. It was only £10 each, and we'd have spent that much if we'd walked to a cafe. We all had the full English which came with a choice of white or brown toast, tea or coffee and either poached, fried or scramble eggs. We were each served our own pot of tea which was big enough to get 3 or 4 cups of tea from and were offered refills too. As you'd expect the brekkie had bacon, sausage, egg, toms, beans, mushrooms, a hasbrown and black pudding. To be completely honest, I'd had a very night and couldn't taste much but it looked fantastic and went down well. My friends assured me it was a delicious breafast.

I'm convinced there was something in the beer that after several pints made me a bit dizzy and want to sing

The owners were really friendly and thoughtful, ready to go the extra mile to make sure everything was ok for us. Knowing that a karaoke night was due to take place during our stay, they deliberately put us on a higher floor to limit any disturbance from the bar. We liked the bar's rock décor and atmosphere. The location was ideal - very central but just outside the really touristy part of Chester, so much quieter. We liked the rock theme in our room, with memorabilia on the walls. We had a family room, which was a very good size and well equipped.

The décor in the bathroom and on the stairs and landing was a bit dated.

Location, quirkiness of room, value, friendly staff (with one exception)

A younger female member of the bar staff started the evening being unnecessarily curt, brusque and moody, and ended up being downright rude and unprofessional, even walking off half way through pouring a Guinness, not to return. No idea what caused this behaviour. To be fair, the more mature lady who seemed to be in charge was most apologetic about it, but it made for an irksomely tense experience every time I went to the bar. I hope they address this issue because otherwise it was a very pleasant stay, but this really spoilt it, and needlessly.

Really great vibes here! It was our 5-year anniversary so we thought a night away in Chester would be a nice way to do something different. Our room was clean, comfortable and spacious (the Metallica room). The staff were exceptionally friendly throughout our one-night stay and were happy to reserve us a table in the bar that night in time for the live music. Quite literally just down the road from the centre. Great choice of drinks and music downstairs. Check-in and check-out were really easy. I imagine we'll choose to stay here again next time we visit Chester.

Nice big room. Staff where so lovely Mattress and sheets amazing, the bed is quite low, just a FYI ha ha Coffee and tea making facilities Location is very good

The pillows on the bed were terrible and so so flat, really uncomfortable There were no biscuits left with the tea and coffee and not enough milk either. Room is a bit dated, carpet seems old and worn. Like the concept of the room but could do with an update. TV, upgrade to smart TV so people can stream from their devices. Price, for the accommodation you get, amenities in your room and let's be honest the noise I feel their room rates are quite high per night. Please make sure you are aware its a rock pub, so rock music venue that has bands on over the weekends and set dates. We were aware of this but think it should be highlighted as we were on first floor and it was very loud

The location was excellent to explore Chester. The room was great as we like themed places especially rock and metal. The food was delicious especially the rib eye steak....mmm melt in your mouth. We only met one of the managers and that was Clare might be spelt Claire. She was a bubbly and fun person to be around (and lovely green hair by the way). She was very informative and went out of her way to help you. Can't fault the friendliness of this pub.

menu could be a bit more widened, maybe change the bands in the rooms every so often.(this is not a criticism, more of a suggestion) maybe have music on Friday and or Saturday and not Karaoke....a different day.

The location was excellent and the staff very helpful highlighted by our room being moved from the 3rd floor to the first after I pointed out that my partner was struggling with a knee problem and the stairs could be an issue for her. We had a nice meal in the early evening before being thoroughly entertained by live music until just after 00:12. All in all I would recommend the Saddle Inn for a weekend visit to Chester and certainly plan to return myself at some point.

Nothing of any merit or worth mentioning.

We are incredibly grateful to Rebbeca , Claire and all the staff for their hospitality after we had a small accident in our motorhome. We had to find accommodation very urgently but having three dogs doesn’t make that easy. They were incredibly welcoming and the dogs were made very welcome too. The food in the Saddle Inn is amazing and great value too and you have the added bonus of live music most nights. It would definitely be our first choice for accommodation when we are back in Chester, they are very dog friendly and the staff couldn’t do enough to help us. Thank you so much for an amazing stay!

I liked how they had a guitar on the door and the staff were lovely and it was so simple getting in and out and I loved how all the teas and coffee section was set up, I enjoyed watching home alone 2 with my partner, and I liked that they had free samples of body wash, shampoo and conditioner and I liked the posters on the wall

i didn’t like the fact the shower was horrible and the water was weak coming out of the shower head which means the shower head wasn’t strong enough, and when I was sleeping I wasn’t expecting the music from downstairs to be extremely loud, and it got really hot in my room