Macdonald Portal
Safe Hands For Cancer Accredited
With its countryside setting and yet close to the city of Chester, this modern hotel offers excellent service, fine dining and plenty of leisure facilities to enjoy some relaxing down time with friends. The hotel’s spa and golf course have combined to create an Escape and Play Spa Break, but if the spa is your main priority, the swimming pool, aroma steam room and cosy relaxation room provide the perfect entrée to a soothing massage or facial.
Spa and hotel facilities
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At a glance
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Safe Hands for Cancer
Accredited by the SATCC and part of the Spabreaks.com Safe Hands for Cancer Collection, this spa welcomes people living with or beyond cancer and offers a number of specialist trained therapists.
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Restaurant
Ranulf Restaurant has two AA Rosettes for its fine dining experience.
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Hen Friendly
The hotel has the facilities and capacity to welcome groups and hen parties.
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Accessible Spa
There is disabled parking near the hotel entrance, wheelchair access and lifts to both the hotel and spa including the pool and changing area. There is an accessible bedroom, and there are accessible changing rooms close to the pool, and wheelchair access to the fitness area, pool and thermal suite. However, there is no hoist into the pool.
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Hotel Spa Venue
The hotel offers a range of leisure facilities including a thermal suite as well as Elemis treatments.
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Location
Conveniently located just 20 minutes away from Chester, it’s worth taking a trip to the historic city for shopping, culture or a great night out.
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Carer Goes Free
Carers are invited to accompany guests and use the facilities free of charge.
Spa & Leisure
Surrounded by the golf club and the rural scenery that characterises Cheshire, the Macdonald Portal’s facilities lend themselves to a complete leisure break. There is a gym, 18-metre pool, aroma steam room, infra red sauna, rock sauna, two experience showers and an ice room.
Using the Macdonald Collection’s signature product lines, the spa also offers Elemis face and body therapies, and manicures and pedicures courtesy of Jessica Nails alongside finishing touches, reflexology and Reiki.
Hotel & Accommodation
A contemporary hotel set against the rural backdrop of Cheshire and tempered only by the more manicured undulations of the surrounding golf courses, Macdonald Portal is a flexible destination providing 85 bedrooms which feature modern furnishings to reflect the overriding style.
The Macdonald brand always takes care to provide seasonal produce and a good view when it comes to their restaurants, and accordingly, so too does the Ranulf Restaurant – as its two AA Rosettes will testify. For drinks and afternoon teas there is also a Lounge Bar.
Location
Macdonald Portal,
Cobblers Cross Lane,
Tarporley,
Cheshire,
CW6 0DJ
Tarporley, Cheshire, 13 miles West of Crewe, 35 miles SW of Manchester.
Spa & Hotel Reviews
Condition of Spa
8.6 out of 10
Quality of Treatments
9.0 out of 10
Staff
8.6 out of 10
Quality of Food
8.0 out of 10
Quality of Facilities
7.8 out of 10
Value for money
8.4 out of 10
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Staff at the Spa were very welcoming and the treatments were wonderful. Only downside was we waited 40 mins for our light lunch in the main hotel which was annoying as it had a time slot and we could have spent more time in the spa relaxation rooms. However, altogether it was a nice way to spend a day.
I had a fantastic massage and facial. The staff listened to my allergies and responded well. My cousin got a leaflet of treatments she used on her although I didnt so would have liked to know what they had used. The treatment deffinitly made me feel relaxed.I would come back for another massage as that was one of the best I've had and was grest value for money.
The only downful was:
The sauna was out of order. The ice room had no door. The pool area got estremely went round the sides and the toilet/shower rooms were waterlogged and did not look nice to use.
The relaxation room was good and great to use after the treatment.
We did not have any food through the spa so cannot comment on this.
I came for a spa day with my sister and had the 85 minute Signature Treatment (ELEMIS Deep Tissue Massage with a Superfood Facial) which was lovely and done by Beth. Beth was very attentive and I felt very relaxed after my treatment the only thing missing was a pillow for during the facial to support my neck which got a bit sore. The spa facilities were overall great with a large relaxation room and multiple saunas/ steam rooms in pool area. Areas to improve on would be to have a water/herbal tea area in the relaxation room and conditioner in the showers (only had body wash and shampoo) I don’t know any woman that doesn’t use conditioner which meant I couldn't wash my hair on site a had to wait until I got home. The lunch was nice but there seemed to be a bit of a confusion about what was on offer. I requested the 2 course lunch on booking but when we arrived we were told there wasn’t a spa menu that was for larger parties just a bar lounge one and we had a £15 allowance to spend from that. This wasn’t really an issue just could have been clearer.
I had the facial whilst staying at the hotel, hands down the best facial I’ve ever had. Enjoyed relaxing in the relaxation room after my facial as well, I could have easily fell a sleep.
The spa facilities itself were excellent, you have 5 different rooms to relax in as well as the swimming pool. The other negative is that there isn’t many loungers around the pool.
Had booked a massage and told them I'm pregnant ahead of booking.
Ended up with a facial which was fabulous but bit disappointed I wasn't given the massage, I was told the girls who were able give pregnancy massages were on holiday then when I mentioned it again, they said they couldn't do pregnancy massages then that it would have been 85 minutes and I had only a 55 minute booking. I would have happily paid the extra had I been told this.
Two out if the three saunas weren't working either which was annoying. I'd seen reviews the month before to this effect but was assured on booking they were working again... they weren't and we were there three days and I told them at the desk.
We had a lovely stay in Spa however there were a few things that could be improved...
In the infra red sauna some of the seating had been replaced with cheap wood which was splintering, not that comfortable when you are in your swim wear. There were not enough sun loungers around the pool, we had to wait a long time until one became free.
The toilets were not very clean, even first thing in the morning - several without toilet rolls through out the day. The relaxation room had lots of dirty cups lying around.
The toilets and the relaxation needed regular checks and cleans through out the day to keep them at the standard you would expect within a spa
I’ve decided what I enjoy most about going to a Spa Hotel is chilling in the Jacuzzi. I’ve never checked the small print before to be sure that the Hotel I’m looking to stay at has one, so I won’t be returning here until one is installed 😢
If you’re not that bothered about a jacuzzi though, we enjoyed the massage although 25 mins wasn’t long enough, your just starting to relax properly and it finished.
Great Sauna, Steam rooms and Sensation shower.
Thanks Denise
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Staff
8.0 out of 10
Room Comfort
9.0 out of 10
Quality of Bars & Restaurants
7.6 out of 10
Location
9.0 out of 10
Quality of Facilities
8.0 out of 10
Value for money
7.8 out of 10
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Staff on reception or unhelpful we ended up with a blocked toilet and when we informed reception staff they did not even apologise for the inconvenience this caused, however the restaurant staff were lovely. The food quality at breakfast was extremely poor with the food having been pre cooked and reheated making it inedible
On arrival I was told dinner was booked for 8pm ? ( not by me ? )This was too late , I had my 73 year old mum who needs medication when she eats, reception told me I couldn’t have 7pm as there was a table of 24 booked in? Isn’t this a large hotel? To which I have booked a room and dinner? We compromised to 6.30pm and to my surprise it wasn’t busy at all and we sat close to the entrance and I didn’t see the table of 24 arrive?? Even though we left at 7.45pm ? The staff at the spa where amazing. Treatment fantastic.We ordered fish and chips, but the fish was very bland , not nice at all , I did leave most of mine.The breakfast was ok , but tea cold , we arrived at 9am , tea urn probably not been changed. And asked to sit near the entrance but buffet the other end of the room, usually wouldn’t bother me but I had to get mine and my elderly mums food, quite annoying when there was empty tables by the buffet.
Excellent hotel and upgraded to a beautiful extra large room. Lovely surroundings and excellent food in restaurant and bar. One major disappointment, my sister in law where on a two night spa break. Arrive Friday lunchtime and go to the spa to collect gown and slippers to enjoy pool and facilities . Was informed we could not have given and slippers until next day as they where short of these. We could only have them the next morning as we had booked treatments fir that day, but arribvak day. We where also nit shown around or huw to use the lockers. I complained and asked to speak to the manager and the girl gave us our gowns. The mystery was the spa wa empty and there was 1 other person using the pool and facilities!! Next day we had an excellent facial and the girl was very apologetic and said it should not have happened. We said no as everything else was excellent, but this had lit me off on my special birthday weekend.
The room was big clean and the bed was very comfortable. Nice drive through to the hotel.
The spa was lovely and the massages are definitely worth it. The only 5hing missing was a jacuzzi. Also better signs are needed to the pool from the changing rooms
The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming.
The food was magnificent.
Overall fantastic stay and I would definitely visit again.
Stunning location, rooms are very spacious and clean, the beds are really comfy.
The staff especially Will in the restaurant were very friendly and made us all feel really welcome and ensured we enjoyed our stay.
Only downside to the hotel was the drinks prices. Other than that the hotel is amazing.
The staff apart from the chef were amazing. I evem personnel thanked the waiting on staff my self at morning breakfast. I had a real issue with the chef however when waiting on staff went to ask him for advice to about my intolerance to wheat and gluten and dairy free. I asked for a certain food he did say that it was cooked in a certain way at temperatures of 195 degrees then this breaks down the gluten ...Which it does not. I am not a coeliac, bit digusted and upset with the blaza approach he took. It could be very serious to some one with allergies.
Hotel clean and comfortable in lovely surroundings. Not a golfer so couldn’t comment on those facilities.
Package meal menu very limited could do with a couple more options for all three courses. What I did have was quite tasty though.
Breakfast options good
Staff quite attentive, so overall not bad for what I paid.
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