I’ve lived in Warrington for 5 years now and never knew that the Hallmark Hotel existed, so it was great to be able to review a hotel on our doorstep for a change.
The Hallmark Hotel, Warrington
The hotel looks impressive from the outside- it’s edged in statues and has a large bear outside the main entrance which I've never seen in a car park before- so naturally- we did take a selfie with it when we left!
We were greeted by Sam at reception who checked us in, confirmed our dinner reservation and told us where to go.
The room itself was right at the end of a long corridor on the first floor, so we were overlooking some trees. It boasted my favourite colour combinations too- so it was an instant hit with me- cool blues, greys, chromes and hints of black. I had my eye on the curtains but I’m sure the staff would have noticed if I’d taken them! It looked very modern and- although small- had everything we needed for a comfortable night.
Not only were there complimentary biscuits, there were some apples and a packet of mints too which is above and beyond what you normally get to nibble on in your room.
The bathroom was clean, with a handy walk in shower and had some complimentary toiletries in case we had forgotten anything.
When we arrived for our evening meal, we were greeted by Jane who looked after us for the night along with her colleague Shona, who kindly stopped for a little chat with us during our meal.
The restaurant was primarily decorated with dark furnishings so it provided the right atmosphere for a cosy evening meal for two.
Jane brought us a bottle of the house rose, which I would recommend if you’re a fan of the ‘best of both worlds wine’ as I like to call it!
I started with soup of the day which was vegetable and it arrived on a wooden board with a chunk of crusty bread and two rolls of butter. For the fellow veggies- there was an impressive number of plant based options on the menu which was a big plus point for me.
My husband had the BBQ Pork Belly with maple roasted sweet potato, charred spring onion and sour cream on a warm tortilla. It looked very much like a deconstructed fajita- all the elements were there but rather than being rolled up- the filling was arranged neatly on top of the tortilla. It didn't last long so I know that he enjoyed it!
I opted or the Forest Mushroom Mezzaluna Pasta- pasta parcels filled with a wild porcini mushroom and truffle oil finished with crisp sage leaves and a rich asparagus sauce.
I had something very similar in another restaurant not too long ago and it has become my new favourite.
The pasta pockets were large so there was a satisfying amount of filling in each one and the sauce with the asparagus was delightfully creamy and brought the whole dish together.
My partner is a creature of habit and went for the steak as usual- which came with chunky chips, grilled tomato and mushroom and he ordered a side of onions rings too because- you can’t have steak without onions rings (apparently).
I have a bit of a soft spot for sweet potato fries so I ordered these which were ideal for mopping up the residual sauce from my veggie dish. I was not going to leave it- it was far too tasty!
I took Jane’s advice on the dessert- she recommended the Salted Caramel Sundae which was the perfect size. All too often, sundaes are so huge that you can never finish them but this was just enough- she has good taste!
My hubby went for the Banana Split- a classic dessert which he assured me tasted like it should. I never got to try any so I’m taking that as a good sign!
We had a quiet night’s sleep after taking advantage of the free WI-FI to watch some funny You Tube videos together (yes we're THAT couple) and got up to go down for breakfast at about 9am.
The breakfast was buffet style for the toast, juice, cereals and pastries and we were asked to order our cooked breakfast to come to the table. The member of staff who served us kindly asked in the kitchen if there were any vegetarian sausages to go with my breakfast and- sure enough- I got two with my eggs, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes.
They even had my husband fooled- he tasted them and said he couldn’t tell the difference between them and pork sausages.
The Hallmark Hotel, Warrington is nestled within a residential area so it’s quiet and within short distance of the motorways, making this the ideal spot for people looking to stop over on business. The staff were very friendly and despite having a wedding on the next day, there was no disruption to us- which has been the case in other hotels we have stayed in.
Thanks to Sam, Jane and Shona for making our stay so lovely.
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