Carden Park was a surprise. When we read about it before our visit, our initial impression was that it looked nice. That impression was wrong. Carden Park is fabulous! Maybe not Gleneagles fabulous, which is the gold standard, but right up there with the very best the UK has to offer.
Carden Park is billed as a four-star resort, however, in our opinion, from what we saw and experienced, that five-star rating is not far away. Set in 1,000 acres of beautiful Cheshire countryside, Carden Park Hotel is known as Cheshire’s Country Estate. It is around a 40-minute drive southwest of Manchester Airport, just a few miles from the Welsh border. The hotel is privately owned and has benefitted from continual investment in its facilities and golf courses in recent years.
Hotel and Accommodation
The reception area and library
First impressions count and our first impression of the hotel was excellent. Check-in was straightforward and quick and we were shown to our courtyard suite within 5 minutes of our arrival.
The hotel has 197 bedrooms, located within the main building and in individual blocks within its courtyards. We stayed in one of the courtyard suites just a short walk from reception. The room, decor, furnishings and ambience were first class. What surprised us the most was how quiet the resort was and by that, we mean the lack of noise as there were plenty of guests onsite. We suppose that’s the benefit of being in the centre of a 1,000-acre resort.
Our Courtyard suite
We discovered that the suites we were staying in were about to be upgraded and refurbished as part of the hotel’s master plan. This kind of blew our mind as we couldn’t fault our accommodation in any way. Hopefully, we will be back to experience the new suites next year!
Functions and Events
The main function room
The hotel has multiple meeting rooms that can cater for small meetings to larger corporate events for up to 400 guests. That’s not quite true as 400 is the inhouse figure. While we were there they were gearing up for a corporate event for 650 guests which was being held in a purpose-built marquee within the grounds.
The Spa
The Spa and its outdoor wellness garden
Carden Park’s Spa facilities are exceptional. Built in recent years and costing in the region of £10 million, it is a fantastic facility. With both indoor and outdoor pools, outdoor hot tubs, jacuzzis, relaxation areas and a bar, it is one of the best outdoor wellness facilities in the UK. The Spa is an adults-only facility and operates on an appointment-only basis. This is to ensure that guests get the best experience possible and also means that the relaxing ambience is maintained at all times.
The Food
As we were at Carden Park on Monday and Tuesday nights, we didn’t get to experience dinner in The Vines, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. The Vines is open Thursday through Sunday. We did however have fabulous food both nights in Redmond’s Brasserie, the main restaurant.
The spiced scotch egg starter and the roast cornfed chicken breast
Our dinner on the first night was tremendous. The spiced scotch egg starter was outstanding as was our main course. It took all of our willpower not to have the starter again on the second night. The things you have to do in the name of research….
The sirloin steak and our millefeuille dessert
Dinner on the second night was again excellent. This time we went for the sirloin steak as our main and had a dessert. There was plenty of choice on the menu and every course was beautifully presented.
The Golf Courses and Facilities
As you would expect, the clubhouse and golf facilities at Carden Park are excellent. Both courses are served by a covered Toptracer driving range and short-game practice areas. Golfers can also benefit from an officially accredited PGA Academy led by the resort’s Executive Head professional and Welsh former World Cup winner, David Llewellyn.
The Cheshire Course
The Cheshire Course is the older of the two courses, opening in 1993. It’s a par 72 layout with four sets of tees to choose from. The yardage ranges from 5666 yards to 6824 yards. We chose to play from the yellow tees at 6348 yards. As always, play from the tees that suit your game and your handicap. You will enjoy it so much more!
Our favourite holes on the Cheshire course were the 3rd, the 10th, and the closing stretch of 16, 17 and 18. There are many other great holes on this track, these are just our selection of interesting and challenging holes.
Approach to the 3rd green
The 3rd is one of those holes where course strategy comes into play. The hole measures 365 yards and your target off the tee is the marker pole. Land it within 5 yards of the marker then you will have a straightforward shot into the green. However, anything left of the marker pole brings the bunker into play. Further left there is a water hazard. Too far right and the trees come into play. This hole is the perfect example of playing from the tee to point A. Do that then you have a great chance of making par.
Formby Vibes
The approach to the 10th green
The opening hole of the back nine is a short par 4 of 340 yards. The fairway moves from right to left around a copse of trees. Position your tees shot on the right half of the fairway and you have a short approach shot into the green. The photo of the green and its backdrop gave us vibes of Formby GC as did some of the other holes.
The Closing Stretch
The 16th hole
This hole is our second favourite hole on this course. Although not long at 381 yards, it’s tough. Your tee shot has to avoid the single tree on the left. Any tee shot that finishes on the line of that tree or left and you have no shot to the green. Go too far right and you have the same problem, oh, and the fairway slopes from left to right so fading it off the tree can take you into the right rough. From there you will struggle to get enough of the ball to reach the green. Hit it straight and you will have no problems which is easier said than done.
Video of us playing the 17th hole
The 17th is a lovely par 3 which plays 181 yards. Watch our video above to see how we played this hole.
Our favourite hole
The 18th hole is visually just perfect. From the tee, it’s all laid out in front of you and it’s beautifully framed by the trees and the clubhouse. At only 314 yards, the ideal layup is short and left of the middle bunkers. This will leave a short iron shot to a large green. Play it that way and it’s an easy par. Try to take it on off the tee and a large number awaits. You have been warned.
The Nicklaus Course
The course is also a par 72 but has five sets of tees available. The yardage ranges from 5211 yards to 7045 yards. As conditions were wet and breezy, we chose to play from the yellow tees at 5906 yards.
Our favourite holes on the Nicklaus course were the 6th, 9th, 15th and 17th holes. The 6th is a short par 4 of 305 yards which plays around a lake. The 9th is a par 5 of 515 yards where 6 large bunkers protect the approach to the green.
The 15th is a par 4 of 341 yards but is stroke index 1 on the card. There is water left and the estate road on the right. Find the fairway and your second shot is over the burn to a small green. Not a long hole but one where you are delighted to make par.
Our video of us playing the 17th hole on the Nicklaus course
Unfortunately, due to the rain, we were unable to take any photos of the Nicklaus course. We did however manage to get back out after our round, once the rain went off, to video us playing the 17th hole, the signature hole on this layout.
In Our Opinion
Carden Park is a fantastic resort. The hotel is excellent and the food is outstanding. There are so many things to see and do that our couple of days there was not enough time to take them all in. It would take at least a week to participate in all the activities on offer and there is so much to do that the golf courses are almost just another of the attractions.
Both courses are enjoyable to play however we preferred the variety of the holes, the elevation changes and the framing of the holes on the Cheshire course. The Nicklaus course is more open with wider fairways and large bunkers and greens. You could say a typical Nicklaus resort course. No offence meant Jack, we just prefer the variety of the Cheshire course.
We loved our visit to Carden Park and yes, we were surprised at how good it was. The staff were excellent and nothing was too much bother. Thank you to Nathan Allen at the Azalea Group for the invitation and to Dan Rennie, Josh Dhallu and David Llewellyn from Carden Park for looking after us.
There is a saying that ignorance is bliss. In our case, we didn’t know much about Carden Park before we visited so that made our stay even more special. A four-star resort? More like 4.9 stars and rising!
At a Glance
- 197-bedroomed hotel with outstanding accommodation
- State of the art Spa and wellness garden
- Multiple restaurants serving excellent food
- 36 holes of championship golf
- Driving range, short game practice area
- Other activities include archery, an aerial adventure course, off-roading,
- climbing, air rifle shooting, laser clay shooting and Segway tours