Craxton Wood Grill at Macdonald Craxton Wood Parkgate Road, Ellesmere Port CH66 9PB

"Stayed at the hotel. Evening meal: Arrived to be advised that "only" two dishes were unavailable. This sounds alright, but the main menu comprises of 6 dishes. So a third of the menu was unavailable. The remaining dishes were fine, but not terribly interesting (and grossly overpriced). Chicken breast with veg, a fondant potato and dianne sauce, risotto, carbonara, fish & chips. We opted for the chicken. It was tasty enough. But not good enough for £22.50; the chicken was overcooked, the fondant was dry, and the sauce was overly boozy. Desserts were good, and significantly better value than the mains. Same for the kids menu; good choice and very good value. Service was okay. The staff seem quite inexperienced and unsure in their job. We turned up without a booking, which seemed to be an issue. But after some hesitation, they found us a table. At no point during out dinner (we didn't leave until after 9:30) was the restaurant anywhere close to full. Our meals were checked on before we had taken a single bite. Desserts were unbelievably slow, and the beer I ordered alongside them arrived even later - we had finished our desserts and were about to leave. Regarding the drinks, £7.40 for a flat pint of Peroni is joke. Sorry, but if you're going to charge that then maybe make sure your beer dispense system is working properly and that your staff know how to pour a pint? Breakfast was shoddy. Three of us were put on a table big enough for two, and with only two complete place settings (we had to pinch a glass and a spoon off another table, as even after asking we weren't given either). We ran out of space on that small table pretty quickly and wound up stacking plates and bowls. Coffee took ages to arrive. The buffet was a mess, with low fill levels (at 9:30am on a Saturday). Apple juice ran out around 9:45 and wasn't replenished. Side plates for bread, croissants, etc. were stored on the floor(!) under the toasters. We had been in the restaurant for 25 mins before our food order was taken. And the food then came out with stuff missing. We had to chase staff for a coffee refill. I wouldn't say the restaurant was awful overall. I'm being picky. But it isn't a cheap place to eat. And I felt that there was a chasm between the prices and the quality of the food and service."

"Lovely hidden gem, great facilities, treatments was amazing and Spa area was relaxing. Was made to feel welcome, room was lovely and comfortable. Only let down was breakfast which was very busy waited nearly an hour to recieve our breakfast and when it came was cold felt like our order had been forgotten. Drink prices was quite expensive aswell only accepted card not cash."

"I took my wife for her birthday with our son and his girlfriend for a Pre booked evening meal in the restaurant on Saturday 11th June. The hotel had always had a good reputation and this is why I booked this special treat. It was far from it. The food was good and our table overlooking the lawn was lovely. The service however was very poor, disappointing and well below the standard to be expected of a prestigious hotel chain. The young lad who served us was clearly not an experienced waiter, but never the less tried his best. He was run ragged, although there were other evidently more experienced staff to hand. Our drinks order arrived after the starter after enquiring where they were; a soup spoon and condiments had to be requested, and there was minimal attention to our table. At the least, the young lad serving us should have been better supported by management. We all felt very sorry for him. On leaving, the couple at an adjacent table expressed their dismay on the poor quality of the food and service however we disagreed over the food quality which we enjoyed. We will return to the restaurant in the future but hope that matters will be addressed and improved. ."

"Food was amazing. Service was welcoming and friendly, the place was clean and had some intreasting things on the wall to look at. It was very quiet and could hear every word of the table on the other side of the room. Could do with some music. But still a great place to eat."