Three cheers for Cheshire

Minton Hall is popping with fun and games for families and hens, just 25 minutes from lively Liverpool. Get the band back together (all 20 of you) and swim in the heated indoor pool, boil and bubble in the hot tub, wind up your backhand on the tennis court, then wind down in the bar.

Party perfect with impeccable manners

Meet, greet, reunite, reform, rejuvenate, party, play, and generally get the band back together in a big period property bursting with fun and games for families and hens. Just 15 minutes from the bewitching beauty of Chester and 25 from the cheeky charms of lively Liverpool, Minton Hall looks proper posh. But it knows how to party. You’ll be charmed by the properties character, with its original Minton Floor in the entrance hall, which is over 170 years old, whilst revelling in the fun of all of its spectacular features.

Sleeping 20 in six beguiling bedrooms, Minton Hall looks like the kind of place that hosts the Antiques Roadshow. But there’s nothing antique about the pool table, Sky TV, Netflix, superfast broadband, Bluetooth speakers, kids’ play area, hot tub, tennis court, and 10-metre indoor swimming pool.

Did you say indoor swimming pool? Oh yes. Heated to 30 degrees, it comes with a vaulted glass roof that amplifies the sunshine and floods the place with light. Break up the swimming and splashing with bubbly fun in the hot tub. When you’re done, a beer from the downstairs bar beckons. Pair it up with a spot of pool in the games room.

There’s space on the lawn for cricket and croquet, for wandering the orchards and woods or for belting backhands on the tennis court. But don’t be distracted by the fun and games. You can add sumptuous comfort, an Aga, bespoke kitchen and oodles of period charm. Minton Hall is party-perfect but it comes with impeccable manners.

Pool, gardens and grounds

Plenty space here for pre-prandial rambling around the three acres of lawns, orchards and woods. And the toys and games aren’t confined to the house. Kick off with a few lengths of the indoor swimming pool, heated to 30 degrees. Then chill out in the eight-seat hot tub.

Expansive lawns here invite summer cricket and croquet, and little explorers will soon discover the climbing frame and swing set. Or bash some balls around the (forthcoming) tennis court awhile. See you in a few hours. As dusk descends, head out to the terrace table and chairs for a snifter under the stars.

Living spacesLiving spacesLiving spacesLiving spaces

Living spaces

In a house packed with playthings, it would be easy to overlook the luxury. But Minton Hall is gracious, grown-up and proud of its past. This is a listed period property, packed with Victorian features. Even the coving, glazing and shutters have their own Grade-II listing. Minton Hall’s a playboy all right, but one with perfect English manners.

Amid the high-ceilinged ornate plasterwork, the elaborate ceiling roses, and the floor-to-ceiling sash windows, you’ll live the English dream in grand and gregarious spaces with real architectural importance. And yet, for all the period charm, Minton Hall comes with every mod con you’ll ever need.

TVs? Get around the 55” smart TV in the main living room, scroll through Sky for a movie or a match, or go nuclear on the free Netflix, binging box sets. Broadband? It whizzes around the place at 45Mbs. And you can keep the music coming wherever you wander, with the four Bluetooth speakers.

Keep the kids occupied with the toys and DVDs. Escape the madding crowd for a game of pool in the games room or for alternative viewing on the 44” TV. Keep yourself refuelled and refreshed at the bar. Or gird your loins for a sing-song around the baby grand in the dining room.

Cooking and dining

You’ll get 20 around the dining table beneath the pendulum lighting, with light flooding in from the full-height sash windows. Special occasion? Need a pianist for the baby grand? We can probably help. Sun beating down? The table in the courtyard takes 20, too. Get the gas barbie on, cover the butter and pass the wine.

Cooking indoors? You’ll ace it with the two-plate Aga, two gas rings and island oven. You can add to that two full-length fridges and freezers, two microwaves, ice machine, two toasters and three dishwashers. Peckish in the evening? The four-burner gas hob and electric oven in the annex bar means no need to interrupt your pool game.

Pop out for pub meals to The Hinderton Arms for gammon with rum and cola glaze, or pan-fried hake. Choose The Nag’s Head for lighter bites, burgers and fresh favourites. Or maybe make it a 10oz. sirloin steak or sweet-potato fritter katsu curry from The Wheatsheaf Ness.

For the best restaurants, cross the Mersey for calamari, bruschetta and tiramisu at Aldente. Maybe try a little kleftiko or spanakopita at Greek Taverna on Bold Street. Head to Röski for inventive use of homegrown ingredients from a former Masterchef winner. Or enjoy the tasting menu with a side dish of killer views at Panoramic 34.

BedroomsBedroomsBedroomsBedrooms

Bedrooms

Bedrooms here are smart, sumptuous and sleep-inducing. Pick from six, sleeping 20, of which three benefit from en-suite bathrooms.

The master Windle Suite offers a kingsize bed and one kingsize sofa bed. The en-suite comes with rolltop bath and shower. The Henson sleeps four in a kingsize and two singles. Freshen up in the en-suite shower room. The Eastman provides a kingsize and a single with another en-suite shower room.

The Mezzanine sleeps four with a kingsize and two single beds, and Victoria sleeps a further three in a kingsize and a further single bed, the Victoria adds a sink. Finally, the Bailey provides a kingsize bed. No en-suite? No sweat. Pick from two gorgeous bathrooms.

Children welcome

Sometimes, for children, the giddy expectation of a holiday isn’t matched by the reality. Not here. Minton Hall piles the fun high, then piles it some more. Get things going in the indoor swimming pool, 33 feet long, six feet deep and heated to 30 degrees. Splash away a few merry hours.

Head outside for three lawns built for cricket, croquet, footie, or just letting off steam, or a game of tag among the woods and orchards. Keep searching to find the kids’ adventure equipment. Climb and swing away a few hours. Or fire off a few forehands on the (arriving soon) tennis court.

Back inside, technology rules the roost. There’s a communal large-screen Sky TV in the main living room that’s good for matches and movies as well as free Netflix. Or kids can escape to the snug for alternative viewing or to plug their consoles into the 44” TV. Keep connected with the 45Mbs wifi and four Bluetooth speakers.

If that’s not enough, delve into the pile of DVDs, dig out the kids’ toys, or get a game of pool going in the games room. Minton Hall is where kids stay occupied and parents stay grateful.

Friends enjoying themselves in a swimming pool on a sunny day. Friends enjoying themselves in a swimming pool on a sunny day. Friends enjoying themselves in a swimming pool on a sunny day. Friends enjoying themselves in a swimming pool on a sunny day.
What people say

What people say

We loved our stay at Minton Hall for my hen weekend. We were all very impressed by the house - particularly the games room and pool! Great being so close to Liverpool and Chester too. - Cassie
Minton Hall is amazing, with fantastic facilities, great space that accommodated our family of 16. James was a fantastic host! - Stephen
Great service from kate & tom's - they helped us organise a hen do for my daughter. All of the arrangements went very smoothly thanks to their assistance and the house was absolutely delightful. Highly recommended! - Ros

A ferry good time

Get world-class at shopping at Chester’s Rows and Cheshire Oaks. See Liverpool’s world-renowned waterfront and skyline from a Mersey ferry. Catch the Beatles Story and the U-Boat Story. Have an animaltastic time at Chester Zoo, Go Ape in Delamere, climb the Radio City observation deck or swim and slide at Northgate Arena.

Happy family with little child and shopping. Happy family with little child and shopping. Happy family with little child and shopping. Happy family with little child and shopping.