Chessington World of Adventures Azteca Hotel Launch Review
Chessington
World of Adventures
Azteca Hotel
8-9 August 2014
Reviewed by Dorothy White
We were invited to the opening on the new Azteca Hotel at Chessington World of Adventures and what a fantastic couple of days from start to finish!
We have nothing but praise for this hotel from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. Everything was so well organised! Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff and questions were answered quickly.
My daughter, granddaughter and I arrived to a welcome by tribal dancers performing outside the front of the Safari Hotel in the sunshine. Once inside we were quickly given our room keys and information regarding our stay.
First to find our room; we had to follow the trail to the Amazu walkway through the Safari Hotel, this took us outside, but most of the trail was undercover. Later in the evening when it rained a member of staff was there with an umbrella to escort guests across the short open space. We later discovered there was an indoor route from the Safari Hotel to the Azteca Hotel via the second floor.
Each floor is themed, Discovery, Temple Treasure or Temple Summit and the decor reflects these themes, each floor has its own fantastic views. We were in a Discovery Room with views out to open space and the animals. Two members of Chessington staff took us on a tour of the Azteca Hotel, one quickly had Meg keeping to the wall to avoid the snakes or tiptoeing carefully over the rickety bridge towards the Safari Hotel, she loved every minute!! They made even a tour of the hotel fun.
Our room was quite large by hotel standards, a very comfortable double bed in the main area, flat screen TV, tea and coffee making facilities. Plenty of storage space. The bathroom had a bath with a shower. The children’s area had bunk beds plus a pull out mattress for a third child, this area also had its own television. The entire room was decorated with butterflies, monkeys, parrots and other animals. There was also a safe for any valuables.
The Temple Bar served tea, coffee, alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, it had a spacious indoor and outdoor area. From the Temple Bar it was a short walk to the Treetop Adventure which was surrounded by monkeys, some carrying their babies on their backs.
We sat outside in the afternoon sunshine meeting some of Chessington’s animals and being entertained by an illusionist, jugglers and stilt walkers. Meg, aged 11, felt she was a little too old to have her face painted. Later there was a display on the Temple Terrace by the Tribal Dancers.
We couldn’t miss a visit to the new splash pool which had been created alongside the original Safari Hotel pool, unfortunately the splash pool was not open, so Meg settled for a swim which had to be with her mother whilst I sat and watched.
Dinner in the Temple Bar & Restaurant was an eat as much as you like buffet, with separate serving areas for grilled meat, fish or salad plus a children’s buffet. You could of course take food from all the areas, there was so much choice. Fresh fruit, drinks machine, a huge fridge full of various deserts, an ice cream machine and a chocolate fountain, children’s heaven!! I think everyone was catered for. We even watched several zebra and an ostrich out of the restaurant window whilst eating.
We would have loved to do the walk just outside the Safari Hotel bar to the Wanyama Village to see the animals, but it was either closed due to rain or we were too late. Back to the Temple Bar to watch the Fire Gods, an amazing performance!
Soon it was time for bed, we had an early start the following day.
On Saturday we were all up bright and early for a full English breakfast in the Temple Bar & Restaurant. Another eat as much as you like buffet with so much choice, again a separate children’s buffet with smaller versions of sausage, bacon etc… for the little ones.
Breakfast over it was time to collect our luggage, leave it in the luggage room and check out of the hotel as we had early rider access to the park. A walk through the Amazu Tree Top Adventure, round for a visit to the Sea Life centre, then to join the fast track queue for the Vampire ride. That done quickly on to Dragon’s Fury, then the Kobra and on to Rameses Revenge. And so the day continued, ride after ride, with a quick stop for lunch. This year Meg was tall enough to do every one of the ‘big’ rides on her own (thank goodness) whilst we watched. A few family rides later it was back to Rameses Revenge for a few more goes, much to Meg’s disappointment wherever she sat she couldn’t get wet, she was too short, however she achieved the wet look on Bubble Works!!!
A visit to the shop to buy a flashing lanyard to put all the badges she had collected on, then back to the hotel to collect our luggage, and homeward bound, our Chessington Adventure was over.
We had such a fantastic fun filled time at both the Chessington Azteca Hotel and the park, I can’t wait to do it again! I would thoroughly recommend an overnight stay in this hotel together with time in the park. We loved it!!
Rating: 5/5 
For more information and offers for short breaks at Chessington World of Adventures Resort hotels visit www.chessington.com or call the Chessington Holidays team on 0871 360 2639.
Chessington World of Adventures, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, KT9 2NE
