Since staying at Legoland in one of their Woodland Village, I really wanted to stay at a different theme park. Chessington was the easiest for me and Erin to get to by train, with a quick swap in London. As a non-driver, I had to make sure that public trasnport was doable.
I chose to book an overnight stay in the Chessington Safari Hotel in an African Adventure room, which was a slight upgrade but it came with breakfast and early entry on both of our park days.
First impressions
From the moment we arrived at the hotel, everything had that unmistakable safari feel. Outside the hotel are really fun statues of animals and it made us excited even before we went through the front door.
There’s a fantastic hot air balloon photo opportunity in the entrance and of course, everything else is animal themed. We received a really warm welcome from staff, who couldn’t have been more helpful!
Check-in, check-out and luggage drop (perfect for non-drivers)
One of the biggest wins for us as a non-driver was being able to leave our luggage securely before check-in and again after check-out. This made such a difference. We didn’t have to drag bags around all day, and it meant we could squeeze every last bit of park time out of both arrival and departure days without any hassle.
We arrived at around 8am, dropped our luggage and spoke to staff who were able to explain how early entry worked and where we should go to queue up.
For anyone planning a visit, check-in is from 3pm, which gives you a good chunk of the day to enjoy the park before heading to your room.
Check-out is by 10am, which does feel a little early when you’re not quite ready to leave the safari bubble, but it’s standard for the resort hotels.
Early access on both days
One of the standout perks of staying at Chessington Safari Hotel was definitely the early ride access on both days. This allowed us to enter the park before official opening time and head straight for some of the most popular rides. On busy days, this is a game changer.
The queue starts at around 8:30 with staff giving everyone a wristband after proving their booking. Closer to 9am the queue is let though a section of Chessington, before a gate opens to the park at 9am. This gives you an hour before the park actually opens and you’ll be able to go on certain rides.
We made the most of this on both mornings, ticking off a couple of key rides early which meant the rest of the day felt far more relaxed. Instead of racing from queue to queue, we could take our time exploring, seeing animals, and re-riding favourites.
If a big ride is your thing, Mandrill Mayhem was open early but we also did The Gruffalo first on one of the days. In fact, we went on this one twice in a row because there wasn’t a queue!
Our African Adventure themed room
When we opened the door to our African Adventure room, it was an instant wow moment. The room is fully themed with warm savannah-inspired colours, African landscape artwork, and subtle animal print details throughout. It feels immersive without being over the top.
A real highlight for us was the separate sleeping area for children, giving them their own themed space while still being close by. Erin had bunkbeds, which also had a pull out bed underneath, as well as her own TV which she loved.
The room sleeps up to five and includes everything you need for a comfortable stay such storage, TV, tea and coffee facilities, and enough space to properly unpack rather than living out of a suitcase. One of the biggest plusses for me was the mini fridge. We stayed during a heatwave so it was imortant to be able to have cold drinks ready when we needed them.
The safari setting and little details
What really makes the experience stand out is how the room ties into the wider Safari Hotel environment. The hotel overlooks the animal reserve, meaning you’re surrounded by the safari theme inside and out. Depending on your room location, you may even catch glimpses of giraffes, antelope, and other animals nearby. Sadly, we had a car park view but our floor had a big lobby style area with huge windows and viewing area.
Buffet breakfast included
Another big bonus is that breakfast is included, served as a buffet in the hotel restaurant. We had to book a table a few weeks in advance, because I didn’t want to miss out on the early entry hour. I would say this is quite important as the restaurant gets really busy and you may end up waiting a while otherwise.
There’s a really good variety including full English options, pastries, cereals, fruit, yoghurt, toast and more. It works really well for families and makes mornings so much easier before heading back into the park.
Sometimes in places like this you don’t expect much when it comes to the food but we loved our breakfast. Staff were really helpful and food was being replenished all the time, meaning you knew it was fresh. We didn’t overdo it though, knowing out plan was to go on Mandrill Mayhem first thing that day.
Hotel facilities that make life easier
There was loads going on in the hotel, which was great for families.
Although we didn’t use it, we could have access to the Savannah Splash Pool, as it was included with our upgraded room. If you want to use the pool you need to book a slot online when it becomes available for your booking.
There’s also on-site dining and evening entertainment, so everything you need is within the hotel itself. During our stay there was movie nights, meet and greet sessions and games to play. There are screen around the hotel which gives the times for anything going on.
Final thoughts
Our stay in the African Adventure room at Chessington Safari Hotel felt like a natural extension of the theme park rather than just accommodation.
It’s the combination of theming and practical perks that really stands out. The fact that we were able to store our luggage in the morning and make use of the early entry was huge for us, and having things like breakgast included made life loads easier.
We were both really sad to have to leave the hotel as our stay, along with 2 days in the park, were close to perfect.
Would we stay again? Absolutely. It makes everything smoother, more relaxed, and that little bit more magical.