Refills, not tiny bottles
Full size bottles line the bath ledge, refilled rather than thrown away.
Your shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and hand soap are Miniml's plant based products, in refillable bottles, and the kitchen and laundry products come from the same range. It's one reason the house is a Plastic Free Champion with Surfers Against Sewage.
If an ingredient or a scent matters to you, unscented toiletries are available on request.
Refills on the bathroom windowsill
Recycling made simple
A food caddy by the sink, and bins outside that say exactly what goes where.
Sorting takes seconds here. The kitchen has a food waste caddy, the bins outside are labelled for recycling and general waste, and a poster above them shows which one goes out on collection day.
Around the house, we choose durable, reusable and upcycled pieces where they work well, but never at the cost of a comfy bed or a fresh towel.
Leave the car parked
Parked on the first evening, and not touched again until it's time to go home.
Staying inside the city walls is the easiest green choice of all. If you drive, your free parking space is at the end of Steele Street, so the car can stay put all week. The Rows, the river and the Cathedral are all within 8 minutes on foot, and the station is a 20 minute walk from your front door for trains to the coast and the cities.
Our Chester without a car guide has the walks, the weekly shop on foot and the direct trains.
Wild flowers by the Dee
Eat and shop local
A chat at a market stall, and a bag of local food to carry home.
Chester's independent cafés, delis and market traders are a short walk from the house, and spending your holiday money with them keeps it in the city. Chester Market has local food and street food under one roof.
Our independent shops guide and cafés guide list the places we love, and no business pays to be in them.
Promises we've signed
Planting in the courtyard, and a promise to do a little better each year.
In July 2026 we signed the SME Climate Commitment and the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. Both mean halving our emissions by 2030, reaching net zero before 2050 and reporting our progress every year.
Our first climate action plan will be published here by July 2027, with a progress report every year after that. They are promises about what comes next, so we'll only claim what we can show.
The house scored 76% in its first Responsible, Environmental and Sustainable Tourism (REST) assessment in 2020. If a certificate or supplier matters to your booking, ask us and we'll tell you exactly where things stand.
Quick answers about a greener stay.
How can I have a more sustainable stay in Chester?
Arrive by train if you can, then walk: the walls, the Rows, the river and the Cathedral sit close together, and direct trains reach the coast and the cities. Choosing independent cafés and market traders keeps your holiday money in the city, and refillable toiletries cut down on plastic.
Are the toiletries plastic free?
They come in full size refillable bottles rather than miniatures. Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and hand soap are Miniml's plant based range, refilled rather than thrown away, and unscented toiletries can be ready on request if a scent matters to you.
Does Enjoy the Pause hold any green awards?
The house is a Plastic Free Champion with Surfers Against Sewage, and it scored 76% in its first REST assessment in 2020. In July 2026 we signed the SME Climate Commitment and the Glasgow Declaration, with a first climate action plan due by July 2027.
Keep exploring
