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Avillion Legacy Melaka (Melaka, Malaysia)
by nilo0901
Our visit to the Unesco Heritage status Melaka happened to coincide with a public holiday for Malaysia and Singapore. It seems this town was a popular destination for those from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to get away from the city. This meant accommodation was at a minimum. The Avillion was one of the few remaining hotels at short notice ... to have a room available... And I can see why.
First off, we were here on honeymoon and this hotel is certainly not suited for a honeymoon. It's grubby, shabby, unkempt and ill staffed.
The hotel is situated in a fairly remote part of town and you need a taxi to get to and from downtown. The place itself is enormous and looks incredibly grand and palatial from the outside. Once inside, the lobby boasts an opulently decorative dome that suggests luxury and glamour for the rest of the hotel. This however is misleading, as beyond this the hotel is dour, lifeless and shabby.
The room we had was more of a suite situated on the top floor of the building. The furnishings were rudimentary and minimal. The bed was Ok in size but a relatively uncomfortable sprung mattress. The bathroom had little effort put into its design and furnishings and was generally grubby: the toilet stained, sink looked unclean and the shower curtain aged. To cap it all off the room had cockroaches... Now I don't know how many floors this hotel has but we were on the very top floor... and the cockroaches managed to get up there! On a positive, there was a mini bar and tea and coffee provided in the room which we did utilise... and it was fine.
The room rate of around £80 per night came with breakfast, which we braved. It consisted of a strange mix of continental and local foods served as a buffet. The quality was indicative of the rest of the hotel. Nothing seemed fresh and everything looked tired, limp and suspicious. We had a coffee and toast and left not wanting to risk anything else.
Service was also abysmal. Check-in took forever for no apparent reason and they tried to charge us a different room fee... handily more than that we had already agreed through a hotel bookings site. I don't think we received a single smile despite the fact we made it clear we were on honeymoon. Not even a hint of congratulations. The concierge was just as bad! We tried to order a taxi through him and had to wait 40 minutes for it to arrive (strange given it's a pretty small town with lots of taxis). He looked as though he was about 14 years old and was positively unhelpful given that a taxi was the only way into town. We were not updated on its progress once, other than when we asked, and then we were greeted with shrugs and indifference. He wasn't unfriendly per se, he even managed to conjure a fleeting smile, but he just didn't seem interested. A hotel of this size should have had a good relationship with taxis in the town but this was clearly absent.
They had a bar just off the entrance lobby that appeared to be focused on showing sporting events. It was minimally furnished and quite the opposite to the seemingly salubrious entrance hall it leads onto. We tried to get a drink while we waited for our taxi. The bar was unmanned and it took an age to get anyone's attention for service. By the time they came, the barman being the concierge, we were thoroughly fed up. When it became apparent the bar was poorly stocked and our friend the concierge had seemingly never been behind a bar before, thankfully our taxi arrived and we departed.
I appreciate that a hotel can have a bad day and perhaps they were short staffed the days we were there. We were staying 3 nights and from here onwards, we didn't try the concierge again, rather found our own taxi driver we contacted directly for all journeys. Short staffed or not, it doesn't excuse the general disrepair of the place and generally cheap vibe. They did have a small swimming pool but given our experience of the rest of the hotel, we didn't even consider going in through fear of dysentery.
In all, this place was largely dreadful. We only stayed as we had no other option but would never willingly do so again. Avoid, avoid, avoid... please!
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Hotel Kubrat Berlin Mitte (Berlin, Germany)
by grahamt
Our recent short break in Berlin gave us an opportunity to discover a city we had not previously visited. Consequently we had no idea where would be a good place to base ourselves. Our visit was originally intended to have been combined with a training course my wife was running in nearby Potsdam but, as it turned out, our German hosts ... screwed up the arrangements and so our short break turned out to be all play and no work.
Our hosts had, however, recommended us a suitable hotel and, checking it out on Tripadvisor, it seemed that it would be a not unpleasant experience. At a discount rate of Euro87.50 a night plus Euro7.50 for breakfast, it would not be an expensive one, for a city centre hotel. But how would it rate otherwise?
Hotel Kubrat Berlin Mitte, to give it its full name is located, as the "Mitte" bit of the name suggests, pretty much in the centre of Berlin. In fact it is located close to the junction of Leipziger Strasse and Freidrichstrasse, and just around the corner from the world-famous site of Checkpoint Charlie. This part of Berlin was in East Berlin, before the Berlin Wall came down, back in 1989.
Leipziger Strasse runs East/West, parallel to Unter den Linden, which is just 1km North, up Freidrichstrasse, an easy walk of about 10/15 minutes. The Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building can be easily reached on foot in 30 minutes or in around 10 minutes on Berlin's excellent train system. The Gendarmenmarkt, famous for its restaurants, is just across the road. For location, the hotel could hardly be much better.
The hotel is unspectacular from the outside, victim, undoubtedly, to the unimaginative building style imposed on East Berlin by its Russian masters when Berlin was reconstructed from the devastation of WWII. The addition of a conservatory style extension on the front, extending to the edge of the pavement, is the only distinguishing feature. This houses the hotel's restaurant in which you take breakfast. Alongside is an open-air patio for those who have not yet given up the weed. The hotel is no-smoking.
We were made to feel most welcome; all of the staff with whom we dealt spoke good English. Our room (204) was on the first floor and overlooked the central courtyard, enclosed on all sides by the hotel and other buildings. Here, there was no traffic noise from the busy roads indeed, little noise at all, even with the windows open. The courtyard does contain car parking spaces for those arriving by car.
Our first impressions of our room were mixed. The room was more a suite than a room: the entrance lobby was divided from the sleeping area by another door and where was to be found all of the storage; the bathroom opened off this lobby as well; yet another, a shower room, also opens off of the lobby. This latter is strange: the space is actually larger than the bathroom but contains nothing more than a standard sized shower in the far corner, plus a table for toiletries, and a footstool!
Opening up the clothes storage, a very limited number of hangers were provided and, stranger even than this, most of the shelves were missing! However, there were adequate drawers.
On entering the sleeping area, an unpleasant stale sweat smell was evident. It gave the impression that the room had not been aired for some time. However, after a few hours with the windows open whilst we went out to explore Berlin, the smell had dissipated, not to return during our stay.
Our room was a twin rather than the double, with a large unit between the beds, preventing them being brought together. All of the furniture, save for a sofa, was made from white finished chipboard, even the bed bases, which had clearly seen better days. However, the whole suite was very clean so the issue was really just one of appearance. There was also a free-standing fan though no air-conditioning. Heating was by way of substantial cast-iron radiators with thermostatic valves, but the one in the bathroom didn't work! In the shower room there was just an electric wall heater.
Entertainment was provided by the usual TV but no English language channels were available, not even the ubiquitous CNN! Fortunately we didn't have to rely upon this as the weather, whilst cold, did not prevent us getting out in to Berlin during our stay.
Breakfast is provided in the conservatory at the front of the hotel and consists of the usual continental fare, cereals, cold meats, cheese and salads. Bread consists only of rolls so, no opportunity to have toast. However, you can tear the rolls up and have them with butter, margarine and jams. Fruit juices are available, as well as coffee and tea.
So, how did we enjoy our stay? Well, first of all, let's confirm that for a city-centre hotel, value for money cannot be questioned. The hotel itself was comfortable and the staff could not have been more welcoming or helpful. However, let's be honest, the atmosphere does seem to reflect its location in what was the former East Berlin. It gives the impression that it is struggling to throw off the influences of the former Russian masters of this part of Germany but has yet to entirely succeed. Having said that, were we to return to Berlin, and that is entirely possible, I would have no qualms about staying here again.
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Australian Heritage Hotel (Sydney, Australia)
by dobbysmum
==Australian Heritage Hotel, Sydney==
I have family that has emigrated to Australia, they have been there a few years now and whenever I get the chance I go over and visit them and I get to see some of the wonderful country that they are now lucky enough to live in. I love Australia and I love visiting new places and trying ... new things.
The Australian is a 'heritage hotel' which in effect means that it is really old! The hotel has been in business for almost 200 years and has been at its present site since 1913. The building is attractive and well preserved. There are stunning examples of Edwardian style architecture from the tiling through to the tap faucets.
The Australian Heritage Hotel still has many of its pre-existing features, such as the metal awnings, etched signage and saloon style bar doors. To me, inside it looks like a nice normal pub, but I suppose over there it's a bit of a novelty to have something that old. My daughter was staying here, so often came to meet her. The hotel pub was recommended by my sister who told me that they served native animals on pizza. I was not impressed by this, but my husband was itching to see what all the fuss was about.
==Location==
The Australian is located in the heart of Sydney and is a short walk away from the Harbour bridge and The Rocks shopping centre. The hotel has a rooftop terrace that holds a fantastic view of the Sydney opera house. Seeing it from here, is quite breathtaking.
==Atmosphere==
Although this is technically a hotel, the majority of people who visit here are just drinking and eating. The atmosphere and service is so friendly and welcoming, it is easy to see why it is so popular. The pub itself is just a really nice traditional pub and would be quite a good remedy if you were feeling a bit homesick. They serve real ales too (which is a bit of a novelty in Oz ) including beers from the James Squire micro brewery. My husband loves real ale so he was particularly delighted with some of the ales. I stuck to wine!
==Hotel==
The rooms of the hotel are not grand but are all decorated to a high standard. They have features such as antique furniture and charming cosy rugs and nice artwork. The rooms are priced around $99 -$120, depending on whether you have a double, twin or queen bed. Most of the rooms have a shared bathroom which puts me off as I like to have my own facilities. Al the rooms have tea and coffee making facilities and a complimentary continental breakfast is served to all. They are wonderfully clean though and my daughter who was staying here, showed me how tidy and well kept the rooms and corridors were.
==Food==
The main reason we came here is for the outrageous pizzas though. I decided to have a Kangaroo pizza at $15.50 for the small size. The pizza wasn't very big considering the cost (which I know is compounded at present by the really unhelpful exchange rate) but the toppings were really good quality- if a little unusual, as there were 'native berries' on the pizza too. I really enjoyed the pizza, I just wished it was a little bit larger as I was still hungry afterwards. If you want to sample other native animals, there is a crocodile and emu variety pizza too, as well as normal pub lunch type meals. My husband chose the crocodile pizza which was nice but I certainly preferred mine. I did feel a bit odd eating a kangaroo if I am honest but it did taste nice!
==Final thoughts==
This place is a hub of excitement and the guests are mostly tourists visiting from other parts of Australia. It is a pleasant place to visit for some decent food however I would not want to stay here due to the lack of facilities.
Address
100 Cumberland Street
The Rocks,
Sydney 2000
Australia
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