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Green Park Boutique Hotel (Vientiane, Laos)
by catsholiday Green Park Boutique Hotel, Vientiane This hotel was a little way out of the city and would have been a pretty good walk but the hotel did offer a shuttle service. Once again this was an older style hotel and only two storeys high. All the rooms appeared to have a pool view as there were built around the pool and ... pond. Each room had a small balcony or patio with a couple of chairs looking out over this central area. FIRST IMPRESSIONS As you turn off the road into the hotel grounds the car park and area look okay but nothing special. There is a sliding gate with a security guard there day and night. When we left at 4am he did look half asleep as he slid the gate open for us. RECEPTION A large airy glass walled area with two sets of sofas and low tables. The tables were beautiful with glass tops and small silver jewellery boxes under the glass display top. We were very quickly given our room keys and then escorted to our room by the receptionist and two porters. We were given a bit of a guided tour of the hotel and shown the bar, pool and restaurant on the way to the room. The reception building is separate from the rest of the hotel rather Japanese style with a wooden bridge over the pools surrounding it. The paths around the hotel with a bit like quarry tiles and when wet could be pretty slippery. Indeed when we got Monsoon type rain the next day we discovered that indeed it5 was pretty lethal and walked with extreme care. I found it better to take my shoes off. THE ROOM We had a large room with polished wooden floors and no rugs at all. The bed was a very large king sized affair with a simple mosquito net above. It was made with lovely quality cotton sheets and had four huge pillows as well as three decorated silk covered cushions and a runner for decoration. Once again we had a huge wardrobe with hanging space only and one shelf for the safe and the two white cotton robes. Two pairs of flip flops were also provided with two umbrellas and a pair of slippers. Sadly this didn't leave much room for us to store our clothes which was oaky as we only had a couple of nights here but if you were staying a week it could be annoying having to use you case or bag to keep your clothes in. Another huge dark polished wooden unit held the fridge and mini bar and this also had a big flat screened TV on the top. Again not very useful for storing any clothes and taking up a lot of room space just housing tea/coffee making stuff and a minibar. A desk/table with a socket underneath had a nice table lamp and the hotel booklet, menus and other bits of information. Once again there was free wifi but this time the code was the more normal numbers and letters combination. On the other side of the room was a sort of two chaired sofa and a low coffee table. Most of this was covered in clothes while we were there. We had a small patio/balcony with two low wooden arm chairs with cushions and a coffee table. In front of this were so many trees that we had total privacy in the room and could just about make out the pool below us if we looked carefully between the trees. BATHROOM This was the best we had in Laos as it had a lovely big bath with a shower nozzle over in. On the outside wall there was a huge glass window and behind this a small garden with pots and statues all carefully made private by a wooden enclosure which presumably was accessible to deal with the garden if needed. Apart from the bath and the wooden step with hand rail for getting out of the bath, there was a toilet and a sink unit with a socket to one side. A large well lit mirror was behind the sink unit and there was also a shaving mirror on the wall for makeup and the like. Toiletries included a lovely rosemary scented shampoo and conditioner, an aromatherapy body lotion and bath gel as well as soap, cotton buds and two toothbrushes with mini toothpaste which I packed as they are great for weekends away! SWIMMING POOL This looked very nice and we get ourselves all ready to go and spend an hour reading then a swim before going out but sadly when we went down the half dozen sunbeds all had people or possessions on them so we decided to go and sit in the chairs in front of the bar and enjoy an iced tea and the gardens while we read instead. I do think that the hotel needs to think of getting a few more sun beds as six is not really sufficient for the size of hotel. It has such a beautiful garden and pool that it would have been nice to lie and enjoy it rather than sitting. DOK DALAR - LOUNGE AND COFFEE This is also the bar and it is open from 6am until 10pm daily. A lovely glass walled area with comfortable seats and low tables and local paintings on the back solid wall. Once again the floors were polished wood and there were no rugs on the floor. We enjoyed a drink in here but didn't sample the food, drink service was excellent and we even had a complimentary bowl of peanuts brought with our iced tea we was a nice touch. SALA NONG CHANH- RESTAURANT Once again this was very tastefully decorated with large picture windows looking down across the pond and pool. The other side had a patio where you could eat outside with a view of Vientiane in the distance but sadly the closer view when we stayed was of an open area ready for a new build shopping centre which may not add to the outlook for some months once it gets underway. We ate in the restaurant on both nights. The first because we were tired after our travelling and the second night as it had rained all day and was still raining and we really couldn't see the point in the hassle of getting the hotel shuttle into town just to eat in a different restaurant as this one had excellent food and we discovered that the Laos food was pretty similar in most places we had eaten. Why make things hard? On each dining occasion we ate local dishes and both evenings the food was beautifully cooked and presented. When we said we were going to share the dishes the waiter rushed over to get us a pkate each. We were asked if we wanted the stir fried noodle dish spicy and my husband said 'yes' so enthusiastically that we do get it VERY spicy. I found if I picked out the huge slices of red chilli then I could cope but I wasn't challenging myself with the obvious slices on top. The fried Mekong fish we hadwas really tasty and not a bone in sight. On the second night we chose different dishes, stir fried vegetables and a chicken with mushrooms along with steamed rice and these were just as tasty but less spicy. The prices at this hotel were higher than others and each night with a couple of G&Ts for me and Laos beers for my husband the bill came to about £30 which was not bad by English standards but quite expensive for Laos. Breakfasts were a good buffet with a choice of tea or coffee, a few fruit juices, fruit, a variety of pastries, cheese and pickles and cold meat as well as hot eggs, bacon etc. They also had the lovely Asian offerings such as chicken porridge (don't ask!!) and miso soup as well as chilli, soya sauce and other extras for those inclined to these choices. I have never tried chicken porridge but my husband who tries everything sad it was pretty nasty, sort of as it sounds chicken favoured VERY thick soup. They had a egg cook for omelettes as well and usually they will also do pancakes but as I didn't really want one I didn't investigate that. I did find some yogurts so I was happy with the fruit and toast with the yogurt. On the morning we left we had to be gone before official breakfast time so they packed us up and bag of breakfast. This had a bottle of water each, a box of orange juice, a banana, a yogurt and a cheese and ham sandwich. We thought we wouldn't be able to take the liquid through at the airport (you could we discovered!) so we gave one yogurt and the orange drinks to our guide and driver. I ate the one yogurt and my husband enjoyed the sandwiches and bananas and we shared one bottle of water, we took the other through as when we asked our guide he said it should be no problem and indeed he was right. I thought that it was nice of them to pack something for us as I can't imagine a UK hotel doing that! When we checked out we paid the bill by credit card and this cost us 3% extra but it did save converting more money and we get the bill when we get back home too. OTHER BITS There was a spa but we didn't get the chance to enjoy the services here. Each room had umbrellas with the room number on so if you left it somewhere they knew where it came from. We needed these the second day we were there as it rained constantly all day and the rain came down in buckets. The rivers filled, the roads were covered and some of the places we were meant to visit were closed. I would suggest that a visit to Laos during the rainy season should be avoided as it really was very difficult. The thunder was so loud it made me jump as though I had been shot as we sat enjoying our breakfast. RECOMMENDED? Yes this was a lovely hotel about a fifteen minute walk from the tourist part of the city. The staff were delightful and so helpful. The room was really big and quite luxurious; the wifi was free which is more than you get in most UK hotels . I thought it was a delightful oasis of calm and would certainly suggest this as a hotel to stay in while in Vientiane. Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name. ©Catsholiday Read the complete review |
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Oberoi Hotel (New Delhi, India)
by jodolan I am currently in India and visit Delhi on a regular basis. One of the best things about this is being able to stay at the Oberoi hotel. This is my haven. The rooms are very comfortable and best of all overlook the golf course. It is a joy to look out in the afternoon and watch the sun go down. There is a very modern and ... well equiped gym and a large pool with a pleasant sun bathing area. The staff are very attentive and bring you frozen grapes, bottles of water and even provide you with suntan lotion. The restaurant where you get breakfast, offers a large choice of both Indian and Western foods, and for a special occasion do visit the Italian restaurant where the food is outstanding. All in all you will not go wrong, as I consider it to be one of the best hotels in Delhi. Go on spoil yourself. Read the complete review |
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Parador de Vilalba (Vilalba, Spain)
by duncantorr "Have you ever slept in a Palace?" asks the official Paradores de Turismo de España website on its home page. As it happens, I can honestly answer "yes" to that question, though I have only done so in India, where it is not too difficult to find a converted palace in which to stay at an affordable price. In Europe it ... tends to be rather more challenging, and whilst the range of historic buildings, including palaces, run as hotels by the Spanish Paradores organisation has always appealed to me, the price has tended to be a deterrent. When, therefore, my wife and I found ourselves at nightfall approaching Vilalba in north-western Spain, we weren't really considering the Parador as a place to stay. We knew we would find other hotels there, from the list helpfully provided by the Galician tourist board. "Let's head for the centre, find a café and check the list to see what looks good," I suggested, steering the car into the winding alleys of the old town. Before long we arrived in a quiet square, with no parking spaces available and no apparent way onwards. I pulled up illegally in the shadow of a high stone tower. "I think this must be the Parador," said my wife, pointing to the tower. "You stay with the car if you're worried about the parking. I'll go in and see what they can offer." Ten minutes later she was back, having negotiated a deal. For Euro100 we could have one of the six 'superior' rooms in the tower itself, or for Euro60 a more than acceptable standard room in the newer extension. I didn't know at the time how this compared with rack rate (a subsequent check on the website suggests Euro180 and Euro138 respectively, though there is every indication that discounts are available), but it certainly didn't sound unreasonable. Parking in the underground car park, normally Euro12, would be included too. Admittedly breakfast, if we chose to take breakfast there, would add Euro16 for each of us, which seemed a bit steep; nevertheless, all told it was an attractive offer. The standard room was perhaps the better value for money, but we decided that if we were going to stay in a Parador we'd do it properly and opted for the 'superior' tower room. * The building * The Parador de los Condes de Villalba, to give it its full name, can't really pretend to be a palace, or even a castle, though the tower on which it is based was indeed once the keep of a 15th century castle, stronghold of the Andrade family, Counts of Villalba (the original spelling) and thus the local lords. The tower is the only vestige of the castle that remains. About 100 feet high, it seems to be the tallest building in town with the possible exception of the church steeple. It is octagonal, constructed in local fawn-grey granite, and still has the original machicolations intact around the ramparts that crown it. Only a few narrow windows pierce the six-foot thick walls, which does make for a rather gloomy interior. Within, the whole of the lower floor is taken up with a double height lounge, with sombre furnishings and mediaevalish murals, frescos even, on the walls (not, I'm sure, the original decorations, but decidedly in keeping with the period). From here, the lift or staircase takes you to three upper floors, each divided into just two guest rooms. You cannot, alas, go on up onto the roof. The modern extension, reached through a glass-covered walkway, is allegedly built in the style of a traditional Galician pazo, or manor house, but I have to say it struck me as uninspiringly institutional in outside appearance - more like municipal offices or even a prison - though it is well-finished and well-furnished within. It has much more interior space than the tower and houses the main reception area, the restaurant, the bar and other hotel facilities, as well as forty-two more bedrooms. We saw a double room there, which was well up to the standard you'd expect from a four-star hotel (the Parador's official rating) for size, comfort and equipment, but it had no special character. By contrast, our room in the tower had character to spare. * Our room... * ...was large, perhaps fourteen foot wide by twenty foot long, with an additional five foot or so extending into a window alcove, in which were seats to either side in case you wanted to sit and inspect the view across the roofs of Vilalba to the hills beyond. These bare stone seats were the only Spartan touch; the main body of the room was an agglomeration of dark polished wood and plushy fabrics. Comfier seating than that by the windows was provided by a sofa upholstered in green velvet and two armchairs. An additional upright chair stood beside a bureau ready for a guest to write or use a laptop; free wi-fi is available throughout the hotel. There was also a coffee table in the seating area around the stone fireplace, which is essentially for show, the actual temperature being maintained by discreetly installed heating and air-conditioning. Our four-poster double bed was a rather magnificent affair in turned mahogany with heavy brocade curtains gathered around the posts. It was also very comfortable, and we enjoyed a good night's rest. Doors, including those for the built-in wardrobes, were all in panelled oak. Underfoot was more polished wood, strewn with rugs, whilst overhead were beams. Brass and wrought copper light-fittings and rather dull prints on the walls completed the décor - all highly traditional apart from the forty-inch flat-screen television perched on the cabinet that concealed the minibar, which proved to be well-stocked but overpriced, in the tradition of hotel minibars everywhere. * The en-suite bathroom... * ...was as modern as the bedroom was traditional: all clinical, uncluttered lines. All well-finished and high-quality too, though. The floor and surfaces were in a polished, mottled granite, with plain tiled walls. Everything was spotlessly clean and in full working order. There was both a bath and a separate shower compartment, a separate loo, and twin inset 'his and hers' basins. Plus a hair-dryer, a full complement of towels and a plentiful array of toiletries. Apart from being a touch out of keeping with the general style, it was all very satisfactory. * The restaurant... * ...is spacious, and furnished in the traditional style of all the public rooms. The tables boast two layers of table-cloth and lots of neatly arranged, solid quality tableware. We decided not to dine there, however, partly because it threatened to be quite expensive (three courses would set you back probably Euro30 a head, plus a minimum Euro14.50 for a bottle of wine), partly because it was almost empty and we didn't fancy being isolated there at the mercy of unctuous, hovering waiters. The latter concern was perhaps unfair, but we'd just come away from an uninspiring stay at a hotel in the west of Galicia (one that is perhaps best left nameless here, but which my wife summed up as "Fawlty Towers meets The Shining") with just such a deserted dining-room, and didn't want to risk a repetition. Who knows? Perhaps we missed a memorable gastronomic treat in consequence. The menu certainly included some intriguing local specialities. Instead, we could have taken a more modestly priced snacky meal in the bar, but that didn't look all that welcoming either except perhaps its outdoor terrace, for which the evening was too cold. So we went out and found the Taberna Galega a Lareira around the corner opposite the church, and enjoyed a copious, tasty dinner in a relaxed atmosphere for Euro33.60 between us, wine included. Recommended, in case you ever find yourself in Vilalba. Our experience of the dining room at the Parador was thus limited to breakfast, which proved to be a well laid out and fully-stocked buffet offering the usual 'international' range of hot and cold dishes, plus juice, fruit, frequently replenished fresh rolls and pastries, hot drinks and so forth. It was a good buffet breakfast, even a very good buffet breakfast, but surprisingly lacking in local flavour, not exceptional and I still think fully priced at Euro16 a head. * Other facilities... * ...apparently include a gym, and sauna/Turkish bath, although I have to admit I didn't see them and cannot comment. The TVs, in all bedrooms, have an extensive satellite service and I was able to watch Premier League highlights, as well as the news in English on BBC World. There is also self-operated safe in every bedroom. Disabled access would be okay in the new part of the hotel, but poor in the tower, since this is reached by steps. A lift takes you up the new part from the underground garage, which has plenty of room and was easy to manoeuvre around. I wouldn't have paid the regular price of Euro12 to park there, though; I'm sure it would be possible to find free public parking not far away. * Location, location and location * The Parador is well-situated in a quiet corner close to the town centre. As a place to see, though, Vilalba is, frankly, nothing special. It is the main market town for the fertile region known as 'Da Terra Cha', a relatively flat arable area amid the hillier - and more scenic - terrain of much of north-western Spain. Vilalba is pleasant enough to wander round, with a main square that becomes animated in the evening, but the Parador tower is the only building of note. The cathedral city of Mondoñedo, 25 km away, is much more attractive and interesting, but doesn't seem to have any hotels of substance. Odd. You wouldn't divert to go to Vilalba for its own sake, but if you're passing that way - and it's not a bad route to or from Santiago de Compostela, especially if you've already travelled round the coast and want to avoid retracing your footsteps - then it's worth a stop. * Recommendation * A quick check tells me that Tripadvisor commenters generally seem to think Vilalba to be below par for a Parador, but then we paid below par and I felt we received very good value for money. If we'd just stayed in a 'standard' room for Euro60 the value would have been outstanding. I find it hard to fault. The service was polite and efficient, though perhaps lacking in charm. Everything was of good quality, and the place certainly has character; if it's not a character entirely to my taste - just a little fusty, stuffy even - maybe my taste needs to become more adaptable. Provided you don't truly expect a palace, you shouldn't be disappointed. Probably it deserves five stars, but I'm meanly only going to give it four, partly because I think it would be exspensive if you had to pay full whack, and partly because it didn't make me feel generous. Meanwhile, I'm inclined to believe the chain lives up to its promises, and I'd certainly stay in a Parador again, provided Mrs T can once more exercise her negotiating magic and secure us an equally good deal. © Also published with photos under the name torr on Ciao UK, 2011 Read the complete review |
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