COOL, CALM AND COLLECTED - WHAT, IN BLACKPOOL? (De Vere Herons' Reach (Blackpool))

Member Name: 99line

Product:	De Vere Herons' Reach (Blackpool)
Date:	07/07/06 (1051 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An oasis of calm in Blackpool

Disadvantages: I honestly cannot think of any

This year we are celebrating, along with another couple who stay about 300 miles from us, a twenty five year friendship.
To celebrate our 'silver' friendship the four of us decided to visit Blackpool and to stay at the De Vere Heron's Reach Hotel

We checked out various deals for a three night stay at this four star hotel and finally decided upon a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast package in standard twin rooms. We chose to arrive on Tuesday 9th of May 2006 and checked out on Friday 12th May 2006…..we were so lucky with those dates - we had 'wall to wall' sunshine and heat the whole of our stay.

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The Heron's Reach Hotel has 172 bedrooms and suites.

90 Standard Rooms
64 Club Rooms
06 Family Rooms
08 Junior Suites
02 Suites
02 Disabled Rooms

There is conference and banqueting facilities for up to 600 people in three state of the art air conditioned meeting rooms.
The public areas of the hotel appear to be wheelchair friendly and there are suitable lifts, ramps and WC facilities.
Most, but not all, of the guest bedrooms have been recently refurbished.
The car park can accommodate 500 vehicles.

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SITUATION

The 236 acre resort hotel is located on East Park Drive, Blackpool. This is at Stanley Park and is approximately 2 miles from the centre of Blackpool.
We took a leisurely stroll through Stanley Park into Blackpool Town Centre and it took us about thirty minutes.
The return cost for a taxi for four passengers was £7.00.
A few minutes walk down the driveway of the hotel onto East Park Drive and you are on a local bus route. Buses run frequently to and from the town centre.

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THE RECEPTION

We parked our car, got the bags from the boot and approached the entrance to the hotel where we were met by the concierge with a luggage trolley.
We placed our bags on the trolley and he led us to reception and proceeded, very quickly and efficiently, to assist the duty receptionist to check us into the hotel. Once this was completed and still with our luggage on his trolley, he escorted us to our room, which it turned out was right next door to our friends.

The reception area is a large airy and nicely furnished with sofas, armchairs and coffee tables. It is usually staffed by two people who are very friendly, helpful and efficient.
The concierge, when on duty, is also based here.
There is a safety deposit facility at reception. Envelopes to allow you to make use of this facility are in the guest rooms.

The reception is on the first floor of this three storey building.

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GUEST ROOMS

We were allocated guest room 205. This was on the first floor and had a view of the hotel's golf course.
The room was a reasonable size with very comfortable twin beds which for a pleasant change didn't have the usual hotel sheets and blankets. There were sheets and duvets - bliss!!
Between the beds there was a bedside cabinet with on top of which was the room telephone. Wall lamps above each bed served as reading lamps.
Also in the room was a table with two lounge chairs, a dressing table and chair, a luggage store and a double wardrobe.
A hairdryer, an iron and an ironing board were also in the room. The television was sited on top of a unit which also housed the hospitality tray.

The en suite bathroom wasn't the largest we've seen in a hotel but it was perfectly adequate.
It was furnished with an over bath power shower, WC and wash basin. A large mirror was positioned above the wash basin.
There were white fluffy towels, bath mat and face cloths which were changed daily.
The toiletries and soaps which were supplied and replenished daily were Spa Therapy by Gilchrist and Soames.
A nice touch was that they supplied a shower cap and tissues as so many hotels have now stopped this practice.

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THE RESTAURANT

We used The Brasserie restaurant for breakfast and dinner as we were staying on a half board basis. This is a semi formal restaurant.
For those who prefer something a bit more relaxed, meals are also served in the bar/diner which has the name Nineteen.
Morning coffee and light lunches are served in the Waterside Bar.

The table d'hote menu we chose our meals from provided a really good selection of meals - there were about ten choices of starters, main courses and puddings. There were two vegetarian options for main courses.
Over the three nights we had dinner in the Brasserie the four of us chose a different meal each night and thoroughly enjoyed every morsel we ate.

I especially enjoyed the meal I've noted below:

Starter: - Charantais Melon, proscuitto and fresh fig
Main Course: - Chicken roasted with herb butter, creamed potatoes and wild mushroom ragout.
Pudding: - Sticky Toffee Pudding, butterscotch sauce and fresh cream.


Breakfasts were served buffet style, with waiter served tea, coffee and toast. On offer at the buffet servery was 'full English', cereals, fresh fruit, breads, rolls, pastries, cold meats and cheeses, jams and marmalades.
We were told that if we wanted a different type of cooked breakfast (fish or porridge) we only had to ask and chef would prepare it for us. None of us took this option we were perfectly happy with what was on offer at the buffet.

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LOUNGE BARS

There are two bars in this hotel, The Waterside Bar and The Nineteen Bar/Diner.

The Waterside is on the same floor (ground) as the Pool and I assume this is how it got its name. It has a restful and relaxing atmosphere.

Nineteen overlooks the hotels own golf course and I assume the name refers to 'the bar' at a golf course being called the nineteenth hole. It has a more casual feel to it and it has a summer terrace and veranda.

Because the weather was fantastic during our stay we generally sat on the outside terrace of Nineteen for an aperitif before dinner and coffee and liqueur after dinner.

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FACILITIES

Golf Centre with an 18 hole course, floodlit driving range, pitching and putting greens and a Pro shop.
21metre indoor swimming pool.
Spa, sauna and sanarium.
Two gymnasiums
Squash and tennis courts

Health and Beauty Salon offering toning tables sunbeds and a full range of treatments.

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SUMMARY

This was the first time we have stayed at this hotel and I doubt that it'll be our last as we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
Every single member of staff we encountered was cheery, friendly and helpful.
The Leisure Facilities are used by local members as well as hotel guests and can get very busy.
We only used the pool area once and we were very impressed both by the size of the pool and the cleanliness of the area. After conferring with hubby I can confirm that both ladies and gents changing and showering areas at the pool are well appointed and clean.

We paid £357.00 per couple for our three night break - this offer was advertised on the hotel's website and equates at £59.50 per person per night.
Excellent value especially as the Bistro Menu displays a cost of £26.50 for a three course evening meal.

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CONTACT DETAILS

Email - reservations.herons@devere-hotels.com
Web - www.DeVereOnline.co.uk

De Vere Herons' Reach
East Park Drive
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 8LL

Tel: 01253838866
Fax: 01253798800

Pauline 2006.

Summary: A good quality relaxing hotel within walking distance of Blackpool town centre.