England Hotels National
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Ibis Liverpool Centre Albert Dock (Liverpool)
by Praskipark The Ibis Hotel I chose to stay in during my visit to Liverpool in June of this year, was the one situated close to Albert Dock. I have stayed in a few Ibis hotels throughout the years and generally find them reasonably priced and in good locations. I particularly wanted to visit Albert Dock for many reasons so was pleased when I found ... this hotel on their website. I made the booking about a month before I left for Liverpool, the price was £50 for a double room which I paid by credit card at the time of booking. We arrived by National Coach in Liverpool which is located on Norton Street. The walk to the hotel seemed long probably because we took the wrong route and ended up going around the houses or in this case around the landmarks. It was an excellent walk as we passed by the Cavern Club, Liverpool Playhouse, Port of Liverpool Building, Royal Liver Building and the Cunard Building. At one stage after passing all these buildings, we thought we were lost although we could see the dock in the distance. My husband called in at a Tesco Express Supermarket and asked an assistant if we were on the right track. He said we were and the Ibis Hotel was about 10 minutes away. The wind on this evening was pretty ferocious, blowing me and my bags all over the pavement. As we were outside Tesco we thought we might as well buy a few provisions for the evening so we could spend the evening in the hotel without going out to a restaurant as it wasn't really an ideal night for dressing up and going out on the town. When we arrived in the foyer of the hotel we were both surprised to see how busy this area was. There was a queue of people waiting to be checked in and over to the right where the restaurant was situated, the seating area was full of football supporters watching TV. I can tell you, the noise was horrendous. I had my worries then about getting a quiet night's sleep. Three staff were on duty on the front desk and they were all stressed with the amount of people waiting to be checked in but they dealt with it in a civil manner. I wouldn't say they were the happiest hotel staff I have encountered but they were okay. While we were waiting, I had a good look at all the information leaflets on the stand and on the counter top. There was a very good choice of attractions to choose from including trips outside Liverpool. Eventually we checked in without any problems and went to our room, using the lift. The layout of the room was like all the other Ibis hotels I have stayed in; a double bed with white duvet and pillow, extra blanket in the wardrobe, one painting attached to the off white painted walls, flat screen TV, Wi-Fi connection, free standing unit which acts as a desk, chair and a window that has three blinds attached together, in shades of orange, amber and a rusty colour. Ah, there was an extra seating arrangement near to the window which I hadn't come across before. This was good for leaning back and watching TV. The bathroom was the usual green colour, a cross between jade and pea soup. Some visitors might think it was a tad too small but it was okay for both of us. It was functional; the white towels were clean if a bit too rough on the skin. We had a plastic glass each, a tablet of soap bearing the Ibis emblem and a spare loo roll. Luxury! Having taken our food goodies out of the rucksack, we realised that we hadn't bought enough food or beer to sit down and watch a football match with so we looked at the Room Service Menu to see if we fancied anything on offer but neither of us could make up our minds. In the end my husband decided to brave the elements and go to Tesco once again for more provisions. This store is in a handy location especially if you are on a budget and don't want to splash out on eating in restaurants. The following morning I walked to the store to buy fresh croissants, orange juice and a fruit salad. The food was fresh and delicious and much cheaper than paying for the buffet breakfast at the hotel. If you do wish to choose to eat in the restaurant it is very light, spacious and well organised from what I could see. There is an area outside with wooden chairs and tables surrounded by lots of leafy plants. I saw a few people sat outside early morning with a coffee in their hands. I enjoyed staying at this Ibis Hotel and would go back when I visit Liverpool again. There isn't a lot you can say about the décor as it is pretty unimaginative but for an overnight's stay there is everything you need and the room was clean. We had plenty of tea bags, coffee, sugar and milk. The bed was comfortable, we were warm enough and we never heard a sound all night. The view from our window was of the car park and the department store, John Lewis. It wasn't the best view in the world but you can't have everything and it was certainly better than sleeping in an airport all night which we had done a few nights previously. The location is brilliant, across the road from Albert Dock, within easy walking distance to some of the greatest city landmarks in the world and not too far to walk to Lime Street Station. Address: 27 WAPPING, Liverpool L1 8LY Tel: +44 1516032800 Read the complete review |
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The Grand Burstin Hotel (Folkestone)
by areajohn Grand Burstin Hotel - Folkstone Harbour. I needed a quick last minute stay near to Dover and wanted it to be cheap, I trolled the usual websites like trip adviser etc and came across "Grand Burstin Hotel" at £25 (yes that's right £25) for a Saturday night INCLUDING breakfast. Well what was the worst that could ... happen, other than it being run by Norman Bates and fictitious mother. **Location** The Grand Burstin sits and dominates the whole length of the harbour at Folkstone and looks like it was designed to look like a channel ferry, it is very imposing and you will not need a map - just head for the harbour and you won't miss it. There is free car parking to the rear sides and front of the property and I believe there are also some underground but I didn't venture that far. No tickets required, you just need to supply your registration when booking in. The car park looked fairly secure and is separated from the harbour by a low wall. I did park to the front of the building as I was unsure about CCTV coverage to the rear. The Hotel sits in the centre of a one way system although if you miss the car park entrance you do not have far to travel to come around again. **Rooms** There are 550 rooms in the hotel which is a monster amount to have and probably was part of the reason for the special £25 deal that I had come across. I was allocated the room on arrival and pot luck sprung to mind. The booking in was easy and the person behind the reception was pleasant although very busy. My room turned out to have a double and a pair of bunk beds in it and a good sized bathroom. If I had paid £65 for a couple for this room I would still have been very pleased with what I had been given. The room was very clean and tidy although the only window looked out onto a high level courtyard (small) with the other side being about 8 ft away. Stragnly I was told I was on the 14th floor and had to get a lift that was located through the bar and took no time to get to the 14th floor. However I later found out that this was part of the new refurbished part of the building and the lift only went to 3 floors - the 14th was the 14th floor in name alone it was actually about the 8th floor. This is all very confusing and actually irrelevant to the stay and the standard of the hotel. **Facilities** I was told there was a swimming pool and gym but I did not use either so can't comment however I got to see the bar area for a relaxing drink and also the dining area for breakfast. (More of that under the food heading) The Bar area was Old and dated and as the evening went on I could see that the average age of the guests increased hour by hour. Talking to a barman he explained that they have a lot of coach parties due to the amount of rooms and the availability of getting them all in. When explained I could see that this was indeed the case as groups were forming in the bar area. The entrance can seem a bit dark and has large glass doors that again look dated. There is little in the décor that tells you this is a modern or well-run hotel in fact the decoration leads you to think "neglect". **Food** Breakfast was the only meal that I indulged in - it would have been rude not to as it was included in the price. It was a buffet style and sausages, bacon, egg, fried bread, tomatoes were all available. There was plenty of bread for toast - self-service toasters. The dining area did seem a bit like a old style coach café with Formica tops and wipe clean surfaces. The food itself would be best described as adequate although if you were hungry there was nothing to stop you topping up on food for the day. The orange juice was very sweet and I suspect very cheap, the coffee (as I don't drink tea) was also of a passable grade but not good enough for a second cup. There was a second dining area that I believe you could go into if you paid a premium on your stay. I was not aware of this until I asked about the other dining room that I saw. I guess that's where the posh people went. However I was enjoying my singular stay set slightly apart from these coach loads of people that seemed to move around the hotel as though they were still on a coach. **Service** Service as described above for the reception and other than that there was little interaction with members of staff. The breakfast was very much a drift in with the crowds and drift out when finished. I do not have any negative comments to make about the staff and I guess the numbers staying in the hotel would determine the amount of time you would see a member of staff. **Overall** I need to explain my comment of "Burstin with laughter", I took the lift after a relaxing time in the lounge/bar and 3 other people also got into the lift. Two ladies and a man, the ladies were about 80 years of age and the man was probably a bit younger, all the worst for alcoholic consumption. All three were holding two drinks each and winking at each other while trying to hide that they were doing this from me. It was out of "Dads Army" and when I got to my room I could do nothing for 5 minutes but laugh, hence the "Great Burstin with laughter" However - the place fitted the bill, it was quick and easy to book, it was last minute which helped for the size of room. It was complicated on which floor you were staying and how high up this was in reality and the food was passable. However to grade this establishment on the back of the price paid then it gets 5 stars from me. But I may not use it for a romantic weekend away. Read the complete review |
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Hilton Hotel (Gatwick)
by smudge377 My husband and I stayed at the Gatwick Hilton prior to and on return from our holiday, in Sept 2012. I had initially checked website prices and booked my first night with 9 days parking for £159.00, but for the straight forward night on return rang the hotel direct and got the double room for £69.00. Priced seemed ... very reasonable, but I guess the question is about value for money and I didn't think it was great. We took the 5 hour drive from Plymouth and arrived at the hotel. There about 10 parking spots for temporary stop off, so we pulled in there. No trollies, or assistance, so we lugged all our heavy bags up a long flight of stairs. Escalator not working. There were lifts, but husband lift phobic. We are Hilton Honours members, so as reception queues so long went to HH check in. Big mistake, as this was the worlds slowest desk. When we got to front a very curt, almost arrogant guy proceeded to check us in. I was really shocked at his attitude. Asked if we wanted upgrade for£10.00 which we took, plus 2 breakfast vouchers at£10.00. A saving of £8.00 pp. Parking isn't that easy. Not on site, so drive to long stay, and get a bus thru to south terminal, then walk thru to hotel. Took me about 45 mins in total. Had the same process on return. Just a bit of a pain, so much easier to park on site or valet park. Again, no sign of a porter or trolley, so lugged bags a long way to new annexe. The room looked very nice, modern and clean, if not huge. Tv, mini bar( be warned it has a sensor, so don't touch if you aren't buying) Feather pillows though, so had to ask housekeeping to bring foam as allergic to feather. Bed hard, and I really couldn't say it was that comfie. Nice bath/shower, with toiletries there for you. I didn't like the fact you can't open window, ESP as I felt room was hot.looked at AC and fiddled round. Thought it was me and hubbie being dumb. Went to bed and wake about 1am roasting. Checked AC and temp said 25oc.. Fiddled some more, but nothing changed. Went down to reception and told them, they said no one available to sort it,(fair enough) but they would send concierge to have a look. Boy, he was stroppy too, pushed a few buttons and said it would be fine in 20 mins. Strangely enough nothing changed........ Now 2am, went back to reception and asked for another room. Went to new room, straight to bed carrying foam pillows with us! And just got into bed and straight to sleep. In the morning they apologised and took upgrade and breakfast cost off bill. Breakfast was the standard fayre, nothing special, but ok. We didn't eat in any other of restaurants so can't comment. Grabbed a coffee from costa outlet in reception. There is a very small gym, about the size of a bedroom, no pool, or other leisure facilities. Cash machine in reception, which didn't work. Also charges £1.75 per withdrawal. On checkout we requested a smoking room on return. Arrived back and strolled thru the walkway to the Hilton. Nicer check in lady who confirmed we had booked a smoking room, and sent us on our way. Had to ring housekeeping for foam pillows, and asked for an ashtray. She said, you aren't in a smoking room. Rang reception, " no not in a smoking room" they put we thru to duty manager who said no smoking rooms available. Firmly reminded him I had booked it a week before, and that its not good enough. Miraculously, they found a room. They said they'd sent up a porter to move bags. Oh no, he came and dropped room key. As hubbie had to go back to airport to pick something up, I asked porter for help, but he said he had to be somewhere else, and tutted when I asked if he could hold the door while I manoeuvred out with luggage. On arrival at room the carpet was torn and frayed, and the bath was full of black long hairs. Why does they appear to be a culture of allowing smoking rooms to be of a lesser quality? So 2 stays, 4 rooms, below par service and a bad taste in my mouth. I won't be staying there again Read the complete review |
England Hotel National |
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1 review Address: Hepworth Point / Hotel National / Clay Pit Lane / Leeds LS2 8BQ |
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Hotel National / |
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1 review Hotel National / 6 Newmarket Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR2 2LA. Phone +44(0)1603 621577 |
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Hotel National / Hotel in Leeds, West Yorkshire. |
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Address: 92 Southampton Row / Hotel National / London WC1B 4BH |
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1 review Wordsworth Hotel, Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9SW. Tel: +44(0)15394 35592. Fax: +44(0)15394 35765. Email: enquiry@wordsworth-grasmere.co.uk Stars: 4. Room Price Guide: Single room, standard rate from 82.00 GBP to 124.00 GBP. Double room, standard |
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1 review Address: Castletown Portland DT5 1BD / Hotel National / Dorset |
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1 review Address: Front Street / Hotel National / Rothbury NE65 7UT / Northumberland |
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