Comfortable hotel on outskirts of Leeds (Holiday Inn Leeds Garforth)

Member Name: jeffjen

Product:	Holiday Inn Leeds Garforth
Date:	01/06/09 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean and comfortable

Disadvantages: Some of the restaurant prices quite expensive

Located on the outskirts of Leeds, the Holiday Inn - Leeds Garforth is a hotel I stayed in with my partner a few weeks ago, when visiting Leeds. I will also mention that this hotel is also situated approx 40 mins from York.

The hotel is situated just off the roundabout at the A642 and A63 at Garforth. It is easily accesible from the M1, if you leave at junction 46 and take the A63 eastbound.

I normally prefer to stay at Express by Holiday Inn hotels instead of actual Holiday Inns as I prefer them overall and breakfast is included in the price, which is not the case with Holiday Inn. However, the Express by Holiday Inn was full, so we opted for this hotel instead. I booked online and used my Priority Club Reward points to pay for this stay, so it was a free night.

I have explained in earlier reviews of Express by Holiday Inns, about their really good rewards scheme where you receive points for each stay which you can save and redeem for free nights amongst other things. Also being a member of the scheme gives you some priorites such as priority check in, newspapers, extended check in/out times etc. It is free to join and full details are available on the website. I would recommend it to anyone who stays at any of the hotels in the ICG hotel group.
I have redeemed my points for a few free nights over the last few years.

Checking in at the hotel was quick and easy, and we made our way to our room. It did seem to be quite a walk to our room which was along some corridors and up some stairs.
On entering the room I noticed it was smaller than rooms at Express by Holiday Inn hotels, but it was adequate. It was also very clean. The decor and furnishings not as modern as Express by Holiday Inn but nothing I would complain about, as all perfectly functional.
There was a large double bed made up with crisp white bed linen, en suite bathroom with bath and overhead shower, tea/coffee making facilities, wardrobe hanging space, hairdryer, TV, telephone and a small workspace.
There was two small bottles of complimentary water, a small bottle of britvic orange juice and a Mars bar!

The bed was quite comfy and four pillows provided. The shower was also good so no complaints there. Small complimentary toiletries were provided and plenty of towels.
All guests are given free access to the Triangle health club which is located within the hotel, and includes a small 9 metre swimming pool, gym, steam room and sauna. We did not use the health facilities during our stay as we were not there long enough but it did seem popular.

The Aiolis bar and restaurant within the hotel offers a full a la carte menu as well as lighter meals. If you do not wish to eat in the restaurant and are only having a light meal you may prefer to eat in the lounge area.
Room service is also an option and a menu is available in all the guest rooms, with light meals, sandwiches and pies available.
We browsed the restaurant menu in our room and the a la carte menu seemed quite expensive.
Sirloin steak was £15.50 and a bottle of Flat Rock Zinfandel £16. There was quite a lot of choice on the menu including ravioli, sea bass, tuna and rack of lamb. Starters included smoked salmon and chicken skewers and prices started at around £5.50.
We decided to go for the carvery menu which we thought was the better option as two courses were £17.95 which was more affordable, and enjoyed leek and potato soup followed by roast beef and yorshire puddings. The meal was nice and we had no room for dessert. At £19.95 for three courses it's not a bad price to pay if you have room for all three!

We noticed a pub which served meals was just across the road if you want an alternative to eating in the hotel.

We spent a comfortable quiet night at this hotel and did not have breakfast the next morning, as I can never really face food on a morning. We did have a latte coffee before checking out and these were £3.00 each, which considering the cup was small, £6 for two coffees is quite expensive I think.

Room rates are approx £48 per night which is good value considering you have free access to the leisure club. As I said earlier, our night was free, but I would be quite happy to pay £48 per night at this hotel.
I found the staff to be polite, friendly and helpful and had no complaints during my stay. I would be happy to stay there again.

Summary: Good value for a night's stay