Great hotel, reasonably priced (Ibis Hotel Portsmouth)

Member Name: Beanie8844

Product:	Ibis Hotel Portsmouth
Date:	12/09/08 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap, good rooms, friendly staff

Disadvantages: small bathrooms, can be noisy as close to main road

I stayed in the Ibis Hotel in Portsmouth for one night last summer on the eve of my graduation from the university. Living in London we drove down and arrived at the hotel at approximately 4pm. The first thing we noticed when arriving at the hotel was that the car park was tiny, must have been about 40 spaces in total for a hotel which boasts 144 rooms; not what you want really. Things soon improved though because luckily enough someone was leaving so we nipped into their space, removed our bags from the car and made our way to the reception to check-in.

I had walked passed the hotel on a daily basis as a student, but had never put my head in the door, so was intrigued to see what it was like on the inside. Walking into the reception and bar area I was very impressed, it was very modern and the bar was very snazzy - wish I'd been in here for a few drinks on a night out I thought! It seemed quiet but apparently does fill up and become quite noisy due to its close proximity to guildhall walk (where all the bars and clubs are). The reception staff were very helpful and extremely efficient and we were in our room in no time.

The room was on the second floor so we took the lift and I remember thinking that it was quite small, again not ideal for a 144 room hotel but hey. To enter the room you had to use a keycard given to you at reception when you check-in. Once the door was open, again I was presently surprised by what I saw. The bed was larger than I expected and the room very clean. There was a satellite TV, plenty of wardrobe space so I could hang up my suit and the usual tea and coffee making facilities complete with a few packets of biscuits on the bedside table. The view wasn't up to much though looking straight out onto the main road which did prove to be quite noisy. The en-suite bathroom was the only real downside to the room, it was tiny. The doorway was at a 45degree angle to the rest of the room and the door opened inwards so it was a real struggle to close the door once you were inside. It reminded me of my student halls bathroom in my first year. Although the bathroom was small it was clean and tidy and had shower gel and soap, plus plenty of white fresh towels.

That night we went out for a meal at Gunwarf Quays only a short walk away and stayed out quite late as we had a few drinks as well. Upon returning to the hotel at about 11.30pm the staff were once again very friendly, greeting us and asking if we'd had a good evening which was nice.

In the morning I had to be up early to get to graduation in order to get my outfit sorted so I was unable to tuck into the continental breakfast; my girlfriend and parents told me that it was very nice though and compromised of a selection of cold meats, croissants, toast, cheeses, fruits, tea, coffee and juices. I could have done with some to be honest because I had a slight hangover! Apparently the breakfast opens at 4am and stays open until noon which is fantastic.

Other info:
Reception and room service 24hrs
Alarm calls can be requested from reception
Wireless internet available for business customers
The hotel location is excellent, right in the centre of town

Cost:
Approximately £60.00 per night for a double room, can't remember exactly how much we paid but it is definitely cheaper if you book online instead of at the hotel reception.

Address:
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2LX
Tel: 02392 640 000

Nearby Attractions:
Gunwarf Quays shopping
Portsmouth University
Portsmouth FC
Historic Dockyard
Bluereef Aquarium
The Common

My overall opinion:
If you are staying in Portsmouth just for a few days then the Ibis is the ideal place to stay, cheap, nice rooms, friendly staff and an ideal location. Any longer though and you may want to look for somewhere a bit further out from the city centre because it can be noisy. Well recommended though.

Thanks for reading
(This review is also posted on Ciao under the same name)

Summary: if you go to Portsmouth you should stay here