Who put the lights out? (Malmaison in general)

Member Name: honey000

Product:	Malmaison in general
Date:	12/04/09 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfortable, spotless - great service

Disadvantages: Darkness,

On a recent business trip to Belfast I was booked into the Malmaison Hotel in Belfast for three nights.

Location
The hotel is located probably about 4-5 minutes walk from the main shopping area of Belfast. There are a large number of restaurants and bars around the shopping area in case you decide to venture out of the hotel for food.

On Arrival
The first thing that you will notice about the hotel is that it is beautifully decorated - with comfy sofas in the reception area and is spotless throughout. The next thing that you will notice is just how dark the interior of the hotel is. Why hotels decide to make hotels so poorly lit I will never know. The reception staff are friendly and well presented. Ask them for advice on a good place to eat and they are more than willing to help.

Rooms
The rooms are again spotless and have great furniture. A king sized double with plenty of pillows and a nice firm matress. There is a good sized flat screen TV with about 20 channels to choose from. There is free internet, either using a wired mode in the room - or wireless in public areas available to all guests. There is a sofa and desk for work too.

The mini bar is well stocked but typically expensive - £1.75 for a small packet of (albeit posh) crips anyone?

You are provided with free tea and coffee facilities - making your own filter coffee in a cup is an experience but vastly superior to the normal Nescafe offerings!

Again my only complaint about the room would be the light -or lack of it - the room is so dark. It is obviously a design choice for the hotel - but I really felt that I was straining my eyes when trying to read using the "reading light???"

Bathroom
A large bathroom with bath, shower, sink, toilet. Again spotless and great pressure in the shower. There is a note by the cosmetics (which are made for Malmaison) saying "feel free to take the cosmetics away - they are yours" which does take the fun out of stealing the cosmetics but is worth it as they are lovely. The soap is one with exfoliating properties so expect it to scratch slightly - just a little surprising when you are half asleep!

One very annoying (for me) thing abougt this hotel is the fact that there is a light under the sink in the bathroom that you can't turn off. It does stop the room from being totally dark at night which is a pain but apparently stops you from banging into things in the middle of the night?

Breakfast
Is included in the cost of a B&B stay. It is served in the main restaurant - which again is comfortable but slightly dark. You are greeted by pleasant restaurant staff who are very friendly.

You can help your self to the buffet which has pastries, fresh fruit, yoghurts, breads, nuts, cheeses, cereals and juices. On top of this you can have tea, coffee (both excellent quality), toast and a full cooked breakfast. I stuck to the cold stuff but the hot breakfast looked great. Definitely not a meal to skip.

DInner and Room Service
I didnt bother eating in the hotel as the menue was definitely "a la carte" think- wild mushroom risotto, and roast meat with red wine jus. When I am away with work I prefer slightly less rich, more plain food (think Vege lasagne, and omelette). Having said that my colleagues said that dinner was very good.

Room service offers the same menu as the restaurant plus comfort food such as cheese on toast.

Pricing of the meals is reasonable - around £10 - 15 for a main. For cheese on toast £4.50 including service. Not bad for a 4 star hotel.

Facilities
The hotel has a cosy bar with a log fire and a gym facility. The gym is very basic, a treadmill, cross trainer, swiss ball and free weights but enough to do a reasonable workout and I was the only one using it.

Price
I (or my work) paid £100 per night B&B - which is pretty reasonable I think. Apparently the hotel does great weekend packages (look at www.lastminute.com) at the moment as Belfast is trying to rival Dublin as a weekend destination!

Overall
I could easily return here for work or pleasure - but please could we have a little more light!

Summary: Lets here it for Belfast!