A very clean weekend! (Preston Hotel Marriott)

Name: anwar7

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Product:	Preston Hotel Marriott
Date:	09/07/04 (116 review reads)
Rating:

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Last month we were invited to attend an exhibition in Preston. The exhibition was for one evening only but we decided to take a weekend break and stay in a hotel. As always the first place I began my search for somewhere decent that wouldn?t break the budget was the Internet. My search for hotels in Preston threw up several possibilities. I really wanted somewhere with an indoor pool that was family friendly.

The 4 star Preston Marriott stood out from the rest, as it not only had a pool and gym but from the photo I could see this hotel had more character than others in the area. The Preston Marriott also has 11 acres of grounds, perfect for letting my energetic 2-year-old run off some energy with his dad, whilst I could relax in the sauna! Having decided this was the hotel for us I started my usual price checking to ensure I got the best possible deal. I finally booked through superbreak at a cost of £168.00 for 2 nights with breakfast. The only extra we had to pay was for our children?s breakfasts. If you book through the hotel the cost for room and breakfast is £45.00 per person per night. This price is for a basic room. If you really want to live well you could book a suite at double the cost! So what did we get for our money?

The Hotel
*********

The Preston Marriott was once a Victorian manor house and although it has been modernised the building has lost none of its grandeur. The hotel is approached by a long winding drive and is quite secluded from the road. The grounds surrounding the hotel are well maintained and lush with lots of well-established trees and shrubs. There is a large car park both to the front and rear of the hotel with free parking. There are several disabled parking bays near to the hotel reception, but I think more would be helpful as some of the parking spaces are quite a walk from the hotel.

We arrived an hour earlier than the specified 2 p.m check in time, hoping to leave our bags and enjoy the
ground


s. The reception staff were very friendly and welcoming and told us our room was ready and checking in early would not be a problem. Our bags were carried for us to our room without us even having to ask. The room was a good size and although not luxurious it was very adequate. I was a little disappointed by it however, as the reception area was very grand and I had hoped the bedroom would be equally grand. The bedroom was very similar to other Marriott rooms we have stayed in both here and in the States. There were 2 double beds which were a little on the small side. The cot I had requested (at no extra charge) was ready and made up nicely. The room had every facility you could want, with cable/satellite T.V, in house movies, tea and coffee making facilities with especially yummy biscuits! There was an iron and ironing board, a trouser press, a desk with a phone and fax machine plus extra chairs and a table. The en suite bathroom was small but well designed. There was both a shower and a bath. I was pleased to see there was plenty of room to lie out all my specially purchased pampering products! The complimentary toiletries were high quality too.

Before we left home I telephoned the hotel to check they had our booking and to request a non smoking room as close to the pool as possible. The room we were allocated was very close to the leisure club, which certainly made life easier for when carrying all the paraphernalia you need to take 2 children swimming! I suggest you do the same if you have children in tow! The hotel has 145 rooms on 3 floors. There are also 5 suites. The ground floor rooms would be suitable for someone with a disability. So having unpacked we headed off to try out the pool.

The leisure facilities
*****************

This was the main selling point for me so it had a lot to live up to. We were greeted by another helpful, friendly member of staff who signed us in and gave us the code to get to t
he pool area
. Any
disa
ppointment I had experienced with the room was more than compensated for by the changing rooms and pool. It was lovely! The changing rooms had obviously been newly refurbished and it had all been done to a very high standard. The lockers were equipped with hangers and were huge! The showers all had high quality toiletries; there were large white fluffy towels, hair dryers and baby changing facilities. The pool was not huge but adequate. The water temperature was lovely and warm and both my children loved it! I would warn that when we were there, no lifeguard was on duty although there is a close circuit T.V at the reception desk. We mainly had the pool to ourselves for the weekend we stayed and this made it even better! There are 2 hot tubs, which again were well maintained and very relaxing!

The leisure centre also has a sauna and steam room. A large window on one side of the pool area looks out onto the grounds and gives the pool a light airy feeling. There are several loungers around the perimeter of the pool, although our 2 didn?t give us the opportunity to try them out!

In addition to the pool the hotel has a state of the art gym, again newly refurbished. The gym is located in 2 separate rooms, one for cardio vascular equipment and one for weights. The gym is accessed by a flight of stairs and as there is no lift it would be difficult for someone with a disability, which is a minus point in my book. The pool is open from 6 am until 9 p.m for families and until 10 pm for adults only.

The hotel also has a beauty salon with very reasonable prices. I paid £5 to have my eyebrows shaped.


Breakfast
********

Breakfast is served from 6 am until 10 am at weekends and 9 am during the week. The dining room was very pleasant and did conjure up a feeling of dining in days gone by. Breakfast is a self-service affair and there was every conceivable breakfast food available with more
besides! The usu
al bacon,
sausage an
d egg were available but if you wanted a poached egg then this was cooked to order whilst you watched and done to perfection it was too! In addition there were fresh fruits including pineapple and mango. On one table was a toaster with croissant, crumpets, pancakes and bread enabling you to toast your own and eat them hot! There were numerous pastries to choose from if you really wanted to go over the top! We decided to let our children share our food rather than pay for a separate breakfast, the staff were quite happy with this arrangement!

The hotel serves food all day in its several restaurants. If you just want a snack then there is a café overlooking the pool area. We only ate breakfast at the hotel so I can?t comment on what the menu is like, but guests who we saw leaving the dining room seemed happy enough! There is also a bar but again we didn?t get the opportunity to try it out! If like us you are cheapskates, then there is a 24-hour Asda 5 minute?s drive away. We bought a cooked chicken and salad and had a picnic in our room! Whilst on the subject of eating in our room, please be aware that the rooms have a very expensive mini bar. The rule is that if anything inside the fridge is moved you will be charged for it. There is even a note warning you not to move things to put your own food inside. So imagine my panic when my inquisitive 2 year old discovered how to open the door and what goodies were within! Before I could stop him he had grabbed 2 hand fills of chocolate, knocking the miniature whiskies over in his hurry! I threw myself at the mercy of the receptionist who understood and assured me there would be no charge and that she would lock the bar from the reception desk! You have been warned!



Directions
*********
The hotel is situated on the Garstang Road in Broughton a few miles from the city centre. If you are driving, then you will need to leave the M6 at
junction 32. From ther
e it is about 5
minutes drive
away. If you are travelling by train then the nearest station is in Preston about 4 miles away. There are plenty of Taxi?s in the city and the fare from the centre of Preston is about £6.00.




Check out is at 2 pm but again there was no problem with us using the pool and leisure facilities once we had vacated our room. I was really impressed with the Preston Marriott and would love to stay again.

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