Reviews and recommendations

It occurred to me as I jot down the experiences we’re having that we will be in a position to offer “reviews” as it were of all the places we’ve stayed. So to that end, here’s our thoughts on where we’ve been once we’ve been there with links to appropriate websites.

England:

Bath – Ashley Villa Hotel
Location: 26 Newbridge Road, Bath
Cost: £120 per night
Arrangement: Family room (room 18) which was really a mini-suite: bunk beds on one side of a wall and a double bed on the other. En suite with full bath and standard shower.
Pros: Nicely furnished hotel. Licensed bar. Room was lovely and shower was terrific. Free wifi access.
Cons: A little far out of the city center unless you really like to walk (in the rain).
Final verdict: Another hit for us as the distance wasn’t much of a deterrent. There are shops close by if you need them and the hotel encourages you to bring in your own food and will supply you with cutlery, etc. if you eat it in the restaurant part but no eating is allowed in the room.

London – London Hilton Metropole
Location: 225 Edgeware Road, W2
Cost: £135 per night
Arrangements: Single room with two queen size beds.
Pros: Standard American hotel room with maid service and ice machine (real treat in London!) Swimming pool and health club. Convenient to Paddington Station and Edgware Road tube. Free bathroom amenities. Ethnicly diverse neighboorhood with lots of cheap eating options.
Cons: Standard American hotel room. No hair dryer (!?!) Ethnic diversity can be overwhelming at times.
Final verdict: if you want predictability (and frequent flyer miles) you can’t go wrong with a Hilton.

Salisbury – Byways Guest House
Location: 31 Fowler Road, Salisbury
Cost: £65 per room per night including breakfast
Arrangements: Two rooms – one with a queen bed and another next door with twin beds, both en-suite with shower stall.
Pros: Nice location – walking distance to everything but not right in the center. Rooms were spacious and well appointed with nice fluffy towels and Neutrogena soap and shampoo. Very nice breakfast with lots of fruit/yogurt/cereal options as well as the fully cooked English breakfast. Free wifi access.
Cons: Our room (number 24) felt a bit damp – as if the recent (constant?) rain was more than the sliding glass door could cope with.
Final verdict: Worth a visit but maybe not to room 24 if it’s rainy.

Weymouth – George Hotel
Location: 65 Dorchester Road, Weymouth
Cost: £30 per person, per night with half rate for the kids for a total of 90 pounds
Arrangement: Family room (room 6) with a four poster double bed and two twin beds. En suite with shower stall.
Pros: Another good location that was convenient for those who don’t mind walking but don’t want to be too much in the middle of things. The room was clean and comfortable and the breakfast was enough to make you not want to eat for a week. The hosts’ enthusiasm and general hospitality was extraordinary.
Cons: Smallest bathroom on the planet and the shower never got above an enthusiastic trickle. Towels were a bit thin. Cash only.
Final verdict: despite a few minor drawbacks to the room, the conviviality of Adrian and Carol makes it hard to not recommend staying here – as long as you follow Adrian’s three rules: eat more, drink more, don’t die here.

France:

Paris- Eiffel Tower Apartment Paris
Location: 52, Ave de Suffren, 7eme Paris
Cost: $1350 per week plus security deposits.
Arrangments: Double bed and two twin beds in seperate rooms (two bedrooms isn’t really a correct description), bath tub with hand shower and sink n one room, toilet in another. Living/dining area with eating space for 4. Full kitchen with interesting washing machine.
Pros: Contract pre-paid in US dollars. Location is excellent and there was enough space for us to not get on each other’s nerves too much. Newly installed ifi (didn’t work quite right while we were there) and cable TV. Free internet phone calls even to US.
Cons: Desperately in need of a face lift. Paint and lineoleum peeling in a few places. Keeper of the keys doesn’t speak English so figuring out hat the rules are and how things work is a challenge. It is described as a two bedroom apartment which it is not. It is a one bedroom apartment with a double bed in the dining room which is then open to the living room which also holds the dining room furniture. Having the toilet in a different room from the sink is also odd.
Final verdict: it was fine for our first trip to Paris but I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone unless there are some serious upkeep performed.

Germany

Dusseldorf – Hotel Astra
Location: Ubierstrasse 36, Dusseldorf
Cost: €77 per room per night
Arrangements: Two connecting double rooms with twin beds.
Pros: Typical European-style hotel room. Satellite TV with CNN. Great buffet breakfast included. Friendly staff. Incredibly clean.
Cons: Really catered to a business clientèle. Not really convenient to downtown area.
Final verdict: great value for a basic, clean and comfortable room even if it’s closer to an industrial area than the shopping area.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg – Mercure Grand Alfa Hotel
Location: 16 Place de la gare, Luxembourg
Cost: €75 per room per night
Arrangement: Two rooms (one double, one twin) across the hall from each other.  No parking facilities and breakfast not included.
Pros: Typical Eurpean hotel. Restaurant and bar.  Kids room was huge. Full bath in the bathroom.
Cons: Right across the street from the train station – some elements of the neighborhood were a tad seedy but we had no problems.  No parking on-site – it was a bit out of the way and was charged hourly.  The breakfast buffet was expensive and the service was lacking.
Final verdict: Fine for the days we were there.  I would have like more space in our room similar to what the kids had.

Scotland

Stirling- Wellgreen Gate Apartments
Location: Wellgreen Gate behind the NCP carpark
Cost: £495 per week plus security deposits.
Arrangments: Double bed and two twin beds in two bedrooms. Master bedroom is en suite plus another bathroom. Living/dining area with eating space for 4. Full kitchen with combination washing machine/dryer.
Pros: Location is excellent – two minutes into town. Wonderful water pressure in the showers. Plenty of space. Clean and nicely furnished. Weekly cleaning included. Gillian was very helpful and accommodating when we had a family emergency that changed our plans.
Cons: Great French windows overlook a parking garage. The kitchen was missing a few things that we considered basic: tea pot, potato masher, cup measure. One towel per person per week – a few spares would have been nice. Parking is a hassle because the flat is so close to town but Gillian is working on that part.
Final verdict: A great base for being in Stirling. We’d definitely rent from Gillian again.