Saturday 6 May 2017

PRE CHANNEL CROSSING HOTELS


HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS FOLKESTONE

 
I often travel by car from the UK to Germany, and most of these trips involve a channel crossing of some description, be it by ferry or Channel Tunnel. As the drive through France and Germany is a long one, I like to get an early start. The problem with that, however, is that I live 124 miles from Dover, on a route that can be notoriously slow. The answer? A stop over the night before in the Dover or Folkestone area.

I recently needed to be at the Cruise Terminal in Dover by 10am, so rather than leave home in the early hours of the morning, fighting the traffic and risking being late, I opted for the less stressful solution. I drove down to Folkestone the day before, at a time that suited me, and eliminating any risk of being late. My hotel of choice on this occasion was the Holiday Inn Express Folkestone, which turned out to be a straight forward, pleasant 15 minute drive to the Cruise terminal.

I have stayed at many Holiday Inn Express hotels over the years, and I have always found them to be most comfortable and very reasonably priced, especially as the price includes a very good breakfast. The Holiday Inn Express Folkestone is no exception, and is ideally situated for passengers using the port of Dover which is only 10 miles away, or the Channel Tunnel just 1 mile away, and Eurostar, only a 20 minute drive to Ashford International Station.

The hotel has 100 rooms, of which 5 are classed as accessible to wheelchair users. The rooms are of a good size (205 square feet) and feature all the amenities you would need for your stay, these include flat screen TV(with cable channels and pay per view films), coffee and tea making facilities, telephone, desk and easy chair, hairdryer, and a private bathroom with shower. Rooms offer either single or double bed, some rooms feature a sofa, and interconnecting rooms are also available. Cribs or infant beds are also available on request, as is an iron and ironing board.


















Other features of the hotel include a 24 hour reception desk, free Wi Fi, free newspapers in the lobby, business centre, and a bar and restaurant. There are 4 meeting rooms which can accommodate up to 30 delegates. Breakfast and dinner are served in The Great Room, an open space area adjacent to the bar and reception. There is also a patio area where guests, weather permitting, can dine. Breakfast is included in the room rate and is served from 6am to 10.30am. Dinner is served from 6pm to 10pm, main meals are priced at £11.95, side dishes at £3.50, and deserts at £4.25. There is a reasonable choice of food on the menu, and it is also of an acceptable standard.

I checked into the hotel early evening, the reception staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and went to great lengths to ensure that I was happy and understood everything. I gave my car registration at time of check-in as car parking at the hotel is free to guests. After settling into my room, I went to the bar area to relax with a drink. The hotel, by then, was starting to get busy with more guests arriving. The restaurant and bar area was also fairly busy with several guests enjoying a meal or a drink. The staff appeared to cope well with this influx and retained their cheerful disposition as they dealt with each guest in turn.


















My room was very comfortable, however, it did suffer somewhat from road noise as I was at the front of the building, next to the road. It was also possible to hear traffic travelling on the nearby M20. The shower was a good size, and there was plenty of hot water and complimentary soap (in dispensers). As with all Holiday Inn Express hotels, there are a range of complimentary items available to guests, such as toothbrushes, razors and shaving foam etc, if needed.

It was very busy at breakfast the next morning. Even so, the staff remained cheerful and did their best to keep breakfast items stocked up and to keep tables clear and clean. When, at one point the fruit bowl had been depleted, a simple request to a member of staff saw it replenished in no time. There was a good selection of hot and cold food, fruit juices, teas and coffees, a perfectly acceptable breakfast.



Check out was quick and easy, and in no time I was back on the road, feeling refreshed and relaxed and ready for the day ahead. The location of this hotel could not have been better for my needs and I will definitely bear it in mind next time I am in the area. Besides the convenience of its location to the port of Dover, the Channel Tunnel and EuroStar, Holiday Inn Express Folkestone is ideally situated for a visit to this part of Kent. The town of Folkestone is only a 7minute drive away, Hythe also just a few minutes. Gatwick airport is the nearest of the London airports, and is only approximately a 30 minute drive away. There are various supermarkets and other stores within the vicinity of the hotel, and many good restaurants can be found in and around Folkestone or Dover. Of course, for those looking for a bit of history, then Dover Castle, the White Cliffs and the War Tunnels will not disappoint.


If you would like more information on the Holiday Inn Express Folkestone, or any other Holiday Inn Express, please visit www.holidayinnexpress.co.uk

The postal address for the hotel is: Cheriton Park, Cheriton High Street, Folkestone CT18 8AN









Wednesday 3 May 2017

CRUISES FOR THE OVER FIFTIES


SAGA SAPPHIRE



It was a beautiful, sunny spring morning when I boarded Saga Sapphire at Dover Cruise Terminal, a perfect day to embark on a cruise. Unfortunately, I was not embarking on a cruise to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, or anywhere else for that matter!

I had been invited by Saga Cruises to view Saga Sapphire whilst the ship was in port at Dover. As I arrived at the cruise terminal, disembarking passengers, at the end of their cruise, were collecting their luggage and being escorted by Saga Representatives to their awaiting transport home.


 


As a day visitor to the ship, I had to present my passport to the port security who then issued me with a temporary visitor pass. I then waited, along with other day visitors, in the departure lounge until it was time to board the ship.



Saga Sapphire was built in 1982 for Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, and was originally named Europa. Saga Cruises, who specialise in cruises for the over 50s, took ownership of Saga Sapphire in 2012 and the last refurbishment was carried out in 2016. Weighing in at just 37,301 tonnes, and with a maximum capacity of 720 passengers and 415 crew, Saga Sapphire is classed as a small ship. The passenger to crew ratio of 1.7 means that passengers on this cruise ship are well looked after, with a member of staff always on hand to give assistance.
 

Cabins and public areas are spread over 10 decks. There are 309 outside cabins, 65 inside cabins and 19 cabins with balcony. Solo passengers are catered for with 56 of the cabins allocated for single occupancy, and 2 cabins are suitable for wheelchair users. With an average size of 220 square feet, these generously sized cabins on Saga Sapphire are much larger than the industry standard, and are very well equipped for ultimate comfort.




We boarded the ship on deck 7. Here you will find the Reception Desk as well as the Aviators bar and seating area. Pole to Pole, the main restaurant on-board, is also located on this deck. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and affords excellent ocean views. The restaurant can accommodate 620 diners and is divided into 4 distinct areas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and The Americas. Both buffet and full service meals are provided, with either fixed or open seating available.



I started my self guided tour by visiting some of the cabins towards the front of the ship on deck 7. I was pleasantly surprised by both the size of the cabins and the amenities provided. There are various bed configurations, ranging from single and twin beds through to full size double beds. Cabins also feature a coffee table and easy chairs, TV, phone, dressing table and wardrobe. Bathrooms offer either a shower or bathtub.

I worked my way up towards the top deck, viewing various cabin grades along the way. As a rule of thumb, the higher up you go, the higher the grade of cabin, with the suites being located on decks 9 and 10. As I was attempting to see as much of the ship as possible during my short visit, I was using the stairs to go from one deck to the next, however, there are 4 lifts available for public use.
































As I explored the cabins on each deck, I also took time to visit all the public areas. Deck 8 features the Britannia Lounge where the main shows are held. Entertainment is also provided throughout the ship in various bars and lounges, and dance hosts are also on hand to partner unaccompanied guests if they so wish. Coopers is a bar dedicated to the late, great Tommy Cooper and is an ideal meeting point for a pre-show drink. Also on deck 8 is the cruise sales office, the card room, shops, and photo gallery.
 
































Deck 9 features The Grill, East to West, and Verandah, three wonderful eating places. Both The Grill and East to West are very tastefully decorated and enjoy a very intimate atmosphere. The Verandah is a most pleasant and comfortable outside eating area, which features a bar and offers fantastic views over the stern of the ship.
















Deck 11 features The Drawing Room and Library, as well as the outside swimming pool and hot tub, along with The Beach Club Bar, and The Club House with table tennis. Deck 12 is the promenade deck and features both the Saint Andrew's Crazy Golf course and a Shuffleboard. This is also classed as The Sun Deck.
































Having worked my way up to deck 12, I then made my way back down to deck 7, where I was treated to an excellent 5 course lunch in The Pole to Pole restaurant. The food and service was exemplary and couldn't be faulted in any way.




After lunch, I had just enough time, before having to disembark, to visit deck 2 in order to view the spar area. I am so glad that I did not miss this area of the ship. It is a most delightful, relaxing and peaceful area. Featuring an indoor swimming pool, hot tub, steam room and sauna, I could easily see myself whiling away the hours resting in this lovely area. There are private rooms where various massages and treatments are available, and a hair and beauty salon, as well as a gym.




Saga Sapphire may be a small ship but she is certainly big on amenities and comfort. There is everything on-board to make any cruise a delightful and enjoyable experience. The ship is both beautiful and practical, and is delightfully decorated with numerous works of art on display throughout the ship. The main focal point is the very impressive fish sculpture that extends 3 decks up to Reception, and is reported to contain at least 1,000 fish, quite spectacular!

Passengers were beginning to board as I disembarked Saga Sapphire. As I watched the crew members greeting their new passengers and escorting them to their cabins, I found myself wishing that I too could be shown to a comfortable, welcoming cabin by the endlessly smiling crew, and that I too could be waving goodbye to the white cliffs of Dover, and embarking on a wonderful adventure. As it was, I drove away from the port of Dover and Saga Sapphire feeling honoured that I had the chance to at least sample, if only for a few hours, the delights that Saga Cruises and Saga Sapphire have to offer.



For more information on Saga Cruises please visit their website at: www.saga.co.uk