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
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