IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

RADISSON BLU STANSTED

I have stayed at Radisson Blu Stansted on many occasions and have always found this airport hotel to be in a class of its own. There is of course the obvious attraction of its location, a mere two minutes walk to the terminal, guaranteeing you couldn't possibly spend the night any closer to check-in, other than sleeping on the terminal floor! But, believe me there is far more to this hotel than the convenience of the close proximity to the airport that has me returning time and time again.

Aside from its convenient location, this hotel also scores highly on many other points. With 500 extremely comfortable and well equipped guest rooms and suites, there is no shortage of choice for the discerning guest, from standard Executive Rooms to Business Class, through to spacious Junior and full Suites. Standard rooms are very comfortable and have everything the traveller could possibly need for their stay, including free high speed Wi Fi, Television with in-house movie channels, and tea and coffee making facilities. Business Class also includes the use of bathrobes and complimentary slippers, and breakfast is included in the room price. Junior and full Suites have everything that Business Class has to offer, plus the added luxury of being more generously proportioned, with some offering two bathrooms. There are also a number of interconnecting family rooms, as well as accessible rooms. The hotel also provides a 24 hour room service.





Guests need not go hungry during their stay at Radisson Blu Stansted, with two excellent restaurants and a superb bar area there is a wide and tempting culinary choice to excite the taste buds, making for a memorable and enjoyable dinning experience. Both restaurants have recently undergone a major refurbishment, resulting in both looking very appealing with their new décor and furnishings, and excellent menus. With seating for 60 guests, Station 169 is the place to go if you're a big meat eater and enjoy your steaks. Collage, on the other hand, with its unique décor creating an intimate and cosy setting that seats 110 guests, is a more traditional British Brasserie dinning experience. The restaurants are open for dinner from 6pm to 10:30 pm daily, with breakfast being served in Collage restaurant from 4am. The bar is open daily from 7am to 1am, with food being served from 10:30am to 11pm.



For a lighter more informal meal, guests can choose from the comprehensive bar menu whilst relaxing and enjoying a drink, perhaps fetched by the famous Wine Angels! The impressive wine tower, which looms large in the centre of the hotel, can accommodate 4,000 bottles of wine, these are selected from the tower by Wine Angels whilst performing aerobatics, suspended from wires within the tower, it's worth ordering a bottle of wine just to experience the show!



There is no excuse for not keeping up with your usual fitness regime at Radisson Blu Stansted. Pace is a well equipped health club with a gym, swimming pool, sauna and steam room. Regular exercise classes are held daily, including spinning, yoga, and aqua aerobics, something for all levels of fitness. Swimming lessons are also available, as are massages and beauty treatments.

Besides catering for the weary traveller, Radisson Blu can also cater for business meetings, weddings and private functions. With a total of 26 meeting and function rooms, the largest being The Essex Suite which can hold 400 delegates, there is sure to be a package to suit your needs. Radisson Blu Stansted also offer affordable Park, Dream & Fly packages, whereby guests can leave their car at the hotel during their time away and collect it on their return, these packages cover either 4, 8 or 15 day duration.

The reason for my visit on this occasion was a pre-flight stay, I was flying out of Stansted on an early morning flight to Bucharest. Although the journey from my home to the airport is only an hour or so, I prefer to eliminate the stress of an early morning drive, particularly on a cold, dark winter morning, and instead have the luxury of a hotel stay the night before my flight. Arriving at Radisson Blu Stansted mid afternoon meant that I had time to indulge in a bit of relaxation in the spa, making use of my complimentary slippers and dressing gown. I enjoyed a swim followed by sessions in both the steam room and sauna, lockers and towels are provided. Following a very relaxing time in the spa, I was ready for a drink in the bar before dinner. I had reserved a table for 6pm in the newly refurbished Collage restaurant.

I was very impressed with the new design and décor of the restaurant, there have been many changes since my last visit here. There are now a number of intimate seating areas, all allowing a certain degree of privacy. The walls are adorned with an array of interesting, thought provoking photographs and artwork, and the entire restaurant is bathed in an atmospheric low lighting, which, along with the relaxing background music, adds perfectly to the intimacy of the setting. I opted for the Parsnip soup to start, a very good choice, followed by a delicious Seafood Linguine. I barely had room for a dessert, so plumped for a simple but refreshing Mint Chocolate Ice cream, all washed down with an excellent Chardonnay. 



Retiring to my newly refurbished Business Class room, I felt relaxed and very pleased that I had made the decision to book this hotel for my pre-flight stay. The new décor is very sophisticated, with an attractive cream and grey colour scheme, and just a hint of silver in the curtain fabric. A large wall to wall mirror adorns the wall above the bed, and there is a second attractive feature mirror on the opposite wall. There is a large shower cubicle in the bathroom, and a good selection of complimentary toiletries.



 



Breakfast the next morning was served from 4am in Collage Restaurant and was a sumptuous affair, a delicious choice of hot and cold food and beverages, a meal second to none and fit for a king! The perfect way to start the day.

 



Obviously, this hotel is ideal for travellers flying in or out of Stansted airport. However, it is also a very good choice of hotel for anyone wishing to spend time in this part of Essex, or indeed in neighbouring Hertfordshire. Stansted train station and bus station are a few minutes walk from the hotel, giving quick and easy access to the city of London and beyond. Mountfichet Castle and Hatfield Forest are both just a short drive away, and Freeport factory shopping outlet at Braintree is approximately a twenty minute drive. Whatever your reason for visiting Radisson Blu Stansted, I am sure you will not be disappointed.

The full postal address for directions is: Waltham Close, Stansted Airport, CM24 1PP

For further information please visit: www.radissonblu.com