LONDON HOTELS

THISTLE TRAFALGAR SQUARE

Conveniently located just off Trafalgar Square in Whitcomb street, Thistle Trafalgar Square is a wise choice for anyone visiting the cosmopolitan city of London, either on business or for pleasure. This unassuming hotel offers four room grades, ranging from the comfortable Standard and Deluxe Double rooms, to Executive rooms, through to the very generously proportioned Junior Suites. With 108 non-smoking en-suite rooms to choose from, there is sure to be a room to suit all needs.

Although there is ample car parking for 100 cars, just a 100 metres from the hotel, at a reduced price for hotel guests, on this occasion I had travelled to London by train. I arrived mid morning at Liverpool Street station and made my way by foot to the hotel, taking approximately an hour. Of course, guests could use the many taxis that ply the streets of London, or make use of the excellent underground system. However, it was a nice, sunny day and I wanted to take in a few of the sights along the way.

On arrival at the hotel, I was greeted by a very friendly and efficient member of the reception team. The young lady in question informed me that she would need to check if my room was ready, I was then directed to the small but comfortable lounge area where I could wait to be called, I was also offered a complimentary drink whilst I waited. A second member of the reception team came to take my drinks order, and returned a short time later to inform me that my room was ready.

For security reasons, the lifts to all floors above ground level are operated by scanning the guests room card, this ensures that only staff and hotel guests can access these floors. I was given my room card and instructed to take the lift to the third floor where my Junior Suite, room number 317, was located, conveniently close to the lifts.

On reaching room 317 I scanned my card over the door lock and entered, as I did so I was very pleasantly surprised to discover a large (32 square metres), well planned and comfortable room, with a large king sized bed, sofa, easy chair and office chair, writing desk and coffee table, and everything else I would need for a comfortable overnight stay.

The bathroom, also, was of a good size, with a full sized bath and a separate shower cubicle. Along with the necessary towels and flannels, all guest rooms feature complimentary toiletries. And, for Junior Suite guests, use of dressing gowns and free slippers are provided.

With plenty of wardrobe and drawer space on offer, I would have little difficulty stowing away the contents of my overnight bag! Valuables can be securely locked away in the safe, located within the wardrobe. Also to be found in the wardrobe, was an iron, ironing board and a hair dryer.

My Junior Suite was located on the corner of the building, allowing windows on both external walls which gave the room a welcome light and airy feel. The windows offered me views of the London skyline, complete with an interesting array of assorted rooftops.

Opposite my King Sized bed was a large TV, under which was located a free mini bar, stocked with an assortment of soft and alcoholic beverages, a nice little touch for guests in the Junior Suites, as was the Espresso coffee machine. All guest rooms, however, do come complete with a kettle and complimentary tea and coffee.

After checking in and familiarising myself with the hotel, I then made the very short walk to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, just 5 minutes away. There, inside this famous gallery, I spent the next couple of hours visually absorbing the magnificent collection of paintings by Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci, Turner, Constable, and so many more great artists. Prior to returning to the hotel, I also took a short walk to Chinatown, a brightly coloured and decorated area that was busy with locals and tourists mingling together.

Back at the hotel, I was starting to feel a bit peckish, so I decided to go to Squares Restaurant for my evening meal. Squares Restaurant can accommodate 65 diners, although on my visit, a Sunday night, it was very quiet, with only two other guests in the restaurant whilst I was there. The menu, although not fine dining, offers a good selection of hot and cold food at very reasonable prices. The choice ranges from soups and salads, to burgers and stone baked pizzas, and a selection of steaks. I opted for Caesar Salad with Grilled Salmon, which proved to be very tasty and, at just under £15, good value for money. Between the restaurant and the reception and lobby area, there is a small bar where all manor of drinks can be purchased, including some very interesting cocktails. I tried a Pedrino Cherry Bakewell Spritz, which I enjoyed and found very refreshing.

Returning to my room for the evening, I made use of the excellent shower facilities then rested in the comfortable, spacious surroundings of the suite, whilst enjoying one of the complimentary drinks from the mini-bar. I used the time to plan my itinerary for the following day. With so many of London's famous sights within easy walking distance of the hotel, I was really spoilt for choice as to where to visit. I started to wish that I had booked an extra night as there was so much to see and do within the area. As it was, this was my one and only night in this area, so having made good use of the hotel's facilities, and having planed my route for the following day's excursion, I retired to a very comfortable bed.

Breakfast the next morning was in Squares restaurant, where the young lady at the entrance to the restaurant took my room number, showed me to a table, and took my drinks order. The self service breakfast offered a good assortment of hot and cold food and beverages, and was more than sufficient to set me up for the day.

I returned to my room to pack my overnight bag and then check out at reception. Again, I found the reception staff very friendly, cheerful and efficient, as have all the hotel staff been during my stay. I was soon on my way, having enjoyed a most comfortable stay at Thistle Trafalgar Square.

For more information On Thistle Trafalgar, and for room prices, please visit Thistle's own website at: www.thistle.com

HAVE YOUR BUSINESS REVIEWED ON THIS BLOG

 

Competition within the leisure industry has always been fierce, but these days it is even more important for companies to gain good publicity. Travel companies, hoteliers, restaurant owners and the like need to be ever more imaginative in the ways they advertise and publicise their business. Consider the following questions:

 

What makes your business stand out from the rest?

Why should a guest choose your hotel or restaurant over one just a few yards down the road?

 

There are many on-line sites where customers can leave reviews and feedback on their experience of certain businesses, but these can often simply be a platform for disgruntled customers to let off steam and complain about the most minor of annoyances. These type of reviews will often do little to inform potential customers of the benefits or not of booking with a particular company, and can do a lot of damage to a struggling business.

Here at World Travel Reviews, we try to give a balanced account of the hotel, restaurant, leisure facility or area that we are visiting. If we find fault we will say so, but we will not complain for the sake of complaining.

If you are in the leisure business and you would like us to visit your business with a view to reviewing the service that you provide and publishing that review on this blog, then please email your details to robertlidster@ymail.com  Please make the subject World Travel Reviews.

 

Depending on the type of business and review we may be able to gain further exposure in other leisure publications. We can also offer links from this blog to your own website.

LONDON HOTELS

RAMADA LONDON FINCHLEY

It's often said that you shouldn't mix business with pleasure, but that's hard to do when your business is the leisure industry! I often find myself visiting wonderful places in order to carry out reviews, and even when I'm on holiday, and not officially there to review the accommodation or destination, I find myself looking around with the critical eye of a writer. And sometimes, it is just very convenient to mix the two.

So it proved to be recently, when my wife and I attended a travel show in North London. It just so happened that the travel show was on the day before our 41^st wedding anniversary, so I thought why not have a hotel stay and combine visiting the travel show with celebrating our anniversary? Having carried out a thorough search of hotels in the area of Allianz Park, where the travel show was to be held, I decided upon the 3 star Ramada Hotel Finchley London, for a one night stay to rest after the show and to celebrate our anniversary.

Allianz Park is in Hendon North London, approximately ninety miles from where I live, and less than five miles from Finchley. We arrived at the show around midday and left at 4pm, which meant we arrived at the Ramada Hotel Finchley in good time to settle into our room before dinner.

The hotel was easy to find and is within easy access to the A406 London North Circular route. There is also quick and easy access to London city, by means of the underground network or bus route, allowing guests at the hotel the opportunity to be in the heart of London within thirty minutes. There are numerous shops and restaurants in the area, many within walking distance, which is ideal as the hotel has its own free car park for guests.

On viewing the hotel for the first time, I was aware that it has three very distinct areas. There is of course the main hotel entrance, clearly marked 'RAMADA', and adjacent to that is a large deck area, aptly named 'THE DECK', this is a fully heated area ideal for al fresco eating. Then there is 'FLAMES', a Greek restaurant serving Greek and Mediterranean style food, this is where we had booked our 6.30pm anniversary dinner.

 



 

 







 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On check-in at the hotel, the reception staff, on the 24 hour front desk, were exceptionally friendly and helpful, and made sure we had all the information we needed to make our stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. We were then given directions to our room which was situated on the second floor overlooking the car park. The room was accessible by either lift or stairs.



The Ramada Hotel London Finchley offers 88 spacious and well equipped en-suite guest rooms, located over three floors. There are four room types, Standard, Standard Triple, Deluxe and Executive. Accessible rooms are available in either Standard, Deluxe or Executive.

Our room, an Executive Room, was designed with the business traveller in mind. The room comes with all the features of a Standard Room, shower, work desk, tea/coffee making facilities, LCD TV with freeview channels, free wi fi, double or single beds, but also features Temple Spa Bath products, a Nespresso machine, complimentary bottled water, and complimentary snacks. At 22 square metres, the Executive Rooms are also 2 square metres larger than the Standard Room. I found the room to be well designed, bright, and nicely decorated, with all the comforts we would need for our overnight stay.

 

 

 



 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we had settled into our room and freshened up, we then made our way to Flames restaurant for our anniversary dinner. I had made the reservation for dinner by emailing the hotel with my request prior to arriving, a quick, easy and efficient means of booking.

As with the check-in staff, all the restaurant staff were very pleasant and helpful, we were immediately shown to our table by the window, handed a menu and our drinks order was taken. The menu provided a very good choice of food and drinks, all at very reasonable prices. We were both tempted by the Swordfish and Greek Salad, accompanied by Pitta Bread and Hummus. My wife chose a soft drink, whilst I chose a glass of very palatable red wine. The restaurant was fairly busy, with a number of tables occupied by party groups, with a group of youngsters at one table celebrating a birthday. There was a good atmosphere in the restaurant and the staff were attentive at all times. Having enjoyed a very good meal, we retired to our room for the night.

 



Breakfast the next morning was served in Flames restaurant. At check-in we had been given, along with our room key, two coupons for redemption at breakfast time. As we entered the restaurant a member of staff greeted us, took our coupons and invited us to sit where we wished, and informed us that breakfast was self service. We sat, once again, at a table by the window, and helped ourselves from the array of breakfast cereal, fruit, bread and yoghurt etc. A selection of hot food was on offer, which was served at a serving station, but tea and coffee was self service.

 

 

 

Check-out was as quick and easy as check-in had been on our arrival, and we were soon on our way, having had a most enjoyable stay. The hotel is extremely well placed for visiting London and surrounding area, and was perfect for our needs. The Ramada Hotel London Finchley is a budget priced hotel that certainly doesn't skimp on hospitality, and I would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel, or indeed staying here again. Both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay and found it an ideal place to celebrate our anniversary, as well as meeting our business needs perfectly. Now, what was I saying about mixing business with pleasure?

For more information on The Ramada London Finchley, please visit.

www.ramadahotelfinchley.co.uk .

Telephone: 0208 446 6644.

Email: reservations@ramada.london .

Post Code for Sat Nav: N12 0QZ.

NATIONAL TRUST

NATIONAL TRUST VISITS 2018

Every year at about this time, I write a summary of my visits to National Trust properties during the previous year. I have been a member of the National Trust for four years now, and in that time I have had the pleasure of visiting some truly wonderful places, and 2018 was no exception. I am happy to say that I also managed to fulfil two of my lifetime ambitions in the process. Here is a summary of four of the properties visited in 2018. For more in-depth information and for charges and membership details, please visit: www.nationaltrust.co.uk

FELBRIGG HALL & BLICKLING ESTATE

Whenever I am travelling within the UK, I will always look out to see what National Trust properties are in the area I am visiting. It was no different when in April I found myself spending a few days on a road trip which took in the beautiful county of Norfolk. I was very happy to find that there were two very substantial National Trust properties for me to visit within a short distance of where I was staying.

 

FELBRIGG HALL

 

 

The first of these was Felbrigg Hall, a magnificent house with some beautiful stained glass windows dating back to the 15^th century. Set in 520 acres of wonderful parkland and woods, Felbrigg Hall is an absolute delight, and even comes complete with a herd of very friendly, inquisitive cows which came to greet me and pose for some photos. Close to the famous seaside town of Cromer, Felbrigg Hall is easily accessible and provides ample parking along with a garden shop, gift shop, cafe and toilet facilities. The parkland is open from dawn to dusk, but as opening times for the house vary, please check the National Trust website prior to your visit.

 

Post code for Sat Navs: NR11 8PR

BLICKLING ESTATE

 

 

 

 

The second property visited on this trip was Blickling Estate, an incredibly well preserved Jacobean mansion with a very impressive 18^th century long gallery. Visitors, with an interest in books, will be extremely impressed with the marvellous, inspiring library, housing over 12,500 volumes.

Surrounded by a formal garden, the house is a joy to visit, and with the gardens leading onto undulating parkland, the opportunity to wander free is there for all. There is the obligatory gift shop for all those delightful little purchases, 3 very tempting cafes to tend to your culinary requirements, a garden shop and a very interesting second hand book shop.

For entrance charges and opening times please refer to the National Trust website.

Located in Aylsham, the post code for Sat Nav directions is: NR11 6NF

HADRIAN'S WALL & HOUSESTEADS FORT

One of the lifetime ambitions that I mentioned in my foreword, was to visit Hadrian's Wall. I have travelled to the north of England on many occasions, even venturing over the border into Scotland at least half a dozen times. However, for whatever reasons, I have never managed to find the time to visit Hadrian's Wall or any of the many forts and towers that are scattered along the way. The scale of the wall is very impressive, and it is both the scale and the amazing history that has always appealed to me, and fired up my imagination. So, in July I found myself setting off on yet another road trip, this time taking in all four corners of the UK. I was determined, on this occasion, to finally take the time to visit this very famous and historic wall.

I was heading to the Dumfries area of Scotland and had planned a route that would allow me to view both the wall and an old Roman fort, with a diversion of approximately sixty miles. The part of the wall that I had selected for my visit was near Housesteads Fort, a remarkably well maintained Roman fort, cared for by the National Trust. Close to the town of Hexham in Northumberland, the site was easy to locate using the NE47 6NN postcode provided by the National Trust on their website.

There is a charge to use the car park as it is not run by the National trust, but this is only a few pounds, and the car park provides ample parking. There is a small visitor centre with a gift shop, toilet facilities and a cafe area. From the visitor centre it is a ten minute walk to the site of the fort, and just a little further beyond the fort is Hadrian's Wall.

 

Unfortunately, due to time restraints, my time at Hadrian's Wall and Housesteads fort was shorter than I would have liked. Nonetheless, my visit was most enjoyable and I even managed a short walk along the top of the wall. The views were amazing, and even though the weather was somewhat inclement (typical British summer!), it did not dampen my enthusiasm, or, evidently, that of other visitors, with many people walking along the wall and visiting the fort.

I left Houseteads fort very pleased that I had made that sixty mile diversion. Both the wall and the fort far surpassed my expectations, and I would urge anybody with an interest in history, or even just a love of the beautiful British countryside, to pay this historically rich and extremely interesting site a visit, you won't be sorry you did.

THE GIANT'S CAUSEWAY



Following on from my visit to Hadrian's Wall, I spent a few days in Scotland before travelling by ferry across the Irish Sea to Belfast. It was to be in Northern Ireland that I would fulfil another of my lifelong ambitions, to visit The Giant's Causeway!

The Giant's Causeway is located just a few miles north east of the town of Bushmill in County Antrim. Bushmill is famous for its whiskey as well as being the gateway to the causeway. Having seen countless documentaries over the years about these incredible Basalt columns, and having heard the stories surrounding their formation, I was excited and intrigued to finally get to see and touch them, for myself.

Formed by ancient volcanic eruptions between 50 and 60 million years ago, the causeway is made up of some 40,000 interlocking columns. Unesco declared it a world heritage site in 1986, and in 2005 it was named as the 4^th greatest natural wonder in the UK by a Radio Times poll.

The columns form stepping stones leading from the cliff out to sea, and it is these stepping stones which led to the stories of two battling giants. Most of the columns are hexagonal and the tallest of these is a very impressive 12 metres high!

On arrival at the site, visitors will find ample car parking close to the visitor centre. It is then a downhill walk of approximately 20 minutes from the visitor centre to the causeway. However, a shuttle bus is provided, at a small charge, for both disabled visitors and those preferring not to walk. There is a coffee shop, gift shop, bureau de change, and toilet facilities within the visitor centre.

 

Although a very popular tourist destination, the site did not appear overcrowded on my visit, and as the coast and the coast path is open from dawn to dusk, there is ample time and opportunity for all to view and even stand on this historic site. I spent some time exploring the fascinating columns and sitting amongst them, gazing out to sea, and understanding perfectly just how the mythical tale of the brawling giants came about. The sun was setting as I left to continue my journey, and this stunning, picturesque scene made the moment seem even more magical. It was an experience that I will never forget!