ODYSSEON HOTEL IN KALAMBAKA

This was a little bit like the hotel from hell. It says it was renovated in 2004. God! How must have it been then! You visit the web, everything seems new. When you get there, the story begins to tell the truth.

We arrived early, and as I suspected, our room was not ready, so we headed into town to have early lunch. On our return, we were given our room and I was rather disappointed.

The room was extremely hot, insects inside. Towels were hidden in the wardrobe, the bed sheets were... clean but looked worn out. It looked really old. TV set was minuscule and signal poor. Choice of channels limited. The bed was comfortable and quiet at night.

The shower was a joke that could not cope with the water that was gathered in the curtain (too short) so it flooded the bathroom that had a whole on the floor to cater for the excess of water. The toilet and sink were extremely close to the shower. The bathroom was minute and certainly, not renovated. The flush was rather unusual for today. And as in other areas in Greece, no toilet paper in the toilet...

The curtain in the main window, was not wide enough, so had light in the morning, that woke me up early. No problem... because I needed to get out early, as I was heading to Athens.

Internet was free... but in the lobby area. It was good for visiting the different Meteora monasteries, but the photocopy they gave you with timetables and routes to get there, was outdated. Parking is not a problem. Since the hotel is not in the centre of Kalabaka, there is plenty of space. Shops and restaurants are only 5 minutes walk away.

Breakfast was very weak. It is supposed to be a 3 star hotel, but I think some stars should fall. I could not see the time for getting out of there.

ODYSSEION HOTEL

Patriarchou Dimitriou 50,
Kalambaka 42200,
Greece
Tel: +30 24320 22320,
Fax: +30 24320 75307

ACROPOLE HOTEL IN DELFOS

The hotel was in one of the lower streets in the town centre of Delfos, 400 mts on foot from the main archaeological area. The problem was parking, which, according to the hotel information is available, but don’t get that fool you. There are a couple of spaces in front of the hotel, but once occupied, you need to look for a place to leave the car. The place is small, so it may not be that far, but considering the steps or the uphill of the road... it may not be that easy.

Checking in staff were helpful, but all the information they had from the town was in French, funnily enough. The room was rather small, and so was the bath/shower. And it was waiting for us at 33 degrees. Of course, the Aircon was switched on... and didn’t get off until we left.

The towels were rather small too, and only two supposed to be bath towels, spread on the bedspread, one of the dirtiest parts in a room... I was not impressed and requested at least, another towel for the hands. I got two.

The bathroom was small, and the bath was extremely small and on top of that, got a step bath... so the place to have the shower was... minimal. We did get recommended a restaurant, Epikouros, belonging to the same owner, it seems... and I have to say that the recommendation was really good; big quantities, good food and normal price. On top of that, 10% discount for staying in the hotel.

It was comfortable and quiet to sleep in, which, at the end of the day, is what you need. Nevertheless, a very spartan 3 star hotel.

Breakfast was basic. Yogurt was good but weak on the fruit and bakery side.

ACROPOLE HOTEL,
13 Filellinon Str,
Delfos 33054,
Greece

THE DIOSCOURI HOTEL IN SPARTA

It is rare that you end up in Sparta anyway, but if you are like me, who didn’t know the area, you may fall in this hotel, especially, with the good rating it has in Tripadvisor. If you can prevent it, please look elsewhere, as you are likely going to be better off. IT is well located, near the town centre, the Museum and on the way to one of the area attractions: The old city of Mistra.

The outside was rather strange. It looked as if the hotel, when built, it was not finished. You can look at the balconies, and you will see that the cement is there. Same happens inside the rooms in the ceiling. Style or intention? I will leave that up to you. It is a poor 3 star hotel.

Reception was rather old fashioned. You are given a key by the receptionist (probably the owner, who loiters around with the rest of the family watching Greek Soap Operas in the lobby TV) with a huge key ring, as in the old times. The lift looks from other times too. Buttons that don’t operate until the door is close (no memory).

The room was … basic, to put it nice. The Air conditioned was not on, so, it was the first thing I did, and stayed on throughout our stay. In summertime, and with the sun falling in our window, the room was really hot. The Décor was simple… specially the ceilings, that also showed the cement, as I said, as if it had not been finished. Internet was wireless… and free of charge.

The nearby (opposite) church played the bells throughout the night on the hour, until it got to 7am (I think it was) that a serenade of bells started to play… God! I was on holidays… Do I need to be woken up by the Church bells?

Breakfast was … I don’t know how to describe it. It was a bit of a disgrace. Yogurt was good, but that was about everything. The rest was… disgusting. All the things were out of a packet or a tin. Nothing fresh.

As I had my travel agent voucher, I didn’t need to do much at checking out.

THE DIOSCOURI HOTEL
Lycourgou 182 & Atridon Street,
Sparta 23100
Greece

RAMADA ENCORE DONCASTER

When you find a relatively new hotel, you are likely to get a better experience than in an old one. Well, that is, of course, depending on each other’s experience.

Getting there is a Tom-Tom experience. I had my map, but the roads were closed due to works, so... in the end, I got there. It is nowhere near the city centre. It is, in fact, an airport hotel. Just over the road, you can find Robin Hood Airport.

The Ramada Encore is a new hotel. Hence, no old furniture, smelly rooms... Well, to a point. When checking in, I was helped by a young lady who started with a nice smile that kept throughout the time I was there... and I was there for some time. It smelled like a "Fish & Chips" shop. I guess some of the guests had asked for it and the smoke and smell had gone out of the kitchen to invade the Reception air. It is true that the living/eating room was there next to the Reception, so maybe the Fish & Chips were already in the restaurant.

Lighting in the reception and the restaurant was really poor. A massive use of LEDs lamps were, of course, saving lots of electricity, but the lighting was extremely poor. Nice luminaires though.

I got a room on the first floor, but asked for a big bed, so in the end, I got transferred to the second floor. As the hotel is sooooo far away from the centre, and the roads were closed, the young lady sketched a map, that was not that precise in terms of drawing evaluation, but... it was crystal clear, so, without any problem, got to my destination. When returning back to the hotel, I thanked the young lady for her help, and she still remembered me.

The hotel was... basic. Nothing exciting. Negative point. Not free Internet. The heating system got me some time trying to figure it out... but eventually, I wan. The room was big enough, bed comfortable and overall clean.

Breakfast was... basic too, with some little surprises, like a loaf of fruits of the forest bread to cut and toast. Muffins were good too, but croissants just put you back. They didn't look fresh at all. Scrambled eggs were... not that exciting either. Coffee was out of a coffee dispenser, so hardly any good... but in the end, a little bit here, a little bit there, had something to eat first thing in the morning. It could have been better.

The hotel offered free of charge car-park; you needed a token to get out of the hotel.

Staff was extremely helpful.

RAMADA ENCORE DONCASTER Opposite Robin Hood Airport
First Avenue
Auckley
Doncaster
DN9 3GP,
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1302 718 520
Fax:+44 1302 772 045

CLARION HOTEL PLAZA IN ODENSE

When visiting Odense, in Denmark, the travel agencies tend to send you to two hotels: The Windsor and this one. I am sure there are more, but for some reason, I have only tried two. And from these, I prefer, without any doubt, the Clarion Hotel.

Its location is very good. Near the Station, opposite a park, city centre within walking distance... Nothing to complain about. It can even offer you a free car space... if you are early, of course.

The hotel is rather old fashioned. Decor and even the wooden lift take you back to early 20th century.

Welcome to the hotel was really nice. A nice smile in the lady behind the counter and offered all the information requested, without any hesitation. I was even invited to a free coffee (apparently, free of charge throughout the night) and a free cake, which, of course, I didn't miss.

The room... Well, I have to say that I have been in better rooms... Spacious... but nothing special. Like in other Scandinavian experiences, lighting in the room is rather poor and sad looking. The duvets are folded on the bed... I have to say that the bed was comfortable. The radiators were behind the curtains, so... the temperature inside the room was a bit cold.

Bathroom rather basic... but fine for me. The shower "swallowed" the water properly.

Apart from the free coffee and free cake, free car park ... the hotel offered free wireless internet... These days, actions like this are really a big plus, that I appreciate.

TV channels are local, and a couple of international ones. The good thing is that Danish TV tend to offer many programs with subtitles, so series tend to be easy to understand as they usually are American or British.

Breakfast is also good. Buffet, although they had run out of orange juice. Danish bread and salami were good, also some cakes they offered and coffee was good too. I love the machine they have to slice the cheese...

It is a no frills room, but definitely, a good choice of basic hotel.


CLARION COLLECTION HOTEL PLAZA ODENSE

Østre Stationsvej 24
5000 Odense C
Denmark

Telephone: (+45) 6611 7745
fax: (+45) 6614 4145
Email: cc.plaza@choice.dk

EL ESPINAR HOTEL

If there is a place lost in the middle of nowhere, that is El Espinar Hotel, in Segovia province. It is less than 1 hour's drive to Madrid, and even less to Segovia and Ávila, two very touristic towns North of Madrid.

It is definitely, a place to go to by car, unless you want a nice walk from the railway station or the bus station.

The hotel is situated by the road N-VI, from Madrid to La Coruña. It is actually located inside an Industrial Estate with a few buildings, a bit separated from everywhere.The rooms are fairly good, for a 3 star hotel. As the hotel was built in 2008, it still shows it is new. The good thing is that you don't have problems to find a parking space. Plenty of it outside the hotel.

It has two floors, and the receptionist wanted us to walk, so she gave us the top floor, furthest room she could find, at the end of the corridor. One, would have thought that it was the last room left... Far away from reality. We were actually the only ones in the hotel. Good thing... Wireless connection was available throughout the hotel and was free of charge.

The room was really cold. (It was about freezing outside) and he heater started when we put it on. One of those cases that when you leave the room, you need to take the key out, and the heater stops...

The bathroom we got had a shower, no bath. For me, that was a very positive point... but I know that there are people who love having a bath. Other rooms do have a bath... The hotel supplies soap and shampoo, and little more.

Bed is comfortable, and that extra blanket is always welcome if you don't leave the air heater on. I personally, don't like to sleep with a fan on... Noise is always a problem and the moving air makes your throat funny the next day... So, for me, the blanket was the best option. Although, I must say that getting out of bed without the heating, was... a bit of a challenge. I wan, of course...

Breakfast... was not included in our rate, but we were informed that it was just 5 Euro per person. So we tried it... just one day. It was very poor. They didn't even bother to get the cook early in the morning. It was prepared the night before, and bread was slightly stale, and hardly any choice. All prefabricated and packed... nothing fresh. Even coffee was in a thermos. I have to say that we were there just over New Years, so maybe at a different time, they may look after breakfast better... However... You cannot find that many times a breakfast just for 5 Euro. Only down the road, in nearby San Rafael, still on the road, there was a "Churrería" where you could have a nice breakfast too...

The hotel did meet our needs. It allowed us to move around the different places we wanted to visit... and it certainly was a quiet place to relax after a hard and tiring touristic day.

HOTEL EL ESPINAR

Crta. N-VI P.K 66,
40400 El Espinar, (Segovia)
España

Tel: 921 18 32 32
Fax: 921 18 25 31
email: recepcion@hotelelespinar.es

HOLIDAY INN RESORT NICE - PORT ST. LAURENT

Hotels normally have grand names. Sometimes, experience tells you the name lives to reality, some others, its wishful thinking.

The Holiday Inn Resort Nice is more... tsecond option. It is close to the airport, which is convenient if you arrive late... Well, sort of. Taxis don't want to take you there because it's literally, round the corner... But you can't go there on foot. There are "navettes" (shuttle buses) that take you there... When they work, of course. If you arrive late, you end up stuck in the airport, without a "navette", as they don't work after certain hour, and no taxis wanting to take you there. Well, that's service for you.

When you get there, the reception staff are friendly and tell you all you need. You get to the room, and then your "adventure" continues. The rooms are spacious, but furnished with old times items, in desperate need of renovation. It is just an old 3-star hotel.

Bathroom and toilet are separated, which is always good if you are sharing. Bathroom kit is a bit scarce. A little hand soap and some moisteriser. For the shower, there is a soap dispenser. It smells pleasant, by the way.

Bed is big and comfortable. It is a shame the room was freezing cold and there was a draft. The windows, even with the curtains drawn, allowed a lot of cold and air to come inside.
My remote control for the TV didn't work. I was so tired that I didn't need it. But had I needed a little bit of entertainment, I would have been a bit annoyed.

Morning breakfast was a buffet... A few cold meats and cheese, yogourt, toast (that I accompanied with Nutella, my favourite) and pain au chocolait. The hot food was not that interesting... Scrambled eggs (soup version), a bland omelette, roasted tomatoes... And not much more.

Juice and cereals too. Coffee was horrendous and staff was rather slow... And the worst of it was that they only needed to pour the coffee.

I was not impressed by the hotel. I have to say that everytime they offer me a Holiday Inn, whether it is Express or the standard one, I am not very happy. I don't like them. I guess in the past they were nice hotels but now they seem abandoned.

If you have another hotel in the area to choose from, go for it. The Holiday Inn should be the last choice.


HOLIDAY INN RESORT NICE-PORT ST. LAURENT
167 PROMENADE DES FLOTS BLEUS
SAINT LAURENT DU VAR, 06700
FRANCE
Telephone: +33-4-93148000

HOTEL IBIS MONS CENTRE GARE

An Ibis is an Ibis. There is not much you can say about them. You go to one and you could go to a different one to see that there is not much difference. However, Ibis Mons Centre Gare has 72 spacious rooms (a bit cold in winter, as you get there and the radiators are cold...) and big bathroom. Still, they have the same functional style that characterises the chain.

It is just opposite the railway and bus station, it is only 500m from the historic town centre of Mons, numerous activities are nearby. Getting to it is also easy. The motorway exit 24 will take you into Mons centre, and then follow the signs to "GARE".

Breakfast is more than what I had expected. Coffee was good. Juice as well. There was some cold meat, cheese, yogurt, wonderful pain au chocolate and croissants, that in this part of the world, are excellent... toast... well, a relatively good breakfast to enjoy.

Parking is easy. It has a safe car park at the back of the hotel, and if required, but don't think it comes free. You need to pay for it. But, you can always park opposite the hotel, in the street. Mons doesn't seem that dangerous city.

WiFi Internet access and you have to pay for it, using your credit card... A system, which under my point of view, is not very attractive.

Hotel Ibis Mons Centre Gare
Boulevard Charles Quint 27b -

7000 - MONS

BELGIUM

Tel : (+32)65/847440

Fax : (+32)65/847441

THE BRITANNIA ADELPHI HOTEL IN LIVERPOOL

It may be one of those buildings you cannot miss in Liverpool. The Adelphi Hotel is very well situated, next to the railway station and the buzzing shopping district. Public transport (buses and underground) are also quite at hand. The reception staff were not that interested in the guests, who, of course, had to wait for them to come out, while conversations and laughs about their private lifes were taking place behind the mirror wall.

The building it self shows the splendour the city once had... It has 402 bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms. According to the hotel, they are beautifully presented in Edwardian style with plenty of character. In my opinion, I got the impression of being in a huge Russian Hotel... I felt it was quite bare in decoration, poorly lit, and quite basic. I had been told that the hotel seemed as though it had been important a long time back, but since that time, little renovation had taken place... and the comments were not exaggerate. I must say that I felt a bit let down by the hotel. Rooms are big but extremely basic. The furniture and door frames had undergone several layers of paint throughout the years. The bathroom was big, and it had a Jacuzzi bath tub... but little extras there.

Like any bed and breakfast, the room had its TV on a really cheap and nasty wheeled table, Telephone, and Tea & Coffee making facilities (also hot chocolate). This hotel also features 2 great restaurants, 2 bars and a pizzeria. You can also find a gymnasium. Additionally, there is also a Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and solarium in addition to the beautiful heated marble swimming pool.

If you are travelling by car, it has a car park, but they charge you for the space... They still do it the old way. You take the car, then they park it for you until the car park is full... and I mean full. They even park cars in the corridors to maximise spaces.

Breakfast... Well, what can I say about breakfast...? Very sad. You feel like being inside a local cafe, rather than in a Hotel. The Continental breakfast offers you a rather "cheap" looking variety of products. Personally, I didn't go for English breakfast, although, other guests seemed to like it extremely. Shockingly enough, there were people who just came in the Hotel to have "breakky".

Summarising my stay, I can say that the hotel was clean, handy for visiting the city, but far away from a decently stylish hotel. Breakfast needs to improve considerable; so does the decoration. There is nothing wrong with old style decoration... But one thing is old... another, the "abandoned" state the hotel is...

I am sure that if the hotel was taken to 21st century standards, it would be a reference hotel. For now, I have to say, it is a poor choice, and will think twice before checking in again.


BRITANNIA ADELPHI HOTEL - LIVERPOOL
Ranelagh Place, Liverpool L3 5UL United Kingdom
Tel: +44 0871 222 0029
Fax: +44 0871 222 7009
Email : res700@britanniahotels.com