Archive for Hotels
Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year and if your budget can stretch to more than chocolates and flowers, how about looking at these last minute gems? They still have availability (at time of posting) and they are either personally recommended or have great online reviews:
Dylan Hotel, Dublin
A gorgeous 5 star Boutique Hotel located in a quiet, residential area of the city, the Dylan hotel is 10-15 minutes walk from the city centre (or a few minutes by bus). I was shown around the Dylan last December and loved the fact that each one of the 44 rooms is different. All are luxurious and stylish, complete with iPod docking stations and plasma TVs with movies on demand.
A luxury double room is still available at €269 EUR per room per night. Return flights from Ryanair from London Gatwick to Dublin are still available at £248 for two.
Guest House Salsalito, Algarve
The Guest House Salsalito in the fishing village of Burgau really is a hidden gem. A mixture of Moroccan and Portuguese décor, it’s been lovingly, designed and built by owners, Ralph and Sally Eveleigh. Private and secluded, breakfast is served on the terrace every morning overlooking the wonderful pool and tropical gardens.
Prices are around £50 B&B per night for 2 people during Jan-Mar. Flights however this weekend cost a little more (!) at £476 for two, return from London Gatwick to Faro. The weather forecast for the Algarve this weekend is SUNNY with temperatures of 15°C…
The Pelham Hotel, London
For something a bit closer to home, how about a night at The Pelham Hotel in South Kensington, London? An elegant and luxurious townhouse, the Pelham Hotel is close to the Victoria & Albert and Natural History Museums, Harrods, Hyde Park, the shops of Knightsbridge and the new Westfield Shopping Centre.
They have a special Valentine’s Day offer of £250 plus VAT per room, per night for a Queen Double room, which includes a bottle of champagne in-room on arrival, rose petals, chocolates, candles in the evening and champagne breakfast in bed.
Spa Finder Gift Vouchers
If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to a weekend away, but could stretch to more than chocolates or flowers, how about some Spa Finder Gift Vouchers? They can be used locally at more than 250 spas in UK or at more than 5,000 spas worldwide. At the moment, buy over £75 of spa vouchers and you’ll receive a box of luxurious chocolates!
See the Plan Your Travel page for more information on Spa Finder. The Plan Your Travel page also has useful websites for car hire and airport parking, if you do decide to go away.
Filed under: Destinations, Europe, Hotels, Reviews: Hotels, Places to Eat, Destinations, UK & Ireland | B&B, luxury hotel|1 Comment
As someone who provides help with planning holidays, it’s impossible to try all the places I come across in my holiday research, but The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire was one place I thought I’d just have to visit.
The Grove Hotel is an 18th century, luxury country estate in Hertfordshire that offers a mix of traditional and contemporary, or ‘grand and groovy’, as Martin Hulbert, the design director, says.
I’ve featured The Grove in Your Travel Planner before (see UK family friendly hotels at Christmas time) and as they were running their Christmas activities throughout the week, we decided to stay for 4 nights in between Christmas and New Year to take advantage of the lower prices as well as the festivities.
The verdict: fabulous. It’s a great retreat for families and couples alike.
The contemporary with traditional design gives a lovely open, unstuffy feel so that you and the children are immediately relaxed as soon as you walk in. It’s also only at Junction 19 of the M25, so anyone arriving from London is going to love the short journey to this wonderful retreat.
Bedrooms: The luxury hotel is split into two distinct parts - the original mansion and the new wing. Our deluxe room in the west wing accommodated a family of four very comfortably and had a balcony that overlooked the gardens. All rooms have large flat screen plasma TVs and the deluxe bathrooms have separate power showers and free standing baths. Our children also enjoyed the extra touch of milk and cookies in our room every evening. The only negative is that wardrobe and storage space could have been better, especially for families.
Restaurants: The luxury hotel has three restaurants, from the à la carte Colette’s, to the chic Glasshouse serving buffet dinners - and The Stables, a relaxed and informal eatery with a bar serving wholesome food. We ate all our meals in either the Glasshouse or The Stables and couldn’t fault the food and service.
Leisure Activities: There was a whole programme of entertainment for guests staying over Christmas through to New Year, including Scaletrix, games rooms (with all the game consoles a child could wish for) and family Christmas games. The Grove also has two indoor pools - the largest is in the Spa and a smaller one for younger children in the Kids Club. In the summer, there is also an outdoor pool in the lovely Walled Garden, which also unexpectedly houses a beach.
As a luxury family friendly hotel, there really is something for everyone. Golfers will love the fact that Tiger Woods has played at The Grove’s golf course. We swam every day in the Spa, borrowed bikes to explore the grounds, played tennis, snooker, table tennis, chess in the garden, board games in the lounges and turned up for football on the playing field (unfortunately the ground had frozen solid!).
Service: Even during a four night stay, there will always been something in your room that needs attention, but we never had to wait long to have anything seen to. From the valet parking, to reception and guest services, I was impressed by the friendliness and attentiveness of all the staff.
The Grove Hotel gave us top quality family time after a hectic Christmas. It’s undeniably a luxury hotel and the rates and restaurant prices reflect this. All our leisure activities were included, however, and comparing a four night stay to a week abroad (our original plan), you really do feel as if you’ve been away for a week - without the added stress of travelling.
If you’ve stayed at The Grove or been to similar hotels, please do let readers know and post a comment.
Filed under: Destinations, Hotels, Reviews: Hotels, Places to Eat, Destinations, UK & Ireland | family friendly travel, family travel ideas, help with planning holidays, holiday research, luxury family friendly hotel, luxury hotel hertfordshire, the grove resort hotel hertfordshire, Your Travel Planner|1 Comment
Maldron Hotel Parnell Square is a 3 star hotel, just off Parnell Square, north of the Dublin’s main shopping and entertainment areas.
I was there for just a 1 night stay last weekend and thought I would write a review for Your Travel Planner readers.
The hotel is conveniently situated, although I preferred areas south of the centre and the River Liffey, such as St Stephen’s Green. However, O’Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare, is a 5 minute walk and the main shopping and entertainment areas, such as Temple Bar, Grafton and Henry Street are within a 10-15 minute walk.
We requested the quieter rooms at the back of the hotel and these were nicely appointed, with a stylish and contemporary feel. The beds are very comfortable and extra pillows were provided in the room. The air-conditioning seemed to work fine and windows could be opened if needed. There was a flat screen TV in the room, tea and coffee making facilities and a small iron and ironing board (which, though useful, would be more effective if it was bigger!).
The bathrooms are simple but fine. However, the only bathroom product was a soap dispenser (Dove) by the sink and in the shower.
Buffet breakfast was included in our rate and there was a good choice of continental and English. One big positive was that it was served from 8am to 11am on weekends, great for those late Saturday nights in Dublin!
The front of house staff were friendly and the hotel was very accommodating when we had to leave our bags before check-in on Saturday and after check-out on Sunday.
Unfortunately, I can’t comment on the bar, as it was never open when we would have liked to have a drink (late Saturday evening and mid-afternoon on Sunday).
However, overall, I think Maldron Hotel Parnell Square offers great value for money and is a good choice for a weekend stay.
Filed under: Destinations, Hotels, Reviews: Hotels, Places to Eat, Destinations, UK & Ireland | Review Maldron Hotel Parnell Square, weekend stay Dublin, Your Travel Planner|No Comments
Looking for a stress-free Christmas? Then staying in a family friendly hotel in the UK could be the answer.
Christmas is a time of celebration with our loved ones, but I’m sure most parents would agree that it can also be VERY stressful.
Recently, I’ve been doing some holiday research into an alternative way to make Christmas a special time that you and your family will remember, even though you’re away from home.
Many UK hotels have special Christmas and New Year events and breaks. The family friendly hotels offer parents a chance for someone else to do Christmas…and still make it extra special.
The luxury hotel, Clivedon, is a grand stately home set in the heart of the Berkshire countryside. As well as Christmas Day lunch, there’s plenty for the family to enjoy - a Boxing Day treasure hunt, indoor heated pool, indoor tennis, snooker room and children’s rooms with Nintendo Wii games, DVDs on 42″ screens and traditional games.
The Grove Hotel is an 18th century, luxury country estate in Hertfordshire that offers a mix of traditional and contemporary. They’re offering a whole programme of entertainment for guests staying over Christmas through to New Year, including Santa’s Grotto, a pantomime, Scaletrix and family Christmas games. The Grove also has an indoor pool as well as bicycles for families to explore the grounds.
These are just two of a number of hotels where families could escape to experience a different, but equally special Christmas. As you would expect, prices are higher during Christmas and New Year. Some hotels (like The Grove) are running their Christmas activities throughout the week, so you could still take advantage of the festivities in between Christmas and New Year, when the prices are lower.
If you’re taking a hotel break at Christmas, let us know where you’re going or post a review when you get back!
Filed under: Hotels, UK & Ireland | family friendly travel, family travel ideas, holiday in UK, holiday research, luxury hotel, resort hotel|No Comments
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