Category: Accommodation

“The journey not the arrival matters.”

T.S. Eliot

I stayed in Flora Parc Barcelona along with my Family in March 2019.

Key Points to Note:

This hotel is around 10-11 Kms from Airport.

You can take Bus L99 from Terminal 1. The bus journey will take around 30+ Minutes. Bus stop is opposite to this hotel.

Please note that there is an Airport Free Shuttle bus service between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at the El Prat Airport. So, you can use this service to travel between the terminals (as they are far from each other)

The First bus from this hotel side to Airport is only at 5 AM. So, if you have an early flight, you might have to spend around 30-35 Euros for a cab.

Positives:

We had an early morning flight and the person in the front office arranged a taxi, on request.

The bus stop is near to the hotel. So, you can easily use the public transportation.

Have not tried the restaurant food, but you have lot of street food options in a walk-able distance.

Decent price for a Barcelona hotel.

Wifi connectivity was available in the room.

Negatives:

Very basic hotel with small rooms.

Seems it is a little old hotel.

Basic stuff like Dental kit was not available in the room. When checked with the reception, even they didn’t have one.

We cannot consider this as a typical ‘transit/layover’ type of hotel, as it is little far from the El Prat airport.

Basic stuff like drinking water bottles was not available (not sure if it’s common in Barcelona hotels)

More details can be found at https://floraparc.com/en/

We stayed in this hotel for 2 nights in April 2019, during our trip to Barcelona.

Positives:

• It’s less than 500m away(5 Min Walk) from the Metro Station(L4 Route – Llacuna Stop). So commutation to city centre/tourist attractions becomes easy.
• Breakfast is provided.
• The Hotel had enough stock of Universal connectors, which was very helpful for charging electronic gadgets.
• Seems there is a Beach in 15-20 Minutes walking distance.
• There is a bakery in front of the hotel.
• Rooms are like a typical ‘Holiday inn express’ type. So no specific complaint about the rooms.
• The Staff are very friendly and helpful. They helped me a lot while making a sightseeing plan in Barcelona. Front office staff is well aware of the tourist destination/metro network.
• The Wifi was available.
• There is a Mall (Glories) with many shops (and food court) in a 1Km distance from this hotel.
• Barcelona Hotels are normally very costly. Considering that, this hotel gives you a good deal.
• The locality is nice and silent.
• There is a Bus stop in a 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel.
• Its near to Rambla de Pomlenou (250m/3 Minutes’ Walk).

Negatives:

• Breakfast gets busy in peak hours, so you will have to wait for your turn, but staff is doing everything to manage efficiently.
• The hotel doesn’t have a full-fledged kitchen. So, they don’t provide lunch and Dinner.
• If you have a very early flight, then the only option for reaching airport will be a taxi. So be prepared to give around 40+ Euros for the taxi.
• You need to take 2 different lifts to reach your room from the ground floor.
• There is no gym facility here. You will have to depend on the 3^rd party fitness centre which is located in the ground floor.
• If what you are looking for is a hotel where you can spend a substantial part of your holiday, this is not your hotel. This one can be best described as a fantastic base to do your sleeping and having breakfast, while spending most of your time out and about in the city.

Positives:

We stayed in this hotel for 2 nights in April 2019, during our trip to Madrid, Spain.

• The hotel is located in a area very close to the main headquarters of the most important companies situated in Tres Cantos: GlaxoSmithkline, IBM, Serono, Sener, Danone, Sogecable, BDF Nivea, BP Solar, EADS, Software AG, Siemens, Deimos, Crisa. The hotel is also next to some industrial and Financial areas. So it’s a good option for a Business Trip.
• Free Wifi was provided.
• Madrid hotels are very expensive. So people tend to stay in such hotels away from city centre, even though you have to spend around 30-45 minutes in train to reach the main city.

Negatives:

• Its very far from the city center. You will have to walk around 500 m+ from the hotel to the railway station and from here you will have take a 30 minutes Train to reach the city center.
• The breakfast provided was very basic (I understand that its Holiday inn Express type of hotel).
• You don’t find much restaurants nearby. So lunch and Dinner options becomes difficult.
• If what you are looking for is a hotel where you can spend a substantial part of your holiday, this is not your hotel. This one can be best described as a fantastic base to do your sleeping and having breakfast while spending most of your time out and about in the city.
• There is no facility like a Gym or a Swimming Pool (as it’s belongs to a IHG Express Category)

How to Reach from Airport:

Train (C1) from Airport Terminal T4 –> Chamartín Station –> Change Train –> Train (C4) from Chamartín to Trescantos –> Walk 500 m to Hotel (Total Trip will be around 1Hour 10 Min)

Train (8) from Airport Terminal T4 –> Nuevos Ministerios –> Change Train –> Train (C4) from Nuevos Ministerios to Trescantos -_> Walk 500 m to Hotel (Total Trip will be around 1Hour)

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met”

John Green

We stayed in this hotel for a day in April 2019 during our trip to Barcelona. This hotel is 3.1 miles (5 km) from the airport.

Please note that this is of ‘Budget’ category.

Positives:

Negatives:

Even though its only 5 Kms from Airport, taxi guys would easily charge around 25 Euros. And if you have an early or late flight, taxi will be the only option available for you. So, this cannot be considered as a typical Airport hotel.

Breakfast was very basic (Ya, it’s a budget hotel and expectations should be according to that).

The rooms are very small (again, it’s a Budget hotel, so keep a limit on your expectations).

You will have to pay for the water bottles.

Only limited free car parking is available. Rest of them comes with a 5 Euro charge.

If your plan is just an overnight stay (may be for catching an early morning flight), this hotel can be an option, but please keep in mind of an additional 25+ Euros for the taxi to the airport.

The hotel doesn’t serve Lunch/Dinner. But you have some restaurants nearby. We found a nice Chinese restaurant in a 10 Min walking distance.

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” Roy M. Goodman

As a part of a business trip, I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights in March 2018.

Pros:

• Seems the hotel was opened in 2018 January. Very clean and Tidy.
• Staff speaks good English.
• Have separate coffee shop and restaurant
• Easy access to city centre
• Lot of departmental shops nearby
• Free WIFI available in rooms
• They have a charging point available with 3 pins (helpful for travelers from India)
• Have bathtub in each room
• Free use of bicycles (available at this hotel)
• Restaurant is decent; Complimentary breakfast was available
• Room Size was decent
• Lot of TV channels
• Staffs were very helpful.
• Free valet parking
• Yangsan Tower is not very far from this hotel

Cons:

• Its around 17 Kms from Busan

“To Travel is to Live” – Hans Christian Andersen

As a part of business trip, I stayed here for 2 nights in March 2018.

Pros:

• Have some 7/11 stores near by
• Seems to have lot of bars and restaurants, nearby
• Have WIFI connectivity in rooms
• Staff speaks good English
• A restaurant is available with the hotel
• Breakfast seems to have a good spread
• Have Fitness Center
• Airport bus available, from nearby this hotel
• They have a charging point available with 3 pins (helpful for travelers from India)
• Bathroom Fittings seems to be of high standard
• Entire hotel is very clean and silent

Cons:

• Rooms seems to be slightly smaller for 2 people with Luggage, Pretty decent size for one guest
• Not in city centre, I believe
• Number of TV channels were very limited
• Train station seems to be little far
• The main reception is on the 2nd floor, something strange (Not a real nagativem though)
• Did not have complimentary breakfast

One line summary

Nice hotel with good views (In Gangnam)

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

Anonymous

As a part of my Business trip to Johannesburg, I stayed in this hotel for a week in October 2019. It’s around 24Kms by car and would take around 30+ Minutes (around 350 Rands in Uber) from the airport.

Positives:

1) It’s a very large hotel with many rooms.

2) This hotel is in a very safe place and there is a police station just opposite to this hotel.

3) Rosebank Mall (a great shopping destination) is in a walkable distance from the hotel.

4) The restaurant is very spacious. The breakfast spread was also excellent.

13) Car park area is considered safe with barriers and spikes as security measures.

Negatives:

1) The hotel seems to be slightly old but there were renovations going on.

2) The Mini bar was empty.

3) There are no restaurants available nearby this hotel, the best option will be to look for the ones within the Rosebank Mall.

4) There were no much plug sockets available within the room, which was slightly inconvenient.

5) There’s a wall between the bed area and bathroom which is see-thru. (not a real negative, though)

6) There is a parking fee of 50ZAR.

7) There is an Outdoor swimming pool and a gym which are slightly small compared to the number of rooms in the hotel.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

Anonymous

Lochend Apartments is a complex of 50 serviced apartments, situated in Leith, 1.6 miles from Edinburgh Princes Street/Royal Mile, 1.4 miles from Edinburgh Playhouse and less than a mile from Leith Ocean Terminal/Royal Yacht Britannia.

We stayed here for a night in July 2019.

We stayed in a 2 BHK (with 2 Bathrooms) service apartment.

If you call them directly (@+44 131 561 4000), they give you a 10% discount on the website price.

One bedroom and Group apartments are also available.

Pros:

Free Wifi is available.

Free Sky Sports is available.

Free parking is available. (if booked through their website)

Apartment has a kitchen/dining area, all cutlery and crockery are provided.

Washing machine/tumble dryer and a fridge was also provided.

All bed linen and towels are provided in each apartment.

A breakfast starter pack with tea, coffee, sugar and cereal is provided on the day of check-in.

There are some super markets nearby.

Apartment was clean.

Price is reasonable, compared to the other hotels nearby.

They can arrange taxi’s for your travel needs, but try to get the price quote from the service provider before you book.

Cons:

There are no restaurants available within the campus.

Not exactly in the city centre, but Bus Number 34 stops outside Lochend Serviced Apartments and takes 10 minutes to reach Edinburgh city centre and Waverley Rail Station.

The cutlery/crockery options were limited.

Common areas like corridors were not clean.

They accept early check-in’s with some additional amount.

Summary:

There is a mixed review about this apartment in Websites like ‘Trip Advisor’ , but I would certainly recommend this, if you are looking for a convenient stay and a reasonable price.

More details in https://www.lochendapartments.co.uk/

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”

Anonymous

During our trip to Scotland, we got a chance to stay @ Caolasnacon Caravan & Camp site for 2 nights.

They have both old and new caravans. Better to ask for the new ones, when you do the booking.

I would certainly recommend this place to all my fellow travellers who are visiting this part of Scotland. This would certainly give you an authentic Scotland experience.

Website: http://www.kinlochlevencaravans.com/

Positives:

1) This campsite is surrounded by mountains and this adds a lot to the beauty of this caravan park.

2) Loch Leven is near to one side of the campsite, where you can do fishing.

3) 2-bedroom new caravans (static) were clean and excellent.

4) Owners and the ground staff were very helpful and caring.

5) Checkin – checkout process was very easy.

Negatives:

1) There are no shops nearby. The only one you will find is a decently stocked CO-OP shop around 15 Minutes drive from this place. The bigger town (Fort William) is around 35 minutes in car.

2) This is in fact not an issue with the caravan park as such, but an issue with Scotland as a whole. Outside you will find a lot of Midges. Good to take some precautionary measures.

3) Its slightly away from the main road.

4) Name boards are little less on the way. But google map would help you to reach this destination.

5) No specific office as such. One room of owner’s house is maintained as an office and all transactions happens through a window in that room.

6) No toiletries and towels were provided.

7) In kitchen, only limited pots and pans were provided and cleaning items were not given.

For a comparison; If you want to look for other options nearby, you can also check Invercoe camping.

“The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.”

Wallace Stevens H

I had stayed in this hotel for around 60 days (split across 6 months), as a part of business visit) in 2014.

Very cooperative staff.

Good location, very near to computer market and malls like AL-Faisaliah.

Lot of taxi options available outside the hotel.

It’s a big property with 2 different blocks, We used to have breakfast at one block and for the dinner we had to walk to the next block. Rooms can be changed on request basis.

The chefs here were very cooperative. Considering our request, they used to serve some Indian dishes like Dal curry for dinner (probably since we were staying for a longer period). Overall, the food served was really tasty and lot of options as well.

Has a decent pool outside the building, cleaned on a regular basis.

Well equipped Gym and a nice spa is available.

They used to arrange Bar-B-Que nights near the pool side, which was really nice.

They have a good and spacious lock room where u can keep your luggage in safe custody.

A mosque is situated quite nearby.

Lot of Indian Hotels near the property.

Special thanks to Medhat, Front Office Manager for all the support he had given us during our stay.

I am a Platinum holder of IHG Rewards Club. Till now, Holiday Inn group of hotels has never failed to meet my expectations, even the Olaya property is no different.