by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Sep 7, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports on arrival, as the name suggests this resort is two hotel resorts joined together, the main Reception and newer hotel being Mares, and the older resort being Luna which was used for check-in when we arrived. This was an excellent idea as the Luna Reception is less busy therefore check-in was quicker. Word of advice; if you let the hotel porters take your luggage to your room, don’t be fooled when they say; “only be 5 minutes”. Go for a little walk around the complex or grab a relaxing drink at the bar as the luggage porters are dropping off more than just your luggage and waits can be as long as half an hour unless you decide to take your own luggage to your room.
by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Aug 30, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; being seasoned travellers we have eaten at Butcher’s many times and have not been disappointed once. Even stopping in for a cup of coffee is a delightful experience.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports; their steaks are amongst the best I have tasted anywhere in the world and the service is unquestionable and faultless.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; whilst I would relish commenting on Trip Advisor about something which was not up to par; fortunately each and every time we had visited Butcher’s I would rank the food and service comparable with many of the top restaurants we have eaten at in London. Driss, the owner, is always happy to give you a personal welcome to his restaurant, which in my opinion is an excellent touch of service, and if you are in any doubt about your choice of wines then his vast knowledge and extensive wine collection is commendable.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; what can I say, but this is a 10/10 restaurant not to be missed when you visit Gambia, whether on holiday or business.
by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Aug 30, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; only stayed 2 nights and unfortunately didn’t get a chance to use the hotel’s facilities to their fullest capacity i.e., free gym, sauna and pool.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; what we experienced was absolutely First Class! The concierge staff at reception made our arrival very comfortable, simple and relaxing with a concise supply of information about the hotel and facilities. Breakfast in the morning, with the Maitre D’ paying attention to every single customer, together with her staff who were excellent.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports on the excellent and a well presented choice of food with nothing too much of a problem. The adjoining Californian Bar, which also has a satellite street bar in the centre island of the road, was a focal point and centre of activity especially during the evenings.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; being an extensive traveller and staying in many hotels throughout the world, I can honestly say that if you visit Vilnius you are crazy not to stay at the Ramada. The standard of cleanliness, attention to detail, service and opulence by comparison to the price you pay for all facilities (not to mention its central location) is absolutely remarkable when you compare the Ramada with other hotels. Excellent value for money.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; the Ramada Hotel ticks all the boxes and it is well worthy of all its Certificates of Excellence from Trip Advisor.
by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Aug 30, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; after our Mediterranean cruise, we tagged on a two night stay at the above hotel in Rome which provides some big pluses for others who are looking on Trip Advisor for somewhere to stay in Rome.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports; the hotel may not be in the centre but is close enough to walk to all the attractions. The Spanish Steps are approximately 15 mins walk. Hard Rock Café 10 mins; Trevi Fountain 15 mins and the Colloseum 25 mins; Scooter hire 15 mins walk. Or, alternatively, for €1.50 the bus stop is about 100 yards and takes you right into the heartland of Rome where you can hire Segways, bicycles or even just walk around Rome’s beautiful historic relics.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports; the hotel itself is small and compact but offers all the amenities of a much grander hotel. The staff are extremely friendly and always willing to help and advise and an ‘easy to understand’ map of Rome with all the attractions is available from Reception free of charge. The rooms and lounges are decorated and furnished in an extraordinary baroque style.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; the hotel also has a covered roof garden, which is extremely pleasant for morning breakfast or evening meal. On the roof terrace, there is a very small and somewhat cramped outdoor area, which has been created with plastic chairs and tables. A €5.00 per person extra charge is apparently added to your bill if you take up this option. In our opinion, we felt this small odd area and extra charge somewhat let the grandiose of the hotel down.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports; the other small annoyance was the fact that our room air-conditioning, which we had to leave on throughout the 2nd night was extremely noisy with frequent banging. Outside the room, the hotel itself always appeared extremely humid compared with the ambient climate outside the hotel.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; finally, for those of you who suffer from bad backs or necks, you may need to request different pillows as the beds are quite low to the floor compared with most hotel beds and the pillows are not as soft as you would normally expect in hotels. On our way to the airport with others who had also stayed at this hotel after the cruise, we discovered that the noisy air-conditioning problem was the same in other rooms.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; apart from these couple of issues we would certainly consider staying again and would highly recommend to others.
by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Aug 30, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; I notice many of the comments on Trip Advisor are about disappointment, poor quality of food, lack of food, poor service, broken and ‘out of use’ toilets, and no WiFi (or not working!)
Raymond Singleton-McGuire claims; with all these issues experienced by others, how lucky we were; being refused entry!
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; our gripe was the fact we were not permitted entry to the lounge because they were overbooked and overcrowded. Whilst disappointed, we were happy to return as we were promised entry one hour later. Unfortunately, we were again refused entry. Only this time we were ignored at the reception desk by rude and insolent staff members, and then horrifyingly hustled out after being told we were in breach of the health, fire and safety regulations!
Raymond Singleton-McGuire claims; yet, in the exact same reception area which they claimed should be kept clear at all times, was, a large reception desk!, four members of staff! and a queue of presumably, pre-booked customers all waiting in a line to gain entry!
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; clearly, judging by what others have experienced on Trip Advisor, our little escapade saved us from a far greater encounter should we have been allowed entry into No.1 Lounge at Gatwick South Terminal.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; we are seasoned travellers throughout the world using airport lounges frequently, and can honestly say this has to be the worst lounge experience ever being faced with unpleasant staff members. Clearly, the ‘No.1 Traveller Group’ need to up their ‘anti’ as I am sure with such rudeness and indignant behaviour, it will not be long if customers continue to complain before they get kicked out of Gatwick!
by Raymond Singleton-McGuire | Aug 30, 2018 | SMGBlog
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; could this place get any better; wow!! Excellent themed décor! Very impressive with clean WCs, not to mention ‘front-line’ river views.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire reports; the food was presented excellently, yet for some reason our garlic bread turned out to be a soft white breaded roll with what appeared to be garlic sauce poured over it, which seemed really out of character with the rest of the food presentation. What happened to the traditional way of doing warm, baked and crunchy garlic bread?!
Raymond Singleton-McGuire says; Oh yes! It was as if only yesterday we visited this place (perhaps a little over a year ago) and it was a small brick/wooden shack serving coffee and snacks.
Raymond Singleton-McGuire states; we will certainly be visiting this place again (don’t let the garlic bread thing put you off!). This is a truly impressive place to chill out on the riverfront whilst watching the boats go by.
