Posted in: Hotel Reviews
I spent 7 days here in May. The Stratosphere is ok & clean, I was on floor 21. The all-you-can-eat breakfast is 15 dollars and the pool is on floor 8. I could only stick it for one hour as the rap music on the speakers was very loud but i am 50!
The only issue was my wallet was stolen having all our money creit cards in. Having spent £1000 …
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
We just returned from our stay at the quality inn international. The hotel is an a great location, lots of shops & restaurants near by as well as some good museums such as titanic & ripleys believe it or not.
The i ride trolley stops practically right outside your hotel & will take you all up & down international drive, you can buy a 7 day pass for $10.
We found the rooms to be clean, had a fridge, safe, microwave hair dryer & coffee maker, clean towls as you like & rooms cleaned daily!
Reception desk staff were friendly at check in & helpfull with information we asked for during our stay, all in all its a good cheap place to stay for your holiday in Orlando!!
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
Lonely Planet Author and Cape Cod native Ray Bartlett heads out for a great day of humpback whale watching in Stellwagen Bank, an underwater nature preserve north of Provincetown. Whales have always been a key industry in this area, and luckily these days it’s whale watching and tourism, not whale oil and meat, that are the main attraction. The gentle, endangered giants did not disappoint: feeding behavior, flukes and flippers, and breeching made this trip stand out as one of the best.
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Posted in: Destination Videos
Booked the Encore at $129 a night, normal rate is $300 a night. The hotel only opened on 22 December and is the newest hotel on the strip.
Check in was a zoo with no proper lines. Waited 10 mins, asked for a quiet room on a high floor away from the noise of XS nightclub I’d read about. She said that would be north facing, but it wasn’t ready yet, could be 1-3 hours and took my mobile number to call when it was ready.
Got a pool pass and went there for an hour. It was mobbed, the beds were very close together and it seemed cramped. Eventually found 3 beds that looked abandoned. No phone call, but checked back around 2 and our room was ready, 6347, on the 63rd floor which is the top floor and at the very end so as far away from the noise as it could be.
Gorgeous room, bed area separated from living area with a marble divider and 48” flat screen TV that swivels between the two areas. The king bed was so comfy it was like sleeping on a cloud and I struggled to wake, electrically operated curtains and sheers, doorbell, privacy button rather than a card on the door.
Floor to ceiling windows with a view of Circus Circus, Riviera and the north strip. Saw as far as the Plaza which is downtown. Mini bar, but we didn’t touch it as items moved for more than 60 secs are charged to the room. 3 seater black sofa and one of the seats was extended like a chaise long. There was a desk, fax machine and internet access at $13.99/24 hours. The fully mirrored walls made the suite seem twice the size and the room was spotless.
There was a large bathroom with a very deep bath, separate shower, twin sinks and the toilet in a separate room with a phone. There were two bathrobes and digital weighing scales. Nice lemongrass and citrus toiletries – shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser, shoe polish, but there were only bars of soap instead of shower or bath gel. Large wardrobe with 3 drawers and the iron and ironing board and safe. There were also 4 drawers in the bedroom.
We also had dinner at Switch at the Encore where the walls and ceiling change every 30 mins. We chose the Prix Fixe menu at $59 each and both had the same, Corn Chowder, Petit Filet Mignon with whipped potatoes and milk chocolate crunch bar. With 2 coffees and a bottle of wine the bill was $183 plus tip and was worth every penny. The service was excellent and friendly with 4 or 5 people serving us. They had noted that it was my birthday and with dessert brought out a lemon sorbet with “Happy Birthday luci” pipe in chocolate on the serving tray.
Cocktail service was good in the casino and we had a couple of paralyzers which were very good.
I would cetainly stay here again if I got another offer.
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
This hotel is located on Palm Palkway which is 10 minutes from the Disney resorts and parks and is close to Junc 68 on the I4. It is a good base to use for the parks but beware the offer of free shuttle as it only goes 3 times a day and also only returns 3 times a day as well it also only stops @ Epcot so you then have to use the monorail or disney buses to get to the other parks. We ended up driving every day as it was more flexible even though you then had to pay $12 for the parks except the Water ones. Checking in was quick and the staff helpful. There is no bar but there are free drinks (soft, beer and wine but you pay for spirits) Mon - Thurs 5.30 to 7.30pm. Our room was on the 3rd floor and was spaciuos if a little dated (especially the kitchenette). The room was serviced every day with clean towels and bed linen every other day. Any issues we had were sorted quickly. The breakfast was Ok but repetitive,cereals, toast, a type of sausage and burger and if you don’t like scrambled eggs then there is little choice. Don’t be late as the food is cleared bang on time. The pool area is clean and gets the sun all day,the pool was warm and not too busy, the jacuzzi spa is also warm. We used the BBQ’s twice as an alternative to going out or eating in the room. The hotel is located on Palm Parkway and is surrounded by other hotels in a nice quiet area, the nearest supermarket id called Winn Dixie and it was very good for all manner of foods etc, there is also a Walmart approx 5 mins back towards Orlando. Don’t use the supermarkets which are toward the I4 as they are very expensive. we used the laundry twice and it cost $1.75 to wash and another $1.75 for the tumble dryer and both are quick approx 45 mins.Be careful of the kids using the Nintendo via the TV as they are chargeable and do not need a password to be used. Restautants to use are The Alehouse, The Green Orchid and a good bar is Johnnies Hideaway. If we were to return to this area we would seriously consider returning to this hotel.
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
We booked the Bellagio almost a year ago having previously stayed at Caesars Palace. We had high expectations based on reviews we had read and also the price we had paid but sadly were badly let down. On checking in we did get an upgraded room using the $20 trick and also it was my 50th birthday. However, on entering the room it was clear the standards were way below Caesars - the room had broken crisps on the floor so obviously had not been vacuumed, an empty wine bottle by the bin, 2 broken telephones and no bathrobes! Coupled with the fact the room was tiny compated to Caesars and only 1 bathroom and normal bath - in Casesars its 2 bathrooms, double shower and whirlpool bath - all in all very dissappointed with Bellagio. In addition the pool was very crowded on days the sun came out, beds were scarce but this was due to the fact that you were given so many towels, no-one bothered to move them when finished which made every bed look occupied when in actual fact they were not! Would not stay at Bellagio again - they use the Fountains as the main attraction to get you to stay there (yes they are beautiful) but the rooms badly let the hotel down - we will return but to Caesars!
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
This hotel complex is quite basic the food is very expensive limited to junk food only !…..£5 for a hot dog !
The free buses to the parks are very good frequent but can be overcowded sometimes. Rooms are very small indeed so if you are sharing with children be prepared to be cramped. The complex is very isolated so if you want to go anywhere other than disney sites you will need a car…without a doubt !
Would we go again ??……no !
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
we stayed here march /april 09 we arrived at 10 pm and the reception were very helpful giving us all the info we required about what time breakfast was and a sheet tell us the times of the shuttel bus arrived for the parks . The room was very big and very clean had a free safe ,tea / coffee plenty of towels sheets changed when you required it .the location of the hotel is very good with the i/trolley stop right outside you can buy your tickets fron the customer relation manager at reception who buy the way was outstanding who could not do enough for us.breakfast was continental delux opens at 7am and was a god send we fill up there before the shuttel bus arrived at 7:30 for the parks.all the hotel staff were very helpful and pleasent would do anything for you, please be carful crossing the road which is i/drive very busy please use the crossing about 100 yards each side of the hotel ,my son tried to cross the road not using the crossing and was knocked down by a car which spoilt our holiday but the hotel staff helped us with taxis to get to the hospital and other things they were a god send. There is a small pool at this hotel we only used it once it was very clean there is also launderette ,fitness room small but okay and a small games room.
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Posted in: Hotel Reviews
Although I’m prone to a bit of gambling, I have to admit that Las Vegas was never really high up on my list of “must see” destinations, but a conference took me there for 4 days in the dark English November months and I have to admit, Vegas really surprised me. So much so that I recently took advantage of late 2009’s economic downturn and got a fantastic package holiday to Encore on the strip. This Las Vegas review however concentrates on my first holiday there.
Of course everyone likes a bit of sunshine and decent temperatures, but I didn’t really know much about the city itself apart from the fact it’s Casino City! So if I wasn’t a gambler, would I have enjoyed it? The answer is yes, but 4 days would probably have been plenty and I’d suggest for those that don’t really like their Blackjack or slot machines, it would be better visited as part of a US tour, perhaps taking in California and the Western seaboard. …
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Posted in: Holiday Reviews