PAROS in the SPRINGTIME

Advantages: Grand Central Station
Disadvantages: Crowded in July and August

...Despite being the hub of Greek Island ferries, Paros has a laid back attitude, outside of the high season of July and August. We did some island hopping at the beginning of June and were pleasantly surprised at how much Paros has to offer. Originally we only planned to stay overnight, en route to one of the more famous islands in the Cyclades, but I ended up staying for 5 days. We landed in Paros Town / also known as Paraika and followed the first person who offered us a room to their small hotel, Manolis / Jimmy's apts heading left about 800 metres (or yards) away from where we docked. The manager was named Kiki and she had spent her first 15 years in Australia. She was very helpful and pleasant, despite the demands of her young daughter, Maria. On the plus side, this hotel was 1/2 block from a beach, restaurants, bars...

Reynarda 15.06.2003 (26.11.2003) · Read review
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Review of Paros (Greece)

Going for a Dzong - A visit to Paro Ringpung Dzong

Advantages: Spectacular example of Bhutanese architecture
Disadvantages: Not for those who are unsteady on their feet

...For most visitors to Bhutan, Paro Dzong will be either the first or the last dzong that they visit in the country. This is due to it's proximity to Paro Airport, the country's only air-link with the outside world. For us it was the first dzong and one to remember. As our plane landed and taxied along the runway my eyes swivelled to hunt out the big white block on the hillside which I knew from my pre-trip research would be the dzong. What's a Dzong? The concept of a dzong is an unusual blend of the sacred and the secular and something that's found in Himalayan Buddhist communities but is most characteristically Bhutanese. Traditionally a dzong was a combination of a fortress crossed with a monastery whilst today most serve as a combination of monastery and local government administration centres. I find something engaging about...

koshkha 06.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Paro Ringpung Dzong, Bhutan

Booking.com helps hotels cheat customers.

Advantages: extensive database of hotels, many quite inexpensive
Disadvantages: if a hotel cheats you, they will apologize, but do nothing.

...Booking.com: Colluding with Corrupt Hotel Owners to Cheat Customers? I am sorry to have to write this review, but I have tried for months to get Booking.com to address my complaint. I have reserved rooms using this service in the past, and have been very pleased. This, however, came to an end this summer. I booked a room at the Travel Inn in Reykjavik, only to find, upon arrival, that my wife, son, and myself were escorted to a car with no explanation. Eventually the clerk told us that we would be driven to the "other" location. The Travel Inn has, it seems, bought space in the Pavi Guesthouse (over a mile away). I would have refused on principle, but I know the situation in Reykjavik is such that I might have had no options. We were driven there, the driver stopped along the way to encourage me to withdraw money from...

seth66 23.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Booking.com

Weaving and Threshing

Advantages: ~
Disadvantages: ~

...full of art in the form of dance-masks and thangkas. Ancient maps. It is a museum in the old style, where the exhibits simply sit there, with a little interpretative literature. No games to play, no computer interactivity. Just 'stuff' ~ to make you think. My kind of museum. This was easily a place to spend a whole day. Unlimited time in the museum itself and then time to wander the beautiful gardens and courtyards, to marvel at the architecture?maybe to catch a competition on the archery field. Then on to the main Dzong? Another time. HOTEL(S): As you might expect from a point of entry, Paro is well-supplied with accommodation ~ most of it scattered on the low slopes above the main town. Many of them are what the guidebooks term "resort style", that is the rooms are scattered chalets clustered around a central...

hiker 21.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Paro (Bhutan)

Hotel International

Advantages: Location, breakfasts
Disadvantages: Poor rooms

...I recently went on a cultural girlie trip with a friend to Paris. I was left to do all the booking. I was looking for a reasonable hotel, near a metro stop, which included breakfast. I came across the Hotel International on various travel sites and it seemed fairly highly rated so I booked us in for three nights. LOCATION: The hotel is located 6 Rue Auguste Barbier in the 11th Arrondissement. The nearest Metro stop is Garcourt which was a two minute walk away and it was a five minute walk to Republique which gives good links to other lines. It's not really central enough to avoid the Metro and walk to the attractions but it was located so close to a stop that it seemed ideal. PRICE: Prices vary depending on size of room and season. There are singles, doubles and triples available. We paid Euro254 for the whole time...

tartlette83 17.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hotel International, Paris

sachas hotel

Advantages: good price,great location
Disadvantages: no window

...****Sachas hotel- Manchester**** I booked this hotel last minute as i had a job interview in Manchester and needed somewhere quite cheap ,that was also near the centre. **Location/Getting there** This hotel is located in Tibb street which is a 2 minute walk from Piccadily Gardens or 10 minutes away from Chorlton street bus station.The Train station is a little bit further away say maybe a twenty minute walk but i don't think that this is that bad .You can also get a tram from Piccadily gardens and this goes to quite a few places.You could also get a taxi to the hotel but i am not sure what parking is like if you were to take your own car. **Reception/staff** Since i had never been to Manchester before i phoned and asked the staff for directions -they were very nice and helped me out.When i got there i think i got the same...

katie22008m 04.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Britannia Sachas Hotel, Manchester

ONE FOR THE HOTEL INSPECTOR

Advantages: Location, price & views
Disadvantages: Standard of rooms, maintenance issues, no parking & pretty much no standards

...AND PRICES I went through a few major hotel websites and came across The Claremont Lions, which seemed a reasonable price and sounded like it was well situated and of a good standard compared to the rest of the hotels in Eastbourne. Well the write up made it sound like an amazing standard but having stayed in a lot of hotels I know that's normally nothing to go by. After deciding on the hotel we were going to use I set about getting some comparables and came up with the hotels own website being the most expensive at £80, Lastminute.com at £69 and Hotel pronto at £59 which seemed really reasonable especially as I could get 8% cash back from the cash back website I use. It was simple to book online it took my 2 minutes to complete my details and my payment information. I was then sent an email confirmation and the hotel voucher. Booking online...

gemax2 25.05.2008 (26.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Claremont Hotel, Eastbourne

Fantastic Hotel

Advantages: Fantastic Food
Disadvantages: Lifts are quite small

...When we decided to make a return trip to Benalmedina we opted to go to the four star Hotel Las Arenas as it was recommended by friends. It is slightly further out just opposite the Castle Bill Bill and when you cross the road it?s a flat walk all the way to the marina which is away from the large hills on which many of the other hotels are located. Reception On arrival check in was swift and at this time we opted to pay for a safety deposit box we were then handed the safe key and card key to room 524 and pointed in the direction of the lifts. On looking round reception it was laid out with tables and chairs and also had a grand piano, a small bar ,toilets and computers with internet access. There is a large board telling you about entertainment available during the day and at night. The whole area was laid out for wheelchair access...

elspeth334 15.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Las Arenas Hotel, Benalmadena

Great stay at this hotel in Prague

Advantages: Low price paid per night, decent basic breakfast
Disadvantages: No tea and coffee facilities inside the room.

...Hotel Apollon Prague Introduction Having stayed in Prague many times before I decided upon staying at this hotel as it was slightly outside the town centre area of Prague and it did have easy access to the town centre by using trams. Getting there From Dejvicka we got the green line metro to Mustek, wencezlas square, then outside Debenhams from Wencezlas square I took the number nine tram which took about 15 minutes on the tram. Paying for the accomodation This was paid for in advance using a credit card using www.booking.com. I paid a total of £20 a night which was excellent value for money, though I was slightly annoyed as my credit card was charged straightaway for the booking. I was also charged 50 czech koruna which is about £2 for breaking the card key to the room. Though all in all I was happy...

costas1234 03.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Apollon Hotel Prague, Prague

Oh La La debmercury stays in Hotel Bellevue Paris

Advantages: Excellent location and good value for money
Disadvantages: Not suitable for disabled people

...The Hotel The Bellevue hotel is a three star hotel and has 36 rooms, which are all nicely decorated in either burgundy or blue tones. It is a four storey building with lots of parisian style. The hotel is a small independantly run hotel which is in a fantastic location 19 Rue d' orsel, 7518 Paris which is at the foot of the Sacre Coeur church in Montmartre. I had pre-booked a taxi online when I booked this break. Taxi was from the Charles de Gaulle airport and when we arrived the Bellevue Hotel was lit up outside and looked very warm and welcoming. The hotel has a small reception desk which is open twenty four hours and the reception staff are very friendly and helpful. At the side of the reception desk there is a large rack with lots of tourist information leaflets on where to go and places of interest...

debmercury 16.05.2009 (27.11.2009) · Read review
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Review of Bellevue Hotel, Paris