Our base at Basingstoke

Advantages: Lovely suite, good food, attentive staff
Disadvantages: Traffic noise

...Well we had been invited to out nephew?s wedding in Dorset and I also had to take advantage of my Christmas present from Dave, which was feeding tigers by hand at Paradise Park, Broxbourne. We also decided that we could go to Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures while we were down there. I am full time carer to my mother who has Vascular Dementia so we don?t get away very often as mom has to go into a respite care home, so when we do we like a bit of luxury. We are members of the Paramount Leisure Breaks Club and have visited a few of the hotels in the group so I looked on their website first to see if any of their hotels were ?central? enough for us. I found the Basingstoke Country Hotel in Basingstoke (I bet you?d never have guessed that would you?) and we thought it looked ideal for us. The facilities looked good...

SusanLesley 19.08.2007 (20.08.2007) · Read review
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Review of Basingstoke Country Hotel, Basingstoke

A Little Piece of Narnia in Basingstoke

Advantages: It's free, it's peaceful, large car park and close to a pub.
Disadvantages: Not enough to do, toilets not always open, no seats.

.... The Walled Garden is easily identified by the large ornate front gates. All main bus routes from the town centre pass here on a regular basis but to be honest I don't think it's really worth spending travel fare on. *** What Is It? **** The fully enclosed walled garden is situated in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The land used to part of the historical Down Grange Estate in 1800 and originally served as a kitchen garden to The Down Grange House. As you approach through the entrance gates, it resembles something from ?Narnia?, this is truly a delightful ?secret? garden that you least expect to find, just off Pack Lane. Today Basingstoke and Deane council own operate and maintain the Walled Garden as a public garden and wildlife area. Original features however still remain such as the yew hedges, croquet lawn and beautiful gothic...

mrsmopples 06.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Walled Garden Basingstoke, Hampshire

ITALY COMES TO BASINGSTOKE

Advantages: excellent food
Disadvantages: see review

...Ciao baby is a new restaurant to me and I?m still not sure whether it?s a chain of restaurants or just the one in Basingstoke?s festival hall. We recently paid a very short visit to Basingstoke, where I have to confess I saw one of the best shopping mall?s I have ever seen. It was bright, well laid out, and accessible. A surprise meal had been organised by friends, and I was pleasantly surprised to find we were eating Italian ? at Ciao baby! Having spent time in Italy this year, it brought back a few fond memories. Entry to the restaurant is via, glass doors on a ground level setting, it is a family restaurant and there were young children there. Inside on your way to the table you pass some almost irresistible looking cakes, covered in chocolate and set with fresh strawberries. The restaurant is mainly white, giving...

dabmim 23.12.2003 · Read review
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Review of Ciao Baby (Basingstoke)

The Portsmouth Arms, Basingstoke, Hampshire

Advantages: Lovely thatched roofed pub
Disadvantages: Depends who's serving!

...The Portsmouth Arms Public House, Basingstoke WHERE IS IT? This is a delightful looking pub situated very close to the M3 (junction 7) in Basingstoke. The pub was built next to the Hatch Warren estate. The first time it was built, shortly afterwards it caught fire and burnt down. I think it was caused by an electrical fault. The pub was then rebuilt and opened for a second time around July 1997. As you travel along Cliddesden Lane, you come across The Portsmouth Arms, which has a nice, fairly large, green grass frontage surrounded by a simple wooden fence. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? There is ample parking in their spacious gravel laid car park which is surrounded by small shrubs and trees. The pub's gardens are also very well kept with shrubs and trees. The pub itself is across from the car park and has...

ailuj34 11.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Portsmouth Arms Public House, Basingstoke

what to do on a rainy day in basingstoke

Advantages: in the process of redevelopment so it might be good one day......
Disadvantages: well its just so ugly!

...Everyone has heard the phrase "like a rainy day in Basingstoke", but if you havent been there you really won't understand quite how apt this is. I lived in Basingstoke my entire life, and I am one of the unfortunate thousands who know what a rainy day in this blessed town is really like! ******Entertainment****** There really is quite a lot you can do with yourself in Basingstoke. The main place to go is the leisure park, situated next to the towns Fire Station. This is quite a good observation point, as the fire men are often working out topless with the doors open. If you like that kind of thing of course!!! In the Leisure Park, you can find: a 24 lane 10 pin bowling alley complete with bar, small eating area and games room; an ice rink, home to the Wella Bison Ice Hokey team, and if you remember the Robbie Williams video for "She...

hanbag 16.12.2001 · Read review
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Review of Basingstoke in General

Best-ival Place!

Advantages: Great shops, all indoors, cinema and restaurants too, cheap car park, easy to get to
Disadvantages: None

...I live in a small town, and while we do have a good town centre with a decent range of shops, occasionally I like to go somewhere a bit different for shopping and a change of scenery. Often, our choice is nearby town Basingstoke and the indoor shopping centre called Festival Place. It's a place I do like to go, especially at this time of year with all those Christmas decorations that give that festive feeling, and somewhere I'd recommend if you get the chance to visit! Although Festival Place is primarily a big shopping mall, the area also boasts a cinema, several restaurants, bars and cafes, a large multi-storey car park and access to Basingstoke town centre as well. The centre is easily accesible by car, train and bus, and all travel information can be found on the Festival Place website. We always travel by car as its only around...

mummy2harry 12.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Festival Place, Basingstoke

Basingstoke branch - fast and good

Advantages: Lots of variety, fast service
Disadvantages: Drinks can be expensive

...we went to Ask pizza in Basingstoke today armed with out buy one get one free voucher from moneysavingexpert.com It was just after the lunch rush so we were asked to wait on some cumfy sofas whilst they prepared a table for us, we were given the menus whilst we waited (which was only about 5 mins) we were there as a family with our two children ( 11 and 9) and we just had a main meal each - I had the aubergine dish, OH had the vesuviopizza, our son had the seafood risotto and daughter had a ham and pineapple pizza, we also had a jug of water, a huge beer and some cokes and it came it just under £30 as we had the voucher with us The vesuvio was very, very hot especially after the OH added some chili oil - it was just what he wanted and it was the heat he wanted too, it was far too hot for us though so just be warned that it is a very...

posy1 07.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ask Pizza

Premier Room, though not on the service

Advantages: Good clean room
Disadvantages: Lack of customer service

...Hello and welcome. Thought that I would write about my experience at the Premier Travel Inn at Basingstoke. A week before I officially left my current job, I organised a leaving do with the people I work with in Basingstoke. Basingstoke!!! I hear you cry, well yes. I live just outside Croydon and travel 70 odd miles to Basingstoke about 3 or 4 days of the week. This was one of the reasons as to why I got a new job as the travelling was seriously getting me down. I thought to myself as the last train that I can get to Clapham Junction from Basingstoke is at 1036, there is very little chance of me leaving early on this occasion to get home, besides I am probably going to be in the kind of state that not many people would want to lay beside me, on this occasion this included the other half, as she suggested I stay down and travel back...

Timbo3107 04.06.2007 (05.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of Premier Travel Inn Basingstoke - Central, Basingstoke

Back on the Chain Gang

Advantages: Well located for business or leisure
Disadvantages: Smacks of being a chain hotel

...Hampshire is a lovely county and Basingstoke sounded nice. And there’s a Hilton there. The chance to earn a few Hhonors points and write a review about a previously un-rated hotel was irresistible. An old school friend of mine lives in nearby Winchester. It all added up. We booked the hotel on-line and let Simon know that we were coming. Things started to go terribly wrong. We were staying 15 miles away from Simon. And he had decided to spend the weekend with his family – you guessed it – 15 miles away from us. This was communicated in an e-mail in which he demanded to know why we were staying in such a “Godforsaken” town (I won’t use his precise terminology) as Basingstoke. I back-tracked a little. Basingstoke is two things. It’s certainly a complete dive – and I apologise to residents and fans – but it is. It’s also...

andymcf 21.04.2003 · Read review
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Review of Hilton Basingstoke

The Hatch - Hatch Warren - Basingstoke

Advantages: great food, good prices, pleasant staff.
Disadvantages: not good for the waistline

...My family and I are all hoping to relocate. Basically we have had enough of living near Heathrow and its new influx of residents so we have decided to look for property in Hampshire. 253For the past few months we have spent most of our weekends viewing property around Basingstoke, Andover, Chineham and Southampton etc. The kids have been very good but there is only so much house viewing they can take in before they get really fed up and bored. Usually on the way home, my eldest would say, ?mum let?s go to McDonald?s?. There was one situated ?conveniently? on the M3 near Fleet. I am not a fan of McDonalds and find the place awful along with the food. I will do anything to stop my kids from going inside a Mac?s. However, on this occasion my son asked if he could have a pub dinner. I was relieved to hear he didn?t want his...

debbie_marway 16.04.2004 (03.05.2004) · Read review
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Review of The Hatch Chef and Brewer