See Madrid From This Fab Hotel

Advantages: Very close to the Puerta Del Sol and Gran Via.
Disadvantages: None

...I booked our short break through Expedia, who are always good at finding the best deals. Neither myself nor my husband had been to Madrid before, so we had no knowledge of the city at all. I researched the layout mapwise, to find out where the centre was regarding shopping, bars etc. The Puerta del Sol seemed as central as we could get. The hotel was on the Via Arenal, just off the square. On arrival we were greeted in good English by a very friendly receptionist and the check-in was smooth. The hotel was bright and modern. Not huge, but for a city centre it was big enough. There was a lift to all floors luckily, as we were on the 5th. Our room was large and airy. Satellite TV, air conditioning (a blessing in July), large double bed, plenty of storage and a wall safe. The bathroom was clean and roomy with one of those...

whybird 04.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of High Tech Petit Palace Arenal, Madrid

Partying at the Palace (ish)

Advantages: Comfortable, clean, good staff
Disadvantages: A few faults, doesnt live up to expectations

...This review is about my Christmas party experience at the Strand Palace Hotel. This year, I was in charge of organising our office Christmas party, and, being based in South East London, the department tends to head to Bromley or Greenwich for a meal. But this year we decided to go all out, and go 'up west', and so I came across the Strand Palace hotel on my googlequest and we decided to go posh as well. The booking process was slightly tiresome, seeing as the particular member of staff we made our booking through was somewhat challenged in the brains department. The initial booking process was easy. We booked ourselves in for the three-course carvery meal, and then Channy and I (the office babies) were sent scuttling around collecting everybody's cash (£33 per head). All was sent in when a couple of weeks later, the girl calls me...

fabulous_girl 19.12.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Strand Palace Hotel, London

Holiday Inn Madrid

Advantages: Nice staff, clean, kettle in the room
Disadvantages: The local area, rather expensive

...This is yet another hotel stayed in when travelling with work. It's a four star hotel (Ciao has it listed as a three star) and is located in the business district in Madrid. The Estadio Santiago Bernabeau, the home of Real Madrid football club is also very close by if you are interested in football. Public transport is very good-metro station and bus stop near by, the bus is one Euro into central Madrid and unlike London they have plenty of bus lanes and regular services-every 5 minutes. And no over-crowding or rubbish strewn everywhere! The hotel itself is a typical sprawling 1980's concrete block. The surrounding area is a bit dodgy at night and opposite the hotel is a boarded up cinema. In fact the whole area is pretty much a concrete jungle and I would be careful with going out after dark as it's pretty deserted once...

Katieshaz 16.10.2008 · Read review
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Review of Holiday Inn Madrid, Madrid

Exploring the Province of Madrid

Advantages: Splendid architecture and surrounding nature
Disadvantages: destinations are scattered and hard to reach by public transport

..., Segovia is an inviting spot to stroll around the OLD CITY with its picturesque small alleys. Or you may wish to rest over a cup of coffee in one of the many street cafes on Plaza de la Catedral or Plaza Mayor. A promenade along the old city walls provides some nice views of the surrounding area. Segovia is also a good place to buy souvenirs and handicraft works, they are a lot cheaper here than in Madrid. You shouldn't leave Segovia without enjoying an extended dinner there. The LOCAL CUISINE is famous for two things: piglets and lambs. You should start your meal with grilled Chorizo sausage, and pick a lamb joint as your main course. Or, if you are travelling with a larger group, a whole suckling pig maybe the perfect choice. Returning to Madrid in the evening, you don't have to go all the way back through the mountains, but can stay...

From_The_Continent 26.04.2001 (28.04.2001) · Read review
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Review of Madrid (Spain)

A Palace of History

Advantages: Beautiful rooms; Historical'; loads to see
Disadvantages: Huge!!

...Hampton Court Palace is about one of the 60 palaces built for King Henry VIII in about 1513. In my opinion, it must be the grandest and mightiest of all the Palaces with over 1100 rooms, acres upon acres of garden, mazes, tennis and bowling courts. It is located next to the River Thames in London. It took me, my mum and step-dad just 1 1/2 to drive there from Portsmouth. The castle is relatively well signposted and it's mainly straight road and motor way with few confusing turn-off's but then again,this is only relavant from where I am travelling from. We passed through some lovely old villages on the way so the journey was pleasing. You can also catch the train of course - the station is basically right next to it! When you arrive, there is a car park of which, you pay for on departing. It costs £3.50 for 3 hours and an extra 50p...

LaceyR26 17.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hampton Court Palace, London

La Plaza Mayor - deberias visitarlo?

Advantages: Beautiful surrounding, nice shops, good food at reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Not really in the league of some of the museums, too many people exhibiting themselves

...The Plaza Mayor is one of the most beautiful squares in the city of Madrid. It is surrounded by buildings, which are mostly around three or four stories high. On the ground floor of most of these buildings, there are restaurants and shops. The restaurants sell good food at fairly reasonable prices. The Plaza Mayor bustles with life and vigour; many people can be found exhibiting themselves, having sprayed themselves with silver paint and other such things. In the centre, there is a statue of Felipe the Third, who was unsuprising the king at the time. The buildings in the square are architectually stunning; a certain building is covered in fantastic murals. The nearest metro station to the Plaza Mayor is Sol. Personally, I believe that the Plaza Mayor is a fantastic place to visit over lunch one day, where you can sit and enjoy...

edward_stapleton 23.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Plaza Mayor

Acqua Palace

Advantages: Clean, modern, fun slides, great day out
Disadvantages: Not as large as I thought it would be

...Myself and my boyfriend visited Tunisia in May 2008 and while we were there we decided to take a walk into the main town, where we found Acqua Palace. About Acqua Palace Acqua Palace as you would imagine, is a water park and it's the only water park in Port El Kantaoui. It was closed for a while in 2007 while renovation works were carried out and it opened its doors again for the summer season of 2008, boasting bigger, better and faster slides. Location Acqua Palace is located about a 5 minute walk from the main town of Port l Kantaoui. It is not very well signposted but we still found it very easy to find. Prices Admission was 15 dinars for adults which works out at £7.50. Prices for children were 7.50 dinars which is about £3.00. I thought the prices were very reasonable and although the park is not massive, I still...

daylehall 31.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Aqua Palace, Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia

Palace aforethought

Advantages: Architecture, atmosphere, good food and service
Disadvantages: A few dodgy facilities; noises off at night

...The plan was to ease our way into India. We had found on previous visits to farflung parts of the world that the last thing one wants to do on arrival is to plunge straight into the hubbub of a big city, or be faced with an exhausting programme of sight-seeing on the first day. An initial pause to relax, acclimatise and shake off the jetlag seemed a much better idea. And, to judge from the map and the guidebooks, the Neemrana looked just the place for it. Or perhaps I should say, just the palace for it. Of Rajasthan's many converted palace hotels, it is the one nearest to Delhi, so that it can be reached in just two and a half hours from the international Airport. It is also one of the oldest, the original building dating from 1464, though since then it has been augmented, fortified, reduced and restored several times...

torr 21.02.2006 (23.02.2006) · Read review
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Review of Neemrana Fort Palace

The Palace Diaries

Advantages: A light hearted read yet brief look into Prince Charles bubble/aka the palace
Disadvantages: Lack of personal photo's.

...The Palace Diaries Written by Sarah Goodall and Nicholas Monsoon **** Introduction**** Written in 2006 and published in 2007, this 318 page hard back book had me gripped in almost every chapter. Hailed as "Racy, outrageous and hilarious - there's never been a Royal book like it. The Palace Diaries is a unique insider's view of what really went on during the most tumultuous period for the British monarchy, since the abdication of Edward VIII. On the cover is Miss Goodall, looking slinky and sassy in a Audrey Hepburn type pose, complete with Corgi. Her adoration and respect for Charles is paramount but I think this mostly comes from her loins, not from her heart. To be honest, I had never heard of this Miss Goodall. This book came upon be by pure chance whilst browsing through a leading book website. It was on offer at 75...

mrsmopples 01.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Palace Diaries - Sarah Goodall

The Palace: Fit for a Princess?

Advantages: Central location, nice breakfasts
Disadvantages: Expensive rack rate

...I live in Manchester. Not in a ?Greater Manchester? kinda way, but in Manchester proper. You may wonder, therefore, why I stayed at the Palace Hotel in the city. I wondered too. But, I was at a national event organised by a national office, and in their national wisdom, they booked all of us in as resident conference delegates, even those of us who live within, um, walking distance. I do like my own place, my own kitchen, my own bed, but not in an obsessive way, so when someone else wants to pay for me to stay in a nice room where I don?t have to make the bed or clean the bath, and where I get 3 meals per day provided gratis, I don?t say no. The Palace Hotel is located on Oxford Rd near the city centre. It?s near the Palace Theatre, the Cornerhouse cinema and the Sainsbury?s Local store. You can walk to Oxford Rd, Deansgate...

zoe_page 03.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Palace Hotel, Manchester