Nissan Serena LX 2.0D 1993

Advantages: Cheap 8 seater, massive load space with seats folded,
Disadvantages: sluggish especially on hills,

...remove the head rests, this is optional but ours have been damaged by not doing so, these then fold forward and thats it. A load area that will impress even the most ardent Serena hater! The engine noise is pronounced when driving and due to its positioning under the front area can be warm in summer. This also makes checking the oil level slightly cumbersome as the dipstick is under the passenger seat and the oil cap under the drivers, however as it doesn't leak oil then this hasn't been too much of a nuisance and you can soon get the system for lifting the seats down to a fine art. The actual drive is quite firm with a Galaxy owning friend impressed by the lack of body roll during cornering. The progress of the car is best described as stately, you will reach top speeds (70-80) eventually, however this has to be done in the inside lane...

lincolnscot 08.04.2006 (07.03.2007) · Read review
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Review of Nissan Serena LX

Hotel Serena, Xlendi Bay, Gozo

Advantages: It makes you appreciate your home comforts
Disadvantages: Well, what can I say but AVOID IT!

...Until we stayed at Serena we had never had such an awful, expensive & unsatisfactory holiday! We stayed there through RCI, who received a very damning letter when we got back to the UK & as a result the offending hotel is no longer on their books but it should never have been - aren't they meant to inspect each resort? This all happened a few years back & we have now recovered our faith in human nature. Joe Vella leaves a lot to be desired. We made the mistake of paying initially by cc as we suspected not too much at the point of arrival. However, the state of reception should have been a give-away! We went for 1/2 board as there isn't too much choice of eating establishment. What a mistake. The food was unpalletable. Xlendi had a lot of stray cats & now I kniw why they looked so well fed! They were grateful...

cinzanokid 12.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Serena Beach Club, Xlendi

This reviewis endorsed by the author of the book

Advantages: Great characters, intersting plot twists
Disadvantages: The cover

...Virtue by Serena Mackesy must be the most mismarketed book I?ve ever read. I bought it as an afterthought as there was a buy two get one free offer in WH Smiths. It is a fascinating, complex well written book masquerading as chick lit. Thoughts on picking it up in the shop The book has a bright blue cover with a picture of an angel/devil girl. The blurb reads "Saints, sinners, and the mere mortals in between What do you do you do you need to become a saint these days? Ambition, determination and a good pr. but what o you do when your mother is a saint and you just want to be human? Anna and Harriet share a burden: hellishly saintly mothers. So armed with a wicked sense of humour, they set out to paint the town red. And for a while life goes swimmingly. But when they tread on one toe too many the find that they only have...

duskmaiden 11.09.2003 · Read review
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Review of Virtue - Serena Mackesy

Good Night, Sleep Tight....

Advantages: The location and price
Disadvantages: Everything else - service, attitude, plumbing....

...hotel – Albergo Serena. At 28 Euros / night for a city center location, it sounded perfect. The website even had a pretty picture of its gardens, and it figured in more than one guide book to the region as being an ok place to stay. I arrived late at night so grabbed a taxi to the hotel. The driver knew exactly where it was without needing the address – always a good sign. I was greeted by a well lit entrance way down a small back street in Pisa, the only trouble being that the hotel was deserted. I eventually found a bell (after, I admit it, attempting to ring the ornamental one on display there) and following the shrill squeal, a very old man appeared. I wasn’t sure if he lived there or owned the place, because the building looked like it was a home as well as a hotel, but it turned out to be his place. He was not only...

zoe_page 19.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Serena, Rome

The most wonderful seaside town!

Advantages: local people and activities
Disadvantages: not very well known

...Where do i start? Well i should start by telling you that i am half Chilean and lived in Chile for a year. During this time i traveled up and down getting to know not only my family but also the country and its various attractions. Without a doubt the place that stays with me even in cold London is La Serena; a seaside town in the north of Chile. It is the second oldest town in Chile and at only 5 hours drive from Santiago is a must visit place of the country in my opinion. Although known as a tourist place to the locals it is not as well known by foreigners as say the Atacama desert or Santiago center. La Serena meaning the serene one, has lots to offer travelers as well as Chileans. It has a mixture of both old and new which can be seen in the form of its old huts and seaside restaurants and its ever increasing mall...

olgita 12.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of La Serena

The most underrated writer around

Advantages: Well-told, humourous, stylish
Disadvantages: The ending fizzles out a bit; the rest is pretty flawless

...A writer many of you will never have heard of, and a title which few of you will have picked up in WH Smith's. And alas, it's your own loss, because Serena Mackesy is THE best new author of the last few years and 'Virtue' is one of the best new books to have been released recently. Although not has good as her debut 'The Temp' - how could anyone follow up such a strong debut? - 'Virtue' is nonetheless an enjoyable, clever read about the realr depth of friendhsips. The blurb on the back cover is terrible, but the basics are that Anna and Harriet are two friends whose lifestyles are very different to those of their mothers - 'Grace Waters' and 'Godiva Fawcett' who, in the novel, are two leading women in their generation. The ensuing tale - of tabloid embarrasment and, as suggested by the title, virtue in the face of animosity, is well told...

BennyRialto 29.12.2000 · Read review
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Review of Virtue - Serena Mackesy

Nairobi the gateway to the Safari

Advantages: Convenient starting point to Kenyan and Tanzanian safaris
Disadvantages: Area rather dangerous if out alone

...First contact.... This was the first stopping point that my husband and I stayed on our honeymoon to Kenya and Tazania in July 2004. My husband's parents had very kindly booked and paid for our honeymoon as a wedding present. However, it is possible to make reservations for this hotel through expedia online, calling direct and by booking a "Serena Safari" where you stay in the 4 star Serena lodges and hotels which are dotted around Kenya and Tanzania. Getting there............... It took about 45 minutes by taxi to get to the hotel from Nairobi's International airport - mainly due to the traffic rather than the distance (18kms). My main observation on this journey was the very bizarre sight of giraffes on the open spaces beyond the roads! First Impressions....... The impressive hotel is set well off the road in lush green...

busylizzie76 19.07.2006 (20.07.2006) · Read review
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Review of Serena Hotel, Nairobi

She and Venus will dominate the game

Advantages: Great power, more accurate serve than venus
Disadvantages: venus is winning more tournaments currently

...Serena Williams, like her sister Venus, is turning the womens game into a game that is dominated by women with powerful shots that devestate their opponents. Still both under 21 years of age, they are currently dominating the game completely and after meeting in the US Open Final this year we must ask just who can stop them. Jennifer Capriati has won two tournaments this year, but still I think Venus and Serena will soon become unstoppable. Serena has been a little bit outshadowed after Venus capturing the Olympic Gold and the Wimbledon & US Open titles two years in a row, but it was Serena who won the Williams sisters' first major title, the US Open afew years back, and Serena has won Wimbledon and Olympic Gold in doubles competition. Yes, although Venus has dominated in the singles, Serena has still won Doubles Titles along...

danwilkie 26.09.2001 · Read review
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Review of Serena Williams (USA)

how to overcome little sister syndrome

Advantages: Strength, Speed, Hard hitting, Confident
Disadvantages: Age, Not playing enough, Arrogant

...Serena Williams and her sister Venus are *THE* stories of the 2000 WTA tennis season. I won't focus on Venus as this isn't her post, but between them they have put fear into every female player's hearts, telling everyone: "This is the standard you have to be at to play pro tennis". Their style of play seems to be the popular one on the tour at the minute. Firstly learn to hit the ball hard. Secondly learn to hit it hard together with it being inside the lines, or *ON* the lines if you're feeling confident. Add in some serves faster than your mother's car and a few volleys here and there and you've got their game. Many have felt that playing against Venus from childhood, Serena has had to build a more tactical and more cunning game to win the points from the older and taller sister's bullet like groundstrokes. She has...

PatrickBateman 16.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Serena Williams (USA)

Watch your money - pay cash unless stuck

Advantages: Nice aspect and good sunroof, spacious rooms.
Disadvantages: Surcharges not mentioned upfront and very expensive, lots of hidden extras, service mediocre to poor

...-Terrazzo, It-Tmun and Hotel St Patrick are particularly recommended. For sightseeing and snorkelling we found Ted's boat trips to be great fun. In all, I'd definitely return to Xlendi, but I'm not sure if I'd return to the Serena. The worry over charges and level of service marred what could have been a really fantastic holiday. It's a shame as it could be a fantastic place to stay without the wildly variable and quite frankly extortionate pricing structure applied by Joe to his Interval exchange guests....

alisa111 11.09.2006 · Read review
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Review of Hotel Serena Beach Club, Xlendi