Cain Valley Hotel

Advantages: Good picturesque area with friendly staff
Disadvantages: Lack of facilites within the town, it rains a lot in Wales

...The Cain Valley Hotel is a 2 star hotel situated in the town centre of Llanfyllin, it is a 15 minutes drive away from the picturesque Lake Vyrnwy, renowned for its bird attraction. Also within a 15 minute drivinge distance is Pistyll Rhayader, one of the seven wonders of Wales, it is the highest Waterfall in Great Britain. Llanfyllin really is a great place to base yourself if you want to explore Wales, and Powys and Chirk Caste are both nearby. Y Dolydd musical festival is also an attraction and it takes place at the end of June and accomodation may be avaiable for that weekend. The hotel has its own Car Park so this is not a problem and the hotel is relatively easy to find. There are 13 En-Suite bedrooms whch are made very cosy by the period features including the 16th century Jacobean staircase. Most of the rooms have beams in...

rhyrhy1 26.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cain Valley Hotel, Llanfyllin

No telly? Match of the day? Aaargh

Advantages: Quiet, idyllic location, good staff
Disadvantages: No telly!

...in the Lake District at 200-odd metres. Ok so where's the lake? Well it's in the North Lakes, about 10 miles from Penrith. If you're on the M6, take the turn-off for Shap and it's about 6 miles of winding road later. If you're not on the M6 I can only suggest you're lost. Shap, if it doesn't ring alarm-bells, should. It's quite a godforsaken place where it always rains. If anyone from shap writes to me complaining, then it is because the rain has addled your brain and depression has led to erratic complaining about well known fact. I did a lot of geology around Shap because of its famous granite - it's the very pink one people have for worktops - and ALWAYS spent the time huddled in a corner trying to light a fag in a force 10 gale. The journey from Shap to the hotel takes you down a lot of windy roads where a tom-tom is necessary, though...

dhillcrest 04.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Haweswater Hotel, Penrith

Queen of the Valley

Advantages: Interesting, very interesting!
Disadvantages: The most famous tomb is now closed.

...Day 1 in Egypt, site number 2 (and it is only 09:30), so let's do away with the babble and launch right in.... ~What's this place all about then?~ The Valley of the Queens is the burial site for the Queens & children of the Pharaohs of the 18th, 19th & 20th dynasties (1550 - 1070BC). It is said that there are about 70 (some claim as many as 85) different burial sites in the area. Probably the most famous tomb here is that of Queen Nefertari*, which is the largest and most spectacular in the valley. Unfortunately, this tomb is now no longer open, we were told by our guide that a couple of years ago there was some rain in the valley, which caused some damage to Nefertari's tomb. The Egyptian Government went about restoring the damage, and spent roughly a cool million on it. To recuperate the funds they opened the tomb, but...

tazzywazzy 06.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Valley of the Queens

  Valley of the Kings

Advantages: Chateaux and gardens, old towns and local cuisine
Disadvantages: Unexciting landscapes, well-trodden tourist trail

...Where is the best place in France to get away from it all, to slip off for a few days (or a few weeks, or months), perhaps to your second (or third, or fourth) home? With a country so rich in attractive regions, this could be regarded as a tough question, but the kings of the Valois dynasty in the late 15th and early 16th Centuries were in no doubt about their answer. They picked on the lower valley of the Loire, and in particular the stretch between Orleans and Tours, to site their out-of-town chateaux and hunting-lodges. Where they led the court naturally followed, and soon any ambitious aristocrat felt the need to have a prestigious pied-a-terre nearby from which to keep in touch with current intrigue and to curry favour with the king. The reasons that attracted the Valois kings and their retinues to the Loire Valley...

torr 10.10.2005 (13.10.2005) · Read review
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Review of Loire Valley (France)

Lightwater Valley - home of the underdog.

Advantages: Cheap, Largely good rides, At times beautiful...
Disadvantages: ...at times shoddy, In-park prices not so good, looking a little run down.

...Visiting theme parks is ultimately, somewhat of a pot luck experience - queues, weather, ride breakdowns can make or mangle your day, and ultimately that is what you should bear in mind when reading a review on one - you day is not necessarily in your own hands, but the wise traveller would be one who remembers the golden rule - eat early and late, bring a change of clothes, and plan in advance those things you want to do, and you're halfway there. Anyhoo. So is it any good? Almost. Anyone new to Lightwater Valley, and if you are reading this review, then there's a good chance that might be you, on a good day, Lightwater valley is a hoot, on a bad day, it is a chore - but either way, it is home to one of Europe's finest Roller coasters, and for a newbie, that is worth the admission price alone. Although not in the best...

slappy_mcguire 16.04.2009 (22.07.2009) · Read review
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Review of Lightwater Valley

The Derwent Valley, Derbyshire

Advantages: A Great Day Out
Disadvantages: Lots Of Enviromental Damage Was Caused During Its Creation

...I am very fortunate that I live only a short distance from the Peak District National Park which offers some of the finest scenery in England. The Derwent Valley lies in the Hope Valley within the Peak District and connects three large man made Reservoirs called Howden Dam. Derwent Reservoir, and Ladybower. I have visited this area many times and I am always spellbound by its sheer natural beauty, but beneath these dark waters lies a sordid tale of destroyed Villages and an Environmental disaster. GETTING THERE Ladybower, the largest of the three bodies of Water lies at the bottom end of the Derwent Valley and directly beside the A57 Road which connects Sheffield to Manchester. The A57 is known locally as the "Snake Pass" due to its winding, twisting nature and this route is one of only three major Roads which crosses...

micksheff 01.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Derwent Valley, Derbyshire

The Derwent valley reservoirs

Advantages: A great day out for all the family
Disadvantages: none

...was ceremoniously opened by King George VI on September 25th 1945. Derwent Dam and reservoir? This enormous reservoir covers approximately 170 acres and reaches up to 35 metres deep. A small island lies in the one and a half mile stretch of water. The reservoir and its enormous dam were made famous by the Dam busters ,(or operation Chastise, with Barnes Wallis and his famous bouncing bomb), during World War II. The Dam being very similar to the German dams so the RAF used it to practice there low flying raids. (The majority of the actual film was shot here) Getting there?.. By Road: Along the A57 Glossop to Sheffield road crosses Ladybower by the Ashopton viaduct. A minor road on the west side of this leads to Fairholmes. Approaching from Hope Valley, follow the A6013 north from Bamford to reach Ladybower and the A57...

blissman70 13.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Derwent Valley, Derbyshire

Dogs really are welcome!

Advantages: Superb location
Disadvantages: A little too quiet for some

...(I originally posted the first draft of this on trivago.co.uk under bean372042) The Hotel Glenridding is set in a beautiful location right next to Lake Ullswater near Penrith Cumbria, when I say right next to, if you walk more than 30 paces from the car park, you will fall in! It is set in an extremely quiet village with a couple of shops and tearooms and little or no nightlife, however, that is not what this holiday is about. The area hasn't been tainted with the tourist brush quite yet. It still retains charm and peace. The hotel itself is a quaint mix of old and new architecture and has 36 rooms including four posters, lake views, family suites and large corner rooms available for a supplement (aprox £25 per night) Reception/lounge and bar area. Walking through the large front door you immediately come to the above area...

bean372042 01.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Glenridding Hotel, Penrith

Valley of the Thrung Thrung Karm

Advantages: splendid isolation; black-necked cranes
Disadvantages: no gurantees, obviously

..., and enjoy the mist rising from the valley floor. The hotel has its own generator, but electricity is only available from 5 until 9 in the evening (which means hot water from about 6.30, unless your tour operator has negotiated other terms), and again for a couple of hours in the morning. Does this matter? Not in the slightest. You enter your room to find the wood-stove stoked, and water pan already set upon it. Shortly after your luggage arrives, the porter returns to light the fire and take your orders for relighting it later in the evening, ready for your return from dinner. He will ensure that there is sufficient wood stocks laid by, and that your complement of candles and matches is sufficient. The furniture is simple, plain pine. The room open plan - but two large single beds, each covered with heavy blankets of local weave...

hiker 10.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of Phobjika Valley (Bhutan)

The valley of ghosts

Advantages: A fabulous day out
Disadvantages: Midges from time to time

...I have to say, I don't know where Ciao got the picture above from, but it is pretty awful. Don't let that put you off, as you have to see this place to believe it. What if I was to tell you that within a six miles radius of the village of Kilmartin, there are 350 monuments, 150 of them prehistoric? You might wonder why you have never heard of it (unless of course you have heard of it!). To me, this should be a UNESCO World Heritage site. Instead, it is a little known spot, and the excellent Kilmartin House Museum (see below), nearly closed last year due to lack of funds. ~Where is it?~ **************** Kilmartin valley is in mid-Argyll, about 100 miles northwest of Glasgow and can only be accessed by road. If you don't have a car or don't wish to drive, you can get a bus from Glasgow to Lochgilphead, and then you can get...

weetoon 18.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Kilmartin Valley (Argyll, Scotland)