Last Great Western

Advantages: It gets you there
Disadvantages: may be delays, pricey, sullen staff

...get a free glass of wine between 1500 and 1900 on Fridays. You are also plied with free newspapers. There are first class lounges at Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central. The First Class stewards work until 19.00 hours, Monday to Friday. After 19.00 hours and at weekends, First Class customers should present their ticket to the steward at the Buffet, who will serve their refreshments. Complimentary items are not normally served at seat on journeys between Plymouth and Penzance, but can be obtained from the Buffet. A mobile phone and personal stereo free area is available in the First Class Coach G, of High Speed Trains. The staff are great 'Hello there...would you like a hot bevarage madam or a newspaper? There you go...' Quiet Carriages and Family Carriages: Quiet zones where mobile phones and personal stereos cannot...

Katieshaz 15.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of First Great Western

All Dying On The Western Front

Advantages: Perfect picture of war, deep characters, harsh lessons, undeniable realism
Disadvantages: Crushingly realistic, morbid at times

...All Quiet on The Western Front is a phrase synonymous with an uneventful day on the frontlines of a battlefield. however, it is a actually a crude translation of a line from this gripping, intense story of a group of young comrades trapped in the bleak, unforgiving trenches of the First World War, refreshingly, told from the perspective of a German soldier. Being British, this is an angle all too rarely explored with the German's usually portrayed as nameless, faceless, soulless, broken-german spouting targets in uniforms. However this book does the unusual task of humanising all of the unfortunate souls who fought and in many cases, perished in such a tragic conflict, regardless of birthplace. The book is written by Erich Maria Remarque, a young man conscripted into the German forces in 1917, who fought in the war until being wounded...

BZ2886 10.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

Central Trains

Advantages: Large network
Disadvantages: Sometimes a poor service

...Central Trains are their own worst enemy. They provide train services from Shrewsbury to Nottingham via Birmingham and also to East Anglia. They have provided train services for a long time. So how come they still have not got it right, yet? Central Trains is the cause of many phone calls to consumer radio programmes in the Midlands. And you often hear a spokesman or spokeswoman coming up with some explanation as to why they have managed to mess things up, again. One of the problems that face passengers of Central Trains is the fact that Central Trains seems unable to understand that, sometimes, people become ill and have to 'phone in sick. Of course, it would not be possible (sadly!) to go back to the days when spare staff would wait at strategic locations around the British Rail network, waiting to cover for colleagues who had...

Martinscholes 15.12.2005 · Read review
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Review of Central Trains

Best Western Le Donjon Les Ramparts certainly not Best Value

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Split into different buildings, expensive.

...?? you guessed it back in the first building we visited. Begrudgingly we made our way back across the city, dodging ?sword sellers? on the way. RoomsThe building itself looked ?ok? I can?t really describe it any other way, it was a square building with grey walls but on entering it was actually very well set out. Stone floors and stairs, interesting antiques and very clean so I was quite looking forward seeing the rooms. Well I was disappointed. The rooms pictured on the Best Western website looked nothing like ours. I can only imagine that they are executive rooms and not standard ones. While ?grumpy?s? room had been recently refurbished ours looked like something from the Crossroads Motel. (Old midlands soap opera). It was shabby! The furniture had seen better days, the walls could have done with a lick of paint and you had...

bean372042 27.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Le Donjon Les Remparts, Carcassonne

Good-if-you're-First-Class Great Western

Advantages: Nice design
Disadvantages: Late, completely packed

...I guess most reviews come from the fact that people either have something really great they want to tell people about, or really bad that they want to moan about. To be honest I would love this to be a big rant about Great Western, but I'm going to keep my comments fair, because although they do a lot of things wrong, there are also some things that I do actually like about the way they run their service. I started getting First Great Western trains from Reading a couple of months ago. I generally get the rush hour trains in and back, but I do also have experience of using their trains during off-peak hours as I used to travel a lot on them at the weekends last year. Generally I am travelling between Reading and London Paddington, but I have also taken trains to other stops around the area such as Oxford. ~~An average day...

tac20 08.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of First Great Western

Hotel Best Western Obelisk - Istanbul

Advantages: 3* Hotel in a 5* location
Disadvantages: Noisy rooms.

...This Best Western hotel is one of about six Best Western Hotels all in this old part of Istanbul known as Sultanahmet. It really is in a very convenient location and the LOCATION is its greatest asset. It is a three star hotel in an area containing five star holiday attractions. The hotel advertises its roof terrace as the sort of restaurant under the stars of everyone's dreams. I thought it was jaded and thus overrated with a distant view of the sea which was hardly on the waterfront. The rooms are OK. I had a de-luxe room which had been reduced on-line from an advertised price of Euros 134 to Euros 75.The TV had CNN and BBC World and the bed was very comfortable. I found the decor a bit drab. A buffet breakfast on the roof was fine but the service was non-existent. Didn't really matter though - the stuff was all there, I...

webfoot 24.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Hotel Obelisk & Sumengen, Istanbul

Best Western Kiel Germany

Advantages: good location with ample free parking
Disadvantages: a bit spartan and threadbare

...Kiel is not the most conducive place for a winter holiday so it has to be reasoned that anyone wishing to stay there then would either do so on business or in transit. Being the main centre for U Boat construction during WW2, Keil was then a favourite destination for RAF Bomber Command and was badly damaged; the reconstruction is about as imaginative as some similar city centres in the UK such as Plymouth - in other words a quick-fix urban monstrosity. The Best Western Hotel in Kiel rose up out of an existing office block and despite some attempts to disguise the fact, it shows. In terms of four star status it doesn't deserve it if you compare what you get in most four star hotels in the rest of Europe. I stayed there for four days in the middle of January 2009. It was comfortable. No frills, no pretty soaps or shampoos - no...

webfoot 04.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Best Western Hotels

Central Park, Peterborough.

Advantages: An oasis in the city
Disadvantages: None that I know

...I have lived in Peterborough for 37 years, and the Central Park has always been the place to take your children, photos of the park go back to Victorian times and the actual layout has not changed since then. For one it cannot get any bigger as it is in the older central part of the city with buildings all around, though this does not distract from the Park itself. The Park is one large circle with a very wide road around the outside. There are four gates, entry points to the Park and about ten yards in an inner footpath that goes around the Park. The four gates all have footpaths that lead to the centre which is a large flower bed that has a willow tree, this my husband tells me was planted some time in the 60's as there used to be a band stand on the same spot. It seems that the demise of the band caused the band stand to be...

bostonianbeer 24.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Central Park, Peterborough

Central do Brasil

Advantages: Poignant, beautiful, superbly acted and directed
Disadvantages: None

...I first saw "Central do Brasil" (English title - Central Station) several years ago but having seen it again recently I thought that my collection of film reviews on Ciao would be sadly lacking without reference to it. Central Station is a Brazilian film released in 1998 and it was nominated for 2 Oscars (Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Foreign Film) in 1999 and won the BAFTA for Best Foreign Film. It is directed by renowned Brazilian director Walter Salles (who also did "Behind the Sun" and "Foreign Land"). It is in Portuguese with English subtitles. Plot ---- Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) is a retired schoolteacher who makes some money by working in Rio de Janeiro's central railway station (Central do Brasil) writing letters for some of the city's many illiterate citizens. Dora is a bitter and cynical person who has never...

buzios 24.11.2003 · Read review
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Review of Central Station (DVD)

Park Central Hotel

Advantages: Superb location, comfortable accomodation, helpful staff
Disadvantages: No major disadvantages to the actual hotel itself

...In "the city that never sleeps," especially if you're visiting for the first time, it's all about site-seeing, shopping, and taking advantage of New York's endless amount of restuarants. So when choosing a hotel, it's all about location! I took my first ever visit to New York (and certainly not my last, taking into consideration the amazing time I had there) in February 2007, for a school trip, and stayed in Park Central Hotel. FIRST IMPRESSIONS I was delighted when we first arrived at the Park Central hotel - the immaculate lobby and reception area, with brown leather sofas and sparkling floor tiles, was classy and modern. We were greeted by friendly staff who gave us our room keys, and we went off up the lifts (we didn't fancy taking the stairs, having being accomodated on numerous floors up the building!) to our room...

pash123 12.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Park Central, New York City