Hilton Doubletree, Philadelphia, USA

I love the Hilton Doubletree brand. It might have something to do with the free cookies given to all guests on arrival, but there's much more to it than that; I think the key is friendliness. Alright, all hotels are supposed to be friendly places – some aren't – but Hilton Doubletree really goes to town.

The view from room 1712, Hilton Doubletree, Philly

Based on Broad Street, the Philadelphia Doubletree offers a central location within easy reach of everything you're going to need: restaurants, museums, you name it. On the museum front, you must visit the Eastern State Penitentiary. There are buses and taxis passing by most of the time, there's the subway and Jefferson railway station is about a 10-minute walk away and linked to the international convention centre.

Check-in was straightforward – which is great if you've crossed the Atlantic from the UK – and my room (1712) was, predictably perhaps, on the 17th floor. I had a decent view of Broad Street and I was right next to the elevators, which is both good and bad news. Good because I didn't have to roam along lonely hotel corridors; bad because at night I could hear the machinery of the lift whirring as people travelled up and down the building. It wasn't a major problem.

I always find that American hotels go over the top with the air-con and sure enough, I found myself switching it off in order to get a decent night's sleep. There's nothing worse than a noisy air-con system.

Everything else seemed fine: there was a flatscreen television, decent desk space, two double beds, an easy chair, a wardrobe with a safe, an iron and ironing board and proper coat hangers. As for the bathroom, it was pretty standard: a bathtub, shower, sink and toilet, a decent collection of towels and three face flannels.

Inside room 1712, Hilton Doubletree, Philadelphia...

The best part of my stay was the serve-yourself breakfast on the Mezzanine level. Great service and excellent food. Every day I enjoyed cubed melon, porridge, scrambled egg with 'breakfast potatoes' plus one sausage and a pot of black tea – wonderful. There was plenty more to choose from including yoghurts, breads and pastries, oranges, pears, apples and bananas.

There is a bar downstairs offering snacks all day, including the traditional Philadelphia cheese steak, although there's probably better food on offer outside of the hotel. Bellini is excellent and so is Pietro's and they're both close-by.

If you're into fitness there's a gym and a swimming pool on the 5th floor, but I never had time and made do with walking around the city (in the wrong shoes).

Check out was as easy as check-in, it was all good. I will definitely return.

NH Palacio Hotel, Avilés, Asturias, Spaina

The NH Palacio Hotel in Avilés blends in nicely with its surroundings. Located on the city's main square opposite the town hall – or a building that looks surprisingly municipal – it gives nothing away from the outside. But once through the glass sliding doors all is revealed: this is a classy hotel offering a mix of grandiosity and modernity depending on where you are in the building. There is, for example, what might be called 'the old part' of the hotel, characterised by the grand staircase leading up to the hotel restaurant, which itself is rather grand in appearance with its high ceilings. Then, if you pass by the staircase and walk towards the elevators, the hotel takes on a more modern but nonetheless grand appearance.

Room 209, NH Palacio Hotel, Avilés...

But let's start from the beginning: the check-in. It's always nice when checking into a hotel is a simple and straightforward process and that was the case here at the Palacio. Within minutes I was making my way past the aforementioned grand staircase leading to the hotel restaurant and trudging on towards a left turn and the elevator, which I took to the second floor and then weaved my way around the corridor, past a modern galleried area to room 209 on my right.

The room followed a tried and tested layout: bathroom on the left, wardrobes on the right, then a long desk above which there was a flatscreen television facing the rather grand double bed with its six pillows and ornate headboard. 

Everything worked. The bathroom sported two wash basins and there was a pleasant shower and (mark of a good hotel, perhaps) a bidet, which I never used, but admired from a distance. There was a safe in the wardrobe.

What I really liked about the hotel room (and, indeed, the entire hotel) was the doors. They were made of a rich wood and were heavy and dependable.

I love hotels with wall-mounted sockets for the key cards. Knowing that the room simply won't work without inserting one's keycard into the slot is reassuring for one good reason: it means I'm not going to lose my keycard. It also saves on electricity as the room is plunged into darkness the moment the card is withdrawn.

Unusually, I got a good night's sleep from day one and every morning a refreshing shower prepared me for breakfast on the ground floor. The breakfast room was bright and airy and offered everything one needs for the most important meal of the day: hot beverages, bread, pastries, cooked meats, fresh fruit, yoghurts, you name it.

I tried the hotel restaurant on my third and final night. It was alright, but I could have done with larger portion sizes having eaten the night before at a restaurant across the road, which boasted plenty of meat and large chunks of bread, they even provided a grill on which customers could cook their own meat. And let's not forget the 'local brew' – cider – served in the same way street sellers in India serve coffee (by pouring it from a great height into a cup).

Travelling can be a stressful affair and every now and then I must admit that I, like everybody else, get things wrong, things which only have an adverse effect on myself, like spending two weeks staring at a boarding pass and somehow thinking that 1030hrs was at night and not in the morning. I convinced myself that I was flying out of Avilés at around 1030pm and hadn't for one moment considered that it might be 1030am, bearing in mind that the airlines rely upon the 24-hour clock. I was happily sending emails to people saying I needed picking up at around 8pm in the evening when really I should have been saying I needed a lift in the morning. How all this came about, I don't know, but I didn't finally twig until it was too late. I was sitting at the desk in the hotel room looking at the boarding pass and suddenly I got it. I started to panic. How, I wondered, could I resolve this problem? 

There were no flights out of Aviles, not after mine had departed, and I needed to be back home so I had to get a flight from somewhere. I decided to book a plane out of Bilbao and quickly purchased a one-way ticket online. But how do I get to Bilbao? I slung everything into a suitcase, didn't bother shaving and headed down to reception in a flustered state. Fortunately for me there was Anabel and Konchy, both of whom knew exactly how to resolve the problem and, in the process, calm me down as everything around me seemed to be going wrong.

I was advised to take the 1345 bus from Oviedo to Bilbao, which would take three hours, and then find my way by cab to the airport and my flight home. It all went very smoothly. Anabel even wrote out (in Spanish) instructions to the man behind the desk at the bus station – everything went smoothly and I got home safely.  

So, in addition to being a great hotel, the NH Palacio employs great people too. Should I ever find myself in Avilés, I'll be rebooking this amazing place. 

Avilés, by the way, is a lovely place. It's a small but perfectly formed city in a picturesque region known as 'green Spain'. And it's only 90 minutes from London.

H10 Duque de Loulé Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal

I always feel slightly guilty sitting in a hotel room and reviewing the place while I'm still a guest, but here I am sitting in Room 905 of the H10 Duque de Loulé Hotel in Lisbon on the ninth floor and I'm feeling very happy purely because, so far, the hotel has proved itself to be, well, nothing short of fantastic.

Room 905...

It's now nearly 7pm here and, on returning to my room, I found one of those Portugese custard tarts and two jellies on a white plate waiting on the desk. Wonderful! But let's go back a bit. The check-in was fast and efficient and it wasn't long before I was safely ensconced in my room. It's one of those hotels where the key card activates the power. I pressed it into the little plastic socket on the wall near the door and there was light. Not that it was dark. While it is winter, Lisbon is fairly bright and sunny; there are blue skies with cotton wool clouds and the last thing I need to do is turn on a light.

After an early start in London – I flew TAP from Gatwick (very pleasant) – I was in need of a shower and I want you all to know that the bathroom here is wonderful as it includes a rain shower extraordinaire, which is really refreshing. So refreshing, in fact, that I could have stayed under it for hours, but didn't because I had a meeting to attend.

There's a fully stocked minibar – they trust their guests! – and there's a safe in which to store valuable stuff (in my case a passport and mobile phone). From the minibar I had a bar of chocolate (Dairy Milk) and a couple of Oreos. I'm not pleased with myself for this as I've also enjoyed the aforementioned custard tart and jellies, which went down a treat, but they're not good for me so I'm feeling a little guilty.

Like all hotels, the view out of the hotel window is not brilliant, but who cares? The room is fantastic. There are wooden floors, a large double bed (two singles pushed together and covered with a double sheet); the wardrobe doors sport elegant mirrored panels, the walls are white, there's a flatscreen television on the wall opposite the bed, a seat in the window with blue cushions, wispy net curtains and thicker, creamy-coloured drapes. On the wall opposite the bathroom are six period prints, all featuring horses, the wall behind the bed has two blue-tiled panels, which contrast nicely with the cream walls and there are two bottles of mineral water on one of the bedside tables (whether they're free or not, I don't know).

The view from room 905...

The general vibe is very pleasant, the staff on the front desk are friendly and because I'm only here for the one night I've really only got breakfast in the morning to make this review truly comprehensive, but I'll tell you first that, along with the custard tart and the jellies, I received a letter welcoming me to the hotel and informing me that the hotel is part of H10 Hotels, which has 59 properties in 29 destinations.

Unlike a lot of the hotels I stay in, this one has a restaurant, the Azul & Branco Restaurant, run by head chef Bruno Fradeira who offers 'a great selection of Portuguese flavours'. There is also the Equestre Lobby Bar, which is run by Hugo Simao and his food and beverage team. I'm guessing that there is some kind of horsey theme going on as that word 'Equestre' gives it away.

There's also a roof top bar offering splendid views of Lisbon's rooftops, perfect, I would imagine, on a hot summer's day, but it's January and while it's not that cold it's worth wearing a light jumper to stave off the cool breeze.

I slept well and soon it was time for another excellent rain shower in the bathroom followed by breakfast. There was plenty of choice: fresh fruit (I enjoyed sliced oranges, which were juicy and flavoursome; sliced peach too). There was home-made cake, those ubiquitous custard tarts, boxed cereals, pastries, breads, everything you can imagine, plus a cooked breakfast option (I chose omelette with potatoes and a mushrooms side order – absolutely perfect).

I'm about to check out, which is a big shame, and it's an even bigger shame that I didn't try the restaurant (we ate out on the river bank, not literally on the bank, but in a restaurant, with glass walls).

This hotel comes highly recommended from me to you. Book a flight to Lisbon, jump in a cab and you'll be there.

Star Inn, Linz, Austria – review written 14 December 2017

Having stayed in Linz before, I kind of knew my way around town, but when I arrived off the train from Vienna, having flown in from London Heathrow, I decided that I was too tired to haul my suitcase along the dark, cold streets, so I took a cab instead and soon found myself at the Star Inn.

The view from room 307, Star Inn, Linz, Austria...

The last time I was in Linz, back in October 2016, I stayed at the Austria Trend Schiller Park, which is about a 15-minute walk from the Star Inn. The trip was so rushed that I never had time to think about the Schiller Park, let alone write about it. Or rather I don't recall writing about it, I'll have to check.

The Star Inn is bright and spacious from the word go. The reception area is neat and tidy, there is black leatherette seating against the walls opposite the front desk and these extend into a lounging area where guests can enjoy a glass of wine or a soft drink, there's even a coffee machine. Opposite this area are the elevators, which are activated by using one's key card, something I wasn't told. I spent a fair bit of time in one lift going nowhere, which proved a little embarrassing until somebody pointed it out to me and I was on my merry way to room 307 on the third floor.

The room was fairly pleasant. A perfectly respectable bathroom on the right and then the room opened out to accommodate a large double bed. There was an LG flatscreen television opposite the bed (no English channels) and a desk at the far end of the room beyond the bed and under the window.

Room 307, Star Inn, Linz, Austria...

A distinct wood theme prevailed: a wooden door, wooden wall panels and a large wooden headboard behind the bed.

One thing that annoyed me was the lighting. It's not normally something that bothers me, but on this occasion I had a problem. A few weeks ago – probably because I overdid the travelling – I woke up one morning feeling very dizzy. I panicked and went and got it checked out by the doctor. It's called BPPV – vertigo for short – and it wasn't too pleasant. At night I went to sleep with three pillows instead of two and to cut a long story short, going to bed was something I left until the very last minute. I wanted a light on too, just for comfort. As kids we always slept with a light on and while I tend not to these days, the dizzyness worried me enough to insist on keeping the bathroom light on at night. The condition has improved considerably, I hasten to add.

Normally when I'm staying away from home, I do sleep with a light on and usually I can close the bathroom door so that just a slither of light escapes into the room, that's all I need. Usually the door is made of solid wood, but not at the Star Inn. In fact, the lighting and the room design conspired against me. The bathroom door was made of glass so it didn't shut out the light I'd left on. Furthermore, the wall mirror outside the bathroom reflected the light from within and was unavoidable when I was lying down in the bed. I considered sleeping the other way around with my back to the light, but in the end had a restless night sleeping first with no lights on and then, on day two of my stay, hanging my coat on the pegs against the wall opposite the bathroom to block the reflection of the light.

Breakfast, as we know, is the great leveller and the Star Inn offering was perfect. Every morning I made my way down to the ground floor breakfast room where I chose muesli, a bowl of fresh fruit, a raspberry yoghurt, two peppermint teas, two small croissants and a banana. It was wonderful and fairly chilled too.

There was no restaurant at the Star Inn so I had to eat out on both nights of my stay. The best place was Bigoli and you can find out why by clicking here.

The Star Inn's staircase to all floors...

The bathroom was fine, everything worked. Ultimately, the Star Inn was a pleasant place to stay, mainly because the guests were left alone to get on with whatever they were doing. The staff were pleasant, always saying 'good morning' or 'good afternoon' if they passed by and, in terms of location, the hotel was bang in the centre of town.

Just up the road from Linz is Leonding (a short tram journey away) and it's worth visiting a huge, new shopping mall that has opened there. It's amazing in terms of its sheer scale and there's also an IMAX cinema within the complex. In short, if you come to Linz as a shopper you're in for a treat and you can amplify the experience by visiting the mall.

Linz was a lovely town – especially at this time of year – with streets illuminated after dark by exquisite shop window displays and Christmas lights.

Catalonia Grand Place Hotel – review written 20 October 2017

First things first. Despite the name, Catalonia Grand Place, I had no idea that I was but a short walk from this great square in Brussels or that my hotel was strolling distance from Bocconi, arguably the best Italian restaurant in the city. It was only on my last day in town that I discovered this and many other wonderful things about the hotel's locality.

In fact, the hotel was pretty well located and was only around a 15-minute walk from Brussels Midi railway station. I don't like to admit defeat by hailing a cab so I switched on the iPhone's SatNav and hauled my suitcase behind me as I strolled through what must have been the Moroccan quarter of this great city. Fortunately I hadn't spent hours on a long haul flight – just two hours on the Eurostar from London St. Pancras International. I was feeling reasonably chipper in other words, although I was beginning to feel a little tired, it had been a long day (and a Sunday too)

My initial impressions of the Catalonia Grand Place were mixed.I thought the guy on the front desk was a little abrupt, but in fact he was real friendly (I was feeling a little stressed and a bit fretful about being away from home). It always takes me a while to acclimatise. I wasn't initially that keen on the decor, not in the lobby area, but in the corridor leading to my room (Room 107 on the first floor). It looked too much like the sort of decor that might adorn my own house – slightly beige, laminated floors, everything was too light-coloured, there were no rich colours, nothing overly grandiose. That said, I remember thinking at the time that everything would hinge on the quality of the breakfast. But again, such a thought soon went out of the window, this was a great hotel.

I had to go out. In fact, I walked a good 25 minutes uphill and across town to a cocktail reception and then a good 25 minutes back to the hotel in the dark, again initially relying upon my iPhone's SatNav. When I got back to the hotel I changed for bed and before finally settling down and trying to sleep used the bathroom – where everything worked fine, there was even a sink with a conventional plug. Brilliant! 

This is, however, quite a noisy hotel. I don't know what it is, perhaps the acoustics of the building, possibly the fact that my hotel window doesn't look out on the outside world, but instead overlooks the front desk area – the lobby in other words. I could hear things: people hauling suitcases past my door, people talking too loudly late at night and children crying here and there. There were some especially noisy individuals in the room across the hall. But I got used to it and started to enjoy my stay.

It's a hotel that trusts its guest on two counts: top marks for a fully-stocked minibar; and proper coat hangers too. My initial dislike of the hotel waned quickly and was replaced by what can only be described as affection. I liked the hubbub.

What about breakfast? It was good. I had my favourite 'in a hotel' cereal (Coco Pops) plus coffee, a fruit-flavoured yoghurt, scrambled egg and two small sausages. The reason I didn't have tea was simple: the cups were too small. The last thing I want to do is jam a teabag into a small space and then pour water on it – hardly a refreshing drink, but the coffee sufficed and was dispensed from an espresso coffee maker, nothing too complicated, probably what is known in the trade as a fully automatic machine. Either way the coffee was good (I always have an Americano).

By far the most annoying thing about the hotel was the business centre. Not because the computer didn't work or the WiFi was inadequate (both were perfect) but the most infuriating thing EVER was the computer keyboard, known, I discovered online, as an AZERTY keyboard. Letters were in the wrong place: the M was where the apostrophe should have been, the W was where the C normally resides, I had to press SHIFT to get a full stop, it was very, very frustrating and it took me the best part of three days to work out where – or rather what combination of keys – would give me the @ sign. Eventually I asked and all was fine.

There was no restaurant here, but that really didn't matter as there was plenty of choice just a short walk away. Turn left out of the hotel and then take, I think, the second on the left. Alternatively, cross the road at around the same place and cut through to the Grand Place and, as mentioned above, Bocconi is no more than a 10-minute walk (again, I wish I'd known this from the beginning).

Also, if you're in need of a haircut, there's a great place across the road from the hotel and it costs 8 Euros for a straightforward, no-nonsense trim. Barbers in this part of town stay open late too.

So, to recap: a decent breakfast, a fully-stocked minibar (although they never replaced my two cans of Spa water, which was mildly annoying). A decent room, everything worked, there was, incidentally a decent flat screen television showing, among other channels, BBC1 and BBC2.

Initially I found the place to be a little noisy and this, as I said, was probably due to the acoustics of the building, but it was fine and probably quieter had I been higher up than the first floor. I could have done with a window opening up on to the outside world, but it certainly wasn't the end of the world. Lastly, the location was perfect.

Would I return? Of course I would. I know exactly where it is, I like the restaurants close by and I know it's only 15 minutes on foot to Brussels Midi station.

Banke Hotel, Paris – review written 27 January 2016

When I reached the Gare du Nord after a fairly uneventful journey from St. Pancras International, I called the hotel to ask a simple question: is it easy to reach by Metro or should I take a cab? I didn’t want to hail a taxi so when I was told to take line four and change to line seven when I reached the Gare de ‘Est, alighting at Chaussée d’Antin – La Fayette, I headed for the subway.

Banke is a ‘boutique’ hotel. It’s full of quirky this and quirky that, slightly loud furniture and fittings and a hip vibe that I liked. The smell of burning incense followed me wherever I went. Well, not in the public areas, but in the corridors, in the lifts, and it was kind of pleasant. The corridors were dark and mysterious, deliberately so, but it had a kind of X-Files chic that I found appealing – the room numbers were somehow projected on to the walls next to the doors. Fantastic.

A porter followed me to my room, carrying my suitcase. I don’t particularly like over-attentiveness. I’m happy to lug my own case into the lift and along the corridor to my room and I hate that unnecessary guilt that goes hand-in-hand with not giving a tip.

The room was pleasant and I did the usual checks, the main one being, could I escape if a bunch of jihadists raided the hotel? Well, no. Not without difficulty. There was a window that opened on to Jason Bourne-style ledge (I was in 507) and I figured I could edge my way along and somehow escape – if it had to, but there was a problem. The window opened no more than five inches so I would end up having to smash my way out and needless to say the jihadist would follow.

The room was fantastic – a full minibar, a decent bathroom and a hallway from the door to the bed. Nothing better than a hallway!

Clutching my 20% discount card, I moseyed on down to Josefin, the hotel restaurant on the ground floor opposite a noisy bar and part of a rather splendid – and slightly over-the-top – galleried area that embraced the front desk and the elevators. But wow! What a restaurant! And what amazing service too. The menu was fantastic. Starters were pretentiously branded as 'foreplay' and followed by the 'flavours of the sea'. Very droll.

I opted for cooked meat with peppers followed by roasted cod and an amazing Tahon Rioja; and then I made a mistake and ordered dessert (a long French name, but it involved a pear and sorbet and some kind of bakery item with cream). The mistake was the suggested cocktail accompaniment, but I finished it and then headed back to the room, after a brief walk along the Rue La Fayette.

The room was unbelievably hot and this led to a broken night. It wasn’t until 0700hrs that I (at last) had the good sense to open the window.

Next up was breakfast in the basement and very nice it was too. I didn’t go over the top: cereal, fresh fruit, a slice of bread and a pot of tea. But I could have opened a bottle of Champagne if I wanted to – as a rather attractive Japanese woman did.

This really was a fantastic hotel in every sense of the word. I haven’t stopped recommending it to all and sundry. It’s relatively close to the Gare du Nord and its stylish quirkiness makes it a most appealing place to stay. I loved it so much I didn’t want to check out.

Amazing food, great service, incredible wine, a decent breakfast, an easy check-in and check-out and a pleasant room. Only one downside and that was the hot room – oh and the window that opened about five inches. Thankfully, no jihadists!

Click here for a related post.

Hampton Inn, Blytheville, Arkansas, USA – review written 23 November 2017

I never thought I'd ever have good reason to visit Arkansas, but suddenly here I am. I'm staying at the Hampton Inn, Blytheville, which is just off Interstate 55 north of Memphis and apart from the fact that the hotel doesn't have a restaurant it's okay. The room is good. There's a walk-in shower, a double bed, a decent television, free cookies and free WiFi, an empty fridge, and other essential stuff, like an ironing board, an iron and a safe.

The woman on the front desk was very friendly, there's an outdoor pool I'll probably not use, mainly because it's outdoor and it's not that warm. I say 'not that warm' it's a darn sight warmer than the UK, at around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so it's not a complete no-no, but I just know I won't be swimming.

I'd spent a lot of time online checking out Google maps and driving here 'virtually' using my laptop. Believe me it really helped. When I actually got on the road, having also scrutinised many roadmaps, it all seemed so familiar to me and was, in fact, a doddle. I crossed over from Tennessee into Arkansas half way across the Hernando de Soto Bridge and then followed Interstate 40 until the road forked and I took Interstate 55, the right fork, heading north.

I kept in the slow lane and I adhered to the speed limit (which ranged from 65mph to 70mph) and I tried to keep a sensible distance between my car (a Nissan) and the many juggernauts that passed on my left hand side.

It took about an hour to reach the Hampton Inn and because there’s no restaurant I'll have to go into town later to find something. There is a Chinese restaurant next door, but the receptionist screwed up her face when I mentioned it, as if to say 'I wouldn't bother if I were you' and to be fair it didn't look very inviting from the outside. Furthermore, the last thing I needed, having travelled all the way from Memphis, was to wake up with gut rot.

There’s a Holiday Inn nearby that has a restaurant, which is probably the best bet. It was a 10-minute walk to Bistro Eleven 21, part of the Holiday Inn, Blytheville. When I got there I ordered tuna steak with beans and rice, a chicken noodle soup to start and an Octoberfest beer, brewed in Memphis, not forgetting a decaffeinated coffee and the obligatory glass of iced water (a staple in all American eateries).

The food was alright, but it didn't set the world alight and this was because Bistro Eleven 21 had an identity crisis going on. For a start it rather pretentiously called itself Bistro Eleven 21, but then it occupied a huge square space with carpeted floors and a mix of booth seating and straightforward tables. There was a long sports bar at the front of the restaurant and seated at the bar was a bunch of men in checked shirts and baseball caps, lending the place a kind of agricultural theme. Having the sports bar and the supposedly swish 'Bistro Eleven 21' name together didn't gel and while the food was fine, it looked tired and it turned up suspiciously quickly after being ordered.

I ordered chicken noodle soup to start, but they hadn't provided a soup spoon. I started eating with what amounted to a teaspoon, but eventually had to ask if they had something bigger. They did. No sooner had my soup been taken away (it was good, but a little too salty) than my main course arrived – tuna steak with rice and green beans. While the food served my purposes (it was wholesome and relatively well-presented on the plate) there was something tired about it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was either trying too hard or not trying hard enough, I wasn't sure.

Dessert was offered, but as always, it was a predictable roll call of unhealthy cakes so I declined and ordered a decaffeinated black coffee and then asked for the bill, paid up and walked back at the Hampton Inn.


The great thing about this hotel was the staff, they’re very friendly, and I spent a lot of time chatting to one of them prior to having breakfast. She’d never been to the UK, but wanted to visit sometime. The next morning I was up with the lark and ready to check out. First, I enjoyed a good breakfast but it was a little basic in terms of plastic plates, bowls and cutlery, something I’ve experienced before in Hampton Inns. To be honest, it’s not a big deal, the main thing is comfort, efficient and friendly staff and a decent night’s sleep and the Hampton Inn Blytheville scored highly on all these aspects.