TravelResortReview

We stayed in this hotel at the end of September 2009 for 2 nights with my wife and 2 children (4 and 9 yrs).

I assume that due to Ramadan Eid Holiday, reservation and reservation confirmation was extremely late. However, there were no problems with the room. Even they provided us with a better room. The hotel has 2 buildings, one of them is around 100 meters away from the main building. Between these buildings are tennis and volleyball courts and next to them is the carpark.

Hotel is approximately 30km away by car from Istanbul-Ankara highway. You have to take Abant exit and follow the signs for Abant.

Checkin was OK. They didn’t let us wait for a long time. But they took their time to fill out forms with our ID cards, and this duration was longer than expected.

Food quality, as expected from Bolu, was excellent.

During the stay, our requests are not answered in a timely fashion. For example, we requested 2 extra beds but after our 3rd call, they brought them. But they brought one, only. They brought the other one later, in 10 minutes.

Restaurants are not spacious, but comfortable. Staff is helpful, but slow. Receptionists are not smiling, but doing their job. You don’t feel that you arrive at a friendly place, but the wonderful nature keeps all of these thoughts away.

Hotel facilities are “in” the beautiful forest of Abant. Hotel is next to the Abant Lake. There is a cafe which has a terrace on Abant Lake (hosting around 15-20 tables). This provides excellent opportunity for a panoramic view of Bolu/Abant Mountains and to enjoy magnificient view of the scenery. Hotel has indoor swimming pool, kids club, massage (spa), games hall. I think because of the special season, they organized two different live music performance - one in the lake cafe, and one in the hotel (Geyikli Bar). We attended the one in the lake cafe. The performance was OK.

The hotel has a small children playground.

There are various facilities near to the hotel: natural (organic) food market, horse riding, tour with sleigh (fayton) around the lake, etc. On the other side of the lake, there’s a restaurant where you can enjoy fresh and well-cooked fish.

The weather is usually rainy, therefore you should carry umbrellas or raincoats with you.

Our short vacation was enjoyable and comfortable, due to the nature of Abant. As a matter of fact, we would enjoy our vacation even if we stayed in another hotel near this amazing Abant lake. We suggest everyone staying in this hotel, especially for families.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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We have spent 8 days in summer 2009 in the middle of June, in this wonderful 5-star, first-class service hotel. The hotel was almost full. We booked it 3 months prior to our stay so that we had around 30% discount on the prices through www.tatilsepeti.com. Thanks God, the stay was wonderful.

The facility is in excellent condition. There are 3 pools. One big pool, for common use in the shape of the letter Y, the other one with 3 different types of water slides (slide with bumpers, looped slide and totally covered slide with clockwise and counter-clockwise loops). There are a number of bars. There are special areas available for rent which provides you with “private” sun bathing. Worth a try. Motorized water sports (such as jet-ski and paragliding) are not free, but waterbike, canoes are available for free.

The most satisfying part of the stay was the hotel staff. Without even a single exception, all, yes, all, 100% of the staff was extremely polite, dedicated to help you to solve your small issues - such as bringing me an ice-bag for my not-so-injured elbow.

Pool games were well organized and there is always some activity somewhere in the facility. This is announced.

Nights were another story. Everynight at 2100 they start their night show with children’s club. Around 2130 the show continues with something for older. It was all entertaining. I remember several nights we were so sad that the show has finished.

The facility operates on all-inclusive type. That means, you don’t need to carry money while you are eating and drinking in this huge facility. Open-buffet restaurants are open around 2.5 hours. There are other restaurants that are open longer - with reservation only.

Only thing that bothered us was the ice-cream buffet which was open for an extremely short period - 2 hours between 1300 and 1500 hours only.

The hotel is located at: 36°29′21.01″N 30°31′28.55″E

We strongly recommend this facility to everyone coming to visit Turkey. This facility is for everyone.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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This is a beautiful area called “Llano Grande” and it is located 1 hour far from Medellín, Colombia (South America). Llano Grande has become a much visited place for Colombians and foreign visitors as well. Plenty of life all the day and night long; this is a place that deserves to be visited by anyone.

Medellín is provided with 2 airports; but it is better to arrive to the Llano Grande’s Airport as this one is just 10 minutes far from Llano Grande.

Since the President of Colombia, Mr. Alvaro Uribe, owns a Finca in the surroundings, the zone is plenty of Army the whole year. This assures that the zone is much protected, which is a great guarantee for a safe vacation time.

There are hotels in the area, but my own experience refers to the “Fincas” (country houses) that can be rented for the amount of days you want. Prices vary from Finca to Finca, being the most expensive ones the biggest houses. The pictures I attach here are from the Finca that I rented with my family on the recently past December 2008. This house is beautiful, plenty of rooms (5 3-double-bed rooms) and wide spaces for the kids to play and for the adults to walk around and enjoy the landscapes.

Around this finca you can find lot of malls, restaurants, discos, markets, super-stores, service stations, and all facilities you can think of. And of course, there is a nice and big Hospital in case you get sick of happiness for being so joyful of this gorgeous place over there!  

Very near of Llano Grande is located the town “Rio Negro” where you can find a wide diversity of activities as well.

The weather is nice but cold (around 18 ºC) and sometimes rainy. So if you plan to go to Llano Grande some day keep in mind to take your coats with you!

There is a trip which is a most, consistent in going down to Medellín; one of the most important cities in Colombia. There is something I love always to see myself and is the “alumbrado” (Christmas lights) along the Medellín River.

We go always on December to Llano Grande since years now because this is such a beautiful place for vacationing. I highly recommend this place to anyone!

Greeting from Colombia,

JAS
March 26, 2009

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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In a random order, the following are some suggested things to take with you while you are travelling. Please feel free to post more :)) This list partially applies to everyone travelling.Disclaimer: this is not a complete list; you may still forget something necessary for your trip. Print this list, and add yours at the end. TravelResortReview.com doesn’t accept any responsibility for any damages/losses because of the things not mentioned here.

1. Toothpaste and toothbrush
2. Shaving tools (razor, shaving cream/foam, brush, after shave lotion, etc.)
3. Underwear
4. Shirt, blouse
5. Trousers, skirt, pants, shorts, etc.
6. If you are going for swimming purposes, swimming suits, protection creams, towels, etc.
7. Jackets, sweatshirts, coats
8. Business dresses (suit, etc.)
9. Tie(s) which will fit your suit/jacket/shirt
10. Belt
11. Socks
12. Charger for your portable phones
13. Charger for your portable devices, such as your laptops, bluetooth earphones, etc.
14. Power plug adapters
15. Your official papers (such as your ID card, driving license, copy of your work visa, etc.)
16. Passport
17. SIM cards for your destination (roaming or local one)
18. Pyjamas
19. GPS (if your mobile does not have one)
20. Maps
21. Camera
22. Video recorder
23. Slippers
24. Shoes (extra?)
25. Eye glasses
26. Sun glasses
27. Business cards
28. Your presentations, company brochures, etc.
29. Toys for your younger children
30. Baby food
31. Baby’s milk bottle, soother
32. Other official documents as necessary
33. Mobile phone
34. Laptop
35. Your reservation forms
36. Telephone number(s), address and other information for the destination that you are travelling to, if possible contact information for the person that you have contacted before

 Feel free to post more… 

We stayed in the hotel for 2 nights, at the end of May 2008. We have stayed in this hotel last year, in March 2007 for one night, we liked it and therefore decided to stay again.

The hotel is very near to the Al-Masjid Al Nabawi (or Prophet’s Mosque). Only 3-4 minutes on foot. The location of the hotel is not only good for accessing the Holy Mosque, but also for arriving the hotel safely if you are driving. Those who are coming from the other cities will find the hotel on King Fahad Road junction with King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz road. The hotel is exactly to the North of the Mosque. All the shopping centres are nearby. Uhud Mountain is very near, 5 minutes by car. It is also visible from the suites of the hotel.

The staff of the hotel is very helpful. Hotel is clean. A very nice open buffet breakfast is served in the restaurant. Variety of foods is more than satisfactory. Rooms are spacious. Only problem with the rooms are the windows. All windows are behind a kind of steel grid; therefore it disturbs the scenery. All the shopping centres are nearby, mosques are nearby, and the quality is what you are expecting from an Intercontinental Hotel.

As in most of the other hotels in the city, don’t expect a lot for the children.

The price is very reasonable, compared to the other hotels in the area. Highly suggested for families and those performing religious tourism.

For those looking forward to the exact location of the hotel, here are the coordinates that you can easily locate, for example, through Google Earth: 24°28′25.39″ 39°36′38.51″

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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We stayed in this hotel for one night only.

I was expecting a lot from this hotel, because of its brand; however I couldn’t find whatever I have been looking for.

First of all, when you come to the hotel, you think that the hotel is not operational anymore. The location of the hotel is extremely convenient for travellers coming from Jeddah. It’s located on the Third Ring Road, almost 10 kms away from Masjid Al-haram. Anyway, when I proceed to the reception, I gave my reservation confirmation printout. The receptionist even didn’t have a look at it. He just gave me a suit. I reserved a room through their web site (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/qcaha?rpb=hotel&crUrl=/h/d/6c/1/en/hotelsearchresults), which is supposed to be a suite with ”Oasis View”. I was really expecting a lot. The room that he gave me was a suite, indeed, but on the ground floor and there was no “Oasis View”. In fact, there is no “Oasis” to view. Anyway, I went back to the receptionist, ask for a change, after a few minutes discussion, he gave us a room on the 4th floor where we are supposed to have some view of “Oasis”. Anyway, there wasn’t any “Oasis”, the view was just the road in front of the hotel. But there was something. There was a periodical noise that would disturb us through the night. The shower was not working, the water of the water closet was “yellowish/brownish”.

I went back to the reception. I looked at 2-3 more rooms. At the end, we decided to have our first room back. I’m sure the guy at the reception was not happy with us.

Anyway, the room was spacious. Gave us good space to relax. We have only taken the breakfast at the hotel. It was simply OK. There were not many choices; they even brought “honey” upon our request.

The hotel staff was so friendly. They are the only sources of smiling faces.

Hotel has shuttle service to Masjid Al-haram - which is a very big plus.

Overall, the quality of the hotel is not good. I think the structure is already 30+ years old and so are the furnitures. The hotel needs renovation and I am sure that after renovation it will be a key point for people who are visiting Makkah for any purposes. There is no picture of the hotel is shown on their web site; this is unusual and surprising.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Absolutely fantastic hotel with a huge garden of palm trees, a big swimming pool, a very well maintained beach, extremely helpful staff, clean and spacious rooms, perfect food quality.

We stayed in this hotel with my family (my wife and 2 sons - 2 and 7 years). It was a perfect refreshing trip. We stayed during early April 2008. As a general comment for the whole UAE, major construction works are ongoing. There’s a construction site just next to the hotel which may generate some noise during your relaxation. However, the ambience of the hotel is so relaxing that you don’t even mind it.

The quality of the food is perfect. The hotel is somewhat overpriced, as expected from Sheraton brand.

Rooms were comfortable. Housekeeping maintains the room around the clock. They even don’t mind to change towels three times a day. Everything is designed and thought for the comfort.

The resort has the activities through the week - belly dancer, children’s activities, open-buffet dinner, theme dinners, etc.

The hotel offers massages of different types in the middle of the palm tree garden.

The swimming pool may need some water toys; such as slides, etc.

The resort also has a football pitch.

The only problem we had was to find the location because of the construction works. However, here are the directions: Just follow Jumeirah Beach Road, connect it to Sufouh Road. Follow Sufouh Road, no right- or left-turns. When you think that the road has ended, you will see a kind of “hidden” sign that shows “Sheraton Hotel Only”, on a dark brown signboard. To make it clearer, you have to follow the road till Starbucks; and when you see Starbucks, you should continue another 100 meters to see the sign. Other than this problem, you expect no problems. The location of the hotel, if you’d like to look at it on Google Earth: 25° 4′23.73″N 55° 7′44.11″E. The web site is at: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1326

I just don’t know why they don’t have a picture of their beach on their web site; it is worth putting a picture of it! 

This is a strongly suggested hotel for those who has the budget to spend.

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Placed right in the center of Hamilton, or on High Street, the hotel was perfect for shopping in the day and partying in the night. The Bank, which changes from a restaurant to a club later in the night, is only a few steps from the hotel.

The rooms were nice and large and quite pretty. I had no problems with the cleanliness of the rooms and the shower was a good comfortable size. Unfortunately I only had a TV in the room, but that was a good excuse to visit the many nearby clubs and restaurants. The breakfast was very standard in the means of choice, but I am not a big breakfast eater anyway so that wasn’t a problem for me.

Average price considering the lack of different activities in the city of Hamilton and generally I would rate it a good but not fantastic experience.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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My partner and I stayed at the Atarmon Inn during New Years eve 2007. At the time of our stay the rooms were modern, very neat and tidy and well priced. The staff were very friendly and very helpful especially after failing to secure a good spot before the fireworks. They suggested we visit a fairly unknown location that allowed us a full view of all the fireworks going off at once along Darling Harbour. As a result of the staffs help, we ended up getting a better view then we could ever have asked for.

We did experience one issue with our first room. As the rooms were new, and we were essentially the first to use them there was a drainage issue with the shower in the room. The Staff immediately acted on the issue and allocated a new room.

The motel provides a 24-hour front desk that can accommodate most needs.

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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I have stayed at Aarons Motel over 4 times over the years and I have found the motel to be up to expectations. I have never known the motel to be the “bells and whistles” type of accommodation but rather a cheap, yet comfortable, place to stay in the heart of Sydney.

The primary benefit of Aarons is its perfect location in the heart of Sydney, as it is within walking distance of many of Sydney’s iconic areas and public transport. It is truly unbelievable as to how well the motel is placed. For example, if you step out the front of Aarons Motel, you are:

• 20 metres from Paddy’s Markets (across the road)
• 400 metres from the Exhibition Centre
• 600 metres from Darling Harbour
• 600 metres from the Powerhouse Museum
• 200 metres from China Town
• 70 metres to the inner city monorail (gives access to many other attractions)
• 50 metres to tram station
• 200 metres to train station

The staff has always been friendly and helpful.

  (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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