Buyuk Abant Oteli, Abant, Bolu, Turkey

Bike Rental/Tours, Business Trip, Camping, Cities, Europe, Family Vacation, Health, Sports, Spas and Recreation Centres, Honeymoon, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts), Leisure, Natural Beatuies, Picnic,BBQ, Restaurants, Dining, Winter Holiday No Comments

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 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Corinthia Club Hotel Tekirova, Tekirova, Kemer, Antalya, Turkey

Business Trip, Cities, Europe, Family Vacation, Health, Sports, Spas and Recreation Centres, Honeymoon, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts), Leisure No Comments

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 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Vacationing Fincas in Medellín, Colombia (South America)

Cities, Family Vacation, Furnished Apartments, Honeymoon, Leisure, Natural Beatuies, South America No Comments

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

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Finca at Medellin, Colombia

Surroundings at the Finca

Traveller’s Checklist

Business Trip, Checklists, Family Vacation, Honeymoon, Leisure, Travelling Kit 1 Comment

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… 

Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort & Towers - Dubai, UAE

Asia, Business Trip, Family Vacation, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts) No Comments

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.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Atarmon Inn, Atarmon, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Australia, Cities, Family Vacation, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts) No Comments

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 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Máré Castle Camping, Magyaregregy, Hungary

Camping, Europe, Family Vacation, Leisure, Natural Beatuies No Comments

View from Máré CastleThe camping is located outside of Magyaregregy, a small village in the Mecsek National Park, in the southenr part of Hungary. The camping is owned by a Dutch family and they are really kind and helpful. The camping itself is small, but there is a beach with a large pool and a good restaurant. The food is delicious, the serving is good and the prices are really good for tourists. If you like taking long walks or biking in the hills, you can have a really good dinner here at the end of the day. The water of the springs here is crystal clear and really tasty, you can drink it safely. The camping is near the main road, at the start of the road going up the hill to the Castle of Máré, a partially ruined castle with a really great view. Public transport in the area is not the best, but I really recommend taking a trip with the nearby train as it is riving through the hills and you can find a number of pleasing views.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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Quality Resort Siesta, Albury, NSW, Australia

Australia, Family Vacation, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts), Leisure, Waterfalls No Comments

Located 3 km from the centre of Albury, Quality Resort Siesta Resort is a self enclosed Relaxation leisure motel. Rated at 4 1/2 stars the Siesta is perfect for families and boast’s a large array of interesting and relaxing activities including:

  • Tennis courts
  • Squash courts
  • Mini golf course
  • Enlarged chess game
  • 3 spas (2 of which are hosted inside an outdoor cave, 1 in a large sombrero hat)
  • 1 Heated indoor pool
  • 1 large outdoor pool, complete with islands and rock diving platform
  • Games room including pool and ping pong
  • 2 Saunas

The resort also contains two excellent restaurants; Cactus Cantina Bistro Bullring Bar and Restaurants that I have always found to be top class. The staff is excellent and always available to assist. My family has stayed at this resort 4 times over the years and has made plans for a future stay for we have always enjoyed the resort.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)

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Széchenyi Castle, Nagycenk, Hungary

Cities, Europe, Family Vacation, Historical Places, Leisure No Comments

The CastleNagycenk is located near the Austrian border, 12 kilometers from Sopron and not far from the Fertő Lake. The city was the one-time home of the Széchenyi Family - a family with great importance in the history of Hungary. The Mausoleum in the village cemetery is a memorial place of national identity and an invaluable piece of art. The Mausoleum is the final resting place of Count Ferenc Széchenyi, the founder of the Hungarian National Museum and his son, Count István Széchenyi, the “Greatest Hungarian”, the outstanding politician of the Reform Age, founder of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. István played an important role in building and improving the economy of the country by building railroads, brigdes, supporting sciences, research and horse breeding.

Nostalgia TrainThe Castle in Nagycenk is surrounded by a park that is closed by a beautiful wrought-iron gate. The humble French-garden in the courtyard is in contrast with the beautiful interior of the castle. The main part of the castle is now serves as a museum about the life and success of the family. A stud farm, an open-air locomotive museum, a nostalgia train with steam locomotives, a beautiful alleyway with limetrees, and a neo-romanesque church designed by Miklós Ybl provide all visitors enough attraction for a day-long excursion. Children are allowed to drive the nostalgia train and they can get a certificate of being a junior steam locomotive driver. An international festival is organized each summer in the nearby court in the memory of István Széchenyi and his efforts for the riding sports with show jumping and couch driving.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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Ederdale Bed and Breakfast, Ohope, North Island, New Zealand

Family Vacation, Hotels (Hotels and Resorts) No Comments

These are apartments rather than your standard motel rooms, and as such have a much more homely and comfortable feel to them. Position right on the cusp of beautiful Ohope beach, you can be bathing in the waters before you’ve even woken up! Also, if you want to take a few minutes out, you can go for a wake around Ohope point to Whakatane.

While some people classify Ohope as part of Whakatane, the owners of Ederdale were having non of that talk. In fact they were a very humorous and friendly bunch.

This is a good place for a family, as the beach side has plenty of area for BBQ´s and the beach is very safe, with no sudden drops in the sea bed. We paid more than you average motel price for this accommodation but it definitely was worth the change.

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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