TripAdvisor Oct-Nov 2013
Grand Hotel Europe St Petersburg
“Great Hotel”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 14, 2013 NEW
Great hotel by all counts especially if you stay in the historical wing, with butler service and Bulgari toiletries and full coffee bar, you have a memorable stay. Here everyone of the staff are attentive and each speaks good English.The butler service is such that it seems that they can do anything for you. The buffet breakfast is probably the best not only of St Petersburg but possibly of the world: I count 20 sorts of tea and similar of bread. 5 or 6 food stations and there is even Beef Strogenov for breakfast and Pancake with Red Caviar cooked to order. Several kinds of marinated herring are available only here nowhere else. This is in the main restaurant with a two-storied high ceiling, completed with a pianist playing Chopin for breakfast if to make it grander than grand.The location is the most central of central St Petersburg at Nevsky Prospekt, which is more useful than proximity to Hermitage (which you only visit once and I have been to it). I come to St Petersburg for ballet every year and this is my first choice of hotels in this city of many top hotels.
Room Tip: Rooms varied in this kind of historical hotels but the historical rooms are special, facing the Phil...
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Stayed October 2013, traveled on business5 of 5 stars Value
5 of 5 stars Location
5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
5 of 5 stars Rooms
5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
5 of 5 stars Service
Hotel Ukraine, Kiev
3 of 5 stars Reviewed October 19, 2013 NEW
Having stayed at luxury hotels in Russia I arrive Kiev and checked into a so-called 4-star Hotel Ukraine. I chose this hotel because it is most centrally located and in particular I wanted to sample the "Soviet style" that I missed out during Soviet time, and on both counts I am not disappointed. Location was the best and it really is Soviet (meaning not very comfortable). Despite the small and dated room the service is not bad and the breakfast also, and there is fast internet (if you plug in). And the price I paid at Expedia is really cheap. But the condition of the room does not justify it to be 4 star, though even so I may return as location is important. (no hotel in Kiev uis better located).
Room Tip: Convenient location and a sampler of Soviet time "good" hotel to satisfy my curiosity.
Stayed October 2013, traveled solo
5 of 5 stars Value
5 of 5 stars Location
4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
3 of 5 stars Rooms
4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
3 of 5 stars Service
3 of 5 stars Reviewed October 19, 2013 NEW
Great Fosters Hotel, Egham, England
Arriving London from an overnight flight, there is no better way to combat jetlag than at The Great Fosters Hotel, in Egham, near Windsor and Heathrow. It is less than 15 minutes from a taxi ride from LHR T5 where my BA flight landed. This hotel is, if anything, arguably one of the most interesting hotels anywhere. Housed in a heritage building, the main wing is of 14th century vintage though there is the new stables wing. Here you can simple unsurpassed bygone English hospitality in the most traditional way. Staff are mainly English, more so than most London hotels, and there is no better example as to what a true English breakfast is like. The teapot is heavy-weighted silver and tea cups the size of a bowl, and my ordered main course Scotch kipper comes as a full-sized whole fish. There are lounges and bars in an interior of antique furnishing and furniture. Bedroom is comfortable and the bathroom, concealed behind a door like an old cupboard, is ultra-modern. Staying here not only buys a night’s sleep but an unforgettable experience. Service is excellent, nicely old-fashioned like in bygone days. Not the least is the hotel’s garden: while the hotel is boutique it has a garden that is a virtual mini-Versailles. Jetlagging, I enjoy just staying in the hotel for my arrival day, and the remote location does not bother me. It is life for a change once in a while and as such is well-worth it……
“Great Kamchatka Crabs”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 19, 2013 NEW
Great Crab from Kamchatka
On my recent stay at Grand Hotel Europe St Petersburg, I had the chance of sampling the best of Russian cuisine money can buy, though at a cost but well-worth it. I had a dinner at The Caviar Bar and Restaurant of the Grand Hotel Europe and the dinner turns out to be most memorable. The starting signature dish of a 3 caviar sampler was great. Three kinds of caviar including a generous portion of beluga were served with sour cream etc on egg shells accompanied by a shot of vodka, and this is already a stunning start. Then we had sturgeon and beef stroganoff, the latter on the recipe given to the hotel by the original inventor of this now famous dish and so it has an air of authentic exclusivity to it. BUT it is the dish of Kamchatka Crab that will live forever in my memory. This variety of crab from Russian Far East is the best of its kind and in my view better than the Hokkaido or Alaskan varieties. It was cooked in a champion sauce beautifully. A must try whether you stay at the hotel or not. I saw that the house was full of local rich and am told that it is always fully booked despite the high price. Live Russian style music accompanies your meal and good service to make the occasion an ultimate experience.
Mercure Dolphin Hotel, Southampton
Between luxury business stays in London I went to Southampton for a day for a ballet and choose this simple accommodation under the good name of Mercure.
This hotel is central and staff service attitude is very good. The room is very small but has many inclusive items such as a safe, free internet, and coffee making facilities even a snack, and perhaps this makes it a Mercure otherwise room condition is more like an Ibis. I paid USD169 at Expedia for this. Simple room and it is not cheap. A few steps away there is Star Hotel that is more than 50% cheaper. All said I may return to it for my next cruise out of Southampton.
What makes me unhappy is the Expedia booking. I had clicked the wrong month due to a previous search and as a result I made duplicated bookings with Expedia US on the 22nd of both October and November. Immediately I tried to contact Expedia and they simply do not answer my 5 emails sent over several days nor respond to a web message on their website. When you need them for help they are simply not available. All email got a computer generated reply that is irrelevant. They have not replied yet. While at Mercure I told them about this situation and they said after checking that they CAN cancel if Expedia says so. BUT no way ever to contact Expedia US Site. I made a lot of bookings on this site and I may not do it again. I had similar experience long ago with Travelocity and they were much better. The Expedia service is a robot and no human contact is possible when needed. Be careful if you book with them. I am absolutely and extremely unsatisfied.
The Ritz, London
“Incomparable Ultimate Luxury”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 25, 2013 NEW
I suppose that even as a frequent user of hotels a visit to The Ritz London is a must if to complete my hotel experience. This world famous hotel, big building with few rooms and with more staff than guests ensure great service. But it is the hotel's extraordinary opulence and décor, more than any hotels I have seen, that exceed my highest expectation of what is ultimate luxury. I am simply stunned by the splendor going on my way to my room via the Palm Court where high tea is famously served from 11am to 7pm, and the restaurant breakfast is great in a equally opulent setting with waiting staff in white-tie! The room is exquisite with turn of (last) century furnishing lovingly restored. It is not a one-time stay, but a lifetime' experience to be relished. A "must see"!
Room Tip: Rooms face all sides and I believe a suite with Piccadilly and Green Park view is the ultimate though at a price...
Stayed October 2013, traveled on business
5 of 5 stars Value
5 of 5 stars Location
5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
4 of 5 stars Rooms
5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
5 of 5 stars Service
“Casual Elegance with a Difference”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed October 26, 2013 NEW
ANdAZ Liverpool Street, London
“Casual Elegance with a Difference”
This is the 4th time I stayed at ANdAZ Liverpool Street with a same good reason: it is always great to be here and there is also a good weekend discount too! Andaz is the hip brand of Hyatt and this brand operates in an entirely different manner from ordinary hotels. Receptionists, casually dressed in shirt-sleeves, are your hosts who check you in with an iPad - the only staff who wear jackets are the porters. The hall has no counter if to be different and more friendly, and at 6pm it serves wine and canapé to anyone. Rooms are ultra modern and really comfortable, with free minibar and snacks, also fast free internet, and free local calls. Service is about the best anywhere, in a homely casual manner. Two venues for breakfast, you choose between turn of the (last) century elegance or modern casual. Staff are all young and friendly, most even handsome. Everything is perfect to make a most pleasant stay. It is also interesting to see the renewed East London, with its own activities and night-life. The hotel is on the Liverpool Street Rail station which is virtually a shopping center in itself. I can fondly remember all my stays at this hotel, at first for a change, but now I can count myself as a satisfied returning guest.
Room Tip: This hotel is in the banking/business area with many office buildings and so it can be expensive on...
Stayed October 2013, traveled on business
