News - Hotels/Resorts

The Blyde Resort Pretoria South Africa

It’s easy to think that Johannesburg and Pretoria are quite close. If an hours drive in heavy traffic is quite close, then I guess they are. The Blyde resort is just to the east of Pretoria and about an hour north of Johannesburg. I found the resort on Airbnb and I have to say, judging by the pictures It looked pretty spectacular, indeed it was.
I was playing golf in the Blind South African Open in Johannesburg and decided on a few extra days either side of the tournament to explore the Johannesburg area. A Three bedroomed apartment at the Blyde came up on Airbnb for around £50 a night, what a bargain this turned out to be.
I can personally say the security on the resort is excellent, at the time I would have said excessive, as I was refused entry because I did not have a key code to the barrier, despite having my reservation in paper and electronic formats. Eventually I managed to sneak in using another persons passcode which I overheard and eventually made my way to the reception.
My apartment was not ready, so I was forced to enjoy the clubhouse area overlooking the fantastic man-made lagoon and have some lunch with a few social beers. The lagoon is huge and provides a range of water sports for the sporty types. Having just spent 16 hours on aeroplanes and after navigating my way through Johannesburg airport, I preferred the less sporty option of a pizza and a few beers.
A new three bedroomed ground floor apartment, fully furnished with patio and garden overlooking the lagoon was as good as it gets for £50 a night. The good thing about the area was Uber SA would arrive in minutes to pick me up outside the main gate, half an hour journeys to the areas great bars and restaurants cost a fraction of what a taxi in any big city would cost.
My son and I really enjoyed our tine at the Blyde, as after a day exploring wildlife parks and some of the sights of the area, once we had dinner, we just chilled out in the apartment. All the tv and excellent WiFi a 15 year old boy could need and all the fabulous cold South African wine I needed, whilst sitting on my patio looking out over the now beautifully lit up lagoon. Great place…..

Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya Sri Lanka

Another place where I have not stayed but simply enjoyed the hotels fabulous facilities as a non resident, great bar and restaurant, a snooker room and swimming pool which I unfortunately did not try out.
The hotel is located on the outskirts of town very close to the golf club where I played a few times during my stay, set in huge grounds, the hotel would make for a great break in peaceful beautiful surroundings. I was staying in the town centre at a guest house costing substantially less than the Grand, however, the fabulous restaurant and bar at the hotel was fairly well priced. That old travel rule, eat and drink well, sleep easy.
I happened to be drinking in the hotel bar and it turned out the manager was English and also manager of the hotel staff football team. After many beers I reluctantly agreed to turn out for the team the following day in a local match. No football kits here just shorts and tee shirts, I did happen to have my Sunderland shirt (which travels everywhere with me), shorts and trainers and arrived as a “ringer” for the hotel team. The word ringer was an understatement, at 6”2 tall I was probably a foot taller than all the other players and after scoring a hattrick in a 5-3 win, controversy followed along with a great night and many beers in the hotel bar that evening.
On the downside of a great evening, I parted company with my beloved Sunderland shirt, I was asked to sign it and leave it hanging on a wall of the bar. Perhaps I will reclaim it one day when I return in my retirement……

APA Capsule Hotel Shinjuku Tokyo

Location, location, location, this place is bang in the middle of Tokyo, come out of the hotel front door, turn left, and your then on that massive crossing in all the TV and movie adverts in the middle of Shinjuku.
The hotel is amazing value for central Tokyo, I paid about £60 for two pods around four years ago. A word of advice however, if you are over 6 foot tall, don't spend a week here. I managed two nights in my large baked bean can with a curtain for a door and I have to say, it was one of my worst hotel experiences ever.
My son was in the pod above me and we ended up having an early night at around 11:00 pm, given we had been on the go for 36 hours after flying in from England. At around 1110pm, the music from the bar above the hotel started blasting out, Japanese grunge music, not really my thing. After lying awake for about four hours in my claustrophobic baked bean can the music stopped. Thinking I might finally get some sleep, karaoke begun with Japanese versions of Madonna now gracing the airwaves. By 6:00am I had enough and went out to explore Tokyo. I found an amazing little coffee shop right opposite the main crossing in Shinjuku, No bacon sandwiches here I'm afraid however, the coffee and hot dogs where just fine.
It was really interesting watching the young Japanese revellers making their way home, no shouting, screaming, fighting, being sick here, just polite young people quietly going about their business making their way home with the occasional wobble.

Despite my dislike of the pod, the hotel facilities were awesome, spotlessly clean and tidy, the male washrooms had hot showers, a jacuzzi and even a small swimming pool. The hotel also had a small café in the communal area and a few pc’s available to rent for a minimal charge. There was a nice sitting area, with free wifi also available, an absolute bargain in central Tokyo.

The YMCA Colombo Sri Lanka

The YMCA in Columbo Sri Lanka may not be five star or even one star coming to that, however, a great place whilst in Columbo watching cricket.
One of my travelling trips whilst on a budget especially in Asia, is to sleep cheap eat and drink well and the YMCA was certainly a place to do that. In actual fact this had everything you needed, primarily a bed to sleep in, a bar downstairs serving very cheap beer and of all things, two full size snooker tables which were full most of the time, as the locals were Snooker mad. Another good thing about the YMCA was its location, smack bang in the middle of Columbo, the second best thing about the location is the huge Hilton hotel just across the street which had very good happy hours in the bar.
The only real difference to my cricket tour and the big travel agents 5 star everything, was my sleeping arrangements. My $2 basic room with shared facilities and free iguana running up the wall was simply somewhere to sleep however, I ate, drank and watched the same cricket in the same places as those in five-star luxury.
The happy hour at the Hilton was from 5 pm till 7 pm however, by the time we got back from the cricket, it was almost the end of happy hour. My cunning plan which worked every night was to tip the waiter well for my first pitcher of beer and just before happy hour ended, buy quite a few more, these would last all night. The waiter would simply bring a new cold one when the previous one finished. The result being, they were purchased at happy hour prices and of course he got another big tip.
When all else failed, there was also the basic bar in the YMCA, plastic tables and chairs, the infamous devilled chilli chicken strips (a Sri Lankan must do) and cheaper beer than the Hilton happy hour.
Spoilt for choice.

Penzion Gremium Bratislava Slovakia

Location, location, location, right in the centre of Bratislava, the Penzion Gremium has dramatically evolved over the 30 plus years I have been staying here.
I love Bratislava it is one of my favourite cities, certainly small by European standards but the Penzion Gremiium is right in the heart of the city. I first found this place in a lonely planet guide book 30+ years ago and I stayed there simply because it was cheap and very central, having said that, everything is central in Bratislava, that’s why I like it so much.
The rooms were upstairs and I have to say bared no resemblance to those of todays hotel. Shared bathrooms in the corridor opposite your room and if you were lucky enough to get an on suite (I say that term loosely), the bathroom door would not close properly so I will leave the rest to your imagination if you were not staying in the room by yourself.
In the early days, the pension had a somewhat rugged bar downstairs which was great if you loved live punk/indie music and cheap beer (that’s why I loved the place). I spent many a great evening drinking with friendly locals talking music, football and anything in between. Live music was somewhat underground before independence in 1993 and certainly before the end of communist rule in 1989, so the Slovaks were certainly making up for lost time. Many a drunken night into the early hours would end up with me leaving the bar and letting myself into the pension entrance next door, taking a very old soviet style lift to my floor and falling into my spotlessly clean 1 star room.
More recently however, the pension has dramatically changed, now a 3 star hotel with on suite modern facilities. The bar downstairs is a pleasant restaurant/café where a latte and a nice quiet chat have replaced the cheap beer and live music of years gone by.
A little sad on a personal level however, still a great place in a great location, in an even better city….

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel Alberta Canada

If you can find a better resort in a better location, please let me know…. The stunning back drop of the Rocky Mountains situated withing walking distance of the fabulous town of Banff, with one of the best golf courses on the planet, no it does not get any better. Five star luxury in a five star setting.
The hotel has everything you could wish for, fabulous restaurants, shops, a bowling alley, an amazing spar and fitness area, organised tours of the area and a golf course that is just off the charts. Despite all of this it is the simple things that make the resort so wonderful, great staff who will go that extra mile, and of course the location. Apart from the golf which I will never forget, having lunch on the patio looking out at the fabulous mountains will stay with me for ever, it does not get any better. I visited in summer, I will return in the winter at some point as This is up there with the best on the planet……

Pearl Continental Hotel, Peshawar, Pakistan

Despite having been to the Pearl Continental Hotel many times, I only visited it to eat and drink, I haven’t actually stayed here. I was on somewhat of a budget when I visited Peshawar, so I tended to leave my $1 or $2 a night accommodation in the town and head for the Pearl Continental for the buffet breakfast which was fabulous and about double the price of my accommodation. This was also one of only three places in Pakistan, a strict Muslim country, where westerners could get a beer. A converted room on the fifth floor of the hotel, the bar was only available for Westerners and consequently, It got fairly busy with a mix of expats and travellers passing through or indeed, coming from miles around, the other two bars were in Karachi and Lahore. It was however a nice oasis away from the hustle and bustle of this border town.
The hotel itself is pretty stunning, or at least it was before it got blown up by the Taliban. I happened to stay during Ramadan and the evening buffet was stunning with many locals coming in just to eat once the sun went down, an interesting place to say the least.

Sheraton Vistana Resort Orlando FL

I first went here about 20 years ago and I have been going back ever since. The first time I went I liked it so much I bought a timeshare. I have been to some great places in Orlando, Disney resorts, Reunion, Champions Gate to name but a few and I always keep going back to the Vistana Resort.

10 minutes from the Disney Parks, bars and restaurants right outside the main gates, for me its just ideal. There are about 5 areas within the resort all with swimming pools and amenities areas. There are numerous bars, restaurants and poolside food options, a main “market Place” store and “club house” amenities across the resort. The bars and restaurants have themed evenings so you don’t even need to leave the resort after a day at the parks. If you don’t wish to hire a car you don’t have to. Simply use the resort shuttle to the theme parks/airport and there is more than enough to keep you happy both on the resort and within walking distance.

The villas are 1,2 or 3 bedroom and are constantly updated and always clean and well maintained, the thing I first noticed many years ago on my first visit was the size of the villas, huge living areas and really well equipped. I have never cooked in the villa other than some cereal or toast for the kids before an early start to the parks, but it’s all there if you need it. One of the benefits of the villa for me is there are TV’s in all the rooms, so the kids can do as they please before bed, a huge fridge which can comfortably cater for a wide range of cold drinks and snacks for the whole family and I make the large balcony “adults only” after 10pm. There is a washing machine and tumble dryer in every villa, ideal, as it means you can take minimal amounts of clothes with you which means more room in the case to take things back.

I could not imagine going back to a hotel room in Orlando FL. Sheraton Vistana Resort, my spiritual home in Orlando

The Savoy Hotel Prague

My stay at the Savoy Hotel in Prague was strangely a result of a dump I stayed in whilst in Budapest, backpacking across Europe with my wife. The only relevance to backpacking, was the fact we both had rucksacks, not a hostel in sight. We ended up in a pension in Budapest which was horrible, as a result, we decided to do a bit more research for future hotels and found a great deal for our next destination in Prague.
We booked a 3 day 2 night dinner bed and breakfast deal at the Savoy and wow, it was amazing. We arrived at reception with rucksacks on our backs and got the “can I help you sir” from the concierge who I suspect thought we were going to ask for directions. Reluctantly he handed over the complimentary glass of champagne on arrival, the first of many….
The views from our room were amazing as the hotel is located in a great position close to Prague’s stanning landmarks. Dinner was a 5 course affair which was fabulous and the restaurant setting was beautiful. My favourite meal of the day is breakfast and this was as good as it gets. A hot and cold buffet, omelette chef sparkling wine, I spent an hour in the restaurant before my wife dragged me out.
We were sad to leave this amazing hotel, and indeed the city of Prague as it really was great. After 3 days of 5 star luxury we never did, “backpack “ for the rest of our trip, it suddenly became expensive as we never ventured below 4 star before we flew home a week or so later.

Hotel Meson de Maria San Salvador

You are probably thinking, why is the 2 star at best, Hotel de Maria in the middle of one of the most dangerous cities on the planet is on my website. Simple answer is, it got me off the streets of the most scary city I have ever visited for a few hours overnight.
San Salvador makes the worst areas of London seem like Disney World. I travelled on the famous Tika Bus from Guatemala City to San Salvador and the plan was to simply stay in the Maria Hotel, which is located in the bus station, for a few hours and get on the early Tika Bus to Managua the capital of Nicaragua. By staying in the hotel Maria inside the gated bus terminal, complete with shotgun wielding security, it should have meant I would not have needed to go out into the city, sometimes we know where the best laid plans go…
My room was a store cupboard on the top floor of the building, I say top floor but a store room on the barb wire clad roof would have been more apt, I wasn’t sure why the 4th floor roof needed barbed wire on top of the wall but hey, this was San Salvador. The view of the city was pretty good especially in the dark, all lit up, you could also hear the constant police sirens and the frequent sound of gunfire from various parts of the city.
By this time it was around 8pm and dark, so I headed down to the hotel reception which also doubled as the Tika bus ticket office. The ticket office was closed and the restaurant, which was a vending machine, was empty. I decided to head into the city to try and find food along with another 2 travellers and when we asked to get out through the huge metal gates, the shotgun wielding security guard mumbled something is Spanish, shook his head and opened the gate to let us out.
We got as far as a dingy shop about 50 yards up the road bout some drinks and snacks and headed back somewhat faster than when we came.
I got talking to a young woman who was also on the bus and she was in reception waiting for a lift to the US embassy where she was going to be working on an exchange programme. The bus station gates opened, in came 2 huge black SUV’s and the woman was welcomed into one of the cars by 2 gun totting CIA types and off she went. Clearly the embassy staff did not use local taxis.
I had a few hours sleep and headed down to reception at about 4.30 am to buy my ticket for the Tika Bus to Managua. There was a line of about 30 people who had got there before me and by the time I got to the front the bus was full, I bought a ticket for the next bus out, 24 hours later….

Adlon Kempinski Berlin

The Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin is one of my favourite hotels in the world. It is on Unter den Linden, the main boulevard in the central Mitte district, at the corner with Pariser Platz, directly opposite the Brandenburg Gate. Location, location, location, it does not get any better for somewhere to stay in Berlin.

Despite being rebuilt after being virtually destroyed at the end of the second world war, the hotel is steeped in history, If your not a Keiser your not getting in (I did however). I took my late father here as he loved the history of the hotel and the surrounding area. Just having a late beer in the piano bar imagining all the history and people who had done so during the 100+ years before us was pretty special. We went in summer and were able to sit outside and just take in the spectacular views of the famous Brandenburg Gate, imagining what it would have been like 70 or so years ago as thousands of German troops marched past under the famous arch, remembering the famous footage from war time Germany, we were right there in the present.

Having decided that is where we were going to stay on our trip, I searched the web for weeks looking for a deal, as you can imagine, such a hotel is way out of my league. I managed however and thanks to an Expedia sale, and persistence on my part, I ended up with a room at the front of the hotel overlooking the Brandenburg Gate.
Looking out at the stunning historic site from my room, especially in the evening when it’s lit up, is about as good as it gets, unfortunately I doubt if I will get the opportunity again, the memories of the hotel and my late father however will remain forever…..

Hotel Bristol Warsaw Poland
For almost 120 years this stunning hotel on the celebrated Royal Route, next to the Presidential Palace and just a short stroll from the Old Town, Royal Castle, National Theatre and Opera House, has graced Warsaw with its presence.
I stayed here as part of a challenge with my wife. My middle son of three was approaching 1 year old and it was suggested it would be extremely difficult to travel with a child of that age, let alone for 3 or 4 days as a lone parent. Warsaw here I come….
I looked at options through various websites and decided I would stay somewhere a little more upmarket for me, given I was travelling with a 1 year old and if things did go wrong, help would be more readily available at a better hotel. I booked my flight and hotel deal through Expedia and when I came to pay the great value add on’s appeared.
Would you like a limo from the airport (for less than the cost of a taxi as I had been to Warsaw before), absolutely.
Would you like breakfast included for an extra few pounds, why not…
Would you like a room upgrade, again a few pounds for a superior room or a little more extra for a top floor suite, yes of course.
So for an extra £60 on an already good deal, I ended up with a limo (nice Mercedes) to and from the airport, a huge buffet breakfast (including all the nice things one would expect at a 5 star hotel, champagne, salmon, off the bone ham, omelette chef etc) on all 3 days and an upgrade to a top floor suite. On arrival and speaking to other guests it turned out I had paid less for my deal than others had paid for a basic room, good old Expedia.

The hotel was great, fabulous service, a really nice bar for the late evening nightcap when baby Josh was asleep in his pushchair, I loved the old McLaren pushchairs which folded back flat when baby falls asleep. The room was very nice especially the journey to the top floor in the “crystal lift”. Being a jeans and tee shirt type rather than a suit type of guy, I received some strange looks off other guests when asked what floor I wanted, top floor please. There were on or two wife’s or partners who gave the other half that, “you never take me too a penthouse suite” look. My wife asked that very same question when she saw my trip itinerary before I left.

A fabulous hotel in a great location, I have been back since but not in a suite….

Sheraton Krakow Poland

One of my favourite hotels in the world let alone in Poland. I have been staying at the Sheraton Krakow for many years now when the budget allows (normally when I travel with my wife).

The location is great, the hotel sits on the banks of the Vistula River ahd if you turn left out of the hotel, you will see the stunning Wawel castle. It’s a five minute walk into the old town and a great place to begin to explore the wonderful city of Krakow.

The hotel is featured on Michael Palin’s New Europe travel series so if it’s good enough for Sir Michael, it’s good enough for me. I have used the hotels Olive restaurant and the Qube Vodka Bar (a great place for a nightcap after a night in Kralow), however, for me, Some Place Else the hotel bar is my favourite bar in the city. Live music at weekends, busy throughout the week and it shows most sporting events, indeed I happened to be in the bar when the Polish national football team were playing and the place was bouncing. Slightly pricey for Krakow however the atmosphere in the place is well worth that extra.

I couldn’t leave the hotel without mentioning club level. Club level is slightly more money, I happened to stumble across this being a Starwood Hotels Preferred Guest many years ago. A business lounge with all the trimmings one would expect, all day free internet, photocopying, TV, coffee, cakes, wine and space to chill out, however, more importantly if like me, you have travelled with 3 or 4 friends on a cultural trip, a happy hour. The happy hour is from 5-7pm and it’s free drink and food. Beers, wine and spirits, the food is wonderful, little bowls of curry, prawn salad, stroganoff and a host of other things, quality you would expect from this level of hotel.

And after happy hour, it’s off to sample the cultural delights of this great city, wont be needing dinner then….

Ostra (Mokara Hotel) San Antonio TX

If its sitting outside on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk watching the world go by, or inside in the elegant restaurant, it really doesn’t matter, its all about the food and the wine.
This place was recommended by a friend and wow it did not disappoint, The food was awesome and the oysters well, straight in to the Blindtraveller oyster league top 5. The staff were great and the ambience of the place made it a really great dining experience.
Despite Texas being a meat eaters paradise, Ostra was a pleasant surprise for really good quality seafood. Location, food, value for money, this place has it all.

I love this place, having lived 2 streets behind here, this was a regular haunt.
The views are to die for and depending on budget 3 or 4 great places all shere this view.

Le Pont de la Tour. An elegant, 19th-century former tea warehouse alongside Tower Bridge serving classic French cuisine. Great place, great food and great staff, ideal for the special occasion.

All bar One. Another favourite of mine, great place to share a nice bottle of wine and a not so formal but equally great meal, the 8oz Ribeye is excellent and great value given the location.

Browns. Furthest away from Tower Bridge but probably offers the best view. just a great place to have a drink and relax. Good food and varied drinks menu.