Elba Sara Beach & Golf Resort Caleta de Fuste, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Span

We planned our winter sun holiday and wanted to go for the first time to Fuerteventura, the Canary Islands. Our target was to have suitable flight times and using the whole 16 days we had available in January/February 2016, so we booked single flights from Dublin to Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura to London Gatwick and London Heathrow to Dublin.

We prepared meticulous for the holiday and tried to make sure we were going to have the right hotels. After months of debating we settled for five nights at the Elba Sara Beach & Golf Resort, eight nights at the Elba Palace Golf & Vital Hotel and two nights at the Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in London. Reviews of the two latter will follow.

The Elba Sara Beach & Golf Resort is located in Caleta de Fuste and is a short distance (ca. 12 km) from the airport. The hotel belongs to the local chain Elba - Hoteles Unicos -, which owns/manages ten hotels, mostly on Fuerteventura, other Canary Islands and some on the main land of Spain.

We chose the hotel, because we liked the design and location at the beach and just a very short stroll from the Atlantico Shopping Center. Tripadvisor reviews were overall positive as well.

We booked a Junior Suite including Half Board and free WIFI.

After our flight with Aer Lingus we took a taxi to the Elba Sara. It took ca. 15 minutes and cost 13 Euro (ca. 14.80 USD).

It was a Mercedes Estate and we had a lady driver.

At the hotel we were warmly welcomed and received as welcome drinks Cava. During check in all features were explained.

The lobby was large with a waterfall and stairs leading down to the restaurant Albatroz, the Wellness Zone Spa and Broadway Bar. Between the bar and restaurant was an exit to the pool with a pool bar, gardens and other activities like beach volley ball, tennis, gym, archery and mini golf.

On the lobby level were shops, flower arrangements and the lobby lounge.

Our junior suite was located on the 6th floor above the lobby with pool and sea views. We had our own fully furnished balcony.

The suite was large with traditional design. We had a kangaroo sized/ large king-size bed, a seating area, a flat screen TV, writing desk, mini fridge (unstocked) and tea/coffee making facilities with complimentary chocolates.

The TV was slightly too small for the distance to the seating area, but watching the national and international TV channels (Fashion One, BBC World, Bloomberg and CNBC, beside local Spanish, German, French, Chinese and other channels) was comfortable from the bed and writing desk.

We liked the flower framed blue and ochre tiles and floor to ceiling windows.

The bath room was very large and divided into two sections. The first contained a wardrobe and double sinks with own branded toiletries, which I liked, but weren't my favorite. The smell was slightly too chemical. This part of our junior suite didn't have a door and felt exposed.

The second part was enclosed in milk glass and housed the toilet, bidet and bathtub/shower combination. The water pressure and temperature were consistent and high/strong.

The safe could be used, but was chargeable at 4 Euro, ca. 4.60 USD a night.

When not being busy or exploring the hotel we enjoyed spending time on the balcony. Sometimes we had a visitor - a curious pigeon, who hoped to get some bread crumbs, but didn't like gummi bears or local rice pudding we also enjoyed.

The maids were very thorough, but sometimes a bit too quick to enter the room. It happened once or twice they knocked and were already letting themselves in before we had time to say anything or open the door.

The staff took their job very seriously and called or asked when we met them in person, if we liked our stay or if they could do something for us.

We arranged a tour of the island with the reception. It was perfectly organized.

The spa offered a small selection of massages, body treatments and facials. Massages and facials started at 25 Euro (ca. 28.50 USD), while body treatments were from 30 Euro or ca. 34.15 USD.

There were day activities for adults and children, for example T-shirt painting or sangria making and stretching.

We liked the pool- and gardenscape. There was the main pool and the kids pool with enough sun loungers available for all guests. The garden is based on the flora of Fuerteventura with cacti and aloe vera amongst many other flowers and plants.

Cats were living on the grounds as well. Some were shy, others enjoyed the company of humans, liked to be petted and occupied loungers.

We didn't use the bar, since there was every evening some kind of entertainment going on, i.e. discos, magicians, 80ies music and much more.

The Albatroz Buffet Restaurant could get very busy, depending on the time. The selection was generally large and good quality.

Breakfast offered everything one could imagine from egg dishes to jelly, rice pudding with cinnamon, pancakes, bacon, cold cuts, cheese, baked beans, bread, fruits, yogurt and much more. I loved the Tortilla Espanola, also called Tortilla de Patata.

Fish was rarely served and if, it was mackerel. One guest wasn't happy about it and missed smoked salmon.

The only critisism on our side would be the concentrated juice. The orange juice tasted more like it was made with Vitamin C soluble tablets than real oranges. The pineapple juice was very sweet.

The smoothies on the other hand were very good.

Coffee and tea was self-service.

In the evenings we had to show our key card holder at the entrance of the restaurant, which indicated on which board basis we were staying. We received a list of beverages and could then choose our own table. Since the restaurant was very large it was never a problem to find a suitable space.

Drinks could be ordered from the waiters, who filled out the list.  At the end of the meal we had to bring it back to the reception desk, where the bill was created and had to be signed to the room. On some evenings we didn't have to pay for the drinks, which was a nice and suprising touch.

Dinners were themed, i.e. Mexican, Italian, Canarian or Asian.

The rice, fish and meat dishes were all very good. His favorite were the Canarian potatoes with red Mojo sauce and pizza, mine was the Chinese rice, the sushi and exotic pizza with ham and plantain. It worked astoundingly well.

Our stay passed way too fast. It was soon time to check out and move on to the sister property Elba Palace Golf & Vital.

We loved the island, the hotel and the location, so we would consider stay here at this resort again in our future, but we would also want to try other hotels/resorts on the island of Fuerteventura.

©2016

Hilton Dublin Airport, Ireland

Having stayed over thirty times at the Hilton Dublin Airport we returned after an absence of a couple of years.

 

This is a review of our combined three stays in January 2016.

 

The hotel has been mostly renovated, the dining concept changed and a lot of new staff was working there.

 

On one occasion the check in was a bit rushed due to a large queue behind us. Otherwise staff was always friendly and warm.

 

We were upgraded during all our stays as Hilton Honors Gold members. Twice from an entrance category room to a Deluxe Room and once to a Corner Deluxe.

 

The furniture had changed from blonde wood to dark wood. The lightning was reduced and sultry. The newest alarm clock – much smaller than the former model – was also available in two of the rooms.

 

The mini bar had been replaced with a mini fridge, which was empty.

 

The flat screen TV had an improved line up of channels including CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC and BBC World.

 

The artwork was still the same, but in different frames, depicting Irish seascapes.

 

The king sized bed was comfortable on all three occasions/stays.

 

One room did show more wear and tear than the other two and hadn’t been renovated yet. One example was the remote control. It had been used so often that the buttons were unreadable.

 

In one of the other rooms the feather in the safe door was too tight and didn’t let allow the door to open. At first we thought the safe was broken until a manager opened the safe for us and showed us how to deal with it.

 

Views were either over the entrance and Clare Hall Shopping Centre or Clare Hall and the sea in the distance.

 

The bathrooms hadn’t been changed.

 

Gold amenities were 4 bottles Deep River Rock water, Doorman’s salted peanuts and Wasabi peanuts as well as drink vouchers for two at the bar and restaurant. Each time we received a slight variation, i.e. just water and voucher, all items and once no Wasabi peanuts.

 

24 hours in room dining had improved too and was delicious. We enjoyed for example Irish smoked salmon sandwiches with a generous amount of salmon and salad, Chicken Satay and green Thai curry.

 

Earlier each meal came with crisps or fries. We were happy to see, that fries were still on the menu as side dishes, but had been generally replaced with green leafy salad.

 

At Burnell’s Restaurant and Bar we had a memorable pumpkin risotto.

 

Breakfast has been also upgraded. It was very good before, but it’s even better now in terms of choices on the buffet. Before tea and coffee were brought to the table. Now a coffee machine and tea making facility are at the buffet for the guest’s own use.

 

On weekends live entertainment still takes place in the evenings.

 

The shuttle to/from the airport was reliable, only once it arrived a bit late. One of the drivers recognized us from earlier stays and was as happy to see us again as we were.

 

In our opinion the Hilton Dublin Airport is the best hotel near the airport and we will use it in our future again before early flights or when arriving in Dublin from a flight in the late evening.

 

©2016

Novotel Birmingham Centre, England, United Kingdom

We had a second night in Birmingham and wanted to try something new after staying at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham (Please see review.) in October 2015 for our 4th time.

The hotel's location is very good on Broad Street. A Sainsbury Express and all the nightlife is just a few steps away.

We booked an Executive Room, the highest category available.

After our lunch at Purnell's Restaurant (Please see review.) we picked up our luggage from the Hyatt Regency and checked in at the Novotel.

The building made the impression it was purpose built.

The modern interior was inviting and colorful. On the right was the reception to the left Elements Restaurant and the bar.

Check in was quick and friendly.

Our room was on the 3rd floor.

It was large with arched double windows and views over the neighboring buildings. They were double glazed and didn't let in any noise.

The room wasn't luxurious, but had interesting design features, like the blue writing desk chair. It looked uncomfortable, but using it proved the whole opposite.

The curtains had colorful circles printed on them. The sofa and carpet were grey, while the rest of the furniture was light brown.

The bed was queen-sized and Japanese sliding doors led to the bathroom.

The flat screen TV offered a wide range of channels including BBC World. Essentially it had the same line up as the Hyatt Regency.

There was also modern artwork and a Bose IPod docking station.

The minibar was free and contained Highland Spring Water.

A Nespresso coffee machine and tea making facilities with Twinning’s Tea were also available.

The bathroom was small with a shower, separate bathtub and sink. The toilet was in a separate room near the entrance - no sink there, but it had a hand disinfectant.

The bathroom amenities were own branded. The interesting thing about them was that they were Fair Trade and came from exotic locals like Mauritius and Kenya. We liked the soap with avocado oil and the sugar cane toiletries. There was also an exfoliant gel scrub and a body milk.

We didn't spend much time on our room or at the Novotel. For example we went to Wagamama on New Street for dinner, because the food at Elements was a bit too outdated for our taste and didn't sound good.

The room was comfortable and the bed allowed a good night’s rest. Overall, it was a good mid-scale room.

The next morning we went for breakfast at the hotel. It was a pleasant surprise and very good value for the quality. It cost 13.95 GBP (ca. 17.45 Euro or ca. 19.85 USD) per person. There was a wide choice of mueslis and cereals, Mueller products including yogurts and drinks, bread, fresh fruits and fruit salad, cold cuts, cheese, products by Tim's Dairy, eggs, bacon and much more. We had a pot of Twinning’s green tea each and got two and a half cups, so that was very generous. To our surprise there was even organic Soya milk.

Afterwards we had a bit time to explore the bar area and were fascinated by the cocktails on display. My fiancé believed they were not real and plastic samples like you see when going out eating in Japan. The bar tender, who was also working as a waiter at the breakfast service, explained they were real and all made by him.

Checking out the other public spaces we found a coffee corner beside the reception and near the entrance to the meeting facilities.

We had a sneak peek at the conferencing facilities. An event was taking place at the time.

Lying on an unoccupied table were printouts of the day's agenda and attendee's names. The meetings had already started. We were concerned about privacy and security as the info was there to take away, if we would have been so inclined.

Soon afterwards it was time to check out. It was done quickly and correctly.

Would we stay here again? Probably not. It's a very good  mid-scale hotel with friendly and helpful staff, but we are more interested in upscale to luxury properties, beside this our favorite Novotel so far is their Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport property which feels different than most Novotels we've experienced so far.

Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? Maybe, this depends on purpose of visit and budget.
Would we want to stay again at this hotel when visiting Birmingham in our future? Probably not, as we prefer the Hyatt Regency which was newly renovated recently and feels fresh and innovative.

©2016