Brisa do Mar @ Hotel Quinta do Lago, Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Portugal

During my fiance's and my vacation in October 2016 in the Algarve we wanted to try out the all-day dining restaurant Brisa do Mar at the Hotel Quinta do Lago, so we reserved a table beforehand, afterwards we embarked of a tour of this beautiful hotel incl. room, views, Bar, Spa and more.

We took a taxi from the Conrad Algarve, where we stayed for 3 nights. Please see review.

Receptionists directed us to the restaurant.

At the restaurant we were warmly welcomed and brought to our table on the terrace. 

Umbrellas were arranged to protect us from the glaring sun. Unfortunately it took a bit and even the short exposure caused a mild heat stroke in one of us. Next time we will sit inside.

The staff was on the one side warm and efficient and on the other hand only approaching when they were needed.

The terrace offered wonderful views over the Ria Formosa estate/sanctury and the hotel's grounds.

The atmosphere was relaxed and fellow diners were matured couples.

Little birds added to the romantic atmosphere. They liked to be fed with bread crumbs.

The cuisine was upscale and beautifully presented.

Our order was one large bottle of still Vitalis water, two orange juice, one Gazpacho with croutons, cucumber and tomato, one shrimp salad with dill citrus dressing, avocado cream and a melon mango rose, one spaghetti carbonara with quail egg and one orange and carrob cake, rice pudding and vanilla ice cream.

The Gazpacho and the shrimp salad were refreshing.

The carbonara an indulgence, but it was relatively light.

The orange and carrob cake was unusual and very tasty.

Our bill was 88.10 Euro, ca. 103.50 USD.

Afterwards we asked at reception if we could see a room, since we considered staying in the future at the Hotel Quinta do Lago. We received a comprehensive tour, given by the receptionist Filipe, who had been working there for half a year at the time. We enjoyed seeing the grounds, a partial sea view room with balcony (It was furnished with traditional Algarvian furniture.), the spa, indoor pool and reading and meeting rooms.

We would have a meal at the Hotel Quinta do Lago again and would indeed love to stay there as well in our future.

 

©2017

 

Lobby Lounge @ The Como Metropolitan London, England, United Kingdom

During our 3 nights/4 days in London [July 2017] we had dinner on a Sunday evening at the Lobby Lounge of the Como Metropolitan Hotel.

 

It was our second visit and again we enjoyed it very much.

 

Since we had had a very satisfying and indulgent lunch at Galvin at Windows at the neighboring London Hilton Park Lane we weren’t very hungry and looked for something light.

 

Normally there should have been a waiter. Since we had waited quite a while, the concierge took our order, which included one The Source still water, one hot chocolate, two zucchini rosti with smoked salmon, rocket salad and ricotta cheese and one exotic fruit salad.

 

He handed the order over to our waiter, who suddenly arrived.

 

For some reason the hot chocolate seemed to have gone lost in translation. We received it only after a friendly reminder.

 

The meal itself was very good and our main courses and the dessert were from the Como Shambala cuisine menu.

 

We chatted a bit with the waiter since we were the only guests.

 

The bill was 53 GBP (ca. 59.85 Euro / ca. 68.30 USD) including service charge, but the water hadn’t been charged.

 

We would return and at some stage and might even stay at the Como Metropolitan Hotel in our future.

 

©2017

 

Coburt Brasserie @ The Conrad Dublin, Ireland

During our two stays in November and December 2016 at the Conrad my fiancé and I had two dinners and two breakfasts at Coburg Brasserie.

The restaurant was very interesting. It was equestrian inspired, so there were lots of buckles, leather and other materials associated with riding.

When arriving one of the first things we noticed in November 2016 was the Henriot Champagne table, the art work and mirrors. 

The Coburg Brasserie uses the Coravin System to pour fine wines.

The staff was friendly and attentive.

We were alone due to the timing being too late for lunch and too early for dinner.

Our meal consisted of two large bottles of still Uisce water, two Connemara Whiskey cured salmon with avocado and micro greens, one Freya's Schnitzel with salad, one corn-fed chicken with onion tart and peas, one cinnamon creme brulee, one lemon posset and to round it up one hot chocolate and two Patron Cafe XO.

It was classic with a modern twist, light and delicious. The most memorable dishes or components were the salmon, the schnitzel and the onion tart.

The cost of the dinner was 107.50 Euro (ca. 124.80 USD).

We were looking forward to another exciting dinner the following month.

Returning in December we had booked a dinner and breakfast included rate. We could chose a three course from the a la carte menu. Only the steak had a supplement of 5 Euro (ca. 5.85 USD). Drinks and side dishes were not included.

Unfortunately the only menu available was geared towards Christmas and much more classic and heavier than anticipated.

We also wanted like one month earlier a glass of  Patron Cafe XO each, our favorite drink. It was sold out. We settled for two Tia Maria instead and Uisce water instead.

Our starters were a prawn cocktail with baby gem salad and chicken liver pate with fig, mango chutney and brioche.

The main courses were 35 days aged steak and rack of lamb with cherry and sage sauce. As a side dish we had seasonal vegetables, also 5 Euro (ca. 5.85 USD).

Our desserts were black forest fondant and a boozy mulled wine pear tart tartine.

The quality was as high as before, but the choices simply not completely to our taste.

The staff was attentive and efficient, even though they were very busy.

The bill was 20 Euro / ca. 23.25 USD.

As Hilton Honors Gold Members we chose the free breakfast as our My Way benefit.

Each morning we were brought to our table.

The breakfast is a mix of a hot and cold buffet and an a la carte menu.

The buffet was small, but had everything needed from juices to bread to fried and boiled eggs, smoked salmon and mackerel, different types of cheese, cold cuts, Killowen yogurt, pastries, potatoes, stir fried vegetables, bacon, grilled tomatoes and the infamous Nutella muffins. Of course there was much more including a gluten free corner.

As Gold Members we could choose a la carte items from the left side of the menu, like smoothies and buckwheat pancakes. French Toast was payable and cost 9.50 Euro / ca. 11.05 USD.

The quality was on both occasions good.

Service was attentive and staff had time for a chat about our plans for the day during our first visit. In December they were way too busy and receiving our a la carte items took a long time.

The buffet was overrun with guests and the staff couldn't keep up with replenishing things.

Considering our experiences we would return for dinner excluding Christmas and not join for breakfast again.

 

©2017

 

Conrad Dublin, Ireland

In 2015 my fiancé and I had agreed to requalify for the Hilton’s loyalty program Hilton Honors gold status, so in January 2016 we pre-booked stays accordingly to achieve our goal.

We had stayed at the Conrad Dublin before, so this was our second and third stay in November and December 2016 for one night each, which I have combined.

The Conrad had gone through a major renovation and the restaurant and bar received a make-over too.

It was unrecognizable at first. The hotel had finally arrived at the 21st Century.

The interiors are inspired by nearby Iveagh Gardens, so there were flower arrangements and prints.

The chandeliers were inspired by branches of trees.

The Coburg Brasserie, an equestrian themed restaurant which felt modern and inviting and Lemuel’s Bar was inspired by Gulliver’s Travels. We liked both designs and felt well visiting both.

The reception had moved closer to the entrance. There were maps of historical Dublin behind it.

We liked the details, like mirrors with flower frames, the seating areas including a pink sofa, the marble and Art Deco elements.

A ball room was also located on the ground floor.

The business center and meeting rooms, named after rivers in Dublin were on the first floor.

The fitness center with TechnoGym equipment and the pub Alfie Byrne were on the lower ground floor.

Check in was done very efficient and the welcome was warm.

We booked a Deluxe Room and received one on the 6th floor.

When checking at the online application the Deluxe Room chosen for us had already the view (over the National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace and the city) we wanted, so we kept it.

The room was large and the color scheme black, white, green, brown and anthracite. 

There was a small hallway with a wardrobe.

The floor and one wall are wooden, which gave the room a residential feel. It reminded us of our stay at the Sherwood in Taipei.

A sofa was facing the comfortable king sized bed and was located underneath the TV. Obviously watching TV from the sofa wasn’t possible. We enjoyed sitting there for a chat and to have a light meal before our dinner at the Coburg Brasserie.

There was also a carpet.

The bedside lamps were unusual and reminded us about the Burren.

The modern artwork above the bed had us discussing what it was depicting. We came to the conclusion it could be inspired by the stairs of Earlsfort Terrace or it was a river, muscles or an arm.

The handles of our drawers looked like tree trunks or branches.

The writing desk was lacquered with integrated outlets, which were easy accessible, and had an elaborate base. There was a golden designer lamp as well. The desk was facing the room and located in the bay window. 

Watching TV from the writing desk was possible. There were around 40 channels with lots of regional and international ones like Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC. The WIFI worked well at all times in the hotel as far as we remember.

Magazines available were Conrad’s own, the 30th edition Dining in Dublin and Travel Ireland. There was also a jogging map and suggestions by the concierge what you can do, when you have 1, 3 or 5 hours in Dublin.

The mini fridge contained two bottles of complimentary Conrad branded water.

We used the 24 hour in room dining, which was promptly delivered and correct.

The friendly member of staff and I chatted about my Doctor Marten’s boots. He liked them.

Our order included two Connemara cured salmon and one fresh fruit salad with a dollop of fresh cream.

When requesting the meal we were offered tap water too. It was a thoughtful touch, but we had our own drinks, so it was okay.

The presentation was beautiful and the quality of the food very high.

The cost was 38 Euro / ca. 44.30 USD.

There was also an iron and ironing board.

The bathroom was large with a sink, bath tub-shower combination and a toilet. 

My fiancé surprised me by having requested Shanghai Tang bathroom amenities instead of the usual Aroma Therapy Associates via the online concierge. We have clothing from Shanghai Tang and know some of their perfumes, so we knew we would like it.

The water pressure of the shower was good and there were no complaints about temperature changes.

When checking in in December 2016 we had to wait for a bit due to a small queue.

We had booked a Premier Room to find out what the difference was to the Deluxe Room beside the inclusion of two drink vouchers per person according to the website.

At check in we received only one each, so I asked about it and received another set. 

Late checkout at 2 PM was granted without problems.

The room layout and look were identical. Here are some of the differences we noticed.

The refreshment center could be stocked at request with choices of snacks including Keogh’s crisps (2.50 Euro / ca. 2.95 USD), Dormen’s Jelly Beans, wasabi peanuts and chili and lime cashews (5.45 Euro each / ca. 6.40 USD) or Benoit’s Chocolate Factory at 5.95 Euro / ca. 6.95 USD.

The views from the 7th floor were better than the ones from the 6th. While the differences in height sound small on paper in reality the difference was noteworthy as we found out.

The artwork was different too.

The room felt more luxurious due to the loofa, shoe polish equipment and more pillows. 

We had also requested arrival amenities. The strawberries dipped in Valrhona chocolate and a bottle of Acqua Panna were already waiting for us. The strawberries were yummy as expected.

During this stay we had in room dining too. It included a beef burger with Dubliner Vintage Cheddar Cheese, home-made relish and twice cooked chips and a Croque Monsieur with Glen of Arklow baked ham, creamy béchamel sauce and Emmental Cheese on toasted sourdough bread and a fruit salad. The bill was 44 Euro / ca. 51.10 USD.

We used our drinks vouchers at Lemuel’s Bar. It was incredible busy, so we decided to make sure we would get a table by calling from our room to reserve one for later in the day.

In a separate review I will write about breakfast and dinner at Coburg Brasserie.

We would return again, if we are looking for a luxurious stay in the heart of Dublin. The Conrad beside the Morrison, A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel so far remain in our books the most memorable, stylish and luxurious Hilton options in Dublin, Ireland.

©2017