Hotel Annapolis - Aix-les-Bains, France

Address: 60 Avenue Marie-De-Salms, 73100 Aix-les-Bains, France
Website: (in French)           www.annapolis.fr/
              (via booking.com) www.booking.com/Annapolis


I arrived very late (and very tired) from Paris and was given an extremely warm welcome.

The outstanding thing about Hotel Annapolis is the delightful owner, who does everything to make guests feel happy and comfortable. From offering advice about things to see and do in the area to friendly chats at breakfast, she was the perfect host.

 

The room was spacious and comfortable with older style furnishing, which I found charming, and a good sized bathroom. This is not luxury accommodation but more than satisfactory and extremely well maintained. The rooom had a television and a fan but there were no facilities to make tea/coffee, which was the only small thing I might have wanted to change.

 

There is no lift in the hotel and the stairs might be a problem for some. The public areas are welcoming and very attractively furnished.

 

Breakfast was simple but plentiful - croissants, rolls, coffee and juice.

The hotel is a 2-3 minutes walk to the train station and a few more minutes in the other direction takes you straight into the heart of Aix-les-Bains.

 

This is a very highly recommended place to stay in this beautiful town.

Le Musée Carnavalet

Address: 23 Rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris
Website: (in English) http://carnavalet.paris.fr/en/museum-carnavalet
 

This is an excellent museum which traces the history of Paris with dozens of rooms filled with art and artefacts, furniture, costumes and decorative items from ancient times to the present.

The gardens and buildings in which the museum is housed are incredibly beautiful. You can spend hours here and, almost unbelievably, it's free.

Click here to read more

Lavoir Moderne Parisien – 35 rue Léon, 75018 Paris

This is a place worth checking. You can see more details and find out what's on here (an English-language website)

The place has a very sixties feel and it was packed on the evenings I was there. It's difficult to generalise but tickets for concerts range from 8 to 15 euros

Hotel Cap Europe, Strasbourg, France

Address: 6, rue de Bitche, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Website:  http://www.cap-europe-hotel.com/


I made a last minute decision to stay here; I was on my way to somewhere else. Even so, I had rather hoped for slightly better facilities.
This is a "residence" rather than a hotel. I stayed three years ago, but recent reviews suggest that not much has changed.

The room was clean and adequate but very spartan. The toilet and shower were in a self contained capsule - a little like in an aircraft. There were basic cooking facilities and the "crockery " was locked in a cupboard, to which I was given the key. I had to laugh when I saw what was there - two of everything, admittedly - but odd, mismatched cast-offs that made me think that management was taking cost-cutting to the extreme.

There was internet, as advertised, but the cost was 4,5 euros per hour - quite outrageous. I didn't try the breakfast at 8 euros, but relied on nearby patisseries.

There were no serious problems with this place - and the price was reasonable. I think with  a little forward planning, it would be easy to get much better value elsewhere. Don't expect comfort or daily room service beyond a change of towels.

From the hotel, it is a pleasant walk to the centre of town, and just a short distance to catch a bus that goes straight to the train station.

Strasbourg is a great place for a few days' visit. I enjoyed my stay in the city immensely and the accommodation, although extremely basic, served its purpose.

Campanile Dijon Centre, Dijon, France

Address: 15-17 Avenue Foch, 21000 Dijon, France
Website:  http://www.campanile.com/en/hotels/campanile-dijon-centre-gare

The Campanile is conveniently located and very comfortable. It is, quite literally, a three minute walk from the Dijon Ville railway station and a five minute brisk walk from the Centre-Ville.  It is situated on a street that is packed with restaurants, patisseries, take-away outlets and other hotels.
The room was far bigger than I had expected and had a very comfortable bed and a large adjoining bathroom with a spacious vanity bar and a deep bathtub ... just great!
The decor is simple and practical; it is certainly a no-frills hotel. There is adequate cupboard storage and hanging space, a desk and a flat screen TV. The free wifi worked very well.
There are facilities for making tea and coffee in the room but it was a rather strange set-up. The tray and kettle made up a prefabricated module, complete with tiny plastic cups - I'm not at all sure why they didn't provide ordinary ones.
I didn't use the restaurant, but there was a buffet breakfast available and "formule" (set menu) dinners at what seemed to be a reasonable cost.

I didn't have much contact with the staff, but my impression was that they were helpful and pleasant.

For convenience and comfort the hotel was a good choice and not too expensive. I would probably not want to stay for more than 2 or 3 nights.

 

Hotel Admiral, Geneva, Switzerland

Address: 8 Rue Pellegrino Rossi, Geneva 1201, Switzerland
Website: http://www.hoteladmiral.ch/


I stayed at this Hotel on either side of a trip to Rome (a total of four nights).
It is located very close to the railway station and, as the website says, just a few minutes from Lac Leman (Lac de Geneve, or Lake Geneva)

The rooms aren't huge but absolutely perfect for one (not too bad for two) and the decor is modern and tasteful. The beds are comfortable and have quality bedding. There are in-rooom facilities provided for making tea and coffee and the TV service offers a range of channels with French, Italian and English programs.

The bathroom is spacious and modern with a hairdryer and a range of toiletries.

The wireless internet is free and worked perfectly during my stay and there are also computer facilities downstairs for those without their own PC.
 
Other facilities include a safe, an overhead fan and noise-reducing glazing. An iron and ironing-board are available to borrow.

A major highlight was the superb breakfast (included in the tariff) - a full buffet in the broadest sense of the word - and absolutely delicious!
The staff at reception are very helpful and pleasant. I was unfortunate enough to need emergency dental care, and even though the young woman at reception wasn't able to suggest a contact, she was happy to phone the office after I had located a dentist.

When you stay in hotels in Geneva, you are given a complimentary public transport pass for the length of your stay. This is a very convenient and welcome bonus. The transport network is efficient and relatively easy to understand.

The street is in a 'red-light' area, but quite honestly, you would not notice the fact in the daytime and at night the business goes on quietly and unobtrusively and does not involve the hotel in any way.

I will definitely return to the Admiral Hotel when I next visit Geneva.

 

Hotel Engadina, Como, Italy

Address: Viale Rosselli 22, 22100 Como, Italy
Website: http://www.hotelengadina.com/en


This is a very pleasant place to stay. I have been there twice and each time the staff have been helpful, friendly and most willing to make guests feel welcome.
 
I could communicate reasonably well in Italian and they appreciated it. When I had difficulties with an airline reservation and felt less confident on the phone, one of the staff on the desk was more than happy to make the call for me.  If you can't speak the language well, they will be more than happy to attempt English. This same friendly politeness was also obvious in the room cleaning staff.

The accommodation is absolutely fine. Even though I was travelling alone I had a large double room which was spotless, new and well serviced, with a full sized bathroom (shower, bath, basin, toilet and bidet) The bath was very welcome after spending days out on the lakes or up in the surrounding towns.

 Breakfast in the hotel is plentiful, although a little bland - but the breakfast room is spacious, cheerful and comfortable and the service is excellent.

There is a small bar and lounge area if you decide to stay in.
 
It is a short and very easy walk to reach the town centre, Lake Como and both railway stations (even with luggage) There is also a supermarket very close by.

 I can thoroughly recommend mid June or early October as perfect times to visit.

You can expect a very enjoyable stay!

 

Hotel des Colonies, Brussels, Belgium

Address: Rue des Croisades 6-10 | Sint-Joost-ten-Node, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Brussels 1210, Belgium
Website:  http://www.hotel-des-colonies.com/


This is a beautiful hotel in the old style. The Art Nouveau decor is especially attractive - especially in the public areas, where there are sofas, water features and attractive plants.  

I had a spacious, clean and very quiet room, which was a pleasure to stay in.  I believe the rooms vary in quality and size but mine was was ideal, with a separate bathroom.

The buffet breakfast was in an absolutely elegant room and was outstanding.

There were only two slight drawbacks. There were no facilities for making coffee or tea in the room and none was available in the lobby. The only possibility was the bar, which wasn't always open.

The free access to wireless internet was only in the lobby and not available in the rooms.

The hotel is in a very convenient location - only 50 metres from the Underground station (Rodier). It is a very easy walk into the centre of town. 

If you like a place filled with nostalgia, this is a good choice when in Brussels.

Returning to Paris in Spring ...

Arriving in Paris is always a thrilling experience. My first extended visit, after a long absence, was in September - in what seemed to be a never-ending summer.

Since then, it has always been in Spring - the perfect time to see Paris. From April to the end of June there are masses of things to do and see and long, long days to do them ...