Hotel reviews: Hotel Ambasciatori, Mestre, Venice, Italy

December 18, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

THE HOTEL AMBASCIATORI, MESTRE

I’ve just come back from a three night stay in this hotel, which is situated in Mestre – a sort of suburb near Venice. Having never been to Venice, I really wanted to visit, but travelling with four meant hotel rooms are not cheap and hotel rooms in Venice are especially not cheap. So this hotel provided an excellent solution – a few kilometres outside Venice itself makes all the difference to affordability, and clearly Mestre is working on this principle as there are a lot of hotels there.

ROOM

This one, the Ambasciatori, is four star, and we stayed in what they call a suite. First point – it’s not! It is a nice large executive double with a queen sized bed and a walk in wardrobe but it does not have a separate sitting room, so in my book it is not a suite. It has a sitting area in the room separated from the bed by a lattice screen, but that doesn’t count as a separate room does it? What it did have, rather extra-ordinarily, was a separate shower room with toilet and sink as well as a full sized bath room with two sinks, shower over the bath, loo and bidet. Nice big sort of twelve/fourteen feet square bathroom, all white suite, marble counter, tiled floor etc. Great. Hubby and I could both shower at the same time. So a suite of bathrooms then…..

This nice non-suite cost us 190 euros a night but they did three nights for the price of two, so it worked out well. They had a cot (which actually we ended up putting in the walk in wardrobe as it was large enough and had a window, so at least baby and we had a bit of privacy). They charge an extra 20 euros for an extra bed, though the cot was free. A standard double room at that time (July 2008) was 140E I think.

SERVICE

Housekeeping was excellent – the room was always beautifully tidy and there were tons of towels, enough spare pillows etc and blankets to spare and all carried out unobtrousively. Good minibar and not stupidly expensive (5.50E for half bottle of Prosecco, for example).

Excellent bellboy help on arrival and parking right outside the door helped ameliorate the impression left by the grumpy man on reception, but other staff were friendly – e.g breakfast and dinner waiters etc. We arrived in the restaurant at 9.28pm, having telephoned in advance to say we would be in before they clsed the kitchen at 9.30pm and were met with firstly a request to eat only cold food from the anti pasti buffet, but when pressed they produced a plate of spaghetti and

Cheap Hotels Deals in Amsterdam

December 18, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

Cheap hotels deals in AMSTERDAM

A Historical place, situated on the banks of the river Amstel and Schinkel and the bay IJ, well-known for its canals is the capital of Netherlands. The city is compared with Venice because of its intersecting canals which form many small islands in the city. These canals are situated in the center of the city. It has a long historical background since the city was founded in 12th century. Like any other capital city Amsterdam is not the seat of Supreme Court, government or parliament. Amsterdam is also not the provincial capital. Amsterdam faces moderate climate, even winters are not harsh making it a pleasant climate for the whole year. Amsterdam is the business hub of Netherlands which is the headquarter for many leading Dutch corporations like ABN Amro, Heineken, ING Group, Ahold, Delta Lloyd group and Philips. In addition to this Amsterdam Stock Exchange a part of Euro next, world’s oldest stock exchange is still one of the most important stock exchange in Europe.

Amsterdam is a city where you will find number of museums depicting modern and traditional art. They are the main attraction for the millions of tourists visiting this place. It is small city but has all the advantages of a big city. Entertainment, international cuisines, good conveyance facilities all are there to enjoy at the best in Amsterdam. Thanks to canals in Amsterdam road traffic is considerably less. With its varied historical sights and world famous museums Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in Europe. Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum are world famous. They house many paintings, art and sculpture of different ages. It gives pictorial description of famous personalities, people from royal family, life in Netherlands and all the historical events in chronological order. When you will enter the city you will experience altogether different face of this city where you will find bicycles thronged on almost all the roads. It is really puzzling for the foreign visitors that bikes are used as conveyance. If you want to take the tryst of the city you have to hire a bicycle and move. Isn’t it amazing!

Amsterdam is nature friendly place where we come across environment friendly hotels. One such hotel is the Bicycle Hotel which is gaining popularity. Most of the hotels provide free online reservations. The hotels offer all the facilities complimented by nutritious food and free health related advice. Apart from that the hotels in Amsterdam give you the most memorable welcome and stay of your life. The people here are friendly and that is well complimented by the stay you get here in most of the hotels. As Amsterdam is buzzing with tourists fro most time of the year it is advisable to make prior travel planning and reservation before heading to Amsterdam. You can find the hotels meant for every budget and taste in Amsterdam. Finding one of your choice and pocket friendly is not at all a problem here.

What you should know about traveling in France – Part 1

December 18, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

Ive been to France about 10 times and iv seen about every corner of it. Here is what i can told you about vacation in France depending on what kind of tourist you are.

1 – Beach and sun tourist : If you are looking for some beach, sand and sun, You must go to southern france, especialy the region of Provence. Between Marseille and Monaco you will find many many many tourist village where you can spend time enjoying the Mediteranean sea. Those region are the most touristic one and you can expect to find the cost of life is very high. Everyting cost alot mostly if you fall into every tourist trap. Food is realy great in this region. Stay away from Nice, Cannes and the eastern side of the Cote D’azure, wich is the richest part. You can also visit the region of Bordeaux, with the Arcachon Bay. Home of the Oyster culture in France, you can have great Beach there into the Atlantic Ocean. And dont forget Bordeau is a Big Wine producer..

The Alpes and Central-East region : You can visit Savoie if you like moutain terrain. Its a superb region where you can meet the German and Helvetic culture. Mount-White is the higest mountain in Europe and worth the look. You can also visit Albertville, home of the Olympic game of 1990 (not sure about the year). Local food is great but can seem weird to North-American visitors.

Old style Architechture and Castle : Every region in France offer alot of old building goin from the Roman Theatre and Aqueduc in the south to Medieval Caslte along the Loire River (higly recomanded). The Most spectaculare Building in France is Mount Saint-Michel in Normandia. I am telling You, Normandia worth the visit only for the St-Michel mount… this is unbelievable. You can also visit Druidic Dolmen and Menhir in Bretagne near Normandia. This region is the coldest and remind me of England but is home of many impressive architectural accomplishment.

Paris : Paris is a huge city, lots of pollution and pretty few to see. Eifel tower, Louvre and Arch de Triomphe and the classics but dont lose time in the capital when the outer country offer so much. This is my opinion.

For general information, French are very proud people and will alsmost always look you from up, especialy if you are from USA. Dont worry to much about it, they want your US$ and they are used to tourist. Every city as is own Culinar speciality and its higly recommended to taste everything. French like to be talked about them.. stay low profile and polite and you should find them very receptive.

France offer vacation for the richest and the poorest. You find some of the most luxurious Hotel and restaurant in the world but you can also follow some guide of the "Auberge de la jeunesse" meaning Youth In. those place can be a Castle or a Farm, you never know, but offer a cheap nigth with a breakfast.

si my final advice would be : Visit Mount Saint-Michel, it worth the shot.

Getting from Dublin Airport to Dublin hotels

December 16, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

Dublin International Airport (the city’s only airport) is located about 10km (6 miles) north of the city centre close to the village of Swords, with easy access to/from the M50 and M1 motorways. If you’re touching down in Dublin Airport you can easily make your way to the city centre. Once you’ve collected your luggage, head to the Arrivals Hall and just pick whichever option you prefer.

Firstly there’s the frequent Airlink Service, operated by Dublin Bus. An adult single fare is about 6 Euro, while a return journey will set you back around 10 Euro. A single child’s ticket is roughly 3 Euro and it’s around 5 Euro for a return fare. You can buy your tickets from the Dublin Tourism information desk or the Bus & Rail info desk. Adult tickets are also available from vending machines near the bus departure points – you cannot buy kids’ tickets here.

There are three Airlink bus routes – the 746, 747 and the 748. The 747 goes from Dublin Airport to Bus Aras, the central bus station, and it’s ideal for reaching Dublin hotels in this part of town. It makes several stops along the way, including O’Connell Street, the city’s main thoroughfare. It takes about 30 minutes but if traffic is heavy it will take longer.

The 748 bus will take you from Dublin Airport to Connolly Train Station, Bus Aras, Tara Street Train Station and then travels along the quays (Aston Quay & Wood Quay) and finally to Heuston Train Station. The journey takes a little longer, about 50 minutes, but again expect traffic delays at peak times.

For Dublin hotels in Dun Laoghaire, south of the city, use the third 746 Airlink route which is an hourly service from Dublin Airport to Dun Laoghaire.

Another option is the Aircoach. This is a round the clock coach service, operating different routes, from the airport to various Dublin hotels in the city. You can buy your ticket from the driver. The airport to Donnybrook service operates 24 hours with buses departing every 15 minutes from 5am to midnight and hourly afterwards – it stops on O’Connell Street (the city’s main street) as well. There’s also a 24-hour service to Leopardstown. Ticket prices vary depending on the route.

A taxi direct to the door of your Dublin hotel will set you back about 20-30 Euro. There may be an additional charge for extra passengers and some taxi companies also charge more on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Whichever route you take enjoy your stay in Dublin!

Helen Kelly writes for Ireland travel and accommodation website http://www.GoIreland.com

Visit www.goireland.com for all you need to know before visiting Dublin, like what to see and where to go. View B&Bs, guesthouses and self catering in Dublin as well as Dublin hotels .

Austria What Else Except The Euro 2008

December 16, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

By now every football fan knows that one of the countries hosting the Euro 2008 is Austria. Most of you also know where exactly the matches will be played. As I came to think of it, I am sure that some of you who will visit Austria for the Euro 2008 will take advantage of the situation and go a little sightseeing. So I decided to make a short list of the places one might want to see in the cities, where the matches will be played.

Lets start with the capital of Austria – Vienna. The city is located in the Vienna State, in the south-eastern part of the country. It is famous for its many places of interest – there is something there for everyone. There you can go to numerous museums, opera houses, concert halls, parks and historic sites. Among the most popular places you can visit is the Schnbrunn Castle – the summer royal residence. There you can see 40 of the magnificent rooms of the baroque building, plus the gorgeous garden around it. Another landmark is the baroque St. Stephens Cathedral. Its wooden altarpiece is amazingly carved and dates back to 1447. Another place of interest is the Austrian Gallery Belvedere – a summer residence which includes a castle and a garden, now turned into a gallery. Some other places you should not miss include the Hofburg Imperial Palace, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Vienna State Opera and the Schatzkammer (Imperial Treasury). From the hotels there or the Tourist Information Centre you can buy the Vienna Card which will provide you with free use of the public transport for 72 hours as well as discounts on many tourist attractions and restaurants.

Innsbruck is another city where the Euro 2008 will be carried out. It is the capital of Tyrol, situated in the western part of the country. The city is a huge winter resort popular for its many skiing opportunities. The landscape around it is magnificent – the most beautiful part of the Alps. There are also many places one should not miss. The Imperial Palace (Hofburg) is a gothic building from the 15th century. In the Old Town you will find the landmark of the city – the Golden Roof. It is actually a 3 storey balcony from the 15th century which roof is capped with nearly 3 000 copper tiles plated in gold. The Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) is also magnificent. It is located under an artificial hill and consists of seven halls with different themes, but all in honour of the Swarovski crystals. You may also visit the Ambras Castle and the Cathedral St. Jacob.
http://www.austria-trips.com/Hintertux-Glacier/Hintertuxer.htm
The third city of the Euro 2008 in Austria is Salzburg. It is the capital of the Salzburg State, situated on the banks of the Salzach River. The city is the birth place of the great Mozart and you can visit the building, in which he was born and lived. Salzburg has many historical sites to offer and it is a protected heritage site by UNESCO. Salzburgs Cathedral is very popular and the first church on the place was built in 767. It was later twice burned and renovated and now it impresses with a gorgeous facade and a huge dome. Hohensalzburg Fortress was built in the 11th century and is now among the best preserved and large fortresses in central Europe. Hellbrunn is a beautiful summer residence built in Italian style. There you can see the Hellbrunn palace and some amazing gardens with fountains. Other interesting places include the Festival Halls, the Untersberg Mountain, Mirabell Palace, Salzburgs Zoo, the Holy Trinity Church and more.

The last town which will hold the Euro 2008 in Austria is Klagenfurt. It is the capital of Carinthia, located in the most southern parts of the country. There are a total of 23 different castles in the city, most of them built in the 12th century. You can even spend the night in the St. Georgen am Sandhof and the Hallegg Castle. As far as churches are concerned, there you can find 56 of them. The most popular of them is of course the Cathedral. If you like nature you can also go to Lake Ossiacher and Lake Worther (Worthersee). http://www.austria-trips.com/Semmering/Semmering.htm

With this ends my list of interesting places around the Euro 2008 in Austria. I do hope many of you will take the opportunity and visit some of the gorgeous places in this country.

France as a Christmas holiday destination

December 15, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

The stylish French really know how to make Christmas look good and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the capital. The “City of Lights” does look beautiful all year round but around Christmas it takes on a magical glow as the illuminations are switched on and the city’s best known and loved landmarks get the special treatment too. The bridges across the Seine are lit up and the Eiffel Tower twinkles even more than ever. Nothing could be more exciting at this time of year than taking a walk along the Champs Elysees, where fir trees festooned with lights line the broad avenue. A temporary ice skating rink is even set up in front of the Hotel de Ville. It seems that the Christmas spirit takes over the whole city.

Galeries Lafayettes, that celebrated department store, puts on the biggest show in all Paris; the centerpiece is an enormous Christmas tree in the middle of the store that can be seen from the balconies on each level. People come from all over the country so they can see the sumptuous displays and so that their children can see the famous animated window displays.

A trip to France at this time of year can be a good idea because there are fewer tourists around. However, some popular attractions may be quite busy. Disneyland Paris is a good example of this; it is always busy in the summer, has a quieter spell and then gets busy again around the Christmas holidays, through until New Year. Children will love a visit to Euro Disneyland at this time of year but you should be prepared for long queues and higher than usual prices.

Another good reason to visit France at this time of year is for the skiing; whether you choose the Alps or the Pyrenees, you can be sure of a great holiday. From mid-December onwards you can be pretty sure of good snow in both regions. Many of the resorts offer special Christmas packages and for a really memorable though expensive vacation you could get together with friends and hire a ski chalet where you can celebrate the festivities together in comfort. If you do choose to rent a property whether in a ski resort or elsewhere, do check in advance what facilities will be open for buying food, eating out and so on. There are no hard and fast rules about opening during the Christmas period though most places will close on Christmas Day.

Do you have friends or family in France? How lovely it would be to join them during the holiday period and experience an authentic French Christmas! The traditions are a little

Review on Turkey hotels. How to find out which hotels in Turkey are really good?

December 14, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

As Europe seems to be the most favorite travel destination for Americans after Mexico perhaps, where do Europeans like to spend their holiday nowadays ? The answer is quite obvious: it’s Europe again and more precisely its Southern part. Spain, Portugal, France and Italy have been all time favorites among European holidaymakers for years. However new travel destinations emerged in the Southeastern part of Europe over the last decades such as Croatia, Greece and Turkey. Their picturesque Mediterranean coastal line, preserved natural resources and rich cultural heritage waiting to be discovered have made them preferred and beloved travel destinations for many travelers.Turkey among those three countries clearly stands out as the most diverse one, carrying all the characteristics needed to become a year around destination – oriental charm, vast territory, wild nature, the longest coastal line and amazing inland attractions. Turkish government has made enormous contributions to the development of the tourism sector, making it a prior for the economy. People who already had the chance to visit this lovely country are truly surprised by the quality of hotel accommodation and services they receive during their stay as well as struck by people’s hospitality and the rich delicious cousin.

Let’s say Turkey is an unknown or a long-haul destination for you, but anyway you’re eager to visit it. Have you ever wondered how are you going to arrange your trip? How much the local travel agency is going to charge you? How is your travel budget doing in a situation of a global economy crisis?More and more people nowadays prefer to plan their business or vacation trip by booking their hotel accommodation online .Numerous websites will allure you with slogans like ‘cheap hotel accommodation’, ‘discount hotels’, ‘lowest prices 100 % guaranteed’, etc. but only few of them are able to offer comprehensive and professional quality services . In order to get reasonable hotel prices, quality booking services and protect yourself against dishonestor deceitful websites, you need to refer to companies who have local representatives and have established long term partnership withlocal hotels.

Such a website I recently encountered is Turkey hotels tours.com. I have made a small research among travelers that already used their services in order too see if it’s not the next fraudulent website. There are plenty of ways to do that like for example Flyertalk.com, etc. Not really impressed at first by the outer look of the website, I was kind of surprised by the positive responses I received. It’s not a common thing when you hear commentaries like these…

‘The service was good, efficient and reliable. We believe that we would again use their services and highly recommend to our friends. ‘ Tareq Alhusseini;‘I think the services were excellent. I am sure whenever I come back to Turkey they will be the first to contact.’ Dr. Muhi Al-Khayat; ‘First of all rapid and clear answers, good range and selections, acceptable prices, a good car and driver took us safely to the airport in due time. We are glad to say that we will be back to their services for our next visit to Turkey.’Bjorn E. Klyve.

Those few lines were good enough to provoke my interest and I had to find out more about this website and what it can offer more than what is visible from first site. The website is owned by a local travel agency that surprisingly has managed for the few years into practice (in business since 2001) to establish an image of a credible and professional online accommodation seller. The booking process with them takes only a minute or two and five minutes or so to receive a confirmation e-mail, payment details and a hotel voucher. It all proves to be quite convenient for the customer. The website provides a quick access to hundreds of hotels in Turkey’s most worth visiting cities such as Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Bursa, Canakkale, Cappadocia, Cesme, Efes, Fethiye, Istanbul, Izmir, Kusadasi, Marmaris and Pamukkale. Additionally you can book extra services like airport pick-ups and drop-offs as well as various tours and daily trips in a destination of your choice. You can pay your hotel accommodation online very easily with your Visa or MasterCard, or via bank/wire transfer.

Beside the detail hotel information, photo galleries and the convenience of the price comparison function and last-minute availability, the actual reason why people prefer arranging their travel needs through this particular website remains the local expertise, professional and prompt customer response as well as the special price offers they can only receive there.

Since you are able to go through and compare all hotel rates, amenities and services available, you can make a better decision for yourself which hotel offers those accommodation facilities and services that suits best your needs and which one offers the most reasonable price that suits your budget. But don’t fool yourself that choice is always that easy. This is where the local experts and your personal trip advisers come in hand. Once getting in touch with them you’ll soon find out that their help is invaluable. Those people are with a pile of experience in their pocket, and what do you know, they have actually been there where you’re going and can make the best offer and proposals that you’ll most certainly take advantage of.

Another pleasant feature of the website is the ‘ask for a special discount’ option, which honestly not many website are willing to give. The free airport transfer promotion is another efficient customer service. If you book a certain minimum number of nights at the selected hotel they will provide a complementary free of charge transport from airport to hotel (pick-up) or from hotel to airport (drop-off) or both depending on the number of nights booked. For example: Stay 3 nights get one way transfer, Stay 5 nights get two ways transfer! If you have booked less you can still book airport transfer at a minor additional charge. Transfers are available in every city.

It might be a good idea to revisit the website on a regular basis since Turkeyhotelstours.com database is being updated with new hotels and prices each day. You may also check for new exciting promotions and special price offers available only for a limited period of time. The website claims also to offer the best special prices for Standard and Sea View rooms plus Suites in Turkey.

So after all said and done, my observations come to the conclusion that booking hotels online can be indeed very easy, cost effective and even enjoyable. You don’t have to get yourself disappointed each time by saying ‘The last time I had to book a hotel online it was a nightmare’. You just have to know whom you can really trust and who will come up to and maybe go a further step beyond your expectations. So my advice is: if you want to save on your time and money pick up only websites that offer quality services, local assistance and 24/7 customer support like Turkey hotels tours.com.

Hotel reviews: Hotel Danieli, Venice

December 14, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

I always like to carefully choose the hotels where i am going for holiday or weekend trips. I believe that the quality of a holiday depends not only of the place, the company, but also of the hotel you are living in. That’s why i like to choose a hotel that has a “special something” to make my holiday from excellent to perfect.

And when we talk about “special something” in hotels, the most appropriate example is the Danieli Hotel in Venice. The former house of duke Dandalo in the 14Th century, Danieli hotel is an impressive palazzo, located in the heart of Venice, right near San Marco Square and the Dodge Palace. With beautiful views over the lagoon and Grand Canal, perhaps the most impressive thing about Danieli is its lobby and staircase.

Every inch of the hotel says classical luxury and elegance. Even the keys to the room are not the ordinary cards that you receive at most of the hotels, but elegant red key-holders (picture bellow).

Another unique feature is the La Terazza roof restaurant, were you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, in a nice atmosphere with the greatest view in Venice (of course the price are according to the view!).

Considering every aspect listed above, we decided that that will be the perfect destination for our 1 year anniversary in Venice. And we weren’t wrong at all!

Although we booked a standard room, we were upgraded (as somehow of a gift) to a deluxe room, situated in the main, historical building (besides the former palazzo of dodge Dandalo, Danieli has 2 more wings, one dated in the 19 century, and one more recent, from 1960). Our room was huge, with beautiful furniture, decorated in tones of pale blue. We also had a nice dressing room, with a big mirror, and 2 adjacent bathrooms decorated in classical style. From our 2 sets of windows we could see a small channel, and Fondamenta del Vin (the next little island – Venice has hundreds of small islands, divided by channels, and connected by a network of bridges).

For our anniversary dinner on Sunday we’ve made reservations to the restaurant on the roof, and although it was very expensive (a cake around 19 euros) it was perfect! Great view and a nice ambiance! We liked it so much that Monday, before leaving to the airport, we had a quick lunch there as well.

All in all a GREAT hotel!

Cheap Hotel Deal in London

December 13, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

London is well known for its luxury and expensive hotels, but it doesn’t mean that one can not find a cheap hotel in London. First of all we need to understand that what cheap hotel mean? In actual term, the cheap hotels are those hotels who offer quality accommodation in very low prices.

Some people misunderstand cheap hotels with dirty and untidy hotels with very low price and maintenance, which is false. Infact, they are very well managed first grade hotels, providing quality services and accommodations in cheap or low charges. These discounted hotels offer all expected facilities and services but in a very nominal charges. The complimentary amenities and facilities offered by them are color cable television, coffee maker, internet access, swimming pool, parking space, business center and many others.

Some popular cheap hotels in London are St. Christopher’s Greenwich, St. Christopher’s village, St. Christopher’s shepherd’s Bush, the Kingway Hotel, Leisure Inn Hotel, Majestic Hotel, Comfort Inn Earls court, Queens hotel, Oakwood at point west, Bayswater Inn, Wake Up London and A Night Inn.

Most of these hotels are small in size and houses 60 to 100 guestrooms in their premises. These hotels charge not more than 100 dollars or 60 Euro to their guests and offers amazing cheap hotel deals. It is a real feel good factor to get wonderful lodging services within such nominal charges. Most of these hotels are situated very near to city’s shopping and entertainment centers. Some of these discounted hotels also provide dining facilities in their hotel, so for tourists who are looking for a “value for money” restaurant, these hotels are the best dining options.

You can easily find a good cheap hotel in London, you just need to go through some good tourist or hotels website in internet. These hotel websites will give complete information about discount hotel London. These websites also give the facility to book a room, of your choice, in your estimated budget.

Hotel reviews: JW Marriott, Bucharest

December 13, 2009 by Lost in Europe  
Filed under Hotels

Location and a bit of history:

JW Marriott Hotel is located about a 10 minutes walk from the city center of Bucharest, in the vicinity of Parliament Palace, the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon. Previously Parliament Palace was called “The House of the People” and it has been built by the former communist dictator Ceausescu. He didn’t live to see it finished, let alone move into it and it’s probably the most famous building connected to his name. It is highly controversial, and now it houses the Chamber of Deputies and Senate and is well worth a visit if you ever get the chance.

The hotel is part of a architectonic complex built by former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu between 1980-1989 after a Romanian project, using exclusively Romanian building materials, along with Parliament Palace and the headquarters of Ministry of National Defense. The building was bought from the government in the beginning of 1990 and transformed into a luxury hotel, one of the main shareholders being Fahti Ta-her. The hotel has been turn into a JW Marriott, through the well known franchise system.

The hotel:

8 floors of luxury, with 379 rooms and 23 suites, 21,528 sq ft of total meeting space, this hotel really is, as they call themselves, “a city within the city”. The very first time I have stayed there I was quite impressed. It was during December, they had a Christmas tree and beautiful classy decorations and everything was breathing elegance and opulence. The lobby is massive and very impressing, with marble and green carpets around the reception area. Right as you walk in there are two long hallways on the right and on left, where all the shops are located. And we are talking about at least 20 shops, a travel agency, a book store (quite a nice selection of books in English), a saloon for your beauty needs. As you walk straight from the entrance, the reception is right in front of you, there are quite a few tables with sofas for informal meetings or gatherings and on your right hand side is the Pavilion Lounge, an international Bar. They have a wide variety of drinks, cocktails and, of course, coffee.

The lower floor (I guess you could call this basement ) has a worldwide brand fitness club (World Class Health Academy) and, believe it or not, a Casino. The hotel guest have complimentary

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