Pontins, Prestatyn - Club Accommodation

After last year's enjoyable time at Pontins I decided that I would go again this year, this year staying in Club accommodation - this is the highest grade available.  But this year's experience was the complete opposite!

Parking was easier, but I should have paid more attention to the number of minibuses and people carriers scattered about.

Check in this year remained in the Reception area, but it was still chaos, I nearly cried and walked back out when I saw the queue, but like last year I couldn't face the drive home after just driving 250 miles.  Thanks to people cutting the queue or heading straight to the front if thay had a query after they had received their keys, it took me 90 minutes from joining the end of the queue to getting my key. I had to remind the person serving me that as I was in Club accommodation I should receive a free bottle of wine and free newspapers so they had to go off to find the vouchers.

As a Club customer I was also to receive free bedding instead of paying per bed, as I wasn't given any I assumed that it was already in the chalet.  It wasn't, although as all chalets now seem to be left unlocked until occupied there may have been some in there at one point.

The chalet was not very clean, unlike last year, I had to clean the work surfaces, table tops and chairs before they could be used.  The hob was rusty and the fridge leaked.  The windows were dirty and greasy.  The bathroom door did not shut completely and scrapped across the floor with the movement that it did have.

I had to carry the microwave across the kitchen as there were no plugs near it.

You can just see the rusty hob.

The heater was badly marked.

The leaky fridge

A hole in the worksurface where the old telly used to be.

The sum total of the crockery in the chalet

A rare moment of peace.

Last year in my Classic chalet I had constant hot water without having to switch between hot water and the hob/oven being on so I assumed that in the higher grade accommodation that this would be the case too.  It was not, as I found out at 5am on the second morning.

I got very little sleep on the first night due to the noise by other holiday makers, I know this is not something Pontins can control, but it goes to show the level of guests this time that they stand outside a stranger's chalet to smoke and chat so as not to disturb people in their own.

There were also a lot of school age children about, mostly in the triangle of chalets where I was based, the group above me were particularly noisy - dragging furniture, slamming doors, throwing things off the balcony, shouting at people in other chalets - even when they arrived back in the early hours of the morning.

It turns out that I was sharing my accommodation triangle with groups from two schools for disadvantaged children and children with behavioural problems, all paid for by their local council.  Why Pontins chose to house a single traveller in this block I do not understand.

The next morning I went to the shop to pick up my free newspaper, despite being advertised as opening at 8am it did not open until 9am.

The swimming pool did not open until 10am by which time I had lost interest in going for a swim.

After a second sleepless night I decided enough was enough and packed up ready to go home, this was when I found out that the hot water DID in fact run out.

I was on my way home by 6.30am.

I will not be going to Pontins again unless changes are made. 

Pontins, Prestatyn

I need to start this review by saying that the chalet was so much cleaner than the ones at Southport last November, but that is one of the few stand out positives.

According to my paperwork, I was supposed to hand one of my vouchers in at the gate, as there was no-one on duty there I just carried on in.

Not being able to check in until 4pm I had delayed my arrival to just before and parking was a nightmare, not because I can't park (I can) but earlier arrivals had just abandoned their cars anywhere within the parking area.

I went to Reception to check in, as per my paperwork, to be greeted by a Bluecoat and told that check-in was now in the Fun Factory, the room formerly known as the Ballroom.  I made my way round and it was chaos.  But this was down more to the clientele than the staff.  In fact, if I hadn't spent the best part of 5 hours in traffic jams I may well have turned round and gone straight home again.

Kids were being allowed to run riot, whole families seemed to feel the need to queue instead of just one person, everyone was more concerned with what was on their phones than what the staff were saying to them.

When I eventually made it to the front of the queue I was dealt with very efficiently and off I went to find my chalet.

I had booked a studio apartment so I knew that I was not going to get a palace but the room was tiny.  The location was excellent, away from the main road around the site but still only a couple of minutes walk back to the main facilities, but the apartment really was a disappointment.

The double bed took up pretty much all of the floorspace and this only looked more after I put on the fluorescent 100% polyester bedding, which were at least clean this time.

The kitchen consisted of a sink, a draining board which was home to the microwave, a small area of work surface which housed the kettle, a cooker and fridge.

The bathroom was larger than the kitchen and featured a fantastic shower, another plus point, which nearly blasted me into next door it was so powerful.

I ventured into the Queen Victoria pub, every Pontins has one, on the first night, thanks to the 'who can scream the loudest' competition that was being held I did not visit again, but again this was the clientele rather than the staff.

I attempted to buy some chips from Captain Cod's shop on the second day, after more than 10 minutes of queueing in which only one person was served I gave up.  On the last day I attempted to purchase a meal from the restaurant, but the pay up front rule, the state of the tables and the noise put me off, so at least there was no food poisoning this time. I would have tried the Indian/Chinese takeaway in the Queen Vic if, again, it hadn't been for the noise.

Whilst there is not much that can be done about the clients, I do have some suggestions for the apartments for future refurbishments or quick wins now.

• Move the microwave, it needs it own space to allow the draining board to be used.
• Put toasters back in the chalets, I was losing the will to live using the oven to toast my bread.
• There needs to somewhere to sit and eat, a breakfast bar at least.
• Fit a towel rail in the bathroom, I had to hang my towel over the shower rail.
• Bring back the £1 electricity cards, the complimentary £1 card I received ran out Saturday evening, I had to purchase a £5 card for the rest of the weekend of which I spent just over £1.
• Stagger the check ins more, instead of Club at 2pm and everyone else at 4pm, try 2pm, 3pm and 4pm.
• Install cameras above the tills, I witnessed some money being palmed, very inexpertly.

If I ever want a base for a few days in North Wales I would stay here again, but I certainly wouldn't stay here for the amenities.  And I would take my own bedding, or at least a sleeping bag.

Pontins, Southport.

I have to start this review by saying that if I had booked via a £9.50 holiday deal, then I would not have so many poor views, after all, you get what you pay for.  But having paid more than £180 for 3 nights self catering, admittedly for a specific event being held there, I would have expected more, especially as we had been advised that the site had been renovated since our last visit.

The site is easily found, being located on the Shore Road and the two storey chalets are laid out in a big cartwheel shape.  The main building houses the reception, the games area, a NISA shop (which was very sparsely stocked), a takeaway selling pizzas, burgers and kebabs (more of this later), the function rooms and the Queen Victoria pub, a standard facility in all Pontins.

There is a newly opened leisure centre, I am not sure if it was open when we were there, it houses a new arcade, Captain Cods, a new Chinese and Indian Restaurant and a bar area.  The swimming pool is also located here.

I had a twin bedded, single bedroom room on the top floor of a block near the main buildings.  The view was fine, not that I saw much of it due to the horizontal rain that fell most of the weekend.

I opted for the Classic grade chalet - there are 3, the Popular, the Classic and the top grade, the Club - however, the Classic and the Popular seemed to be identical meaning that my additional £30 (inc credit card charges) was well spent!

The supplied sheets were made of some shiny, slippery fabric.  The sheet, duvet cover and pillowcase did not match.  The duvet cover looked marked, but not sure if it was dirt or just poor printing!

I only spent one night in the bedroom as it was so cold, I was laying in bed watching the curtains moving from the draft from the closed window, the remaining two nights I spent on the sofa.  Assuming that I kept the bedroom and bathroom doors closed, my chalet did not feel too cold, but this may be more to do with the fact that I do not have central heating at home.

The bathroom had a built in swimming pool, either that or the shower was constantly leaking as the floor was pretty much wet all weekend, I even had to sit on the toilet sideways to keep my feet out of the worst of the water.  Where there was exposed wood, whether intentionally exposed or not, it had turned black and was swollen.

The kitchen featured an electric standard alone cooker (oven, grill and hob), a fridge, a kettle, toaster and microwave.  And one plug.  So you could either use the toaster, the kettle or the microwave, which had to be carried across the kitchen to be plugged in.

There was a plug for the television to be plugged into, when it worked, and another plug in the middle of the end wall.  There was neither plug nor mirror in the bedroom.

The floors were not finished off brilliantly.

All the staff I had contact with were lovely, very cheery, helpful and efficient.

The bars were overpriced, but they generally are whether it be a holiday camp or hotel.

Now, to return to the takeaway.  I treated myself to burger and chips Saturday lunchtime.  Big mistake.  I spent most of the afternoon in and out of various toilets.  I have discovered since my return that a lot of people were ill, but none of us connected it with the takeaway at the time.  I am not saying that everyone who ate from there was ill, but everyone who was ill had purchased food there.

I have also heard several reports of flea bites.

I would not chose Pontins for a holiday for myself, hopefully the event I attended will not be held there next year.

Coventry - the Beauty and the Beast. (Photo heavy post)

Coventry has some beautiful buildings.  Even after the bombings during the Second World War, some fantastic Georgian, and even older, buildings remained.

But these are being dwarfed by the influx of garish student accommodation.

A timber framed building built in the 1930s to blend in with the surrounding properties with 2 garish blue and red student properties in the background.  The nearer one, a former gym and university offices, the further one the former AXA insurance building.

The Old Cathedral - St Michael's, a 14th century Gothic church later designated cathedral, that remains a ruined shell after its bombing during the Second World War.

The Council House - Built in the early 20th Century in a Tudor Style.  It is Grade II listed.

The rear of the former main post office in Hertford Street - built in the early 1900s it has since been converted to student accommodation.

The former Penny Black Pub - an essential stop off on a night out back in the day.  Now converted to student accommodation.

Broadgate, or 'the top of the town', as it used to be.  Spent many a happy lunch break sitting on the grass to eat my dinner.

Broadgate as it is now.

The Old Grammar School in the centre of the shot, currently being restored to be used by the Coventry Transport Museum, in the background is the former Post Office sorting office, soon to be replaced by student accommodation.

Another view of the former AXA building.

Previously offices, Dial Direct House (formerly St Georges House) is now also student accommodation.

The former Leofric Hotel, one of the first hotels to be built after the Second World War and a symbol of Britain's recovery - now student accommodation.

Former Belgrade Theatre accommodation for out of town actors, now student accommodation.

Ending on a positive note - two of Coventry's spires in the morning sunshine.

Ibis Bordesley Circus, Birmingham

I spent 2 nights here, and the only thing that let it down was the location which was slightly desolate, the civil engineering works going all through the night didn't help.

On first sight the outside was a bit shabby and uninspiring and was right next door to a 24 hour McDonalds, but as soon as you entered the lobby it felt welcoming.  The staff were attentive and check in was quickly sorted.

Due the high number of foreign visitors, all signs were pictorial which was a nice touch.

I was on the 3rd floor and the corridor was not inspiring, it looked very much budget and council flat inspired so I wasn't expecting much from the room.  

But the room was large, airy, bright and clean.  

The bathroom was a bit of a shock, it was a prefab built offsite and installed as a single unit, despite the feel of being in a caravan, the vanity was large with plenty of space for toiletries, make up, etc.  The shower was large, the water hotter and more powerful than I have experienced in some so-called 'premium' hotels.

Soap and shower gel were supplied and the towels with the thickest, fluffiest and softest I think I have ever had.

There was 24 hour food service, the menu dependant on the time of day or night.

There was an airy bar on the ground floor, but the prices seemed very high, but this is probably standard for a hotel in the UK, a bottle of Cava was £23.  There is a Morrison's supermarket 10 minutes walk up the road, so I bought sandwiches and a bottle of Cava (£5) there for my dinner.

St Andrews football ground is a 5 minutes walk away too, so the hotel is very handy if you are attending a function there.

The hotel was very quiet overnight, this is probably due to it not being right in the city centre, there was no-one running up and down the corridors, shouting and banging doors.

Free wifi was available in all areas of the hotel, something that other hotels could take note of.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay at Bordesley Circus, and should I have cause to visit the area again, it will certainly be my first choice of hotel.

Parc de la Ciutadella (Citadel Park), Barcelona

In all the years I have been visiting Barcelona, and more specifically the Zoo, which is housed in the park, I have never explored the park itself.

This year I did, and I have been missing so much.

The Citadel itself was built and then destroyed, restored and destroyed again on several occasions for various reasons, not least because it was seen as a much hated symbol of central Spanish government by the Catalan people. Only the Chapel (now the Military Parish Church of Barcelona), the Governor's palace (now a Secondary School), and the Arsenal (now home to the Catalan Parliament) remain with the rest of the site now forming the park.

On the day I visited, three of the Gigantes i Capgrossos (I have blogged about these before here) were being received into the Parliament buildings, along with their associated bands and groups.

After the puppets entered the building I wandered off down a different path.  

And got lost.  

As the park is 70 acres, this is not hard to do!

I continued wandering round knowing that, assuming I could find one of the exits, I could find my way back to the nearest metro or train station.

The park has a bandstand, I have always seen these as a peculiarly British thing, but evidently they are not.

It has a boating lake, something else I had seen as essentially British, it was a minimum of two people in a boat so I couldn't show off my (lack of) rowing skills.

There are plenty of play areas for children and plenty of little outside cafes where you can get a cold drink.

And then there is this....

It is the Cascada, it looks huge and it is fantastic.  It was first inaugurated in 1881 without sculpture or detail and was thoroughly criticised.  The addition of the modifications, including the fountain, continued until 1888, the building has remained the same since.

It was erected by Josep Fontsére and to a small extent by Antoni Gaudí, who at that time was still an unknown student of architecture. The aim was to loosely make it bear resemblance to the Trevi Fountain of Rome.

Quite randomly, down one of the paths leading from the Cascada, there is a model of a mammoth.

The park as a whole is well worth a visit, there are free wi-fi areas available too now.

I will definitely be spending more time there from now on.