More about Yalbury Cottage
A Stately Home for the price of a Travel Inn
by Maxus about Wortley Hall
Anyone travelling through this part of the world, not least visitors from overseas should seriously consider spending at least one night at Wortley Hall. The Hall is an impressive English Stately Home sat in 26 acres of peaceful gardens and woodland and surrounded by some beautiful English countryside. Wortley Hall is an experience rather than just somewhere to stay and what’s more as a cooperative it keeps its prices very reasonable indeed, you can expect to pay about what you would for a Holiday Inn and god knows what you would pay to stay in similar surroundings elsewhere.
Even the drive from the village to the Hall is impressive and once inside the Hall it’s like something from Harry Potter with stained glass windows, oak-panelled libraries, lounges, snooker and dining rooms etc, which you are free to wander round (through secret doorways if you can find them). The bar doesn’t try to be a traditional English pub, it just is and you are much more likely to be drinking with locals as you are with tourists. Up the magnificent staircase, off a maze of corridors are 50 bedrooms, no two of which are the same, you can have a four-poster or something simpler, all the rooms are en suite and if you want a ghost just ask at reception when you book. The secret is that Wortley is not part of a chain, it is owned by the people who actually use it and that is the ethos of the place, you really do feel like a guest rather than a customer. Other places may try to produce the English Country House ‘experience’ but the best they usually manage is a ‘Merchant Ivory’ type corporate parody and they charge you the earth for it. Wortley’s charm wasn’t manufacture in a boardroom, it has evolved and it’s seamless. For a start the staff at Wortley are mainly local people from families who have worked at the Hall for generations, they are part of the place. The Wortley family who came over with William the Conqueror in 1066 now live in the village but have not quite left the Hall and are still regular visitors, except now they may have to pay for the excellent food.
The UK trade unions bought the Hall from the Wortley family just after the Second World War, it was falling down at the time, it’s been slowly restored and any profits continue to be reinvested in building. The day to day running is left to a professional hotel management team, the staff are friendly and perhaps more importantly happy, they have a real commitment to the place (and relatively good pay and conditions). Like the very best staff they are almost invisible until you want something and then it is as good as done, they certainly don’t chase you round trying to sell you things and it’s very easy to forget that this is a business.
I hold training courses at Wortley and although this is work for me I actually look forward to my visits. Last year I sent maybe two hundred people to stay Wortley and I never had a complaint. There really is nowhere else like Wortley, so if nothing else at least have a look at their website:
Red, Red Wine...sang UB40
by sourbugger about Hotel du Vin chain...
This company has about seven hotel spread throughout England. Four star hotels with the theme, you've guessed it ,of wine.
They tend to take over old buildings and complete imaginative conversions implanting all the modern design status icons like LCD T.V's.
The old hospital in Birmingham, is one of my favourites with a bar and restaurant covered in old wine bottles.
The company regularly runs special events connected with wine, and as you would expect the wine cellar is enoromous. Although I've not stayed there, the Henley-on-Thames hotel has regularly been garlanded with awards in the press. One of it's more unusual features are the balconies of the suites that overhang the Thames - they have an open air cast Iron bath on them.
Don't use one if you are bit bashful, binoculars can be very powerfull these days.
So comfy and soooo British
by Phillylawyer_19107 about Jeake's House Hotel
First – be aware, this hotel is hard to find, as it is in a tiny side street (Mermaid Street) which can easily be overlooked if one doesn’t know Rye. Parking there is basically not allowed, but it is okay for unloading. Then you have to drive to a car park in about 5 minutes walking distance.
Mermaid Street is simply gorgeous, it goes up rather steeply, with a cobblestone pavement and delightful old houses on its sides. Jeake’s House is one of those houses – splendidly renovated, covered in ivy and so very British. Most of the inside is just as charming, a narrow staircase takes us up to our attic room where you can see beams in the shiny white ceiling, there are two beds with floral bedspreads, the curtains are equally floral (yes, I admit it, I looove floral) and the whole rooms is extremely cosy and comfy. Other rooms are a bit more elegant and spacious, but we liked our little room. The bathroom was very old-fashioned and the remaining furniture of the bedroom surely had style. The breakfast room has a special atmosphere as well, it is painted in a warm red with an extremely high ceiling. This is because this used to be a Quaker meeting hall and later a Baptist chapel. The breakfast is average and not really presented very nicely – a side table carries some small boxes with cereal, you get toast and preserves and that’s basically it. There is also a bar, which looked nice, but compared to the rest of the house a tiny bit rundown. The proprietor was friendly, but less attentive than I would have expected. Generally, it was a nice enough place, but the few tiny things mentioned before were a bit disturbing. Still, I recommend it. Fabulous location in the lovely old tow part of Rye.
Cheap Bed & Breakfast
by CindyInItaly about Mela's B&B
There are several websites you can visit to find B&B's. They end up being MUCH cheaper than a hotel, and safer than a youth hostel. Some have photos of the room so you can get an idea of what to expect.
http://www.bedandbreakfasts-uk.co.uk/londonframe.htm
http://www.LondonTown.com Mela, the owner is an Italian chef now living and catering in London. The room is decorated modern deco and bathroom facilities are shared with the owners. 22# for single, 42# for double occupancy (includes all taxes and fees)
The room was quite small (as most hotels are as well). Breakfast was milk, orange juice, 3 cereals to choose from, and cookies. The bathroom was shared with Mela and was small in size. The toilet took several tries to flush everytime. This is a good choice if you are just needing a place to stay. It lacked the hospitality you get in a B&B. The owner was not very social. We only spoke 3 times during our entire stay.
The stairs going down to the house are quite narrow, so if you are handicap, this wouldn't be the place for you. There is no incline for wheelchairs or easy access.
Youth Hostels in England
by dshachar about Youth Hostels in England
A few years ago my wife and I rented a Rover 60 in London and headed for places north. We spent several weeks touring England. We stayed in one or two B&B's, but most of the time we stayed in youth hostels.
There are several advantages to youth hostels. No sullen B&B owners, no amateur B&B owners, lots of interesting people to meet, many were in beautiful converted mansions or hotels, every fifth night was free, even in a different hostel, the front desk called ahead to find rooms at the next hostel or two for us, negotiating good prices each time, hostels available all over England and Wales, inexpensive for the most part.
Avoid the hostel at Boggle Hole. Trust me. We cooked quite a few meals for ourselves in hostels. Each hostel had refrigerators for guests and stoves and burners, all for free. We weren't the only one bringing in our own food and preparing meals on our own - breakfast, English or Continental, is available of course, and I'm pretty sure Continental is actually free with the room.
Naturally we stayed in private rooms, not in the dorm rooms. However, even those are inexpensive compared to equivalent B&B's. Each hostel was a member of the International Hostels Association, which guarantees a certain level of cleanliness and service of course.
The hostel at Haworth is especially lovely. It's within walking distance of the Parsonage, the bus station, and the train station (I believe it was one of the two hostels we found that even had en suite facilities. It's far enough, and hidden enough, from the Parsonage, that nobody except hostel guests bother with their beautiful gravelled parking lot.
One of the hostels in the Lake District was on the banks of a beautiful lake, but it would take me a while to look up exactly which one it was.
The hostel at Stratford-upon-Avon was a little out of town, but a great location if you have a car - it has a large, free parking lot (as do most of the hostels), and you can drive into Stratford and park near the theatre within about five minutes.
Sometimes we discovered that in big cities, such as York, Edinburgh and Glasgow, it is prudent to stay around one hour away from the city and take a train in and out. Parking in the three cities I've mentioned above is far from the centre, expensive, and sometimes difficult to find. Staying in a small town near the railway station and taking the train in and out every day made sightseeing far more pleasant. Lodging in the smaller areas was much cheaper than a downtown hotel.
SPG Hotel on Piccadilly
by KTNYC about Park Lane Sheraton Hotel
"Centrally located, you can connect with the welcoming city at Buckingham Palace and stroll over to the boutiques of Bond Street, Knightsbridge, and London’s West End theatres." - SPG
Local Attractions
Shepherd's Market 0.1 km/0.1 miles
Green Park 0.3 km/0.2 miles
Knightsbridge (International Designer Boutiques) 0.5 km/0.3 miles
Bond Street (International Designer Boutiques) 0.5 km/0.3 miles
Harvey Nichols 0.6 km/0.4 miles
Hyde Park 0.6 km/0.4 miles
West End Theatre District 0.8 km/0.5 miles
Oxford Circus/Oxford Street 1.0 km/0.6 miles
Buckingham Palace 1.0 km/0.6 miles
Harrods 1.0 km/0.6 miles Piccadilly Circus 1.0 km/0.6 miles
Brompton Oratory 1.0 km/0.6 miles
Royal Albert Hall 2.0 km/1.2 miles
London Eye 2.0 km/1.2 miles
National Gallery 2.0 km/1.2 miles
Trafalgar Square 2.0 km/1.2 miles
Royal Academy of Art 2.0 km/1.2 miles
Soho and Chinatown 2.0 km/1.2 miles
Westminster Abbey 3.0 km/1.9 miles
Houses of Parliament 3.0 km/1.9 miles
Big Ben 3.0 km/1.9 miles
British Airways London Eye 3.0 km/1.9 miles
Covent Garden 4.0 km/2.5 miles
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront 5.0 km/3.1 miles
Madame Tussauds 5.0 km/3.1 miles
St. Pauls Cathedral 6.0 km/3.7 miles
Tate Modern 6.0 km/3.7 miles
Tower of London 10.0 km/6.2 miles
We stayed in B&B's all over...
by bhodgson
We stayed in B&B's all over England and there is nothing to compare with them. They were all wonderful. I will update the list when I get my book back-I have loaned it to a friend who is going this Spring.
My Tip: Use B&B's.
by mabu
My Tip: Use B&B's. You get the best value for your Money.
I like the Farmhouse B&B's best. Farms are interesting places to stay. Look out for nice and big houses.
15 - 25 £ You get to know the family wich runs the place. Some of them can give you lots of great tips where to go and stay.
lodging is outrageously...
by RWRocks
lodging is outrageously expensive in Britain - stick to B&B's (or better yet, youth hostels). These still aren't cheap. Try www.lastminute.com for hotel specials, mostly in London.
Hostels in Rome
by patrickmcmillan about Seven hills camp site
Seven hills campsite offers cabins for one up ot four people. RV`s tent sites. Swimming pool. Clean showers and washroom. Great for singles couples and families. 20-25 euro`s a night. Market to buy food. Bar and dance floor. Bus service to centre of Rome.
Photos
M/S Vistafjord in Yalta
A Jester(s) at Stratford
Beatrix Potter´s World
Cow´s paradise, and bikers hell??? No!!!
Forum Posts
B&B's
by Mariajoy
If a double room is advertised as £45 per night - would you take that to mean that is how much the room is or that is how much it is er person? In which case a double room for 2 people is £90 - Isn't that misleading? Or is it just me?
Re: B&B's
by lizhav
Per room not per person
Re: B&B's
by sabsi
At B&Bs the price is normally per person. Normally they write £45 per person sharing. At least that's what I read all the time.
Sabs
Re: Re: B&B's
by Mariajoy
Oh thanks Liz - that's exactly what I thought. I have e-mailed them. I stayed in a hotel in London last week where a double room WAS £90 per night - I would have been mortified if at the end of my stay it had been doubled!!
Re: Re: B&B's
by lizhav
Surpised you weren't at 90 quid a night!
Re: Re: B&B's
by Mariajoy
Oh I know, I know but it was a special occasion!!!! It doesn't happen very often believe me! Ha ha ha.
Re: Re: B&B's
by Mariajoy
Sabs - this one was quite clearly advertised as "Double room £45".
per person or per room
by gilabrand
In the United States, the quoted price is always per person. In Europe, from my experience - in Spain, at least - the price is per room. But of course it's always worthwhile checking.
Re: per person or per room
by joecooper
B&B would normally quote by room. Best to check with individual establishments. Anyway...£45?! £90!!!!!!!????? B&Bs should not be that much! I'd expect about £15-£30 max!
Re: Re: per person or per room
by Mariajoy
I know Joe, I always manage to find the most expensive places - don't know how I do it :)) It's the same with clothes and shoes ha ha ha!
Hitchhiker´s site
by Dudytka
Does anybody know about a site where a hitchhiker could find his ride within the UK?
Thanks a lot. :)
RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by Adelle123
Try beside the road. (sorry, it had to be said!)
:)
RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by vanderlust
We have at least one hitcher here on VT. Give Kinga_freespirit a try.
Here is his link.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/90ef5/
RE: RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by JulesH
Depends how much time you have. You could try placing a free ad in Loot www.loot.com giving details of where you want to go, but unless you are offering petrol money I wouldn't hold out much hope.
RE: RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by cruisingbug
BTW, Kinga is a GIRL, so give HER site a try (I know, I was confused by the pic, too). Her web sites are ledbydestiny.com and hitchhiketheworld.com
RE: RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by film
http://www.digihitch.com/europe-region-2.html
Some interesting tales. Years ago, there used to a be a guide by simon calder, but these things tend go out of date very quickly.
Make sure you have a sign and you know your route and exactly where you want to be dropped off. Drivers themselves know little about hitching. I started many journeys from London by taking the underground tube to Brent Cross and walking to the beginning of the M1 to go North.
RE: RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by aaaarrgh
Large delivery lorries were good for hitchhiking. I guess the drivers like the company. But you will need to find out the location of delivery depots or wait around junctions on main transport routes. Somewhere where a 40-tonne lorry can stop easily!
RE: Hitchhiker´s site
by Dudytka
Thanks everybody for their answers. My friend still has got few weeks. We will try the sites first then. :)
Moscow neighborhood(s)
by caminolatierra
I am considering renting a studio for a week at Metro stop "Christie Prudy" in Moscow. Can anyone offer a sketch of the neighborhood? Safety is paramount, of course...
My next option is an overpriced but pretty studio on Arbatskaya street...
Thanks/Spasibo
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