... A taxi from Cardiff Central will set you back £9 and from the airport, around £25.
There is ample parking on-site, and the hotel is what I would consider accessibility friendly up to a point. How do I know this? Because, there were ramps and lifts throughout, and one of my colleagues ... Read review
incl. Breakfast - HRS Rating: /10 - Located in a spectacular canal side setting in the ... more
village of Acton Trussell, just outside Stafford, this delightful 15th Century moated manor house is just 2 miles from junction 13 of the M6 motorway, between Manchester and Birmingham. Most of the bedrooms are air conditioned and all are well equipped. The award winning Conservatory restaurant has 2 AA rosettes for its fine dining. It is an ideal base from which to visit Shugborough Hall, Alton Towers, Cannock Chase and other attractions in the area. Cadbury World, The NEC, Birmingham International Airport and ICC are a short drive away.
The Moat House is the ideal quality venue for accommodation, conferences, eating out, ... more
functions and weddings. A warm and friendly welcome is assured in this four star, award winning, privately owned hotel in Staffordshire. The Moat House, Acton Trussell, with its 41 bedrooms, including 9 luxurious suites and flexible family rooms, is the ideal appointed hotel accommodation for relaxing in comfort. All rooms have private bathrooms, Freeview tv, hair dryer, Broadband, tea and coffee facilities, direct dial telephones, trouser press and most of them have air conditioning. The Moat House, Acton Trussell, Staffordshire has an award winning 2 aa Rosette restaurant, which has an idyllic location adjacent to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Choose from our charming, traditional Lounge Bar or dine in the splendour of our Conservatory Restaurant, where all food is produced to order with the finest and freshest ingredients. Located in a spectacular canal side setting in the heart of rural Staffordshire, the Grade ii listed 15th Century moated manor house is close to Junction 13 of the m6 and to a wealth of countryside attractions including Alton Towers, Cadbury World, Shugborough Hall, The Potteries and Cannock Chase. Birmingham International, The nec and icc are also a short drive away.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Amidst a tranquil location, surrounded by its own moat and set in 3.5 acres of grounds, ... more
this lovely medieval property provides the ideal retreat from the stresses of modern life.The Olde Moat house dates from 1460 and is located just 15 minutes' drive from Rye, on the borders of the historic and unique Romney Marshes. The house is noted as being of historical and architectural interest, and listed Grade II. It boasts a wealth of oak beams and an enormous inglenook fireplace in the lounge, which is for guest use. The sloping floors in some rooms, and heavily beamed landing, give a truly authentic atmosphere of times gone by. This establishment holds the coveted Gold Award from the English Tourism Council, which is only given to a handful of the best bed and breakfasts in the country. Relax in winter by the inviting fireplace, or outside in the stunning grounds during the summer months. Make friends with our elderly pet sheep and angora goat.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Half a mile (800 metres) from Gatwick Airport, the Gatwick Moat House has air-conditioned ... more
rooms with free wireless internet access.The Best Western Gatwick Moat House has a restaurant, lounge and bar serving informal food and offering 24-hour room service. Sunday late check-out is available when booking Sunday lunch.All bedrooms are non-smoking with tea/coffee, hairdryer, trouser press and Sky TV (with pay movies).The Gatwick Moat House runs a shuttle service (additional cost) to and from the airport and train station. The Gatwick Express train leaves from the station, reaching central London in 30 minutes.The Best Western Gatwick Moat House is also within reach of Thorpe Park.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Located just off junction 10 of the M4, overlooking the river Loddon, this hotel is ... more
ideally located for visiting Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell business parks.The hotel benefits from 129 air conditioned newly refurbished rooms, including 25 executive rooms and 4 junior suites in the original mill. The stylish Sindlesham Mill restaurant, lounge and bar, as well as the grade 2 listed Poachers pub, gives dining options for all tastes.All areas of the hotel benefit from full Wi-Fi access. From 1 July 2007, smoking in public places is banned in England. However, a limited number of designated smoking bedrooms will be available for your convenience (subject to availability).
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Situated half a mile from Gatwick Airport this hotel offers an excellent location for pre ... more
or post flight stays The hotel boasts 125 newly refurbished March 2006 non smoking bedrooms as well as a 24 hour shuttle service to and from Gatwick Airport Full wireless internet access is available in all bedrooms and public areas Courtesy Coach: At the bus station wait by the Hotels Courtesy Coach Pick Up Point Our shuttle runs from there every half an hour between 615am to 1145pm Out of these hours it is on request only The charge is £250 per adult and £150 per child each way The hotel is also a perfect base to discover Chessington World of Adventures whilst all the attractions of central London and Brighton can be reached within 30 minutes on the rail network The hotel offers 7 meeting rooms designed to accommodate up to 40 people theatre style
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
This beautiful medieval property dates from 1460 is set in 3 and half acres of grounds ... more
and surrounded by its own moat It boasts a wealth of oak beams large inglenook and some sloping floors which give a truly authentic armosphere of times gone by Luxurious en suite bedrooms decorated to the highest standard with quality furnishings and many thoughful extras Beautiful bathrooms quality toiletries bathrobes etc add to the cosy atmosphere and the attention to detail makes our establishment an extra special place to stay Homemade bread muesli preserves etc Ample parking in grounds Glorious countryside locationOlde Moat House holds the coveted 5 Diamond and Gold Awardgrading from the English Tourism Council This is the highest grading available and only given to a few establishments throughout the country OCTOBER MARCH SPECIAL SUNDAY TO THURSDAY DISCOUNTS
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
Overlooking the river Loddon the Best Western Reading Moat House successfully combines ... more
the individual elegance of a modern hotel with the charm of a once productive 19th century mill house With 100 newly refurbished rooms and 29 brand new executive air conditioned bedrooms the stylish Sindlesham Mill Restaurant and the quaint character of Poachers Pub this hotel is the perfect location to explore Royal Berkshire or simply relax Ideally located just off the M4 set in peaceful landscaped groundsAll bedrooms have been recently refurbished in 2007 now offering air conditioning The hotel also boasts a variety of food and drink options including the 19th century inn and Poachers Pub The Best western Reading Moat House welcomes both corporate and leisure customers to this charming and unique hotelAll areas of the hotel are WI FI enabled to suit todays modern technologyFrom 1st July 2007 smoking in public places is banned in England; however a limited number of designated smoking bedrooms will be available for your convenienceHotel situated just 11 miles from Ascot Racecourse and 26 miles from Farnborough Airport
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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Advantages: Excellent service, good food, loads of parking, Wi-Fi access throughout!, talking lift, good leisure facilities Disadvantages: Rooms are hot, towels are for midgets, shower was rubbish, feather pillow
...Wales. A taxi from Cardiff Central will set you back £9 and from the airport, around £25.
There is ample parking on-site, and the hotel is what I would consider accessibility friendly up to a point. How do I know this? Because, there were ramps and lifts throughout, and one of my colleagues was blind. We told the hotel early on and he was kindly placed in a room close to the lift. A noisy talking lift I might add that told you everything ... ...I need to stay in Cardiff are few and far between, but on service and food I would give them a second shot. However, hot rooms take their toll on my eczema, so my message to them would be, do something about the heat in your outlet, and sort out your wireless access to 100% coverage and I will think about it.
TO FIND OUT MORE:
Cardiff Moat House
Circle Way East
Llanedeyrn
Cardiff
CF23 9XF more
Must have looked pretty silly.......................
Eek, I am doing it again, writing about hotels just down the road from home, although there was a good reason for it. Organising a major two-day conference at the University of Glamorgan, we needed somewhere for delegates and presenters to stay overnight.
Unlike previous years, the University couldn’t accommodate us as they had a summer school with 800 guests imminent, and none of the ‘local’ hotels had enough rooms to meet our needs, that is, 40 in total.
Booking was direct with the hotel to secure preferential rates, although, as with most chains, rooms are bookable on-line at www.moathouse.com or through websites such as laterooms and activehotels to secure single discounted rates.
We did have a few hairy moments early on with room reservation as numbers kept changing, but the hotel came through for us in the end.
LOCATION & ACCESSIBILITY Not central, but easily accessed from Junctions 29 or 32 of the M4 on the A48(M) a stones throw away from the University Hospital of Wales. A taxi from Cardiff Central will set you back £9 and from the airport, around £25.
There is ample parking on-site, and the hotel is what I would consider accessibility friendly up to a point. How do I know this? Because, there were ramps and lifts throughout, and one of my colleagues was blind. We told the hotel early on and he was kindly placed in a room close to the lift. A noisy talking lift I might add that told you everything bar your dress size, ‘shouting’ loudly when the doors were opening and closing and providing the floor number. All door numbers were reproduced in Braille as was all hotel signage.
I do have some doubt of the benefit of the latter, as those capable of reading Braille, of which there are very few, wouldn’t be able to find the signs to start with.
CHECK-IN This was exceptionally prompt, and I was impressed to note that everything was prepared for our parties’ arrival. There were no complicated check-in procedures or rummaging around for room availability and allocation accuracy. Each guest was issued with an envelope containing their room key (swipe card of course) and a credit card swipe was only needed for those wanting to charge extras to their room.
RECEPTION A medium sized affair sporting a large seating area and bar, leading into a restaurant and various function suites. It also has the long-awaited Wi Fi access through Eurospot, a company I believe who are monopolising public Wireless access in hotels, restaurants and airports. Plugs are provided for guests to charge up their laptops, and it is very much an area designed for the business traveller, although just as relaxing for a spot of midevening socialising. There is a pool table and some games machines and a one-armed bandit.
Internet access can be bought direct from Euro-Spot, £3 for half an hour, or through cards bought at reception, £2 for 15 minutes, or £5 for 2 hours. Access is almost instantaneous, providing your machine is set up to work with Euro-Spot, and if you don’t know how to do this, leaflets are provided throughout the hotel to tell you how.
I was assured by the hotel manager that 99.1% of the hotel is covered by the Wi Fi access, and not just reception, we shall see.
THE ROOM I was assigned a Lady Executive room on the third floor, as far away from hotel reception as anyone could possibly imagine. The room was spacious and sported a double bed, small workbench, a blanket chest, wardrobe, (all in a nondescript MFI light oak), portable colour TV, wardrobe space, a small table and 2 chairs, and was, as you would expect en-suite. The bathroom had a toilet, sink, bath and shower over. Here lay problem one, the shower had a fixed position and was unmovable, the type of spray couldn’t be changed and the direction of the head was static and not very effective. Soap in the form of Lux dispensers was provided over the bath and alongside the sink. The towels were definitely for midgets, although to be honest, I was so busy over the two days that I didn’t get much time for luxurious relaxing baths, it was definitely ‘bath and go’. A hairdryer was provided, but the damn thing was thermostatically controlled and kept stopping every few minutes because it got too hot.
The room provided an Ethernet and modem port, but the ether didn’t work, and my cable got stuck. I think the young gentleman who finally disentangled it was a little confused as he thought the port was used for dial-up access.
It was at this point I decided to test the 99.1% Wi Fi covered, and discovered that my room fell into that 0.9%, as I could not detect a network for love nor money. However, on returning to my room after an entertaining evening in the bar, I did discover that I could just about pick up the wireless signal if I positioned the laptop up against the window. It was a weak signal, but enough for me to collect my e-mails.
A WORD OF WARNING: the bedding was a quilt, and the pillows a mixture of synthetic fibre and feather, with the emphasis on the feather. Reception couldn’t change my pillows on the first night because the hotel was full, thus I slept with my head on a rolled up quilt. My colleagues in a twin room had sheets and blankets and a mixture of pillows, so little consistency here.
I should also say that the windows had limited opening capacity and the rooms were HOT, probably the hottest I have stayed in, public areas were not much better.
THE LEISURE FACILITIES As I was host and mistress of all for the two days, I didn’t get much chance to sample the leisure facilities. There is a swimming pool, sauna, and gym at the hotel, which were invaded by 50 American kids each time I walked past, so probably quite good that I didn’t have time.
FOOD Our first night included Dinner, Bed and Breakfast for £70 which was reasonable considering a single course in the restaurant was £11.95 rising to £16.95 for the full Monty (laterooms are quoting the rack-rate as £140 a night).
Dinner was buffet style and offered a superb salad bar with fish, cold meats, various salad stuffs and egg mayonnaise. Main course was pork chops, beef, chicken, veg, potatoes, veggie pasta, followed by various sweets washed down by coffee. It was all serve yourself eat as much as you like and even at £16.95 represented value for money, although the potatoes could have been a little softer.
On the second night, dinner was Table de Hote and selected from a choice of about 12 menus. Starter was tomato and basil soup (which I am assured was tasty) or melon (the hotel confirmed the soup contained MSG and kindly gave me egg mayonnaise instead. Main course was chicken in pink peppercorn sauce, with veg and potatoes, again I had to skip the sauce and my chicken did look a little worse for wear because of it. The veggie choice was a vegetable risotto with veg and potatoes and, I am assured, very nice. Desert was fruit salad or hot chocolate fudge cake served with cream, house wine (red and white) was £12.95 a bottle.
BREAKFAST Definitely one of the best I have had in a long-time, although this may have had something to do with the fact that I was there at 7am when the restaurant opened. On offer were the usual fruit juices, an amazing array of fresh fruits, cereals, and hot options including scrambled and fried egg, hash browns, fried bread, beans, bacon, sausage and toast. Tea and coffee were provided fresh to the table. Group tables were organised for us, and staff were marvellous in helping my colleague in getting food for him.
SERVICE Whether it was because I was the organiser I don’t know, but the staff were helpfulness personified, and have to win the gold star for being the most helpful, friendly and patient hotel staff EVER. I wanted an iron, one was brought to my room within minutes, despite being the furthest room away from reception. When I complained about my cable getting stuck in the socket at reception, someone was there BEFORE I got back to my room, my quilt pillow was with me within 5 minutes, my early morning call was on time. Newspapers are not delivered to the rooms because they disappear; reception even reminded me to take mine. They couldn’t do enough for me, whether this was because we had 40 guests staying over one night, and 12 the other I do not know, but it made a welcome change.
DRINKS I can’t vouch for the Gin and Tonic as there was no time, but lager was £1.30 a half, and red wine, £3 for a small and £4.30 for a large. Being host I managed to run up a £40 bar bill, but what I got for my money is anyone’s guess. A large bottle of mineral water was £3.00 and the pool table a £1 a game, a little on the pricey side.
SUMMARY The hotel has a large capacity for meeting space, and the wireless internet access would make it appealing for many businesses. They are obviously used to dealing with large groups and this came across loud and clear throughout the stay. QMH are struggling financially, as the recent press and sale of a few their outlets shows, yet they are still working to improve their outlets, this is promising, as most companies do exactly the opposite in difficult times.
Occasions when I need to stay in Cardiff are few and far between, but on service and food I would give them a second shot. However, hot rooms take their toll on my eczema, so my message to them would be, do something about the heat in your outlet, and sort out your wireless access to 100% coverage and I will think about it.
TO FIND OUT MORE: Cardiff Moat House Circle Way East Llanedeyrn Cardiff CF23 9XF Tel: 029 2058 9988 or visit:
