Hilton, Dundee

...which were evident at this Hilton, which made me feel spoiled and appreciated as a guest. Great leisure facilities which would be good for families. A bit disappointed by the breakfast but maybe I'm being a little too demanding, so more a 4.5 stars rather than 5. All in all a very convenient location for a trip to Dundee, or as a base for a tour in this beautiful part of Scotland.  ... more

Background:

I like to be spoilt. Well, doesn't everyone? There are times when I just want to glide through life enjoying what I am doing and have other people deal with all the "chores" so I can concentrate on much more interesting and rewarding things! Sometimes it can be little things which make a big difference in how you feel you've been treated and this was certainly to be the case in this particular hotel stay.

Booking:

I'd been dithering slightly on whether to make this trip to Glasgow and Dundee and a dismal week finally persuaded me that it was time I spoilt myself again and so I found myself clicking on the Quidco site and then through to the Hilton website to book my room. As normal using this combination REALLY does pay off as 6% cashback per stay adds up pretty quickly and it is certainly an added bonus. The Hilton website at http://hhonors1.hilton.com was easy to navigate as usual and I was also pleased to see that there is a promotion on at present for HHonors members providing double miles and points. Great if like me you are collecting airline miles for Virgin Atlantic or any of the other 39 airlines they link up with.

I was only staying for one Friday night and so was quite pleased to ge a rate of £83 for a twin room with breakfast. Unfortunately they didn't have any king-size bedrooms available, but I had left the booking late so I couldn't really complain. No problems with the online booking procedure, the confirmation email/print-out was in my hands in a few seconds. All very painless. Here's the website link to the hotel: http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/DNDDUHN-Hilton-Dundee-hotel/index.do? brand_id=HH&brand_directory=/en/hhonors/&xch=159990302,SBR5OPOQ0NFW2CSGBJC3 MQQ

Hotel Location:

This was my first visit to Dundee for quite a few years and I was very pleasantly surprised at how conveniently located the hotel was for my requirements on this trip. The online map was clear to follow and having arrived at Dundee rail station, it was just a matter of crossing the main road and aiming towards the imposing sight of the restored sailing ship "RSS Discovery." The Hilton is just another couple of hundred metres further up the shoreline and impossible to miss.

Architecturally it is certainly no big shakes, being best described as a traditional concrete creation, but to me it looked welcoming and quite frankly the fact I could walk there from the station without the cost of a taxi far outweighed any aesthetic concerns! There's a large open air car-park in front of the hotel, so I'd definitely say it is convenient if you are a driver and maybe doing a car tour around Scotland. Parking costs £3 for 24 hours.

It is incredibly easy to get into the centre of Dundee on foot from the hotel as one simply walks over the main road via footbridge which is partly covered (good if it is a traditionally wet Scottish day!) This takes you directly into the central area of the city, virtually right next to the Caird Hall (the concert venue which was my destination for the trip) and the main pedestrian precinct for shops, tourist information and public transport connections. It took me about 10 minutes to walk from hotel reception to centre of Dundee.

I should also add that the hotel is only 10 minutes by car from Dundee Airport and perfectly situated for Carnoustie and St Andrews if you are a golfing fan. In fact, they were promoting a golfing package very heavily at the hotel where you got 3 nights accommodation including 4 rounds of golf (one at Carnoustie) for £399 per person. I notice that pets are also allowed in the hotel.

Reception/Check-In:

First impressions of the foyer and reception area were very positive. There was lots of information available about Dundee and the surrounding areas, plus plenty of relaxing seating and greenery to produce a welcoming atmosphere.

There was no queue to check in when I arrived and the whole process was dealt with very quickly and efficiently as usual for the Hilton by the helpful, cheery and friendly receptionist, who was also happy to provide me with a map and explain the walkway route mentioned above to get me into the city centre. It was good to see several staff at the reception area to deal with enquiries - nothing worse than having just one person to cope with everything.

Room:

My room was on the 3rd floor and situated very near to the lifts (but I didn't hear the lifts during my stay - good sign that the rooms are well sound-proofed. The card key worked and I walked into a very light and airy room of about 14m squared. Two single beds (which couldn't be moved, in case you are wondering.) I could see a great view over to the centre of Dundee and the big window let in plenty of natural light. The antiqued style pine furniture reinforced this light feel to the room. There was plenty of work space, 2 very comfy armchairs, a coffee table, full length mirror, chest of drawers, wardrobe, ironing board, iron, trouser press, hairdryer (right by the full length mirror - wooo hooo!) Plenty of lighting, controllable from bed too.

There were tea/coffee making facilities including herbal tea and 2 shortbread biccies, and I also recieved 2 complimentary bottles of mineral water - still and sparkling. The fairly large screen tv came with usual free channels including CNN, Sky News and Sky Sport as well as a pay to use Play Station - great for kids and the pay-to-view stuff which I didn't use, though I noticed that Beowulf was one of their featured ppv movies. Wi-fi and dial-up broadband is available at a charge in most roomsand public areas of the hotel, but I didn't use this.

The light pine furniture was accented by maroon upholstery and bed covers, with combo of beige carpets etc. Very nice appearing room.
Exploring the bathroom, one found the usual big bath tub, power shower (very nice) marble appearance tiling etc and plenty of soft towels including the nice big bath-sheets which I really like about the Hilton. Usual extras included bath/shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, soap and shower cap from La Source at Crabtree and Evelyn. There was also a notice saying if you'd forgotten stuff like razors, comb, sanitary protection etc the housekeeping dept would be happy to provide.

Everything was spotlessly clean! The single bed was very comfortable, I really do prefer a double or king-sized but when the mattress is firm but with enough "give" to let you sink in a little and I have the nice firm Hilton pillow - well I always sleep well!

Service:

I was chilling in my room and at around 5pm the phone went. It was one of the duty managers ringing to check that everything was OK with the room and did I need anything or have any questions. This was SUCH a classy touch. I suspect that it was due to the fact that I am now a "Silver VIP" in the HHonors scheme. I asked the manager if it was possible to have another tube of bath/shower gel for my shower in the morning, and she turned up 2 minutes later at my door with that AND extra shampoo and conditioner and was happy to have been able to help. Now this is the kind of service that makes a guest feel really appreciated.

Hungry!:

After a great concert at the Caird Hall, and feeling a bit sad as I'd just hugged my best friend goodbye for another few months, I wandered back to the hotel reception and made my way to the bar/restaurant area. It was really buzzing for a Friday night and is obviously a popular location. I ordered a Hilton burger with cheese and strawberry cheesecake Haagen Daazs icecream and the cheery staff were helpful and friendly. Food was excellent, well presented and staff were happy for me to carry it back to my room so avoiding £3 plus service charge.

Breakfast:

Yum, my favourite meal of the day! Well..... location can't be faulted, in the restaurant with glass windows all the way around giving a stunning view of the River Tay and countryside beyond. Staff were clearing tables quickly and seemed efficient. The usual excellent choice of food and drink was to be had - yoghurt, porridge, fresh fruit, cereals, rolls, bread, make your own muesli etc etc, but for me there was a little disappointment in the hot foods. The sausages and bacon were not as hot as I've had in other Hiltons (they were under metal domes rather than the usual heating lights.) I couldn't find any fried eggs - which I really wanted - and the alternative of scrambled eggs tasted over-cooked and insipid. It needed some good seasoning and more egg yolks as it was more white than a lovely appetising deep yellow... The croissants were also rather small, which probably explains why I managed to munch my way through 4 of them! However, the great view out the window made up for a lot and at least there was no waiting for a table. Breakfast is also tl 11am on Sat and Sun - which is good.

Check-out:

All very painless, no problems with bill, done in literally about 30 seconds flat. Check out is also at 12 noon I asked if despite having checked out I could go and use the leisure facilities - no problem, so off I went...

Pool-sauna-steam room!:

The gym looks great by the way but I was heading for the Living Well Fitness club pool complex. Picked up a towel from the reception area and went to a spotless ladies changing room. I splurged on a lovely new Speedo swimsuit.... Big lockers to store stuff (including Johannes the violin...) then walked into the pool area. Everything was clean, with some recliners and seats at side to chill out on, a drinking fountain and a 10m long pool. I did the swim-cold shower-steam room-cold shower-sauna-cold shower-swim-steamroom-cold shower etc routine for about 3 hours and it was total bliss. I LOVE steam rooms and going in the sauna and this was a gorgeously hot and steamy one, great for the total chill-out experience. Free shampoo and body lotion was available afterwards in changing room as were hairdryers etc. By the time I had finished and changed and was on my way back to the station, I felt like I was walking on air!

Conclusions:

Very impressed with general level of service and some extra touches which were evident at this Hilton, which made me feel spoiled and appreciated as a guest. Great leisure facilities which would be good for families. A bit disappointed by the breakfast but maybe I'm being a little too demanding, so more a 4.5 stars rather than 5. All in all a very convenient location for a trip to Dundee, or as a base for a tour in this beautiful part of Scotland. 

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