Hilton Royal Parc Soestduinen, Soestduinen

Advantages: comfortable, beach location, better value than newer 5 star hotels, good customer service.
Disadvantages: overshadowed by construction of taller buildings behind the Hilton - pool area is partly shaded

..., the only problem with the room, was its location; it was too near to the entrance to the Spa. This meant that every 10 minutes or so you would hear someone (usually the staff) coming in/out to check the Spa is ok. There is health Club that offers mainly massages. I chose a 30-minute treatment called the Bali Touch, which is head massage using oil. You are suggested to leave the oil on and use the steam room afterwards. The end result after washing my hair it was luxuriously soft and silky. The cost was 100AED (~£15), which is not too bad for a 5 star hotel. Overall, would I recommend Hilton? Yes, if you've never been to Dubai you will absolutely love it. But personally, I feel the Hilton is a bit dated now and newer and better 5 star and 4 star hotels are available in Dubai, like Al Qsar, The Palace at One & Only Royal Mirage... Read review

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Advantages: Virtually right next-door to Paddington Station. Clean. Classy.
Disadvantages: Too bombastic, too expensive... The connection to Paris Hilton.

...on. I enjoyed reading through the hardback book provided, 'Meet you at Paddington: The story of the first palatial terminus hotel' by Andreas Augustin. I felt its inclusion on the very shiny desk was a nice touch. Did you know that the hotel is one of the oldest in the world? Opened in June 1854 (five months after the train station), it was formerly the Great Western Royal Hotel, but became a Hilton acquisition in 1998 when a whopping £60m was spent on it "to meet the need of modern business travellers". Another nice touch was the ice machine adjacent to the lifts. I wonder if they charge for ice... However, the bed was the best part for me. The sheets were soft and clean. It was extremely comfortable and I slept very well indeed. I only wish I'd had more time to lounge around in it, watching TV and relaxing. Maybe even... Read review

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Advantages: Great for families
Disadvantages: Not so great if you don't like kids

...Center Parcs - Longleat Taking a young family on holiday is a tricky business with a completely different set of requirements than when going away as a couple. Not least among these is the amount of baby paraphernalia that you need to take. When our youngest was about ten months we took her to New England and managed to get everything into a couple of suitcases and carry on luggage plus a pushchair but now we have two the amount of extra baggage seems to have more than just doubled and unless the destination is particularly child friendly the need for travel cots, gates etc makes the holiday load a bit much for airline travel. For this reason recent holidays have been UK based. The last couple of years have been spent in Cornwall at a friend's apartment but we thought that this year we would have a change. Having heard favourable... Read review

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