TOP Hotel Astoria, Genoa

Advantages: 5 Star hotel in central location
Disadvantages: Some areas could be improved upon

...I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in January 2004, which was my first (and only so far) trip to New York, and at the time only my second trip to the USA. Given that I didn't feel I'd be regularly jetting off to New York, I'd decided to check us into the hotel I'd always heard about and hence had always wanted to stay at. We arrived late evening by taxi which dropped us off at the main entrance to the hotel on Park Avenue. The lobby area is large, with the reception being located right at the back, meaning you have to walk through the lobby and past the main lifts to get to check in to your room. It's not a problem as such, but you are left following your nose and common sense, which, when your body is telling you it's 2am, you're not really up to doing. We booked the hotel stay through BA Holidays rather than directly... Read review

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Advantages: Friendly Staff, Great location
Disadvantages: Doesn't have all the mod cons

...The Hotel Astoria is situated in Coimbra, one of the four major cities of Portugal. The other three are Lisbon, Oporto and Braga, and the Portuguese (bless them!) have a little ditty to describe all four. They say, in between mouthfuls of roast suckling pig, that 'Braga prays, Oporto works, Coimbra studies and Lisbon plays'. From that you can probably guess that Coimbra is the principal university town, their version of Oxbridge. It is, in my opinion the best-looking and friendliest major city in Portugal. The bulk of the city and the campus areas are on and around a dome like hill and is the usual Portuguese mix of white marble and redbrick squalor. The residential and commercial centre however is on the banks of a wide meandering river, the River Mondego. It is here that you will find the Hotel Astoria, overlooking the river and close... Read review

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Advantages: Good Value short break
Disadvantages: Had to come home too soon!!

..."next door noise" could be heard through the walls.I spoke to the two guys over the terrace railing next morning about this,and it turned out they were from a couple of miles up the road from where we live! I found the food fine,and ate far,far too much!Right;we wouldn't choose this resort or hotel for a future holiday-not as first choices,anyway.One,because we've now been there,done that;as the T-shirt is rumoured to proclaim;and Two;we prefer the Hotel "Planamar"(Another "H-Top") along the coast in Malgrat'. The calibre of people who wrote the damning reviews I read must socially be far higher than mine. ....but,most of these were dated '05/'06.Perhaps they were taken note of. Thanks for reading this;apologies for its bulk. Mike,Manchester PS,for holidays on the 'Brava,we'll always compare prices/spec. with a local operator... Read review

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