Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Hotel & UK Wrap Up

For fun we rated our hotels after each stay on a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the best. We had some argument on the scale with some wanting a 1-10 scale and some wanting a grading system. In the end we kept this one and added some likes and dislikes. I averaged out our scores to get a totel. I also went last and gave some extra comments when necessary (in italics)

Ashling Hotel - Dublin, Ireland - 1 night


Beds - We had two double beds and three twins
Average Score: 4
We agreed the score might have been skewed as we were all just exhausted from being up over twenty-four hours. 

Rooms - Two rooms; one with a double and single bed and the other a suite with one room with the a double and the other with two twin beds.
Average Score: 3.8
Lowest rating: Darcy with a 3

Breakfast - Breakfast was always included with our room whether at a B&B or a hotel
Average Score: 3.6

Staff - 
Average Score: 3.5
Highest rating: Tom with a 5
No rating: Cara who felt she had no dealings with any staff

View from bedroom window - Overlooked Dublin
Average Score: 3
No rating: Tom and Darcy who never bothered to look out the window

Likes
Darcy - n/a 
Maddy - n/a
Tom - It was easy to check in
Mary Anne - The location
Cara - I got a great nights sleep

Dislikes
Darcy - n/a - I really was too tired to notice anything
Maddy - The weird lemon smell in the hallway
Tom - The magnetic fire door between the lift and rooms, the smell in the hallway
Mary Anne - The tight car garage
Cara - Having to have the room key to turn on the lights, the car garage
Although in hindsight (as we discovered much later) having a car garage was a treat that we should have appreciated.



The Killarney House - Blarney, Ireland - 1 night



Beds - We had two King beds and one double
Average Score: 3.4
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
Lowest rating: Madison with a 2

Rooms - Two rooms, one with two King beds, a balcony, and one with a double bed 
Average Score: 4.8
The rooms received a 4.5 or 5 from us. It was quite the estate on a huge piece of land and was decorated in what I considered very old style English decor. Mary Anne's room was beautiful, and not just because it was purple. It was simple. Our room was a little overboard I thought with the red velvet-like heavy decor. But everything in the place was quite nice.


Hotels



Breakfast
Average Score: 4.2
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
Lowest rating: Madison with a 3.5
I liked this breakfast for the view of the grounds and the decorations as well as the fresh fruit. The peaches were amazing! The eggs were fresh and she kept the coffee coming. Not sure why Madison wasn't as satisfied as the rest of us.

Staff
Average Score: 4.2
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
Lowest rating: Maddy with a 3.5
Both ladies are consistent!

View from bedroom window - Overlooked the back property and woods
Average Score: 5


Likes
Darcy - The balcony, the dog, and the hammock
Maddy - The decor, the bedroom, and the grounds
Tom - The estate and the dog
Mary Anne - The decor, the dog, and the location
Cara - The view from my room off of the balcony

Dislikes
Darcy - Carrying the luggage up those stairs
Maddy - The bathroom window right on the balcony
Tom - Didn't dislike a thing
Mary Anne - Me neither
Cara - The pillow, the heavy drapes over the windows, and the bedroom decor

Rossarney House B&;B - Killarney, Ireland - 2 nights

Beds - Two doubles and two twins 
Average: 3.6
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
Lowest rating: Cara with a 2
The twin bed I had was too hard. The other beds were not as hard. By the second night I was use to it (and would find that a lot of my beds were hard). The one Tom had was way softer. He wouldn't change. 

Rooms - Two rooms; one with a double and two twins, one with a double 
Average Score: 4.32
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
The room and arrangement for the two twins and a double was tight with the four of us in there, but we only slept there. If we had extra time we went down to the lounge. Triona told us that in the beginning, and when she spoke people listened. 

Breakfast
Average Score: 4.1
Highest rating: Cara with a 5
We got to choose nightly from three menus and pancakes were one of them. Since the breakfasts up to this point had all been the same with eggs and bacon (not the bacon we are used to, but huge slabs of fatty ham) the pancakes were different. They were so delicious; thin and like Swedish pancakes. I had them both mornings and they came with a fruit bowl that even had grapes. Mary Anne got them the second morning and agreed with me.

Staff
Average Score: 5+
We loved Triona and her husband. If you couldn't tell. The woman was incredible!

View from bedroom window - Overlooked the front of the street
Average Score: 3.2
Lowest rating: Madison with a 1
The view really wasn't anything but the street that all the B&B's sat on. Across the street was a house that was being working on with lots of construction that started in the morning, but that was done by tea time. It is going to be a home for people with down syndrome. 

Likes
Darcy - Triona and her accent
Maddy - Felt very welcome, loved the lounge where I could drink tea
Tom - Staff, location, having someone tell us what to do and see, felt like home
Mary Anne - Conversations with Triona
Cara - William and Triona, the lounge, the tea set up in the dining room

Dislikes
Darcy - Small bathroom
Maddy - Liked it all
Tom - No dislikes
Mary Anne - Nothing
Cara - Small shower, conserving of water - made me nervous when I used water or flushed

Nellie Dees B&B Ireland - 1 night



Beds - Two doubles and one twin
Average Score: 3.4
Highest score: Cara with a 5
Lowest score: Mary Anne with a 2

Rooms - Two rooms; one with a double and one with a double and a twin 
Average Score: 3.8
Highest score: Cara with a 5
Mary Anne and the girls bunked together so their room was tighter. Our room was simply perfect from the decor and wooden floor to the bed with decent pillows. The bathroom was large and the shower was modern with tons of hot running water. Tom went out after dinner to walk around so by the time he took a shower he had no hot water after all the guests used it, but he had it in the morning.

Breakfast
Average Score: 3.6
The eggs were powdered and inedible and the bacon too fatty. The porridge, something new that we hadn't had, was delicious! Tom, Mary Anne, and I ordered that and Tom and I found it delightful. Mary Anne didn't care for it as she thought it too runny. After eating the porridge, however, I was full and eggs and bacon and all the other food these Europeans eat in the morning is crazy and way too much!


Staff
Average score: 2.5
The girls and Mary Anne wanted to break down the scoring between the husband and the wife because they were so vastly different, but Tom and I just scored them together as we have done with all of the staff because there were always people we liked and didn't like.
Darcy - I give female a 0 and the male a 3
Maddy - I give the man a 3.5 and his wife a 0
Mary Anne - Wife a 0, husband 3
A very odd experience with the hosts. Madison explains below.

View from bedroom window - Overlooked the back yard and front yard
Average score: 3
Only voter: Cara
How people didn't look out the window was always a mystery to me. 

Likes
Darcy - Nothing
Maddy - It was clean, the views were pretty
Tom - Pretty view from breakfast room
Mary Anne - Nice size rooms, good shower
Cara - Clean, great shower, beautiful wood floors and decor

Dislikes
Darcy - The lady seemed mean
Maddy - That poor man is being held hostage. He wants to run a B&B and she won't let him live his dream.
Tom - Small town
Mary Anne - The woman
Cara - Yes, the female host ruined this one. She acted like a disgruntled employee. I get the whole having a bad day, but when running a place like this you have to suck it up and pretend. She seemed very uninterested in the whole process.

Woodside B&B - Mullingar, Ireland - 1 night



Beds - Two doubles and a twin
Average Score: 4.8

Rooms - Two rooms, one with a double and one with double and a twin
Average Score: 4.4


Breakfast - Didn't eat as we had to leave for airport
Darcy - Best yogurt on the whole trip
Maddy - I didn't eat, but want to give her a 5 for getting up and offering to cook
Tom - Both she and her husband got up. 
Mary Anne - 5 I had a banana and coffee
Cara - It was sweet of them. Very nice couple. 

Staff
Average Score: 5

View from bedroom window - Overlooked front and back yards 
Average score: 4.5
Not rating: Darcy and Madison who didn't look outside their window

Likes
Darcy - The yogurt
Maddy - The lady
Tom - The staff
Mary Anne - She was a very Irish woman
Cara - Beautiful estate and home, good bathroom

Dislikes
Darcy - Nothing
Maddy - No
Tom - No
Mary Anne - Nothing
Cara - Me too. Nothing. 

Carmelite Hotel - Aberdeen, Scotland - 2 nights

Beds - Two doubles and one twin
Average Score: 2.6
Lowest Score: Cara with a 1
My bed had a dip in the middle of the mattress (and mattress is an iffy word to use for it) so when I was lying in it it was like I was tilted. Worst bed of the trip. Tom's was not like that. 


Rooms - Three rooms, one specialized room with double, one with 2 twins, one twin 
Average Score: 4.2
Highest rating: Darcy with a 5
The room set up here was odd. Tom and I were clear across the hotel from the other two rooms. Madison and Darcy were given a room called the dressing room which was huge with a sofa and a game table and a desk. They had another room for dressing with a powder table. Their bathroom was quite large and they had a huge closet. Tom and I were above and across from a bar so it was a party until 2:00 am. although they did provide ear plugs.



Breakfast
Average Score: 3.7
Lowest rating: Cara with a 3.5
I think by this time we were just tired of the same thing. This place did have a better selection of pastries that were fresher and we had cute little jars of jelly on our table. Mary Anne decided she needed these for her house so a few might have made it home with her.

Staff
Average Score: 2.8
Lowest rating: Cara with a 2
First of all the place was odd in that guests entered through the dining room which was always busy. The reception lady seemed more interested in the dining room than the hotel. The serving staff in the evening when we had guests and wanted desserts and drinks were terrible. We only saw her once and then we had to track her down. Mary Anne and Tom had to go look for her when it came time to sign the bill too. In the morning they were never sure if our breakfast was included and they had to check before we could continue.

View from bedroom window - Overlooked front of building 
Average Score: 3.25
We were all over the place with this one with Darcy not scoring because she didn't look out the window. I give it the highest rating with a 4 because I thought the building across from us was interesting architecturally.  

Likes
Darcy - The room. it was big and comfy
Maddy - The design, the Jenga games everywhere
Tom - Lots of gadgets for an old hotel, modern decor
Mary Anne - Location
Cara - The separate toilet and shower rooms

Dislikes
Darcy - The bed. I could feel the springs. It was like a pullout sofa
Maddy - Bed with its springs. I didn't sleep well. 
Tom - The parking issues and its access to the hotel
Mary Anne - The parking situation and having to wait forever for the car.
Cara - The lousy wifi, the Saturday night loudness, the stairs, and the waitresses

Best Western Palace - Inverness, Scotland - 3 nights
Beds - Two kings and a twin
Average Score: 4.3
Lowest rating: Cara with a 3.5
Highest rating: Madison and Mary Anne with 5's

Rooms - Three rooms, two kings, one twin
Average Score: 4.2
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5
The girls had the middle room with three large windows and the best view and a great breeze. It was wasted on them. Mary Anne had a little balcony that was nice. 





Breakfast
Average Score: 2.75
No rating: Madison who never woke up in time to get breakfast

Staff
Average Score: 3.8
Lowest rating: Tom with a 3

View from bedroom window - Overlooked the Loch Ness and Inverness Castle
Average Score: 4.7
The view was incredible. I don't know what these people wanted. We had the Loch running directly outside our window

and the castle straight up from us on the hill. 



The city was to our left 

and two churches and beautiful architecture were on our right. 



The girls had all three views from their three windows. All the windows were floor to ceiling. Just lovely. I rated it a 5+ and Mary Anne gave it a 5. Jeez, the other three? I think they all need glasses.

Likes
Darcy - The chairs by the window and the wifi
Maddy - The bed and the wifi
Tom - Location and view
Mary Anne - The entertainment that first night when Cara and I sang with the Canadians and the mountains.
Cara - The location, the view, the wifi, the shower, the ice, the different entertainment in the evenings, and the working warming towel rack. 


Dislikes
Darcy - No bathtub. Oh, and the bees that flew in our windows. 
Maddy - They didn't replace our conditioner. 
Tom - No shower curtain and the whole bathroom arrangement. 
Mary Anne - I have nothing.  
Cara - The wait staff head honcho who acted like we were at the queen's castle. I didn't like how they pulled plates out from under us and started setting up for dinner while we were still eating breakfast. 


Bonham Hotel Edinburgh - Edinburgh, Scotland - 1 night


Beds - Three doubles
Average Score: 3

Rooms - Three rooms, three doubles
Average Score: 3

Breakfast
Average Score: 4
We liked this breakfast because it had new menu items. I had french toast.

Staff 
Average Score: 4
I scored high because the guy with the hairdryer was funny. (And nice after I set off the fire alarm).

View from bedroom window  
Average Score: 3

Likes
Darcy - The wifi, the beds.
Maddy - The fizzy water in the room.
Tom - The pillow was good. The room was nice.
Mary Anne - I liked it all.
Cara -  The bed and the covers. The view from the window. And we had a refrigerator. We couldn't eat the things out of it, but I could store my water bottle for cold water.


Dislikes
Darcy - The pillows
Maddy - The shower leaked.
Tom - We were missing a hairdryer. The bed.
Mary Anne - The location. I thought we would be farther into the center of the city. Oh, and the loud alarm that Cara set off.
Cara - The window treatment set up. The hair dryer issue. The layout was a bit odd too, but the hotel was once a hospital and then a dorm for girls so I suppose that can't be helped. I liked the purple in our room too.


Macdonald Old England Hotel &Spa - Windermere, England - 3 nights



Beds - Three doubles
Average Score: 3.4

Rooms - Three rooms, three doubles
Average Score: 3.6



Breakfast
Average Score: 4.2

Staff
Average Score: 4.24
Highest rating: Mary Anne with a 5 and Darcy with a 4.7

View from bedroom window - Overlooked the church bell tower and buildings next door
Average Score: 1.6

Likes
Darcy - I liked the lounge and the guys working in there. They were really funny, sweet, and cute. I liked the location too.
Maddy - It was friendly
Tom - I liked the view of the lake and easy access to town.
Mary Anne - I liked everything.
Cara - I liked that they had ice. I also enjoyed the big lounge with the great lake view. Oh, and I liked the slippers they gave us.



Dislikes
Darcy - The tiny bed, the small room, and the paper thin pillows
Maddy - The dress code
Tom - The parking and the dress code
Mary Anne - The location was too touristy
Cara - The small elevator



Cambridge, England - 2 nights

Beds - Two kings, double
Average Score: 3

Rooms - Three rooms, two kings, one double
Average Score: 2

Lowest Rating: Darcy with a 1



Breakfast
Average Score: 2.6
Worst Rating: Madison with a 1
The breakfast was the same old stuff, but the eggs were real and delicious and the toast was self serve so it was hot. That made me mark higher. The cold stuff was ick.


Staff
Average Score: 2.14
Worst Rating: Mary Anne with a 0.

View from bedroom window - The parking lot
Average Score: 1

Likes
Darcy - I liked the concept of the bathtub.
Maddy - The sheets on the bed
Tom - Nothing. The food service was unorganized. The bathroom was dirty. The location was terrible. The pool was closed. The hair dryer was crappy. Well, they had a good park. I'll give them that I guess.
Mary Anne - Not much
Cara -  My dinner was good. And they served real eggs for breakfast.


Dislikes
Darcy - The freezing cold room. The fake try-to-be-posh hotel. The tiny bed.
Maddy - The cold and then burning shower.
Tom - The broken shower head.
Mary Anne - The handicap room they put me in. The terrible handicap bathroom with its weird rails and the shower curtain issue. The service was not good either.
Cara - The location. The cold room. The small shower. The dirty room. And the crappy hair dryer.


Macdonald Windsor Holtel - Windsor, England - 2 nights


Beds - First night: Two kings, two twins (and a cot that was never used) Second night: Three kings
Average Score: 3

Rooms - Three rooms, (see above) 
Average Score: 3

We only had two rooms so we had to pay for the extra room. Then Tom and I had to move from our twin bed room to another room the second night. We really only slept there. I bet we were only in that hotel a total of 12 hours in two days.




Breakfast
Average Score: 2.7
We only ate breakfast there the first morning because we left too early the next morning. But the reservation lady offered to pack us boxes to take with us, but we didn't do that. The reservation guy on duty the morning had someone get us coffee to go.

Staff
Average Score: 3
We had the whole reservation issue (which later turned out to be the travel agency's fault). The staff was nice enough and did their best to work with us, but I was tired of hearing everyone say that we only had two of this and two of that. They really had our entire reservation screwed up from the beginning because first they couldn't find the reservation and then we only had two rooms. When we paid for the third room that room got put down with one of our other rooms, but the second room that we actually had via the reservation somehow never made it on any form. So when we went to breakfast they were all screwed up too. It was craziness for our last nights.

View from bedroom window - None of us looked out the window because of the mishap and lateness. I do know the windows did not open unless we called down to the desk and requested it and then someone had to come up and open them for us. We had a thermostat in our room. First time for that.

Average Score: N/A

Likes
Darcy - The bed was big and the room was nice.
Maddy - I liked the layout. I thought it was pretty and modern. I liked the coffee pot too, but I was afraid to use it because I thought they would charge me for using it.
Tom - We got a better room the second time around.
Mary Anne - I had a normal shower.
Cara - The rooms were awesome. I wish we had spent some time in them and in the city. The location was top notch. The parking was easy. It will certainly be a place I go back to when I go back to England.


Dislikes
Darcy - How long it took to get our rooms.
Maddy - All of the drama to get into our bed.
Tom - The reservation problem. The room that first night with the leaking shower. The running up and down to handle things. The moving from one room to another. 
Mary Anne - Having to get up early to go to the airport. The reservation mess.
Cara - The reservation mishap. The small amount of time spent in Windsor.


Wrapping it all up (I mean it this time)

What was the first thing you ate that you had craved? 

Darcy - Ranch Dressing. I ate Arby's chicken fingers with ranch dressing. I also had a fountain Dr. Pepper soda. And then I ate a BELT sandwich from Maggie Mae's.
Maddy - Firehouse Sub Sandwich
Tom - Scrambled eggs and bacon.
Grandma - I ate a good salad that I made. I chopped vegetables. I was so hungry and I couldn't get my fill. I ate plums, bananas, a rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, potato salad, corn, ice cream, fudge, and coffee. Then I ate some more fudge. I put on three pounds just in that day.
Cara - Cheetos. Oh, my gosh, they tasted so good. Then I ate my Firehouse sub.

Did you learn anything new about each other?

Darcy: -I learned Grandma likes her phone a lot. She likes jewelry. She doesn't like to take responsibility for her love of shopping and chocolate. And she knows a lot of people.
Maddy - I thought that I was going to learn so many new things about Grandma because I remember Mark and Teddy saying they learned so much when they traveled with her, but then I realized while we were traveling that I already knew Grandma. And that was kind of neat too. I learned too that Dad needs to work on his driving more. Oh, and that Grandma doesn't like to be told what to do...especially by Dad.
Tom - That my mom is a great walker. That the girls are very independent and can handle themselves in most situations that doesn't require supervision.
Grandma - I saw Tom as a father working and dealing with his children. Before I just saw him as my son. Now I see him as a father. I saw a difference between Maddy and Darcy. I saw how loving they are with each other. Maddy eats everything. Darcy is more picky, but she loves and eats lots of ice cream and hamburgers. Maddy is very cautious about spending where Darcy is like me. Spend it all!! I never had to argue with Tom before. Oh, and you people don't get up as early as I do.
Cara - I learned about Grandma as a young girl and that gave me incite as to the woman she is today. I learned that she is adventurous, strong willed, and ready for anything; except for the things she doesn't like or want to do. I learned that she likes to point her finger when she talks. I learned that I can relax and let my kids fly. They've got this grown up stuff down pretty well.

Which country was your absolute favorite?

Darcy - Scotland, but Ireland is one behind it.
Maddy - Ireland's scenery was so beautiful, but England meant more to me personally.
Tom - Scotland
Mary Anne - Scotland. Ireland was beautiful, but smaller. I'm not sure why I liked Scotland more actually, but I did.
Cara - Ireland

What did you find most interesting out of the trip?

Darcy -
Maddy - Staying the the bed and breakfast places.
Tom - That people can actually drive on the left side of the road. And that they use the metric system.
Mary Anne - Tom's handling of the car was the most interesting.
Cara - How relaxed everyone seemed to be that lived in Ireland and Scotland.

Different foods we tried: Boar, Haggis, White and Black pudding, Marmite, whisky, black currant spread, different berries, brown sauce, mushy peas, Irn Bru, varieties of candies, porridge, ginger spread, lemon curd, Haggis Crisps

English Words that were different from the US: Crisps (potato chips), Chips (french fries), Biscuits (cookies), Lift (elevator), Football (soccer), Fizzy (carbonated beverage), Still (water that wasn't carbonated)

Other English words we encountered and used: Whiffy (smelly), Arse (ass), Bloody (curse word), Bugger (different meanings), Wanker (idot, jerk), Nutter (crazy person), Car Park (parking lot), Brilliant (awesome, great), Cash Machine (ATM), Cuppa (tea), Feck (fuck), Jacket Potato (baked potato), Pasty (filled pastry in a bakery), Toastie (a heated sandwich)

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Cara, I have loved following your family on this adventure. Your mother in law, Mary Ann is really a trouper.

She is my latest HERO! What a lady.
Thanks for sharing,
Sue

cmkerwin said...

Thanks for reading Sue! Glad you enjoyed our adventure!