Hotel Angelis, Prague, Czech Republic

Hotel Angelis is conveniently located in area 5 of Prague, which is the area west of the city centre and south of Prague Castle. It is 200 metres away from the subway station Andel, which is Line B, and provides a cheap connection into the city centre and in the other direction, to the bus station for the airport.

The rooms are clean and just like the rest of the hotel have a grandeur about them. One thing to note is that if you're on the street side you may hear sounds coming from the building opposite. This is the Staropramen brewery as we discovered, and it is operational until midnight. We weren't disturbed too much by this but if you expect to have the windows open prepare to hear some pressure being let off every now and again.

The people working on reception were very friendly and spoke good English. If you're out at night they will need to open for you and they lock it behind you. There's no secure place that they store bags during the day for you, they just hold them by reception, which isn't the most reassuring.

The breakfast may be a little hit and miss with some people. The pastries are more of a local than an international variety, so this is a bit limited. There are the usual cornflakes and fruit juices, as well as fresh fruit. The hot meal is a little sparse with just hot eggs and meats.

Angelis is a good quality hotel for the money and I would happily stay there again.

Links:Hotel Angelis website

Phone number:

+420 257 190 966

Address:

Pivovarská 597/5, 150 00 Praha-Smíchov, Czech Republic ‎

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Hotel Seiler, Rome, Italy

Hotel Seiler (Via Firenze, 48 - 00185 - Tel 06 485550) is a 2 star hotel one Metro stop or a short walk away from the main Termini station in Rome.

Situated in an elegant building in the centre of Rome, the entrance way has that impressive Roman architecture feel to it. For the price you pay you already feel like it is good value.The hotel shares the premises with another hotel, so be sure you go to the correct reception, which is up the flight of stairs on the left-hand side. Here you'll find a small reservation desk and a free wi-fi access point. Breakfast is in a small room downstairs, with bread served and a table offering a limited range of other food, including cereals and cake.

There is a small lift that will take you up to the bedrooms. Our room had two sets of twins beds in it, so it was slightly larger than we were expecting. Our adaptors did not fit the plugs except for in the bathroom, so we had to charge our devices in there. The TV wasn't plugged in, so we couldn't watch that. The bathroom smelt a little and the shower curtain had a small amount of mould on it. Despite the central location it was quiet and you could get a good night's sleep. All in all, not perfect, but tolerable.

Getting around from the hotel was easy. The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon don't feel far away at all. To get to the Vatican though you probably want to take the subway. It's  easy to get to down to the Colosseum and Roman Forum by following a couple of streets, although you could take the subway just as easily. The area around the Hotel Seiler has a number of restaurants and bars nearby, there's even a McDonalds at the end of the road if that takes your fancy.  

For the location and price, this was a good value hotel with friendly, helpful staff. So despite it's downpoints, I'd stay here again for a long weekend.

Website

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Reykjavik Excursions - Blue Lagoon Tour, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular destinations in Iceland. Known for its blue waters, silica mud, and alleged health benefits, it attracts many of the tourists to it.

We took the the Blue Lagoon Tour with Reykjavik Excursions to enjoy this trip. The coach leaves the BSI bus terminal frequently during the day and returns often too, through to late into the evening. It takes about 50 minutes to reach the Blue Lagoon from the bus terminal. The coach we were in was reasonably busy and can probably take about 80 people. Free wi-fi is available on the coach to pass the time, although the drive to the Blue Lagoon is interesting to see the landscape around Reykjavik.

The Blue Lagoon Tour is not so much a tour though as a drop off and pick up service. We were dropped at the facilities which feel like they are in the middle of nowhere. From there you go into the building and they give you a wristkey that you can swipe to lock your items in a locker. You'll need to bring your own towel or rent one there. Keep in mind that it is cold outside when you're not in the lagoon, so a bathrobe may be recommended.

The lagoon itself is fairly large, so don't be worried if you see coaches full of people turning up, there'll be no limit on space. Inside the pool you won't be able to see down more than a foot into the blue milky water because of the amount of silica in it. The waters are pleasantly warm, not too hot, and we were told they were fine even for those who are pregnant. Underfoot in the lagoon the floor is covered with crushed volcanic looking rock, which you'll only be able to see if you scoop some up. Take caution that the further you go in the larger those rocks become, and if you are stepping too fast without being careful they could hurt your feet.

There is a poolside bar where you can use your wristkey to run up a drinks tab. They have smoothies, beer and ice drinks amongst others, so you'll be able to keep hydrated in the pool. The drinks aren't cheap but they're not too expensive, so if you're on a budget you may only want one or two. You're not allowed to take free water into the pool area though, which is annoying. Inside there are eating areas that sell snacks.

Around the outside of the lagoon you'll find boxes with silica mud in. The story goes that this is good for your skin, so you'll see lots of people wearing it as face packs. It's pleasant and fun to apply, although washing it off it can be a little tough, especially if it gets in your hair.

The price for the day is expensive at Kr9800 each, so you won't want to go often or spend little time when you're there to get the value from it. You can easily spend a good few hours lazing in the lagoon. Reykjavik  Excursions do also offer a drop off to the airport service, if you're on your way out of Iceland. If you're returning to Reykjavik and your hotel, they offload you at the BSI bus terminal where small vans run by Reykjavik Excursions will collect you and take you to where you want to go.

Note that if you buy a voucher online be sure to exchange this at the BSI bus terminal for the ticket that gives you entry and exit to the coach and lagoon.

Website

Iceland Horizon - The Golden Circle Excursion, Reykjavik, Iceland

The Golden Circle Excursion is one of the most popular trips you can do in Iceland. As a result there are a number of tour operators that offer this trip. After some careful analysis of value and what was on offer we went with Iceland Horizon. We were not at all disappointed. In fact, it's been one of the best trips that we've been on.

The day starts with a pick-up from your hotel in Reykjavik about 8.30-9am. Our tour guide was called David, a friendly English guy who's lived in Iceland for many years. He uses a large van which seats about a dozen or so people. Immediately, he'll have you setting out from the city centre while you see tour buses still filling up with the dozens of people they'll be carrying round all day. The nimbleness and personal nature of David's trip is something to be admired in comparison.

David gives a great commentary of the history of Iceland, it's present situation, it's economy, and it's many many interesting geographical features. It'll teach you much of what you need to know to get the best out of your trip.

During the day, David took us to the see spouting geysers (a little smelly with the sulphur but not too bad), the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall (which is immense), the Thingvellir National Park (the home of the old Viking parliament and where you can see the beautiful evidence of the two tectonic plates beneath Iceland that are pulling away from each other), the smaller Faxafoss waterfall, and a host of other geological and natural points of interest.

The trip cost Kr8,000 per person and lasted until 5pm, so you feel like you get your money's worth. Be warned that Iceland does have a limited window for this excursion, so it's best to check with David if he's available to run it. June - August are seemingly the best months, as during other times it snows heavily and can become treacherous on the roads.

Website

Thor Guesthouse, Reykjavik, Iceland

Thor Guesthouse (Skolavordustig 16, Reykjavik) is advertised as 'a great little guesthouse in Reykjavik' and it certainly is. The guesthouse is located conveniently near the central area of Reykjavik, within easy walking distance of the downtown area, the harbour, many attractions as well as the famous Hallgrímskirkja church.

The facilities are adequate without it being a hotel. There is free wi-fi throughout the single floor guesthouse. Bedding is provided, although when stayed it was the summer and what was provided was sufficient, although in the winter that may be different. There are communal toilets and showers, and we never found it a problem with them being booked up. There's a kitchen/communal area where there's a coffee machine, microwave and hob. Sadly there was no oven, which limited what we could cook. Also there was no laundry facilities available to guests.

The view from our room was pretty good, we could see over the buildings next to us and out to the sea. There are a few supermarkets nearby, so buying groceries etc was pretty straightforward.

Our double room cost about Kr13000 per night for the two of us. Now, that's not cheap, but when you consider the other prices you'd have to pay for a hotel, or for less well placed accommodation, that wasn't too bad value.

Getting to Thor Guesthose is pretty easy . If you take the FLY-BUS to Reykjavik bus terminal BSI it's a short walk to the guesthouse (recommended only if you are travelling with light baggage/rollers). Otherwise you may want to consider take a taxi, which you can pick up from the bus terminal. Note that the entrance to the guesthouse is from Odinsgata (not Skolavordustig). Once inside, you'll need to take the elevator to the 4th floor and walk up one flight of stairs.

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