Four Continents 2012

Hotels

Here are some notes on the hotels where we stayed. As we have some mobility problems, any dificulties with mobility are mentioned.
		Singapore: WANGZ Hotel, 231 Outram Road. https://www.citadines.com/en † A comfortable hotel a bit outside central Singapore. Lift to the rooms, but the only step-free access to the building was through the basement parking area. Plenty of inexpensive restaurants nearby. About a 5-minute walk to Outram Park MTR station, from where all parts of Singapore could be reached. Picture of room. As at May 2021, the hotel was called D'Hotel.
		Istanbul: Hotel Erboy, Ebusuud Caddesi. www.erboyhotel.com † A comfortable hotel in the heart of Sultanahmet and close a tram line, so very convenient for visiting the sights. Lifts to all levels. A good restaurant that served dinner on the roof and also at ground level. Good breakfast provided. More photos
		Cappadocia: Elkep Evi Cave Hotel, Ürgüp. www.elkepevi.com.tr † A hotel with rooms carved out of a hill. It was comfortable enough, although the sound of sand trickling off the ceiling was a bit disturbing at night. It was a bit of a hill up from reception to the rooms. The restaurant and some rooms were up stairs. Reasonable breakfast. More photos
		Selçuk: Kalehan Hotel, Ataturk Caddesi. www.kalehan.com † The photo shows the accommodation block that contained our room. It was up one flight of stairs, but staff willingly helped with luggage. Between this block and the reception/restaurant building, there was a pleasant leafy garden with a pool and bar. Good breakfast, but a rather limited menu for other meals. Picture of restaurant
		Toledo: Hacienda del Cardenel, Paseo del Recaredo 24. www.haciendadelcardenal.com * To get to reception from the entry, we had to go up two steep flights of stairs or use a slightly easier ramp up the courtyard walls. This was not mentioned on the hotel's web site. Fortunately, staff were willing to help with luggage. The room was comfortable and breakfast was good. There was an excellent restaurant at the lower level. More photos
		Segovia: Hotel Ayala Berganza, Calle Carretas 5. www.hosteriaayalaberganza.com/en † The hotel advertised having a lift, but there were steps from reception to the lift and from the lift to our room. The man on reception clearly had no intention of assisting with luggage. Sparse breakfast: two slices of toast, butter, jam and coffee. Orange juice extra. The room was comfortable enough, and the hotel was reasonably convenient for seeing Segovia. More photos
		Salamanca: NH Puerta de la Catedral, Plaza Juan XXIII 3. http://www.nh-hotels.com † A very comfortable hotel, right next to Salamanca Cathedral and with lift access to all rooms. Good breakfast. The web site said that it had a restaurant, but it was not open while we were there.
		Santiago de Compostela: Hotel Monumento, Campillo de Sanfranciso 3. www.sanfranciscohm.com † Another very comfortable hotel, converted from the convent attached to the massive Church of St Francis. A flight of stairs to our room, which could be avoided by a rather roundabout route involving two lifts. Breakfast not included in room price, and it was expensive so we ate at local cafes. Well placed for seeing Santiago.
		Madrid: Metrópolis apartment, Calle dei Caballero de Gracia 8. www.rentapartmagazine.com/en * A very comfortable apartment, right next to Gran Via metro station. Up a long flight of stairs, but the young rental agent helped with luggage. There were usually a few working girls on the street outside, waiting for custom, but they caused no problems. A comfortable and convenient base for seeing Madrid. More photos. As at May 2012, this apartment is not listed as available.
		Cadiz: Hotel Argantonio, Calle Argantonio 3. www.hotelargantonio.es † A friendly little hotel in a narrow street in the old town of Cadiz. A comfortable room and a good breakfast if a little heavy on carbohydrates. Very convenient for seeing the historic old town of Cadiz. Less suited if you want the beaches of the new town.
		Seville: Amadeus Hotel, Calle Farnesio 6. www.hotelamadeussevilla.com * A comfortable hotel, in a tiny pedestrian street in the heart of old Seville, but our room was very cramped. The public areas were full of musical instruments, and were charming. Lifts to all levels. There was a nice rooftop bar with jacuzzi and view over Seville. Good breakfast and very convenient for central Seville. More photos
		Malaga: Ibis Malaga Centro, Pasillo Guimbarda 5. www.ibis.com/gb/hotel-5585-ibis-malaga-centro-ciudad † Despite its block-like appearance, this was a comfortable hotel with a more spacious room than many of the other hotels we used. Lift to all floors and a good breakfast buffet. It was an easy walk to all parts of old Malaga, but perhaps not a good choice for those who want to visit the beaches.
		Fes: Riad Tafilalet, Fes Medina. www.riadtafilalet.com * A comfortable enough place to stay, with obliging staff. Our room was up a flight of steep stairs, but no problem having our luggage carried. There was a nice rooftop terrace with views over the medina. Good evening meals and breakfast, but we were warned that it would be unsafe to walk around the medina at night, so we felt a bit trapped. No credit cards. More photos
		Marrakesh: Riad Princesse du Désert, Marrakesh Medina. www.riad-princessedudesert.com/en * Possibly the most cramped room in the whole holiday. It's not obvious in the photo, but the left-hand post of the bed was about 10 cm away from the wall, so Lynn had to do acrobatics to get in and out of bed. Apart from that, it was comfortable and the staff were very helpful. The Marrakesh medina was declared to be safe, so we could walk around at night and have our meals out. As at May 2021, the hotel's web site was not operational.
		Casablanca: Hotel Le Doge, 9 Rue du Docteur Veyre. www.hotelledoge.com * Both taxi drivers and tour drivers had difficulty finding this hotel. It was comfortable and the reception staff were very helpful, but service in the restaurant was patchy for both breakfast and dinner. The wait staff did not quite seem to have mastered the French tradition. The hotel was not all that well placed for sightseeing, but taxis were so cheap that it hardly mattered. More photos
		Lisbon: 160 Rua do Arsenal. www.portugalrenting.com/lisbon-arsenal-1br.html † A comfortable and spacious apartment in central Lisbon. The entry was the red door in the photo, and our living room was on the floor above with the two windows over the shop at left. Trams ran past the door, and it was a 5-minute walk to a Metro station. Plenty of nearby restaurants, and a supermarket only a few minutes away. Just lovely. More photos
		Vancouver: Moda Hotel, 600 Seymour Street. www.modahotel.ca Quite comfortable, although obviously an old hotel that has been remodelled fairly recently. The room was cramped, with really nowhere to use a laptop. Conveniently placed for seeing Vancouver.

Go on to see some Odds and Ends.