Accommodation Reviews

Dormy Inn Urban View Heiwaodori, Hiroshima

This hotel has an excellent location – just a 10-minute walk from the Peace Park and the Peace Park Memorial Museum. It is also only a 10-minute walk to the main shopping street of Hiroshima. Just around the corner is a 7-11, and also nearby is Lawsons and Family Mart.

It is an older style hotel – quite different in décor to the Dormy Inn hotels we have stayed at in Tokyo and Matsumoto.

We receive a warm greeting and there is complimentary lemonade, tea and coffee in Reception area.

We have have Room 615 – a double room.

The room is not huge but has a double bed, long desk with TV on it, small refrigerator, kettle and a window that opens.

The bathroom is small with toilet and shower over the bath, toiletries supplied. The hand basin is in a separate area.

Facilities include an Onsen on Level 8, a guest sitting room with tables/chairs, and a dining room (Hatago) where breakfast is served between 6.30am and 9.30am, and free ramen served at 9.30pm.

There are two washing machines and two dryers on Level 8. The washing machine is free (detergent is supplied), the dryer is Yen for 30 minutes.

During our stay there was a free shuttle service to Hiroshima Railway Station – six services between 7am and 10.50am – best to make a reservation to secure a seat.

We can highly recommend Dormy Inn Urban View Heiwaodori, Hiroshima – the staff are friendly and helpful, it is spotlessly clean and very well located.

2-3 April 2024
Best Month of Your Life

By |2025-03-06T18:57:04+11:00April 3rd, 2024|Categories: Accommodation Reviews, Japan|0 Comments

Onyado Nono Matsumoto Natural Hot Spring , Matsumoto

The hotel is well located just a 7-minute walk from Matsumoto Railway Station.

We love that the entire hotel is shoeless as there are tatami mats on the floors throughout the hotel.

On arrival the wheels of our luggage are washed, we place our shoes in a locker and check in.

We have Room 609 on the 6th Floor. It is a good-sized room with a view of the mountains.

There is a double bed, bench for sitting and coffee table, a long desk that also holds a large television. There is a small refrigerator and kettle. We love that the window opens for fresh air.

The hotel has a very attractive onsen on the rooftop with views.

Laundry facilities are also available (washing machine free and washing powder included, dryer 100 Yen per 20 minutes).

On the ground floor is the breakfast room and guests can enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast for 23 Yen.

For dinner there is an excellent food court under the nearby Alpico Plaza Hotel with about a dozen different food outlets serving a variety of food.

We can highly recommend a stay at Onyado Nono Matsumoto Natural Hot Spring , Matsumoto.

28-29 March 2024
Best Month of Your Life

By |2025-03-06T18:58:17+11:00March 28th, 2024|Categories: Accommodation Reviews, Japan|0 Comments

Shippo-no-Yu Dormy Inn Premium, Ginza, Tokyo

This is a brand-new hotel, very well located in Ginza – probably my favourite hotel on our trip to Japan.

Check-in is quick and easy – the staff are friendly and very helpful.

We have a double room – Room 807 on the 8th floor – a lovely room with natural light (photos do not do it justice).

It is a well configured, good-sized room. It is in fact two spaces divided by a sliding door. The first space has hanging space, a basin and mirror, under which is a small refrigerator and cupboard with kettle, cups, glasses and coffee/tea.

Just off that area is a small bathroom with shower and toilet – compact but well-sized and organised.

The second space is the bedroom with a double bed, small sofa, coffee table and a desk. There is a good size television and a safe.

There are plenty of electric sockets in the room.

We love that we can open the window for fresh air.

There is also a Daikin split system air conditioner in the room and a dehumidifier/air purifier.

Dormy Inn Premium has excellent facilities:

  • Beautiful Hot Spring, open 3pm-10am (available throughout the night)
  • Sauna
  • Yonaki Soba (Global Kitchen Hatago) – 9.30-11.00pm – complimentary half size serving of soy sauce ramen.
  • Restaurant – Global Kitchen Hatago – 6.30am-9.30am – buffet-style breakfast, 2,300 Yen.
  • Free Space – Global Kitchen Hatago – 3.00pm-11.00pm – a complimentary welcome coffee, juice and water.
  • Sky Terrace Roof 3.00pm-1.00am/5.00am-11.00am – there is a vending machine (including alcohol).
  • Other facilities include: ice dispenser, comic corner, microwave, smoking booth, coin laundry (washing machine free, dryer coin operated), free probiotic drinks and ice pops at certain times during the day.

The hotel is well located:

  • It is a short walk to Chuo-dori, the main shopping street of Ginza.
  • There is a Family Mart convenience store directly across the road.
  • The closest Metro station, Higashi Ginza Station, is a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and it’s about a 15-minute walk to the main Ginza Station.

We can highly recommend a stay at Dormy Inn Premium Ginza.

22-27 March 2024
Best Month of Your Life

By |2025-03-04T17:19:12+11:00March 26th, 2024|Categories: Accommodation Reviews, Japan|0 Comments

Driving Itinerary (Two Months): France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany

This is a fantastic itinerary for a two-month, self-drive trip – primarily through Spain and Portugal – plus a quick visit to some very beautiful regions in southern France, Germany and Switzerland.

While we travelled fairly quickly, the itinerary can be tailored to be longer or shorter, depending upon the time available.

Itinerary:
Munich – Geneva – Lyon – Dordogne region – Bayonne – Bordeaux – San Sebastian – Bilbao – Leon – Salamanca – Duoro Valley – Porto – Coimbra – Obidos – Lisbon – Sintra – Evora – Vila Nova de Milfontes & West Coast Portugal – Algarve – Seville – Ronda – Granada – Cordoba – Madrid – Toledo – Segovia – Montpellier – Aix en Provence – Sainte Maxime – Saint Tropez – St Paul de Vence – Lake Maggiore – Interlaken – Neuschwanstein Castle – the Romantic Road (Fussen to Wurzburg) – Rhine River (Wurzburg to Koblenz) – Strasbourg – Alsace Wine Route – Colmar – Geneva

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By |2025-02-25T17:28:20+11:00May 18th, 2023|Categories: Destination Reviews, Europe, Europe, France, Germany, Italy|0 Comments

Elisir B&B, Anacapri, Capri

On arrival at Eliser B&B we had a warm welcome from Elisabetta who gave us a map plus recommendations on what to see and do. Her B&B is very well located in beautiful Anacapri – close to shops, restaurants, sights and with easy access to buses and taxis.

The entrance to the B&B is through a gate off Via Caprile, a short walk from Piazza Vittoria the main square in Anacapri. There is a flight of steps up to the B&B (no lift).

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By |2019-05-29T10:04:40+10:00October 21st, 2018|Categories: Italy|0 Comments

Aretusa Vacanze B&B, Ortygia, Syracuse, Sicily

Aretusa Vacanze has an excellent location in Ortygia, the beautiful old town of Syracuse.

Finding some of our accommodation in Sicily has proved to be quite a challenge, however we have very clear instructions from Aretusa Vacanze B&B as to what to enter into our GPS, where to park and who to phone on arrival to help with the luggage. All goes to clockwork and when we phone, Michael meets us to help us take the luggage to the accommodation – about 100 metres away in a small pedestrian street.

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By |2019-05-29T10:04:57+10:00October 18th, 2018|Categories: Italy|0 Comments

Bella Giulia, Ragusa, Sicily

Bella Giulia is located in Ragusa Superiore – the newer part of town and, for a change, it is easy to find our accommodation. We are able to park in the tiny street right outside, knock on the door and our host is there.

Our accommodation is in a small building opposite our host’s home. We have a first floor apartment – it is perfect for our needs. We are a group of five and have three modern apartments between us – each apartment is very similar but with different style kitchens and on a different level.

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By |2019-05-29T10:05:14+10:00October 16th, 2018|Categories: Italy|0 Comments

La Terrazza di Carolina, Agrigento, Sicily

The town of Agrigento is a popular place to stay for travellers visiting the Valley of the Temples. We chose to stay at La Terrazza di Carolina – a lovely small hotel located in Cortile Modica I, just Via Atenea.

Many of the small streets in the old section of Sicilian towns are for pedestrians only however the day we arrived we could park on the street just opposite the B&B. Carolina  helped us carry our luggage up the small flight of stairs into the B&B and into the spacious reception area.

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By |2019-05-29T10:05:31+10:00October 15th, 2018|Categories: Italy|0 Comments
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