Nice Day 4 – Enjoying the sights

Thursday, 25 January 2007

Our last day and we had to wake up really early to be able to reach our first appointment in time. With just one more to do we were quite looking forward to a day of sight seeing and relaxing around Nice after the meeting. This time we met with Sophie at Hotel Helvetique. This property is in a prime location as its located just 200 meters away from the Promenade des Anglais and the Place Massena and Jardin Albert. The location is set in a shopping street with all kinds of weird and wonderful shops.

The hotel itself is lovely and once inside you will feel very at home. The rooms are spacious and bright and very clean and tidy. The communal area and breakfast room are bright and lively and the en-suite bathrooms are all new and clean.

Each room is equipped with all that you may need during your stay including hairdryers, safety deposit box and television. This property is really lovely and the owners and staff are very warm and welcoming. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Finally we were done with the work and we could relax and enjoy the sights before taking our flight back to London that afternoon.

We wondered through the historical part of town and to the flower market. It was a beautiful sunny day and even though the city was very quiet there was still a tremendous buzz around.

David had the amazing idea of having a crepe for lunch. Something which I would not refuse, so we found ourselves a charming little café opposite the Palais de Justice and we sat and watched the world go buy while we waiting for our coffee and crepes.

Oh my…what a crepe it was. I was in heaven, it was smothered in Chocolate and pieces of banana. Wonderful!

We had another walk around the shops in the area and slowly made our way back to the hostel where we would enjoy lunch with Ulf, Arno and Albert before saying our goodbyes and making our way to the airport.

Our trip to Nice was one of the easier ones because of its small size. Everything is easily accessible in the city which makes it easy to walk from place to place. There is so much to see, granted we only saw a handful of the amazing sights but with so little time I had to promise myself that I would return under different circumstances, perhaps for a long weekend in the coming summer.

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Nice Day 3 – A bit of exploring

Wednesday, 24 January 2007

Again David and I met for breakfast at 8:00 however this morning we had to back up our belongings as we had arranged other accommodation for the evening. After a lovely breakfast we made our way to Hostel Meyerbeer Beach.

We had arrived and had a look around the property. With its brilliant location it’s no wonder that this hostel is so popular. The rooms are basic and comfortable and all are clean and tidy. The reception and common area are a little cramped but it does mean that you will be socializing with fellow backpackers. The hostel does have a very homely feel to it and plenty of character. I would recommend this property for its stunning location and friendly atmosphere.

Following on from there just around the corner we visited Hostel Paradis. We were given a selection of keys to so we could go and see some of the rooms ourselves. Rooms were very clean, tidy and spacious. The location of this property is also great with a variety of shops, bars and restaurants to keep everyone entertained.

We had covered the first two appointments relatively quickly so we went to an internet café for an hour and caught up on our emails followed by lunch this time at Mac Donald’s.

Our next appointment was at Residence Hoteliere Ajoupa with Abel. This property gives a false impression from the outside. It’s almost hard to see from the street but once inside there are a variety of rooms available. Parts of this building and some specific rooms are undergoing renovations and some very stylish new mini apartments are being built.

These new apartments once complete will be ideal for couples travelling looking for relatively cheap accommodation. The location of this property is brilliant. It is surrounded by beautiful shops, bars and restaurants.

We went directly from that meeting to the next which was at Antares. This property is a great choice for any backpacker. There are a variety of communal areas to hang out and socialize with fellow travellers. The rooms are clean, tidy and very bright and there are a variety of rooms on offer form dorms to privates. The staff were incredibly friendly and eager to help and are passionate about their guests and showing them a good time while visiting Nice.

The following three properties we went to visit were all relatively similar in their set up and ratings. All within less than a minutes walk from each other and also located very centrally it’s another good choice of accommodation.

Hotel Azurea, Hotel du Midi and Hotel Bristol offer travellers an opportunity to stay in reasonably priced accommodation where many services are offered. Such as Wi-Fi, currency exchange, dry-cleaning and care rental. All rooms are tastefully decorated with en-suite facilities which may include a bath or a shower. These hotels have great communal areas where breakfast can be enjoyed as well where you can relax after a hard day sightseeing.

We had finished our appointments for the day so headed back to our hotel to collect our bags so we could make our way to Hostel Saint Exupery where we would be spending our last night in Nice. We were once again picked up by the lovely staff from the Hostel. This free service is offered to those who are carrying heavy backpacks etc since the property is at the top of steep hill it makes it a little easier to reach the hostel by car.

Arriving there at around six in the evening we sat in the old Chapel and had a few drinks with Arno. His brother and a few friends joined us later and we continued the drinking. After some dinner we ventured out in the car to do a bit of exploring. Arno and Albert took us to Monaco to see the Casino and some other sights.

I would love to return to visit Monaco during the day as even at night it was mesmerizing. The castle at top the hill and the incredible yachts parked in the bay. We managed to have a quick wonder around the casino as well where at the entrance there are a series of photographs which cover some history about the building and the royal family. It is a whole different life there all together, the cars you see parked outside the casino resemble the line up of cars available in Project Gotham Racing on the xbox 360. It was all totally surreal.

At around midnight we had to start making our way back to the hostel as Arno need to pick up some backpackers from the pick up point near the hostel. Feeling rather exhausted having drunk a little too much and having walked so much during the day I will more than ready for bed.

The guys stayed up chatting for a while longer and I went to bed, after a quick shower I climbed into bed with the intention of reading a bit, I don’t think I even made it to the end of the first page before I was asleep.

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Nice Day 2 – Plenty of things to do

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

On the previous evening we decided we would meet at 8 in the morning to have breakfast together. We enjoyed some lovely fresh pastries and cereal at the hotel before making our way to our first appointment which was at Villa Saint Exupery where we had organised to meet with Ulf and Arno. Situated relatively centrally although in a slightly hilly part of the city this hostel is in the most exquisite position, having formally been a Carmelite Monastery it has incredible charm. We were lucky to be picked up by the hostels shuttle service which would take us to the top of the hill while we were en-route up there.

We were invited into the common area where we had a meeting with Ulf, Arno and Albert, Ulf is the owner of the property and Arno and Albert are his sons.

Following the chat we had a quick tour round the property so we could get an idea of the different sorts of rooms on offer. All rooms were very clean and tidy and very bright and airy which makes them perfect for the very hot summers typical to that region.

The hostel has incredible charm with a fantastic common area where breakfast is served in the mornings and where other meals can be enjoyed throughout the day. There are several internet terminals available 24 hours a day as well as Wi-Fi throughout the building.

We had originally planned to spend all three nights at Hotel Compte de Nice however we thought it probably best to try and experience some of the other hospitality on offer to us so we managed to organise at stay at Villa Saint Exupery on the last night.

Following on from our visit there we made our way to the Kyriad Hotel. This hotel is situated in the very centre of the city. With beautiful clean and tidy rooms and all the facilities you could possibly need on hand it’s a great choice of accommodation. Breakfast can be enjoyed on the lovely courtyard area outside in the summer months.

Our next appointment was only at 13:00 that afternoon so we decided that considering we had some time to kill we would have some lunch and wonder about to see some of the sights. We stopped at KFC of all places as I guess it was just the most familiar we could find. I must say though, I felt kind of guilty doing so knowing there was plenty of lovely food on offer else where. Well we had the KFC and had a walk around some of the local shops. There is an unbelievable variety of shops to visit, from famous brands to shops that sell one offs and those that sell anything and everything you could possibly wish for.

Granted it wasn’t the best season to be visiting Nice as it was rather cold but there was still plenty to do. With Monaco and Monte Carlo in easy driving distance along with many other beautiful little towns there is plenty to keep one occupied.

At 13:00 we made our way to Hotel Trocadero where we met with Ray along with Nabila. She showed us around the property which was undergoing some renovation. The hotel was due to open just a week later so they really had their work cut out for them.

The rooms were really lovely with huge bathrooms of which many boasted lovely double doors which opened out onto the streets below. All rooms had beautiful high ceilings and plenty of space. This property I would highly recommend for a number of reasons those which include its situation within the city and also its fantastic value for money.

Following on from that we went to see Hotel Pastoral where we were to meet with Frederic. He sadly couldn’t join us so we had a quick show round the property with one of the staff. The rooms were basic however they were also very clean and tidy. This property is very central. It’s based just a five minutes walk from the main train station as well as only a 15 minute walk from the beach and the old town.

Again having had such a short appointment we had time to do some more exploring. We had a wonder through the old town and visited some more shops. We also found a bit of time to sit and admire the beautiful beaches. The weather had been relatively warm on our arrival but by this stage we had heard reports of snow in the surrounding mountains and the temperature dropped substantially.

Next up was Fauborg Montmartre Hostel. We met with Nina, a backpacker who ended up doing some little odd jobs for the owner who is known as “The Pink Lady”. This hostel is the kind of place for a long term backpacker to stay. It’s the kind of environment where you will be spending all your time with fellow backpackers. There is limited privacy as the rooms are very small and intimate. There is no communal meeting area apart from the restaurant so the rooms are where all the socializing happens. The facilities are very basic but this is budget accommodation.

The last appointment on the Tuesday was at Hotel Boreal. Again this property is very centrally located. With a quaint little communal area downstairs as well as a bar it’s a great place to socialize. All rooms are very clean and tidy. All are en-suite too. This hotel offers everything including Wi-Fi but this is at an additional cost to regular room rates.

Having completed our work for the day we went to a local supermarket to pick up some goodies for our dinner. We bought a lovely fresh baguette, some fresh cold meats, fruit, choc-chip biscuits and a couple of beers and went back to the apartment for a carpet picnic and an early night in. We had some preparations to get done for the following day so we got on with some work followed by our picnic then early to bed.

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Nice Day 1 – A few final Preparations

Monday 22nd January 2007

David and I went to work at the HostelBookers offices in London that morning to get the few final preparations in place for the trip to Visit Nice Hostels. We left the city at around 10:30am and made our way to Victoria station to catch the Gatwick Express to Gatwick Airport. Our flight to Nice was at 14:20. With an effortless check in we hung around the departure lounge and discussed some plans for the trip.

On route I managed to sleep for the most part while David got stuck into doing some work on his laptop. Within an hour and a half we arrived in Nice, the weather from my aeroplane window looked particularly grim but when we actually got outside it was pleasantly mild. Something I was particularly pleased about having spent a few days in Turin, Italy the previous week feeling ever so miserable because of the freezing cold and windy weather.

With a fair bit of travel under my belt at this stage I found the process of making our way to the centre of the city incredibly easy. There have been times when it’s taken hours and endless questions to find our destination from the often out of town airports that the budget airlines normally fly to. This unusual bit of luck left David and I in good spirits as we took the bus from Terminal one at Nice airport to just near the property where we would spend the first two nights of our trip. Given the opportunity we would love to stay at all the properties we work with so we could truly experience what they are about but with limited time and several meetings we had to choose the most central of accommodation choices to accommodate us on our visit.

The journey from Airport to our bus stop took about 40 minutes although we must take into account that we were travelling in peak hour traffic. Ordinarily I would imagine the journey would be a little quicker. From Terminal 1 we took the No.23 bus towards the centre of town, we had been instructed to get off the bus on the second stop after the main train station which is called Gare SNCF. The bus was jam packed with excitable school kids so we were happy to get off and make our way to Hotel, Compte de Nice where we could have a rest before heading out for dinner and a quick pint before heading back for some much needed sleep.

We wondered down the main street down to the beach, it was completely dark now so we weren’t able to make out too much about our surroundings. That would have to wait until morning. Having had a good look around at the menu on offer at the various restaurants around the beach front we settled on a quaint little restaurant away from the main street where we enjoyed a lovely meal and a good beer. Feeling rather sleepy and satisfied after dinner we took a leisurely stroll back to the hotel and if I am not mistaken we were asleep by 10.

David and I had each been allocated a lovely little apartment which was part of the hotel. With basic kitchen facilities, television, en-suite bathroom and wi-fi access in the lobby lounge it had all we needed.

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Turin Day 4 – Back to London

Our fourth and final day we had one property to visit before catching our flight back to London. We met with Amalia at Lingotto B+B. This lovely property is no exception to the rule that all HostelBookers properties in Turin are of an excellent quality and standard. Situated in an ideal central location its fantastic.

Jowita and I caught the early bus back to the airport, we were delighted to get back to London as it was too cold in Turin but our flight back was incredibly scary. I don’t think Jowita or I thought we would survive it because when we came in to land in London the winds were so incredibly strong that it caused the plane to land in a very unsteady and abrupt fashion.

Eventually we were on the ground a but shaken granted but oh so happy to be back in London Town. Turin is a beautiful city one with plenty of heritage and great architecture and museums. Its well worth a visit but be sure to do so in the summer months.

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Turin Day 3 – We had a horrible start

Little did we know that our Wednesday would get off to such a horrible start as we got on the tram just after our breakfast. Just seconds after getting on the tram we realised that we didn’t have valid tickets for our travel as we had had for the previous two days.

Before we could even doing anything about it two tickets inspector boarded the tram. That was that! We were set to have a horrible day! When time came for them to see our tickets Jowita began to speak to them in English. I knew she was pretending that she couldn’t speak Italian. The inspectors tried to explain to us that we would now have to pay a fine of 25 Euros. The whole situation ended up getting pretty heated when Jowita forgot for a second that she was meant to be only English speaking and ended up moaning at one of them in Italian. That was the end of it…he was truly unhappy with her behaviour and so in the end we both paid a fine of 25 Euros each. Besides all that it was incredibly embarrassing as we kept up everyone on their way to work.

So with a horrible start to the day we headed out into the bitterly cold weather to our first appointment. I was in such a bad mood for quite some time after that so needless to say Jowita and I were not on the best terms.

We visited Hotel Lo Scudiero, Hotel Due Mondi, Hotel Montevecchio, B+B Augusta Taurisnorum di Gentile Laura and B+B Zoe. All properties were again very centrally located or if not then just a short tram ride away and all were of an excellent quality.

By this stage having been in the cold for two days Jowita was beginning to feel a bit under the weather so we made sure we got back to our hotel as soon as was possible. We bought some supplies from the local store and made our way back.

A few glasses of wine later and some food we were both shattered and feel asleep quite early.

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Turin Day 2 – We sadly had very little time to see any of Turin’s sites

The previous evening we arranged to meet at 7 in the breakfast room where we would discuss the plans for the day and get some energy to get us going. We mapped out exactly where we needed to go and left our accommodation by 8. We had five appointments scheduled for the day.

The first being at Hotel Nazionale, this hotel is based right in the main shopping centre of Turin. We also went to see Albergo San Carlo, Hotel Centro, Hotel Artua’Solferino and Hotel Conte Biancamano.

All properties were of an exceptional standard and all within excellent range of the city centre. As mentioned earlier we had to make such an effort to stay warm. It was truly horrible to be outside as there was no sun and the windy was bitterly cold. We drank a hell of a lot of tea on the trip.

For lunch we bought some supplies from the local store and made our own sandwiches. We sadly had very little time to see any of the sites Turin has on offer but we managed to get a little bit of shopping down in between appointments. The shops there were magnificent!

That evening we got a take out pizza and took it back to our room, it was far too cold to be out and about, had we brought the right clothing with it would have been okay but we just couldn’t bare it as we were.

We had the bar fridge stocked with wine and the television so we were more than happy to stay in. After all we had a big day planned for Wednesday.

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Turin Day 1 – We thought Turin was going to be a bit warmer

Once again we left from Stansted Airport. This time it was an early morning flight directly to Turin. The flight was on time and Jowita and I landed there in the early afternoon. We had two appointments planned for that evening so it was important that we were on time.

We organised to stay at just a few minutes away from the city centre at Albergo Campidoglio. We arrived at the main airport which is just outside of the city centre and took a bus to the centre.

From there we took the tram to just near the hostel we were going to stay at. This journey took about 15 minutes. Albergo Campidoglio is a lovely property.The rooms are tastefully decorated with modern finishes. Rooms come with fluffy white robes and slippers to be used while staying there. There is also a fully stocked mini bar should you want a midnight snack or some champagne.

To be honest, I was under the impression that Turin would be a bit warmer than London was at the time. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Jowita and I were freezing from the minute we arrived there to the minute we left. It was about 1 degree and incredibly windy which made it seem even colder. We hadn’t brought warm enough clothes with so in between each hostel visit we popped into the nearest coffee shop to drink some coffee and defrost.

The first appointment was at A Casa Romar where we met with Mrs Romar. She gave us some lovely eats and some wine while we chatted about her property. This family run B+B style accommodation was beautiful. All rooms tastefully decorated and the entire household incredibly clean and tidy and based within the very centre of town it’s a lovely choice of accommodation to consider whilst visiting Turin.

Following on from there and only a few minutes down the road we went to see the Hotel Alpi Resort which was also really lovely and again a beautiful, clean and tidy option.

By the time we finished with our last appointment we went to a bar just near the last property where we had seen. It was incredibly busy and full of life. Sadly I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying. Jowita on the other hand is Polish but spent quite some time traveling around Italy and is now fluent in Italian so she could enjoy it all a bit more. Regardless we had an excellent time. A few glasses of wine later and a plate full of the aperitivo on offer we were exhausted, full and ready for bed. A short tram ride back to our hostel and we were in bed by 11.

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Venice Day 5 – A place to visit with your other half

On our fifth and final day we were beginning to know the area pretty well. This was the first day we any sunshine and sadly it was the day I was leaving Venice. Leandro had arranged to stay on until Monday to see the rest of Venice I really wish I had done the same.

We had an amazing breakfast at the hotel in their lovely breakfast room. Following on from there we were taken by shuttle bus back to the historical centre where we endeavoured to find Residenza Ca’ Dario.

We met with Monica who showed us around her beautiful B+B, it has the loveliest décor and it situated in the very heart of it all. She has an amazing view from some of the rooms overlooking one of the many canals.

This was it, our week or shall I say my week in Venice was over. I hopped on the bus to the airport and Leandro stayed on. Venice is truly gorgeous, I would highly recommend it to everyone. There is so much to see so I would really suggest doing plenty of research into where you want to go and visit before doing so.

It’s a difficult place to navigate as there are a lot of dead ends so be sure to have a map on hand. The architecture is breathtaking and a boat ride in the evening is a must. This allows you a peek into some of the most beautifully decorated apartments imaginable. These amazing palaces that run along the waters edge can only really be appreciated at night with all their glitz and grandeur.

Venice is truly gorgeous and a place I would highly suggest visiting with your other half.

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Venice Day 4 – Having a good glass of wine

Thursday morning began as all the others had done. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast with Gianni as well as some very strong Italian Espresso. By the time we left there each morning I was buzzing incredibly awake from all the coffee.

Our plan today was to visit the two campsites in Venice and the surrounding areas as well as to have an appointment with Gianni to discuss his property and hostel profile.

The two campsites were lovely, granted it was hard to see all their appeal because of the weather but it was easy to see how wonderful things would be in the summer time. With the big swimming pools and BBQ’s they were gorgeous.

We in total visited
Hotel Venice Villa Dori and Villa Stella. The fifth visit would be back at our B+B before we moved onto different accommodation for the last night.

We arranged to meet Marco at Hotel Venice Villa Dori that evening because we would be staying there on the last night.

After all our days visits we went back to our B+B to pack up our things at to have a last meeting with Gianni, we saw the rest of the property in greater detail including the beautiful apartments he has on offer across the road.

Following that a quick buss journey took us back to Hotel Villa Primvera where we went to sample the food of Lucia’s gorgeous family restaurant.

Leandro and I ate like kings that evening. We were truly spoilt and really were given the most incredible treatment. A few bottles of vino later and a hearty chat with the owners over our meal we were picked up by the shuttle bus service which the offer at Hotel Venice Villa Dori. We arrive at the hotel just before midnight where we enjoyed a bottle of champagne together.

I must say by this stage I was exhausted. We had covered a lot of mileage that day and I had eaten and drunk far too much so I went to bed but Leandro spent the next few early hours of the morning enjoying some lovely wine with the owners of the hotel.

The hotel really is the most remarkable property. With an incredible night club built into it and a restaurant it comes highly recommended. The decoration is beautiful and totally unique and the rooms are totally decadent. With beautiful Venetian style furniture and totally opulent fabrics they were gorgeous!!!

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