Kristofferson
Member
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2012
- Messages
- 1,132
Having just returned from a week away with the better(?) half, I felt it right to share some of the travel, food and hotel-related observations I made along the way. This isn't a traditional trip report, but hopefully this will be of interest and maybe even useful to some 
The trip into London on a sunny afternoon is relatively familiar territory, sat in standard class [makes a difference to the Sardine Special I get to work!] on one of London Midland's "what do you mean it's a limited-mileage lease" 350/2s. Great British Railway Journeys this ain't and I won't miss these cramped 3+2 Desiros, or their terrible air con, when they're sent up north!
Arrival into Euston is pretty much right time and, having arranged to catch up with Techniquest as he's in the area, I head over to an overpriced sandwich outlet in the plaza to meet him whilst the missus disappears into an overpriced clothes shop. A short while later, the man himself turns up with another Railforums regular - Hassan. After a good chat with Tech about his epic 6 day bash [great to meet you guys!], it's time to part ways and head off to "base camp". An S7 is had from Euston Square to Farringdon, and we're glad to escape the sun as we step into the hotel.
Malmaison Farringdon is just opposite Smithfield Market, a short walk from Farringdon station and literally round the corner from Barbican! For a "boutique" style hotel, I'm informed you can get some cracking deals [Tech recently nabbed a room for £37 a night!] if you book early for a Sunday, but the "last minute" and weekday prices easily top £100. Everything is clean and consistent as you'd expect from a chain hotel, the air conditioned rooms are chic with a faux-premium feel and the service is attentive but not pretentious [sums this place up really!]. We were disappointed by the hard bed and collapsing pillows, but it's no worse for comfort than a Travelodge these days.
After checking in, it's not long til dinner! If you're in this part of town and fancy a decent steak in casual surroundings, head to Foxlow. The prices aren't too far off a Beefeater and, because this is Hawksmoor's "dirty sister", it's a damn good slab of meat! The next morning, it's off for a walk to Hawksmoor itself in the City for their legendary take on the Great British Breakfast. Slightly posher surroundings than last night, but another outstanding meaty treat and one I recommend if you're travelling with someone and have a spare £15 each.
After staggering back to the hotel and completing bag/check out procedures, we wander over to Barbican for another S7 to rattle us along to Paddington. The first class lounge is a welcome relief from the crowds and, although there are complimentary sandwiches on offer, I'm way too full still so settle for a soft drink [juices, Coke and water available]. On the subject of freebies, I can't resist a quick flick through the lounge copy of FHM [not as good as it used to be!] while waiting for the HST to roll in.
Goodness me, the GWR refurb is fantastic! The old style first class carriages were starting to show their age, whereas these are truly fit for the future. I wonder what'll happen to these coaches when IEP/SET takes over? Taking a comfortable leather seat and plugging the phone into the a new USB charge point, it's time to relax and enjoy some thrash (1st is always next to a power car!). The journey on these trains is always so smooth compared to modern commuter stuff, will be sad to see the Intercity 125s go...
Arrival into Cardiff Central is a couple of hours later and for some reason we choose a taxi instead of the 153 on the Cardiff Bay shuttle [habit I guess
]. Luckily we find an honest cabbie who doesn't suddenly up the rate and put an extra quid on the meter upon arrival, unlike previous experiences..! It's then a short walk for us along the Bay [which, if you haven't been, is one of the most relaxing and pretty places in Britain] to St David's Hotel.
This place has a reputation for being the place to stay in Cardiff, and it's well deserved. Rates are about £100 a night and everything from the massive soft beds to the balconies with a view is spot on. There's even "his & hers" toilets with a urinal for the chaps and a throne for the ladies [on second thoughts, maybe that was a bidet not a urinal... oops!
] Personally, I still prefer the modern apartments at A Space In The City Quayside though - a bit cheaper, even better located opposite the Millennium Centre and you get hotel suite space for hotel room money. Both are great places to stay if you fancy a change and a treat. Check in at St David's is followed by an afternoon on the balcony with a cuppa, and the evening is concluded with dinner in the hotel's restaurant - Tempus at Tides.
Really high quality surroundings and traditional British food to be had here, well recommended if you're staying in the hotel and on par with London restaurants such as Roast but sadly the same price! The service is a bit stuffy, too. We ask for tap water instead of the silly bottled stuff, and the waiter then doesn't bother to offer us bread or the specials. Which is a shame as I'll happily shell out for decent food, but no way am I paying for flippin' water!
I should also mention there are many great eateries around Cardiff Bay and in the nearby Red Dragon Centre if you're staying in the area [and why wouldn't you, it's so close to the station!]. The buffet at Spice Hut is my personal favourite, but there are of course chain Italians; a Chinese buffet; Wagamama; a Nandos; GBK and Spoons within a square mile to name just a few.
The next few days are just a holiday and of little relevance to those travelling on the railways, so I'll skip those! We check out of the hotel to begin the journey home and realise it's Tube Strike Day! I'll get to that later... For now it's a 25 minute walk from Cardiff Bay to Cardiff Central again for another HST back to Paddington. I note that the first class lounge at Cardiff is small and hot, but you can still get a coffee and there's a selection of railway books on sale.
We arrive into London and are met with the chaos you'd expect - it's not even peak yet either! The queue for black cabs looked to be about a quarter mile long, and I didn't even attempt the buses. We exit onto a nearby main road and hope our alternative travel plan works. It does! I order an Uber taxi on my phone and a car turns up about five minutes later for the slow crawl back to Euston. I'll take a minute here to recommend them, although some may disagree! The service is quick to arrive, no hassle to pay, the prices are roughly on par with black cabs and you can easily get £40 worth of rides [about three journeys] for free through clever use of voucher codes and the "recommend a friend" feature if you're in a couple or group. Uber über alles as they [probably don't] say in Germany
Noticing the Overground at Euston is busier than usual [no surprise!] and there are even crowd control barriers in place, we're glad to have bought Advance 1STs for the entire journey as 350375 [I seem to have a knack for remembering 350/3 numbers as they're the only trains I've properly "bashed" and cleared for haulage] is also rammed to the gills with Harrow and Watford early birds. A routine journey home follows and a diet begins shortly afterwards!
Total cost: Could have done a 7 day 1ST ALR each!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the read and bonus points if you got this far. More bonus points if this influences your next trip
Cheers!
Kris
The trip into London on a sunny afternoon is relatively familiar territory, sat in standard class [makes a difference to the Sardine Special I get to work!] on one of London Midland's "what do you mean it's a limited-mileage lease" 350/2s. Great British Railway Journeys this ain't and I won't miss these cramped 3+2 Desiros, or their terrible air con, when they're sent up north!
Arrival into Euston is pretty much right time and, having arranged to catch up with Techniquest as he's in the area, I head over to an overpriced sandwich outlet in the plaza to meet him whilst the missus disappears into an overpriced clothes shop. A short while later, the man himself turns up with another Railforums regular - Hassan. After a good chat with Tech about his epic 6 day bash [great to meet you guys!], it's time to part ways and head off to "base camp". An S7 is had from Euston Square to Farringdon, and we're glad to escape the sun as we step into the hotel.
Malmaison Farringdon is just opposite Smithfield Market, a short walk from Farringdon station and literally round the corner from Barbican! For a "boutique" style hotel, I'm informed you can get some cracking deals [Tech recently nabbed a room for £37 a night!] if you book early for a Sunday, but the "last minute" and weekday prices easily top £100. Everything is clean and consistent as you'd expect from a chain hotel, the air conditioned rooms are chic with a faux-premium feel and the service is attentive but not pretentious [sums this place up really!]. We were disappointed by the hard bed and collapsing pillows, but it's no worse for comfort than a Travelodge these days.
After checking in, it's not long til dinner! If you're in this part of town and fancy a decent steak in casual surroundings, head to Foxlow. The prices aren't too far off a Beefeater and, because this is Hawksmoor's "dirty sister", it's a damn good slab of meat! The next morning, it's off for a walk to Hawksmoor itself in the City for their legendary take on the Great British Breakfast. Slightly posher surroundings than last night, but another outstanding meaty treat and one I recommend if you're travelling with someone and have a spare £15 each.
After staggering back to the hotel and completing bag/check out procedures, we wander over to Barbican for another S7 to rattle us along to Paddington. The first class lounge is a welcome relief from the crowds and, although there are complimentary sandwiches on offer, I'm way too full still so settle for a soft drink [juices, Coke and water available]. On the subject of freebies, I can't resist a quick flick through the lounge copy of FHM [not as good as it used to be!] while waiting for the HST to roll in.
Goodness me, the GWR refurb is fantastic! The old style first class carriages were starting to show their age, whereas these are truly fit for the future. I wonder what'll happen to these coaches when IEP/SET takes over? Taking a comfortable leather seat and plugging the phone into the a new USB charge point, it's time to relax and enjoy some thrash (1st is always next to a power car!). The journey on these trains is always so smooth compared to modern commuter stuff, will be sad to see the Intercity 125s go...
Arrival into Cardiff Central is a couple of hours later and for some reason we choose a taxi instead of the 153 on the Cardiff Bay shuttle [habit I guess
]. Luckily we find an honest cabbie who doesn't suddenly up the rate and put an extra quid on the meter upon arrival, unlike previous experiences..! It's then a short walk for us along the Bay [which, if you haven't been, is one of the most relaxing and pretty places in Britain] to St David's Hotel.
This place has a reputation for being the place to stay in Cardiff, and it's well deserved. Rates are about £100 a night and everything from the massive soft beds to the balconies with a view is spot on. There's even "his & hers" toilets with a urinal for the chaps and a throne for the ladies [on second thoughts, maybe that was a bidet not a urinal... oops!
] Personally, I still prefer the modern apartments at A Space In The City Quayside though - a bit cheaper, even better located opposite the Millennium Centre and you get hotel suite space for hotel room money. Both are great places to stay if you fancy a change and a treat. Check in at St David's is followed by an afternoon on the balcony with a cuppa, and the evening is concluded with dinner in the hotel's restaurant - Tempus at Tides.Really high quality surroundings and traditional British food to be had here, well recommended if you're staying in the hotel and on par with London restaurants such as Roast but sadly the same price! The service is a bit stuffy, too. We ask for tap water instead of the silly bottled stuff, and the waiter then doesn't bother to offer us bread or the specials. Which is a shame as I'll happily shell out for decent food, but no way am I paying for flippin' water!
I should also mention there are many great eateries around Cardiff Bay and in the nearby Red Dragon Centre if you're staying in the area [and why wouldn't you, it's so close to the station!]. The buffet at Spice Hut is my personal favourite, but there are of course chain Italians; a Chinese buffet; Wagamama; a Nandos; GBK and Spoons within a square mile to name just a few.
The next few days are just a holiday and of little relevance to those travelling on the railways, so I'll skip those! We check out of the hotel to begin the journey home and realise it's Tube Strike Day! I'll get to that later... For now it's a 25 minute walk from Cardiff Bay to Cardiff Central again for another HST back to Paddington. I note that the first class lounge at Cardiff is small and hot, but you can still get a coffee and there's a selection of railway books on sale.
We arrive into London and are met with the chaos you'd expect - it's not even peak yet either! The queue for black cabs looked to be about a quarter mile long, and I didn't even attempt the buses. We exit onto a nearby main road and hope our alternative travel plan works. It does! I order an Uber taxi on my phone and a car turns up about five minutes later for the slow crawl back to Euston. I'll take a minute here to recommend them, although some may disagree! The service is quick to arrive, no hassle to pay, the prices are roughly on par with black cabs and you can easily get £40 worth of rides [about three journeys] for free through clever use of voucher codes and the "recommend a friend" feature if you're in a couple or group. Uber über alles as they [probably don't] say in Germany
Noticing the Overground at Euston is busier than usual [no surprise!] and there are even crowd control barriers in place, we're glad to have bought Advance 1STs for the entire journey as 350375 [I seem to have a knack for remembering 350/3 numbers as they're the only trains I've properly "bashed" and cleared for haulage] is also rammed to the gills with Harrow and Watford early birds. A routine journey home follows and a diet begins shortly afterwards!
Total cost: Could have done a 7 day 1ST ALR each!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the read and bonus points if you got this far. More bonus points if this influences your next trip
Cheers!
Kris
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