Pictures – Page 27

December 2, 2011April 4, 2012

Comfort Hotel – Heathrow Airport

We’ve been late for a flight leaving England before, and that was the only flight we’ve ever missed. So now, if possible, we’ll try to be closest to the airport the night before, as we’re paranoid of missing an international flight, and we don’t fly on independent airlines or anything like that – that doesn’t help you out…

This time, we took the London Tube out to Heathrow Airport the night before. We chose this hotel as it’s really close to the airport, and there is a shuttle that takes you to and from the airport for a nominal fee. It was very reasonable, and much economical than taking a cab from the airport. Our day consisted of checking in early, and taking the tube back on to London, and returning that evening to the hotel — only to check out again the following morning.

This hotel offers excellent service, as they allowed us to check in early! They offered free internet for us, as we were apart of their loyalty program.

The shuttle service to and from the airport came quite frequent, and was never off schedule – in fact in both cases, they were early which is excellent if you were running late for your flight. This bus service to Heathrow is only 4GBP one way, or 7GBP round trip! This was an excellent offer and the shuttle was called National Express Hotel Hoppa.

The actual room was quite small, but offers everything you need in a hotel room, especially if you’re not looking to be there for long term – as it’s great for lay-over stays or anything like that. I really enjoyed my stay here, even though the rooms were a little dated, it had it’s fun component to it! It was more of your “standard” hotel room layout, with 2 twin beds, a small CRT TV, and that’s pretty much all you need for hotels like this by the airport! It really is a place for you to rest your head down and get a nice hot shower!

Another thing I really like about this room was the fact there was a towel heater in the bathroom! There’s nothing more relaxing than using a towel that is perfectly warmed to wrap yourself in after your shower. It was my favourite feature during my stay and I know if I’m in the area and doing an early flight the following day, I will be returning to this hotel!

Comfort Hotel Heathrow

Shepiston Lane, Hayes
Middlesex, UB3 1LP

Phone: 020 8573 6162

November 30, 2011December 5, 2011

Second Cup – Holiday London Fog

There’s really nothing more exciting for me to have a Holiday London Fog from Second Cup. I know I rave about Chai tea’s and what not, but this is always another neat alternative. London Fog is normally made of Earl Grey Tea and some Vanilla flavour shot with steamed milk. What makes the Holiday version extra special is that they use a holiday Earl Grey tea, which is cherry flavoured. It seems like a lot of flavoured shots in the drink, but it’s actually quite good. It’s a bit on the sweeter side from both the cherry and vanilla, but it’s something I’ve associated the holiday season with as well. This is definitely a drink that you don’t need to add extra sugar in either!

November 29, 2011December 1, 2011

MGM Grand Buffet

We don’t normally eat at buffets, but we did on this occasion, as the room I booked came with complimentary buffet. I stayed at the MGM Grand Resort & Casino which was a wonderful place to stay.

The buffet was delicious, and there was a lot of food options. It was quite the Grand Buffet as you’ll definitely find something for everyone! They have from regular breakfast/lunch foods like potatoes, eggs, sausages, to much more exotic brunch items like sushi. Even the selection at the salad bar was massive, and the ingredients were fresh. They employees at the Grand Buffet keep the items stocked and that’s a great thing to see – as I’ve been to a few buffets that don’t refill to control their supplies and not meeting demands.

One of my favourite stations from this buffet was the Smoked Salmon, they had two pieces of really nice salmon, and I’m sure I ate enough they would’ve frowned at me if they knew it was going into my belly – solely! I did try some of their sushi, and it wasn’t anything special, but I think it’s a special item for breakfast! This buffet is definitely trying to cater to as many ethnics and cuisines as possible!

To further enhance what I’m talking about regarding selection, even the selection of loaves was massive! There is really something for everyone, and it’s kind of too bad this was found at the back – because I really stuffed myself before I found the bakery selection!

I really enjoy desserts, and the dessert bar at this buffet is actually quite massive for a morning buffet. I’ve previously been to a buffet in Vegas last year and they actually do things like turn the ice cream machine off for the morning buffets, and everything becomes cookies, pastries, like croissants, breads and toasts and other morning goodies. At the Grand Buffet, they even have a large selection of sugar free desserts which is really pleasing to see!

This is a great location and definitely a grand buffet! You can find traditional meal items to specialty items, and usually variations of all, plus everything in between! So, if you’re looking for selection, especially with the heated item selection – this could be a great option for you!

MGM Grand Buffet
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 891-7777

November 29, 2011April 4, 2012

Days Hotel London – Waterloo

During our stay in London, we stayed in a small hotel called Days Hotel London – Waterloo which didn’t matter as we were only there for the bed – for a few hours! We were actually expecting the room to look more like a cabin on a cruise ship, so when we checked-in, the hotel met and exceeded our expectations!

The bathroom was extremely small, as you’re staring at yourself in the reflection of the mirror on top of the sink while you’re on the toilet. There was no bathtub, just a tiny stand-up shower. There was plenty of space in the hotel suite itself, and comes with complimentary coffees and teas. The star rating for this hotel is a 3 Star hotel, which is fine of a rating. I may have rated it 2.5 stars, but that’s my opinion.

A few neat things about this hotel though, it’s got no air conditioning, and just offers a fan. It was fine when we went (in September) as it was cool and rainy for a few days. We actually turned on the heat at nights too. A good thing about this hotel, the windows do open for fresh air, and it’s 100% smoke free. I never would’ve thought that would be possible in England as it seems like everyone smokes.

The best thing about this hotel would be the location – being a few minutes walk from Lambeth North station makes it really convenient. For the big Tube station, the Waterloo station is about a 10 minute walk away. On the same street as the hotel – going towards the station, there are little grocery/convenient stores that seemed to be opened a lot and was great for us to pick things up like water and snacks.

It was lovely, and from our window, we were able to see the top of London Eye as we were staying at the Southbank.

Days Hotel London- Waterloo

54 Kennington Road, London, SE1 7BJ GB
Phone: 44-2079-221331

November 28, 2011June 2, 2019

Giraffe – Waterloo London

During our trip to England, we had to visit London. Our first night in London, we met up with my cousin there and she brought us to Giraffe which was located on the Southbank near Waterloo. It was a beautiful location as it was right off the river, and a great place to stop in for a bite to eat as it was just beginning to pour that day.

I ordered a Smoothie as I wanted something sweet and fun! I tried the Mango Mama which was a smoothie made with mango, strawberry, banana, orange, apple juice. I ordered mine without the banana, since I’m allergic to bananas, so it wasn’t as thick and creamy. It was still a delicious drink though, full of fruit flavours! The best thing about this drink I must say was the awesome giraffe stir-stick standing in my smoothie! The giraffe was just tall enough so it’s head would stick out of the drink! My little nephew loved these giraffe stir-sticks too!

I wasn’t too sure what to try – the menu was massive, so I just picked something I thought I would enjoy instead of venturing off and trying something new. I ordered the Rodeo Chicken Burger which was a huge burger of grilled chicken breast with melted cheddar, fried mushrooms, BBQ sauce and onion ring. It had the usual condiment suspects such as lettuce, tomato and mayo. It was weird, as I’m not normally a fan of chicken breast – they’re normally kind of over cooked and dry, but this chicken breast burger was actually juicy, mouth-watering good! With the crunch from the onion ring, and the extra sauce from the BBQ sauce, it was a delight to eat this burger!

I split my meal with my husband, and he ordered Grilled Mojito Chicken which was something completely different from what we’ve ever ordered or tried to make at home. This was half chicken marinated in mint, lime and rum. Served with sin on fries and a home made poppy seed celery slaw. This half a chicken was really unique as it was infused with mint and lime flavour. It’s like no other roasted chicken, but it was extremely enjoyable.

My cousin enjoyed a Szechuan Sesame Noodles which was basically fried vegetables and egg noodles in a Szechuan pepper sauce with ginger, garlic, fresh mango and fried shallots. It was definitely Asian style and it must’ve tasted good as she almost finished the entire bowl. This bowl of noodles was the best smelling dish, and it looked really good as well!

My little nephew ordered a kids Pasta Pomodoro fresh penne pasta with pomodoro sauce, and of course he had fun eating this plate of food! He actually enjoyed it so much, he ended up eating it with his hands instead of his utensils! The little kid finished everything, and had some of our french fries as well!

Overall, this was an amazing place to eat! The atmosphere was fun, the prices was reasonable – especially considering the location of the restaurant! Best of all, the food was great, and the service was fine. Our favourite course from the evening would for sure be the Grilled Mojito Chicken, and we would order that again!

Giraffe

Southbank Centre
Waterloo
Belvedere Rd
London, UK