Wheelchair using travel blogger
Ibis Cardiff Central
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HA
WALES
Tel: (+44)29/20649250
Fax: (+44)1462/650528
The Ibis hotel is situated on Churchill Way, a short walk from Cardiff Central railway station, and opposite the Motorpoint Arena venue. It is part of the Accor group of hotels. It is probably best to plan your route to the hotel beforehand as locals don’t seem to know where it is, on a very wet Friday evening I was directed here there and everywhere before finally finding it!
Premier Inn St. Helier
21-28 Charing Cross
Jersey
JE2 3RP
Tel: (+44)1582/343257
The Premier Inn St. Helier is located on Charing Cross and is just a short walk from the main bus station if you have arrived at the airport, and a short walk further from the ferry port. Right next to it is a Co-op supermarket which is handy for getting snacks and supplies, I visited several times during my two day stay. This is a new Premier Inn which only opened earlier this summer.
Today I travelled to Douglas in the Isle of Man for a short break, the previous time I have been there was for a day trip only. From first thing in the morning things began to go wrong, though in the end the trip was very enjoyable. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings I go to Wrexham Maelor Hospital for dialysis and today being Monday had to go before travelling, but today of all days the ambulance that picks me up arrived two hours late and then I was ill during the dialysis. Because of this delay I could not get the train to Liverpool airport in time for my flight on EasyJet so got a bus to Chester where I then got a taxi, costing £57, to the airport. Things went smoothly at the airport and my flight arrived on time. I had a 3 day ‘Go Explore’ travelcard for all transports in the Isle of Man so on arrival got the bus in to Douglas, but before getting to my stop we had to change to another bus because it was about to run out of diesel!
COMIS Hotel and Golf Resort
Mount Murray Road
Santon
Isle of Man
IM4 2HT
Tel: (+44)1264/661111
The COMIS Hotel and Golf Resort is a 4**** hotel located just off the A5 road that runs from Ronaldsway airport to Douglas and is about 3 miles from Douglas. If arriving at the airport or ferry port there is a bus stop located on the A5 road just a few minutes walk from the hotel. The hotel does not look much from the outside but I was told it is probably the best on the island. There was level access to the reception desk but no lowered section to easily sign in from a wheelchair, I had to go to a table. Everywhere I went in the hotel was on the ground floor.
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Sefton Hotel
Harris Promenade
Douglas
Isle of Man
IM1 2RW
Tel: (+44)1264/645500
The Sefton Hotel is a 4**** hotel located on the promenade in Douglas, Isle Of Man, next door to the Gaiety Theatre. If you are arriving from the airport or ferry port there are buses that stop right outside at the Gaiety Theatre bus stop; from the ferry port it is even close enough to walk if you don’t have lots of luggage with you. There are steps up to the front entrance but there is a ramp to the left of them at a good angle, not too steep as I managed it with ease with my heavy backpack on my wheelchair. The reception desk is immediately in front of you when you enter and to the right it has a low section so you can easily sign in from wheelchair height, and pay your account when you leave.
Novotel Venezia Mestre Castellana
Via Ceccherini 21
30174
VENEZIA MESTRE
ITALY
Tel: (+39)041/5066511
Fax: (+39)041/940620
The Novotel Venezia Mestre Castellana is a 4**** hotel and part of the Accor Hotels group, it is located about 10 kilometres from Venice Marco Polo airport, and about 2 kilometres from Mestre railway station. A taxi there from Marco Polo airport will cost about €40. The hotel has a bar, a restaurant/breakfast room and an outdoor swimming pool. To get in to Venice ‘proper’ you have to take two buses, the number 31H (32H on the return and 34H in both directions on a Sunday) for one stop and then the number 2, they are wheelchair accessible and cost €1.50 for the whole journey. If you choose to take a taxi instead of the bus it is about €30.
Way back in 2003 I did a trip to Beirut, in Lebanon, where I spent a week. Because it was so long ago this blog post won’t be as detailed as my usual ones. I went there to scuba dive and did three dives during the week, it was more difficult than my previous dive trips to Egypt, Turkey and Vietnam where it was normal to do two or three dives a day. I flew to Beirut on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul, where I spent a night, and then onwards with Middle East Airlines. I chose to go via Istanbul because after Beirut I was to be spending a further 3 weeks scuba diving in İçmeler and then Fethiye on Turkey’s Aegean coast with the European Diving Centre. On arrival I took a taxi to the Hotel Concorde which is situated on Bliss Street not far from the American University of Beirut.
Hotel Mercure Brussels Centre Midi
Boulevard Jamar 25 29
1060
BRUSSELS
BELGIUM
Tel: (+32)2/5281890
Fax: (+32)2/5281891
The Mercure Brussels Centre Midi is a 4**** hotel and part of the Accor Hotels group, it is located about 450 metres from the Brussels Midi/Zuid station for the Eurostar services. There are metro and tram stops nearby but they are not wheelchair friendly. The hotel has a bar that opens Monday to Friday but not at weekends or Bank Holidays. It has a breakfast room but no restaurant though there are places to eat nearby.
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Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten
Strasse des 17 Juni 106-108
10623
BERLIN
GERMANY
Tel: (+49)30/600350
Fax: (+49)30/60035666
The Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten is a 4**** hotel and part of the Accor Hotels group, it is fairly centrally located about 1km from the Zoological Gardens stop on the S-Bahn and directly across the road from the Tiergarten stop. Both of these stations have direct connections to Berlin Schönefeld Airport located about 20km southeast of the city. Continue reading “Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten”