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My stay at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas

My stay at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas

by | Jun 27, 2024 | Hotel Reviews, Travel

I have been to Las Vegas 3 times now since 2022 and the previous 2 times I stayed at The Luxor but this time, I decided upon the Excalibur as it was working out slightly cheaper for the dates I wanted.

About the Excalibur Hotel and Casino

Excalibur Hotel and Casino is a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip operated by MGM Resorts, the same company that owns The Luxor Hotel where I stayed previously. The resort features a medieval castle theme and is named after King Arthur’s mythical Excalibur sword. The Excalibur Property includes a casino, a 28-story hotel with 3,981 rooms, and various restaurants.

The $290 million property was originally developed by Circus Circus Enterprises and construction of the hotel and casino began in October 1988, with the Excalibur resort opening on June 19, 1990 – so I was staying almost exactly 34 years after it’s opening. It was the largest hotel in the world until the opening of the nearby MGM Grand in 1993.

My Stay and Review

I arrived at around 11 pm following a 10 pm landing at the nearby airport. My taxi ride only took about 10 minutes and proximity to the airport is one advantage to this hotel. 

The check-in was processed very fast and I was given a small upgrade to a 12th-floor tower room as I extended my stay on arrival. 

The room was very nice but quite a long way from the elevators. Now, I actually like being away from the elevators to avoid noise so my location in the hotel was ideal for me. The room may be considered a small bit dated in design however it was clean, comfortable, and welcoming. I did notice that along with the air conditioning, there were aromatherapy diffusers and also a dehumidifier ( I will come back to this later). The shower and bathroom are large and the shower has plenty of hot water and power. The bed was super comfy and I had a very enjoyable 11-hour sleep to recover from my jet lag; so the next day I was unaffected by my 24 hours of travel on the day before. It was just as well really as I was performing at 7 pm and had soundcheck at 3 pm… the quality of sleep allowed me to be perfectly energetic and awake.

So coming back to the dehumidifier in the room; normally my sinuses play up with all the air conditioning in the hotels and public areas, since in Ireland we don’t have this and it seems to really dry me out. However, with the dehumidifier in the room, I was unaffected and this is another reason why I will certainly consider returning to the Excalibur hotel. 

There is a very large casino area, and I did try a few thing like roulette and a few slots but I didn’t win much at all – unlike the $258 I won th last time I was in Las Vegas. Dining is available at multiple locations including a food court and also a very good Buffet which starts at around $31 per person for lunch.

Overall I really enjoyed my stay and I will certainly be back to either this great hotel.

If you have been to Vegas, what is your favourite hotel – leave a comment below and I might try your suggestion next !

This castle-themed resort and casino is located central on the Las Vegas Strip. It features 4 seasonal outdoor pools, 14 restaurants, 100,000-square-foot casino and live nightly entertainment are provided.

WiFi (included with the resort fee) is provided throughout rooms at Excalibur. Every room has a cable TV, a large bathroom with a hair dryer.

The Excalibur Hotel and Casino provides a tour desk. Guests can browse the numerous on-site shops.

There are 4 outdoor pools featuring a water slide, poolside cabanas, and an Adult Only Pool. A large gym with modern equipment is also available.

Interstate 15 is 1 mile from the resort offering easy access to area attractions Harry Reid International Airport is 2.8 miles away and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is 2.5 miles from the hotel.

The Luxor Las Vegas – My favorite Hotel in Las Vegas (so far)

The Luxor Las Vegas – My favorite Hotel in Las Vegas (so far)

by | Apr 2, 2024 | Hotel Reviews, Travel

In March 2022 I traveled to Las Vegas to play at an Everybody Sings Project fundraiser with the Queen Tribute band Celebrating Queen. The band put me up in the Luxor Hotel and Casino and I was stunned. Remember, I had traveled from Waterford, Ireland where the tallest building was about 5 stories high and now I’m in a building with 30 floors and a location where the tallest building is 1,150ft and 112 stories high. I was blown away by Las Vegas and was for sure in some sort of culture shock.

Luxor Las Vegas Review

Background information on the Luxor Casino and Hotel

Luxor Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip and is operated and run by MGM Resorts. The Hotel is 20 stories high and is named after the Egyptian city of Luxor.

There is a wonderful video on YouTube of the Luxor being constructed and it shows the construction from the breaking ground on the resort which took place in March 1992 and then was opened to the public in October 1993 with a total cost of $380m. At one point this hotel was actually the tallest on the strip when it opened and even had a river ride called the Nile River Tour where guests could ride through the pyramid in a boat.

It is a lot less Egypt-styled these days than it was back when it opened but the huge black pyramid with its 42.3-billion-candela lumen beam of light that shoots into the night sky – the Luxor Sky Beam is visible from the airport as you land. The Luxor Sky Beam is actually the world’s strongest beam of light. As a result of this amazing beam of light, flying insects, bats, and even owls come to feed on whatever is attracted to the light. Some people even see the larger bats and birds and confuse them for UFOs. The light can also be used as a visual aid for approaching pilots landing at the nearby airport. (Code: LAS)..

Outside the Luxor Hotel and Casino Las Vegas

Luxor Hotel Rooms

I found the rooms to be very comfortable. I stayed here in March 2022 and also January 2023. In 2022 I stayed on the 12th floor and in January 2023 I stayed on the 5th floor. I have to say that the rooms on the 12th were a little nicer and in slightly better condition, so if I was coming back I would ask for the higher rooms.

The rooms are very quiet despite a bustling casino below you. As soon as you close that door you have quietness. I was also facing the airport and the view was nice too. I had excellent sleep here and this was a great advantage as I had some jetlag to get over.

The bathroom was spacious and very clean with excellent showers.

Inside the Luxor Hotel and Casino Las Vegas

Photo: View from outside my room on the 12th floor

The Food at the Luxor

The only place I ate at the Luxor was the Public House which is a sports bar theme restaurant and I had a Beyond Burger with fries and a drink which all came to under $30 which was good value for what I got. The food was piping hot, and delicious and the service was attentive and friendly.

There are few other options that I personally would want to try in the Luxor, I had to admit that in the mornings I used to walk over to New York, New York and there was an Italian bakery over there (I’m sure it was called La Cucina, La Forno or something like that), but they had the best cinnamon buns and coffee – all for under $10).

Service

It is a large hotel so you do feel that you are just one guest amongst thousands but the staff are friendly. Note, you will need to pay a service fee of around $35 (I think this is per night) but apparently, this is the norm for Vegas.

Las Vegas in General

I like las vegas but 3-4 days was enough for me. I did try the casino and I won about €250 in the Mandala Bay Casino, €148 on roulette, and the rest on the slots. It is very easy to lose money so have a budget in place when you are gaming in the casinos. I do occasionally play games online, I mainly use NetBet,  which is why I like games which have a spending cap or which remind you if you are spending a lot.

Conclusion

I am tempted to try other hotels in Las Vegas but I found the Luxor to be good value as my one-night stay in January was about $75. If I won the lottery, there is one suite in the MGM Grand which has a piano but it is about $1,500 per night.
I am hoping to go back to Las Vegas in the near future and next time I will do an updated review for the website at that time.

Bellinter House Hotel & Spa – Hotel Review

Bellinter House Hotel & Spa – Hotel Review

by | Oct 23, 2023 | General Travel, Hotel Reviews

I had some business in County Meath and having looked at all the options Bellinter House Hotel was perfect for what I needed. I prefer quieter hotels and because Bellinter House sits on the south bank of the River Boyne this was perfect as a location. This beautiful Georgian mansion was built about 1750, about 7 years before Mount Juliet where I once worked. Richard Castle designed the house for John Preston, grandfather of the first Lord Tara. This 18th-century Georgian house is located in the heart of the Boyne Valley, about 30 minutes from Dublin, and for me, it is just over 2 hours from Waterford.

I have stayed here 5 times now and every time I have had a wonderful stay. The staff are wonderful and the house is set on beautiful grounds it looks wonderful in the mornings when you are heading to breakfast.

The Rooms at Bellinter House Hotel

Bellinter House Hotel has 41 bedrooms and there are several different room types in Bellinter House each with a different style. I have stayed in the Deluxe Rooms which are located in The Ruins beside The Bathhouse Spa. The room has lovely touches like wood floorboards, vintage furniture, and some extra touches that add character. The rooms have everything which I need and on my second visit to the hotel, there were chocolates in my room with a nice hand-written message. My only criticism is that the lighting in the room is a little dimmer than I would prefer. The rooms have nice showers and on one occasion I had a very nice deep bath, however, I was so busy on that evening I never had a chance to try it.

 

Dining

I ate a few times in The Library, The Study, or the Drawing Rooms. I have had the Burger which is served with chips and it was amazing. I also had the fish and chips which was very good also. 
Breakfast is served in Preston’s from 8am and it is one of the best breakfasts I have had. The only thing I would personally like is a slightly earlier breakfast service.  

 

Hotel Location

Bellinter House is located approximately 7kms south of Navan town in Co. Meath and about 40/45 minutes from Dublin airport. For me, it was only 23 minutes from The hotel has plenty of parking on the grounds.

 

Bedrooms at Bellinter House Hotel
Sunrise at Bellinter House Hotel
Food at Bellinter House Hotel

Conclusion

It is my defacto hotel to stay in County Meath and I hope to continue to come here for all my future stays in the Meath area. The staff are wonderful, the sleep is peaceful, the rooms are comfortable, the breakfasts are fantastic, the food is delicious and the area is just so quiet and peaceful. Just perfect.

 

Website: https://www.bellinterhouse.com/

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More Hotel Reviews will be added soon.

Looking for a hotel in Niagara Falls? Sheraton on the Falls – Hotel Review

Looking for a hotel in Niagara Falls? Sheraton on the Falls – Hotel Review

by | Sep 20, 2017 | Hotel Reviews, Reviews, Travel

Sheraton on the Falls, Niagara Falls, Hotel Review

If you are planning a trip to Niagara Falls then you are probably searching the web looking for an independent review of hotels, to help make your mind up. You are probably searching for Good Hotels in Niagara Falls or Recommended Hotels near Niagara Falls. When I visited Niagara falls I had no such luxury, my hotel, Sheraton on the Falls, was arranged by my travel agent. I was told it was a great hotel so I took their word. They were right.

Staying in Niagara Falls is something you just have to do once in your life. If you do visit the area, then get a good hotel, one with a good view of the world-famous Niagara Falls. The Sheraton on the Falls is one of these great hotels. The view is something which you will probably have to pay a bit more for but I can guarantee that it is worth it, especially if you only have 1 or 2 nights at Niagara Falls. You get to see the Niagara Falls from your room at sunrise and also when the falls change colours, illuminated with lights in the evening.

 

Sheraton on the Falls

The Sheraton on the Falls is obviously a Sheraton hotel; a brand of hotels everyone knows. This Sheraton has a clean and fresh appeal about it. The Sheraton on the Falls Hotel has 669 first-class rooms, varying from traditional guest-rooms to the beautiful Falls View suites. These falls-view suits feature floor-to-ceiling windows providing guests with the best hotel view of Niagara Falls. All guestrooms are non-smoking which is ideal as I don’t smoke and I can smell if rooms have been smoked in.

 

The Rooms at Sheraton on the Falls

After a courteous and detailed check-in, you get a chance to see the view for yourself from the room. Note, the check-in area is one of the busiest I have ever seen but they processed the guests very quickly. I would recommend getting a superior room (or better) on the higher floors, which will afford you a better view of the falls. The noise of the falls when you open your balconette door (not really a balcony but you can open a door protected by a guard rail), is amazing.

Rooms at the Sheraton on the Falls - Rooms at the Sheraton on the falls have great views of Niagara Falls

You can hear the roar of Niagara falls if you leave that door open.  The recommended room to stay in is the Fallsview King Jacuzzi Room. This room offers a King size Sheraton Sweet Sleeper bed, floor to ceiling windows, and a fireplace with sitting area, and a 37″ LCD Television. Also included are a phone, desk, in room tea/coffee, wireless internet access (charged), and pay per view movies. The pay for WiFi is something I hate but hopefully, in 2017 this policy might be different (check on booking).

Anyway, the rooms in the Sheraton on the Falls are very nice, well laid out, clean and bright. Good size bathrooms, ideal for a luxury break away. A sound nights sleep is guaranteed!

View from Sheraton on the Falls from the Rooms on the 16th Floor

 

The Food

Options for food are plentiful. There are restaurants nearby and in the hotel. The best place for casual and fun dining is the Hard Rock Café within the same complex. Buffet Breakfast is available in The Sheraton on the Falls and this is a very large buffet with everything from pancakes, cereals and fried foods to fruit, yoghurts and omlettes / eggs cooked to order. You won’t be hungry! Even though it was a buffet we were still asked to tip the server, a person who came once to us offering coffee – I found that strange as we served our own breakfast. Tipping is strange to me as we don’t really have it in Ireland.

 

Conclusion

I was very happy with the Sheraton on the Falls, a great base for exploring the area as it is within walking distance of all the main attractions. I would certainly return to this hotel and have no problem in recommending it.

 

Sheraton on the Falls Location

Sheraton on the Falls, Niagara Falls

Sheraton on the Falls, Niagara Falls, Canada

Fairmont Hotel Singapore, Hotel Review

Fairmont Hotel Singapore, Hotel Review

by | Sep 19, 2017 | Featured, Hotel Reviews, Travel

Where is the Fairmont Hotel Singapore located?

Fairmont Hotel Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Rd

The Fairmont Hotel Singapore is ideally located in a central part of town, only 15 minutes walk from the bustling Clarke Quay. Its central location means that it is situated very close to all major entertainment and shopping districts, plus, there is even a multi-storey shopping mall within the Fairmont Hotel complex.

The Fairmont Hotel Singapore offers 769 luxurious guestrooms and suites, a collection of 16 distinctive restaurants and bars.

Check-In

On check-in, we got a complimentary mango juice, which was very welcome after the 11-hour flight from London. Your bags are brought to the room 5 minutes after check-in, with the porters calling me ‘Sir Shane’ (which was nice).

The heat and humidity in Singapore can make you feel quite uncomfortable, but the Fairmont Hotel is very well air-conditioned and you feel very comfortable indeed. At no point in the hotel did we feel that the humidity or heat was getting to us.

Our Room

The guest rooms are luxurious with a comfortable bed, luxury bathroom and aromatherapy bath products. Our room came with a balcony and the views are stunning from the tower we were in. From the 22nd floor, you have a view of Singapore which looked over Singapore Bay, with stunning views of the Singapore Flyer, the amazing Marina Sands Hotel and views towards the city centre. The featured photo above shows the view by night with the lights of Singapore.

Breakfast

Breakfasts are served in three different restaurants but we found that the Asian Market Café was the best, as it had a large selection of foods from typical continental breakfast fare to Chinese / Asian steamed dumplings (which I had a good few of as they were very tasty).

The breakfasts are an experience to be savoured. You can if you wish to go for the normal breakfast, croissants, bagels, bread, cereal but the Asian breakfast is very special. It was the first time I tried steamed buns, and I have been hooked ever since.

Other Facilities at the Fairmont Singapore Hotel

In addition, guests of Fairmont Singapore have access to the Willow Stream Spa, one of the largest spa facilities in Asia, offering the best in Spa and Fitness services. The Spa Treatments at the Willow Stream are very reasonable and the facilities and therapists are excellent. I tried the massage, and as you overlook the city from 10 or 20 storeys up, you soon forget your troubles. The massage was excellent and any knots I had were soon eased.

The concierge staff at the hotel were also excellent and most friendly – they helped us book a city tour of Singapore as well as organising for our luggage to be held while we awaited our trip back to the airport. The staff were friendly and very helpful at all times.

Fairmont Hotel Singapore, Contact Information

If you intend coming to stay here during a visit to Singapore, the relevant details on contacting the hotel are provided below.

Address: Fairmont Hotel Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Rd, Singapore 189560
Phone: +65 6339 7777
Website: http://www.fairmont.com/singapore/

The verdict of the Fairmont Hotel Singapore

I loved my stay at the Fairmont Hotel Singapore, it was comfortable, upmarket, luxurious with great views and great staff. There was nothing about this hotel which I didn’t like. The Fairmont Hotel Singapore is an amazing hotel and would certainly return here on any return to the wonderful city of Singapore.

 

This Hotel Review is my honest opinion of the Fairmont Hotel Singapore and this post was not paid or solicited. The content within the review of this Singapore Hotel is simply my recollection and opinion of a stay at the Fairmont Hotel in Singapore during a multi-stop personal holiday.
  • Comfort 95% 95%
  • Service 100% 100%
  • Food 98% 98%
  • Spa 94% 94%
  • Pool 90% 90%
  • Would Repeat? 100% 100%

Hotel Opera Cadet, Paris, France : Paris Hotel Review

Hotel Opera Cadet, Paris, France : Paris Hotel Review

by | Feb 28, 2012 | Featured, Hotel Reviews, Travel

Hotel Opera Cadet Hotel Review

Address : Opera Cadet Hotel, 24, rue Cadet, 75009 Paris, France

Hotels in Paris are usually small and basic but the Hotel Opera Cadet is one notch above that. The hotel is ideal for the traveller who is looking for a friendly hotel, with good breakfasts and nice clean rooms. The customer service was excellent and the staff do speak English (although we always try to speak French when in France). I booked this hotel because of the many positive hotel reviews I saw online.

Before I arrived at the hotel I actaully went on street view and was able to find the hotel easiliy – therefore on arrival from the Metro, I was able to see landmarks and I found the hotel very easily. The Opera District of Paris is very nice with many fancy and upmarket hotels, that’s not to say that the Hotel Opera Cadet is not upmarket – but we are talking 5 Star hotels which are out of my budget. The nice thing about this hotel is that it was good value for money in a district of Paris where you can be charged a lot for hotel rooms.

The Opera Cadet Hotel is located about 5 mins Metro ride from the Galleries Lafayette near the Opera district and the hotel is 1 minute from Cadet Metro stop down a quiet side street. Check-in is very efficient with the English speaking staff. The rooms are a good size (not huge, but adequate), with features such as TV, Air Conditioning (which can be very useful in July and August), a nice bathroom and some rooms have a small terrace which overlooks Rue Cadet. Rue Cadet is a small street with local traders, fruit shops and some very nice bistros at the end of the street which are enjoyable and cheap to eat in.

There is a delicious buffet breakfast service and breakfast is available from 7:30am to 10:30am with a wide variety of food to cater for all tastes. Friendly waiting staff are on hand to provide teas and coffees. A courtyard area at the back of the breakfast area allows for Al-fresco breakfasts – very Parisienne.

WiFi at the hotel is available but WiFi costs €5 per hour and reception is limited to the main areas of the hotel and was not available on the 2nd floor (This may have changed since my last stay at the hotel). This was the only issue for me. I always think Hotels should by default offer customers who are staying overnight, the benefit of Free Wifi. People who stay at hotels have already spent money in booking the room, but there is other revenue from areas of the hotel such as food, drinks and for hotels that offer activities such as golf, spa or leisure activities.

The Opera Cadet Hotel in Paris is one I will be returning to again, not only for the location, good breakfasts and nice staff, but also due to the fact that it is quiet, comfortable and great to come back to after a long day walking the streets of Paris.

Hotel Opera Cadet : Rated 3 star (continental rating)
Would Return: Yes
Would Recommend the Hotel : Yes
Hotel Opera Cadet Paris, Website : http://www.operacadet.com/

 

  • Service 94% 94%
  • Breakfast 85% 85%
  • Room 89% 89%
  • Would Return? 90% 90%
Hotel Location

Hotel Opera Cadet

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