O perfil de lydiaw

This restaurant is an institution. The atmosphere is very relaxed and, at times lively, the staff friendly and helpful. The restaurant is set on two floors but try to book a table on the ground floor where you often see a number of celebs.

The menu is traditional English and the portions are large. The food is excellent and you will want three coures - though you may not make it! The wine list is also impressive and reasonably priced for the West End. Book a table when you are able to spend the whole evening enjoying the restaurant, this is very definitely not a pre-threatre eatery.

For those who know Tunbridge Wells of old, this is the old Weekes department store and it is fortunate that Hoopers is very much of the same mould, especially as there are so few real departments stores around these days. It is not a cheap place to shop but that is because it sells the quality products that are not available in the high street shops. It has an excellent stationary department, beauty, shoes, womens and mens fashions, kitchen and home furnishings. There is a children’s department although this is not very substantial and is really a little disappointing.

The cafe upstairs is a great place to stop for a cup of tea or even a light lunch.

It is worth getting a store card, if only for the sales. There is also a car park to the rear of the store that is for store card holders only!

This is a great place for lunch or an evening meal. It is predominantly known for its steak and frittes although other options, such as a mixed grill or chicken, are obviously available.

Steaks come in different shapes and sizes and different sauces and the steak comes on a platter sitting on a flame plate warmer so that you can take your steak from the platter a little at a time and the remainder is kept warm.

The quality of the food is excellent and the restaurant is light and airy with professional, polite waiting staff. Because of its location in Jermyn Street, this is an excellent restaurant for business entertaining at lunch time or a break in shopping or pre-theatre meal.

This is a tiny little unmanned station with trains to Eastbourne and London, via Lewes.

Unfortunately, because of the size of the station there is only one train an hour in each direction, apart from during rush hour, but if you know you will be able to get a particular train, it is a very convenient station.

During rush hour times, trains also run to and from London Bridge.

There is a small car park, shared with the East Sussex paragliding club, and it is free!

Although it is an unmanned station, any problems that occur with trains is piped through the loud speakers, presumably from Eastbourne so you are not just left standing.

This is the ferry journey that connects Lymington (Hants) to the Isle of Wight at Yarmouth.

In the summer months, crossings are every half an hour and the journey time is also half an hour. The ferry takes foot passengers, cars, coaches, lorries etc. A foot crossing is quite cheap but for cars this is, per mile, probably one of the most expensive crossings in the world! I believe that the price of the car ticket is more expensive on Fridays and weekends during the summer.

If you are staying in the area, I have to say that this crossing is one of the prettiest ferry trips you are ever likely to take and worth the crossing across to Yarmouth just for the sake of it. Yarmouth is not big but it is possible to have a wander around and some lunch to make a day of it.

To get to the ferry terminal either drive round from Lymington Town, follow the signs from the bottom of the town, or take the train from Lymington to the Ferry terminal, it takes about three minutes but is a much longer route to walk.

In summary, a lovely ferry crossing and worth taking it for a day out but an expensive car journey.

This is a fabulous, small family run hotel with an outstanding restaurant. I believe that Kinloch Lodge used to be the hunting lodge of the Macdonald family and the current owners are Lord and Lady Macdonald. The lodge is now a hotel and a new house has been built across the grass from the lodge.

The bedrooms are very comfortable and beautifully appointed although one or two are rather small. This is, however, to be expected from an old building.

Before dinner, guests are invited to take a pre-dinner drink in the drawing room and, it being Skye, a Tallisker is a must!

The dining room is spacious and the tables are well set with plently of room between them. The menu is of traditional Scottish fayre and the produce largely local and excellently cooked. Lady Macdonald is a celebrated cook and holds cookery courses at the hotel and has also published a number of books. The breakfast is also substantial and of exceptional quality. Staff are friendly and very helpful and you are made to feel extremely welcome during your stay.

A stay here is not cheap but really is a treat and worth every penny.

This is one of the most stunning places that I have ever stayed. You travel to Iona via Mull, where you have to leave your car, and get the ferry to Iona. There are two hotels on Iona and St Columba’s is one of them. It is set a little away from the port where you get off the ferry. As you cannot take your car over to Iona, the hotel will meet you to pick up your luggage.

The hotel is a short walk up towards the Abbey and you walk past walled gardens on the way, that belong to each of the two hotels and are, in fact, their own organic vegetable gardens.

The hotel is very eco friendly and the rooms are basic but comfortable. There are no televisions and the soap is an eco-friendly brand. The hotel is lovely and bright and there is a wonderful area with large windows where you can sit and enjoy tea. The tea is fabulous with a choice of home made cakes and scones - beware, the portions are huge so you only need one scone or one piece of cake!

There is no licenced bar but alcohol is available with dinner which is just superb. I can honestly say that the dinner I had here was some of the best food I have ever eaten. The produce is largely grown in the hotel’s own garden, fished locally or reared locally, although beef, venison comes from the mainland but is still excellent quality. I had a scallop starter that was out of this world and my main course and pudding were also excellent.

The dining room is a nice size and there is plently of room between tables. The staff are exceptionally friendly and helpful and the whole experience, both the stay and dining, was one of the best I have ever experienced.

Iona itself is a stunning island with some lovely walks and stunning beaches. We stayed for two nights and will definitely go back for a further visit.

This is a lovely hotel with a lot of character. It is set up the hill towards the Castle and is, therefore, in a great position. As it used to be a school, the hotel is set around a quad, with the quad now forming the car park. The rbedooms and a leisure centre, with swimming pool and gym, are set around the quad.

The quality of the rooms is very good and they are well presented and comfortable. There is a bar with a small tv room. This, again, is nicely presented but the service can be poor here. The coffee is also poor and not recommended. There is a large dining room which serves a good breakfast but unfortunately falls very short for dinner. I have eaten here a number of times as I have booked a special hotel offer that includes dinner and have been disappointed on each occasion. I no longer book these special offers and have dinner elsewhere in Stirling.

The only other downside is that the car parking can become a problem as the leisure centre is open to the public for membership. The hotel also appears to host a lot of conferences so parking can be at a premium.

As a hotel to stay the night and have a good breakfast, it is excellent.

This restaurant has been around for years and, I beleive, has a loyal following. It is like a small French bistro and there are tables both upstairs and downstairs.

The food is very much French bistro food, good, traditional French cooking. Pate and bread or soup to start and steak and frittes to follow. Chocolate pot or cheese to finish. The wine is good qality and not too expensive.

The tables are small and close together but there is a lot of atmosphere here. In the summer there are tables outside also.

I think that if you are expecting a proper restaurant you will probably be disappointed but if you are looking for somewhere less formal where you can have a nice bottle of wine and dip your bread in your food, you will have a great meal.

If you like Greek food, you will love this restaurant! Just off the West End Lane between West Hampstead and the Finchley Road, not far from West Hampstead tube station. The staff are very friendly and helpful and the food is extremely good. The atmosphere is also very good. I have been here with Greek friends and they also think the quality of the food is very good.

The Mezze to start with is highly recommended and the staples of mousaka, lamb and kebabs are all available for mains and come in substantial portions. My problem is always that the menu and food is so good it is hard to make a choice.

There is a small dining space available outside and this is nice on a hot summer evening. I would recommend booking at weekends and I believe that take aways are available, although I have never had one.