O perfil de sbkoch

I have had the same experience as some other reviewers in that apparently it gets quite booked up and there is a waiting time for appointments. For me, because I didn’t insist on a Saturday, it was about one month to wait (and then I was seen at 5.30 on a weekday, which is really a very nice way to end a working day).

The salon is in an unremarkable 60s office building in Abingdon. Parking is at the back. It’s not the nicest of surroundings, but I felt the salon were doing the best they could in terms of decoration and layout. I was seen promptly and from the start, felt treated in a friendly and competent manner by the therapist.

I had a body wrap, a facial and a massage. The body wrap was administered by one therapist, and a different one did the rest. Both were friendly and set me at ease. The treatments were all really lovely, and my skin felt smooth and pampered even the next day. In terms of the treatments, I only have two negative points to make: one, it was a bit cooler in the room than I like (but to put that in context, I am ALWAYS cold); and two, I had my head on a special pillow during the massage (rather than in a face hole) and that meant I had my head sideways, which wasn’t as comfortable.

All in all though, I give it 4 stars because even though the surroundings may not have been great, the therapists and the treatments were wonderful and the price was extremely reasonable.

Fairly large place on the main shopping street, this place is great for live music – they have themed nights, I went to the Reggae night and the performer, while performing just covers, was engaging and obviously had fun himself. It was packed (and this is very much off season, early December).
Prices – 6 Euros for a cocktail, 4 Euros for a non-alcoholic one: reasonable enough. The service was quick and efficient.

I was very impressed with this place’s service. The food as well, given that as a vegan I found nothing suitable on the menu, the chef came out and we went over the details and he came up with not one, but three bespoke creations that I could choose from. I had a starter and a main, both of which were spectacular.
The others in the group (of 11) all enjoyed their food, with the exception of a pancake for dessert which apparently wasn’t great.
We were all impressed with the service, two and sometimes three waiters (one, as the main waiter, made conversation and ensured we were happy at all times); and the freebies, which included fresh cheese & cured ham with warm bread for starters, and a variety of schnapps choices to finish.
The above is why I’m giving the place 5 stars. It could be said that the ambience isn’t greatly inspiring, and the place is small-ish, but I feel they deserve a 5-star rating nonetheless.

I’m with the previous reviewer about finding the place, truly a nightmare. Do not rely on your Sat Nav! They do have extensive directions on their website, the problem is just, until you’re there they really do not make much sense.
Having found the place eventually, the building works the previous reviewer was referring to are obviously finished and I have found the place looking clean and modern, with very good (helpful) reception staff. Dinner was served at the event I attended, as a hot buffet, and was actually very good.
I didn’t stay overnight, just for a conference event, and I would have given this place very good marks indeed if it wasn’t for the issue of finding them. Of course you can’t blame a place for where it is, but SIGNAGE would be immensely helpful and that IS something they could do!

As others have said, this shop is deceptively small outside – it’s huge inside, continues all the way to the road at the back. It’s a thin building, but long; I think this narrowness creates a crowded, uneasy feel I get in there, but it’s hard to pinpoint why. The place is usually quite full.

Downstairs comprises of arts and crafts materials, stationery and bestsellers; upstairs is a quiet book floor which is a much nicer place to be.

In terms of products available, this shop is very well stocked.

This is the nicer branch in Reading (there’s another one in the Oracle). A historic building and lovely atmosphere, very old-library-ish with dark furniture.

I like that they do authors signing and meeting events – a very special opportunity to meet local authors, which I somehow never hear about but I’ve dropped in sometimes, randomly, on Saturdays and there was someone there. Local authors are usually very approachable, friendly and interesting people to talk to.

As someone else has mentioned, this branch are happy to order you any book you may be looking for, if they don’t have it in store.

The one drawback for me is simply floor space, it’s a small shop and therefore the amount and choices of books they can stock is limited.

In the middle of a fairly built-up, residential area is this large park. It has a hill in the centre with a pub.

Facilities include tennis and football pitches, parking, public toilets. A miniature railway is open some of the time and is great fun, and the park often hosts steam fairs and the like.

There’s a (very little) lake, a wooded area, and lots of green land – with not a lot of paths in it. Which is great for playing games, not so great for walking across!

Due to its hilly terrain, running around the park isn’t very easy and there isn’t a consistent path on the inside of the park either… so for runners it can be a bit frustrating. If you like to challenge yourself on hills, however, this does the job!

This place is very popular with dog walkers too.

Looking for a place to keep working out through winter (as I don’t fancy the outdoors in driving rain / snow / sleet) my main criteria for a gym were:
- showering facilities
- varied early morning classes (6.30/6.45am) – not just spin!

That’s really all I asked. However, with this club I found much more. Having been a member of council gyms in the past, the quality of this place and the service have definitely won me over. Because I only want to visit the gym in the morning I got the off-peak membership and am paying less than its normal rate, and they were flexible enough to sell me a 3-month membership rather than locking me into a year. (granted, 3 months is more expensive each month, but my purpose was/is to get through winter – having said that however, I might get used to this!)

I’m enjoying this club because:
- the changing rooms / showers are fantastic – strong showers!
- free towel: no more need to bring in a towel and deal with the dampness
- lots of classes. Every weekday there’s a 6.45am class and they are different each day, a mix of strength & cardio
- large pool which is members only, so it’s unlikely that kids will be splashing around in it at any time. Certainly in the morning it’s quiet.
- free coffee in the morning! Great to take away after class, for the way into work.
- beautiful facilities overall. Feels clean.
- friendly, attentive staff everywhere, and lots of them.

As I said, after years of council gyms and cheap-ish private gyms, this place is a keeper.