Posts Tagged ‘happy hour’

2 Nov

Double Tree by Hilton, 1515 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Posted by Val Penny in Hotel Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

My husband and I recently had a wonderful vacation in Washinton DC, USA. We met up with friends who live in a different part of the country and we all met up in Washington DC and stayed at the Double Tree by Hilton, 1515 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA. The hotel is nice and central. It is situated equi-distant between Du Pont Circle and Macpherson Square metro centres.dc-coffee-table

This Double Tree by Hilton is adjacent to Scott Circle Park. My husband and I took a junior suite on the 7th floor. It was to the front of the hotel, so it was a little noisy, especially at the wekends, however, the room had pretty views over the park. This was clearly, once, an upscale hotel in downtown D.C. and is near the White House. However, the Hotel would now benefit from investment.

The carpets are a bit worn, the colour schemes are dated and the furnishings have seen better days. However, our suite offered really good value for money and our friends, who took a standard room, were also satisfied. The rooms all have large, flat-screen TVs and WiFi (for which there is a small fee if you are not a Hilton Honours member) The beds are large and comfortable. All suites add separate kitchen and living areas and ours also had a granite wet bar and a large bathroom.dc-bed

The bistro is disappointing. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it is dark, dull, dated and understaffed. It offers contemporary American cuisine which is tasty, but the menu never changed the whole period we were there. There is a bar which has a “Happy Hour” lasting around 4 hours! It serves signature drinks and is busy and clearly popular. Unfortunately, it too suffers from dated furnishings and understaffing.  The amenities of the hotel also include a fitness center, valet parking (for which there is a fee) and a business centre. The rooms are clean and the bathrooms spotless. I did like the big, fluffy bath towels.dc-tv

Having said all that, this Double Tree by Hilton benefits from the most charming, helpful and dedicated staff. The majority of them could not do enough for us. Only one or two seemed to be going through the motions. The staff of the Double Tree by Hilton, 1515 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC is a great asset. We were all made to feel welcome and valued. At present this is a good hotel in a great situation with great staff. With some investment and modernising it would be a great hotel too. I will use it again, and recommend it.

Valerie Penny

Advertisement

13 Mar

Azzuro, 35 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QJ, England

Posted by Val Penny in Restaurant Review. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , .

Azzuro is an Italian restaurant near London Bridge Station in London, England is on the main road and is easy to azzurrafind. Azzurro  is located on Tooley Street, opposite the entrance to the London Dungeon. It is a modern restaurant is open from midday until late seven days a week, serving top quality, freshly prepared, great value, Italian food. The downstairs bar comes to life in the evening and has a daily happy hour in the bar between 5pm and 8pm. It is a veritable tardis.  Azzuro looks tiny from the street, but it seems quite roomy when you get inside. My husband and I joined our daughter and son-in-law for dinner there when we were visiting the big smoke recently. It is always good to see them.

The restaurant was warm and the tables are not too close together.  Also, the restaurant was not too noisy. We could have a conversation. However, it was busy and I would recommend booking a table. The lavatories are downstairs where there was a bar with music and lots of atmosphere. There are also stairs to get to different parts of the restaurant, so I would not recommend Azzuro to those with physical disabilities or mobility problems.

restaurantImgThe staff in the restaurant were very polite and efficient and the menu is large and varied. Drinks arrived quickly and we did not have to wait too long for our meals. We started with a selection of black and green olives and breads to share. They really were delicious and the breads included onion bread, tomato bread, garlic bread and whole grain varieties too.  My husband is not that fond of olives, so he chose the bean soup. It was very thick and hearty with a wide variety of vegetables and beans in it. He really did enjoy it.

Our main courses were all different. My daughter chose a pasta dish, while my son-in-law had a pizza. They had had busy days at work and I was glad to see them both tucking into their dinner. My husband chose a steak. He was mapLondonBridge2delighted because it was cooked exactly the way he likes it and it was very tender. I was not so keen on my vegetarian rissotto. It sounded much more interesting than it was. Even black pepper and parmesan cheese could not save it. Still, three out of four ain’t bad!

We finished up with a selection of teas and coffees. There is a wide variety of tea and the coffee is a delicious blend. The restaurant offers good food, a friendly ambiance and excellent value for money. I would certainly visit Azzurro again, but I will not have the vegetarian risotto.

Valerie Penny