Last week I covered four Marriott-owned hotels in London. This week, we're heading north to take a look at a few other Marriott properties.
First, two "utilitarian" properties, one of which we've used quite a few times as "home base" when visiting the kids and one which was a recent stopover.
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| Newcastle Marriot Hotel Metrocentre |
The Newcastle Marriott Hotel Metrocentre is not one of my favorite Marriott properties, but it's located near an IKEA and the Metrocentre, which is Europe's largest indoor shopping center, located in Gateshead, in the far northeast of England. If you want to get to the Metrocentre from the Marriott, you actually have to walk across two giant parking lots, which I don't mind on a pleasant day, but find cumbersome in the rain or snow. Unfortunately, the train station is located inside the Metrocentre, which means if you're coming straight from the airport, you have to drag your bags across these parking lots, unless you can get really lucky with the shopping center shuttle.
This property is a bit older-feeling than most. It does have a couple of rooms that are considered "fanta-suites" which was kind of a cool concept in the 80s, but I can't imagine that I'd enjoy staying in a "Wild West" or "Arabian Nights" themed room these days. At any rate, the hotel itself isn't a place I particularly enjoy staying. The service and food are good, but not great, which pretty much sums up the hotel itself. But in a pinch, if I need a place to stay in the Newcastle/Gateshead area, the Metrocentre property is pretty much the most convenient Marriott in the area, so unless I discover something better, it's the "go to" place when we're in town.
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| Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County |
Not too far from Newcastle is the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County, where Leo took me for a birthday weekend. Situated on the banks of the River Wear, the Durham Marriott has sections dating back to the 17th century. Plus, bonus, it's located quite close to a dynamite pizza joint (LOL)! Seriously, this hotel was gorgeous and we had lovely service and food there (the dessert menu was particularly delightful). The hotel wasn't located too close to the train station, which means taking a cab (or a long walk, if you arrive late at night, as we did), but it is located close to Durham Cathedral, which is absolutely stunning. Walking around the town of Durham and investigating the castle and cathedral is a wonderful, romantic way to spend an afternoon, and finishing the day at this hotel is the perfect way to cap off a lovely day. I'm surprised that Marriott doesn't rank this hotel higher. I'm sure they have their reasons, but I think the Durham property is very nice.
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| Dalmahoy, a Marriott Hotel and Country Club, Edinburgh |
Hey, did you ever want to get lost in Scotland? Well, if that's what you're looking for, there's no better place than Dalmahoy, a Marriott Hotel and Country Club. Now, I can't complain much, as this particular hotel in Edinburgh is where Leo and I stayed over Valentine's Day weekend when Leo proposed to me. So I have very fond memories of this place. But I have to say, this hotel is one of the most confusing hotels I've ever seen, owing in large part to its historical architecture. There's just a lot of "you can't get there from here" to the hotel, as certain stairs lead to some corridors that don't connect to other corridors, and it's all very confusing.
The spa at the Dalmahoy is nice, but nothing particularly special, same with the restaurant, and the service is just okay. You can take a convenient bus into downtown Edinburgh, and the walk to the bus stop takes you across the hotel grounds, which are awfully pretty. I'm not a huge fan of golf courses in general, but this one is kind of nice.
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| Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel |
Similarly confusing and maze-like (albeit not nearly as visually appealing) is the Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel. I stayed here for a night recently. The room was pleasant, the pool was gorgeous (including a steam room, sauna, and cold pool), and they had what looked like a very nice spa. However...while the room service menu offered less pricey options than the actual restaurant, room service itself was highly inconsistent. The kids and I had room service twice and they forgot a couple of side dishes the first time, and forgot completely different items the second time. Plus, we ordered the same Spaghetti Bolognese dish both times, but it was prepared with spaghetti first, and penne the second time, which made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Still, the convenient location (just a very short and inexpensive shuttle ride from the airport) was worth it, and overall, both the kids and I had a good night's sleep, which is, after all, the entire point.
What it comes down to is that across the United Kingdom, Marriott has properties ranging from fabulous and incredible luxury hotels where you want to stay indefinitely to serviceable, convenient overnighters that deliver a tolerable place to rest your head.
Stay tuned for more hotel and condo reviews down the road!
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