Tag Archives: #Hilton Honors

Recovering at the Hilton Metropole Florence

June 10, 2018 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

After an accommodation mix up after leaving Naples, then a mad panic and a quick phone call to AIRBnB, we ended up getting some affordable accommodation at the Youth Hostel Firenze 2000 for a couple of nights before heading to the Hilton Metropole Florence for some well-earned rest.

Where to stay in Florence, Italy | Hilton Metropole Florence | Places to stay in Italy | Places to stay in Florence | 5 star hotel | Accommodation in Florence — The fast flowing Arno river through the middle of Florence

Now, if you haven’t been to Florence you are in for a real treat. Located in the heart of Tuscany, Florence is a beautiful city well worth the visit and time to explore. Discover the history of the city, see the statue of David, walk back into medieval times and marvel at the Florence Cathedral. Alternatively, browse the stores, buy a Florence puzzle ring or cross the Arno River via the spectacular Ponte Vecchio. Oh, and don’t forget to indulge in the Gelato and Pizza.

The hotel for this leg of our stay in Florence is the Hilton Metropole Florence. The hotel is a situated outside of the main city centre (11.5km) but fairly central to the airport (5.5km) and the train station (7km).

As we were travelling to the hotel from the Youth Hostel Firenze 2000, we found the best and cheapest way to travel was by the local bus. So after a quick Google Maps search we had the best way to get to the Hilton Metropole Florence. We then paid for a ticket at an authorised tabbachi shop (tobacconist) and hopped on the bus heading in the right direction. Local bus tickets are valid for 90 minutes and tabbachi shops are widely distributed around the city.

On arrival to the hotel we enter the lobby with the reception area to our left. We are greeted by the hotel manager and because we are a little early our room was not ready. We are checked in and offered to wait in the Executive lounge on the fifteenth floor. Here we can rest, relax, have some drinks and snacks and take in the view before our room was finalised.

Once our room is ready we are escorted and shown around our room. The King Executive room is nice with a plain contemporary styling. The room contains a King-sized bed, a desk, in room coffee and tea facilities and a television. It’s nothing fancy but functional.

The bathroom is clean with supplied toiletries and large towels. The shower is positioned over the bathtub with a small glass protector assisting to keep the water in the tub. The hot water supply is good, and the water pressure is constant.

As mentioned above the Hilton Metropole Florence is a far distance away from the Florence city centre, therefore to accommodate the travel distance the hotel offers a free shuttle bus service. The shuttle drops guests and picks them up from the main train station at set times during the day. You just need to book your space at the front desk.

If you’d rather spend the day around the hotel, then the Hilton has some facilities that may tickle your fancy. You can spend some time in the gym, patterned recovery pool or have a massage in the neon lit rooms.

Alternatively, you can dine in the restaurant or met some other guests in the bar or executive lounge. We spent some time in the executive lounge during the evening, mingling with the guests. We were also lucky enough to meet an amazing couple from Balcombe, England who we spent time with during our time in the UK. It’s incredible who you will meet during your stay at the Hilton. I know that our new friends will be lifelong ones.

As we stayed in an Executive room we had the option of having our breakfast either in the main dining area or in the executive lounge. Both breakfasts were good, but there is of course a better range of choices in the main dining area, although the executive lounge is much quieter.

The Hilton Metropole Florence is a nice comfortable hotel which offers its customers a respectable product. Unfortunately, the distance from the city is quite substantial. The local surrounds are fairly limited with a small shopping centre next door with a couple of restaurants and discount stores. The hotel bus is a godsend if staying here, as you will need it to travel into the city centre. Make sure you get in early to book your seats and plan your day well to ensure you can get the bus back.

Overall, I’d stay in the hotel again as the staff are friendly and the service is good. Do yourself a favour and book an executive room to gain access to the executive lounge and make sure you make good use of the gym and pool. So, enjoy your stay at the Hilton Metropole Florence and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Where to stay in Florence, Italy | Hilton Metropole Florence | Places to stay in Italy | Places to stay in Florence | 5 star hotel — Pin Me!

Additional Information for the Hilton Metropole Florence

Address: Via del Cavallaccio, 36, 50142 Firenze FI, Italy
Ph: +39 055 78711
Website: www.hilton.com

Book your stay at the Hilton Metropole Florence now with Booking.com

Prices of accommodation per night at the Hilton Metropole Florence

Ranging from USD$142 (AUD$190) – USD$202 (AUD$270)

Check in: 1400hrs Check Out: 1200hrs

*Post Contains Affiliate links, please help us maintain this site by booking your accommodation via the booking.com link or Tour via the Urban Adventures Link.

Asia, Hotels and Accommodation

Indulging at the the Hilton Dead Sea Resort

November 7, 2017 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

Jordan has always held a little intrigue as a place to visit. I of course knew about the magnificence of historical Petra, seeing it a few times on travel shows and in blockbuster films. Yet, Jordan is so much more than that. There is some awesome protective reserves and it also boasts the lowest place on Earth. At 450 metres below sea level the Dead Sea is an attraction that in my mind must be visited. During our journey in Jordan, we couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a dip in the Dead Sea whilst staying at the brand-new Hilton Dead Sea Resort.

Where to stay at the Dead Sea — Looking out over the Dead Sea from the Hilton Dead Sea

The brand-new Hilton Dead Sea Resort is approximately 7 months old opening in early 2017. We travelled from Jordan’s capital city Amman via driver transfer for 50JOD (AUD$90). There are probably cheaper ways to travel to the Dead Sea, but we opted for door to door service and sat back and enjoyed the one and a half hour drive. Prices do vary so make sure you are happy paying the price before jumping in the taxi or private driver.

Situated alongside the vast expanse that is the Dead Sea, the Hilton Dead Sea Resort is a well secured facility with guards only allowing listed guests through the checkpoint. Our car is checked we drive down into the hotel and are greeted by the Hilton’s helpful staff. Once you enter the lobby you are again greeted at a security checkpoint for a luggage scan (like at any airport). They take their security seriously at the Hilton!

Where to stay at the Dead Dea? — The large lobby area inside the Hilton Dead Sea Resort with its central water feature

The main lobby of the Hilton Dead Sea Resort is incredibly large, the reception desk is to the right with a cafe/bar to the left. You can’t help but stop and look at the spectacular view of the Dead Sea straight ahead of you.

We are greeted by the smart-looking staff, checked in and escorted to our room in the Marhaba section. The hotel is divided into sections like Marhaba and Petra, so guests can find their way back to their rooms easier.

The King guest room allocated to us is wonderfully decorated with a stunning view over the hotel pools and Dead Sea.

The room contains a safe, ironing board, television, table and chairs and King bed. After a short time, we were delivered a nice welcoming treat of fruits, nuts, macaroons, and chocolate.

There is a large bathroom area and separate toilet, for your added comfort. The only thing we could pick on was the only power point that the hairdryer could be plugged into near a mirror was next to the front door. Surprisingly, not in the bathroom area.

The hotel oozes luxury with its pools and private white sanded beach leading to the slick salty water. Stylish restaurants, cafes and bars are positioned around the complex to eat, meet and greet other guests. So, you can easily stay within the resort for your entire stay and not be disappointed.

The hotel has multiple pool areas. From the adult area with poolside bar to the family area and kids club. Towels for the pool are supplied by the hotel, with pool attendants available to take your food and drink orders. The family pools have lifeguards to ensure the safety of your family.

Most people come to the Dead Sea to float around and experience this remarkable phenomenon. The mud contains healing properties so there are mud basins and mirrors available for you to apply the thick rich mud. After fifteen minutes you then hop into the Dead Sea to wash off. Make sure you read the warning boards before you take a dip as the high salt content can be harmful if inhaled or ingested. Additionally, it can be uncomfortable if you have a cut or abrasion.

Breakfast is served in the Spectrum Restaurant and Executive Lounge daily. They provide an extensive range for breakfast from a continental breakfast to individually ordered plates. It’s the ideal way to start a relaxing day.

The Hilton Dead Sea Resort, reminds me a lot like a cruise ship, everything you want to make your stay comfortable is right there. You really don’t have to leave the resort to have an enjoyable stay. Yet, saying that if you did want to adventure away from the resort, the concierge can help you to organise a tour. Subsequently, if you’d rather go it alone, the AVIS car rental booth has vehicles available.

Overall the Hilton Dead Sea Resort is a beautiful place to stay. As active travellers, it was actually nice to rest and lounge by the sea for a day. It was also special to stand outside during the evening and watch the sun setting over the Sea. I do recommend taking a dip in the Dead Sea. The water feels oily and leaves a filmy residue on your skin, but the sense of just floating around is quite appealing. With plenty of food options and a Kids Club it is an ideal place for a family to base their Jordan stay. So, why not head there today and tell them, Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional Information for the Hilton Dead Sea Resort

Address: Dead Sea Road، Sweimeh 11953, Jordan
Ph: +962 5 349 3000
Website: www.hilton.com

Book your stay at the Hilton Dead Sea Resort now with Booking.com

Prices of accommodation per night at the Hilton Dead Sea Resort

Ranging from 111 JOD(AUD$205) – 449 JOD(AUD$830)

Check in: 1400hrs Check Out: 1200hrs

*Post Contains Affiliate links

Australia, Hotels and Accommodation

Heading out for a night at the Hilton Adelaide Hotel

January 2, 2017 OurWorldinReview 2 Comments

I know I might be biased but the city of Adelaide and the surrounding wine areas are a fantastic place to visit and live. This has been endorsed by travel reporting mega giants the Lonely Planet with Adelaide and South Australia being ranked number 5 in the best regions to visit in the world (woo hoo, home town pride). This fabulous endorsement means additional visitors to Adelaide and with many good hotels in Adelaide, where should you stay? Our team headed into town to see what the Hilton Adelaide Hotel has to offer.

When you know where you’re going and are considering booking a hotel, what are the things you look for? Do the hotels need to offer other facilities like, gyms, swimming pools, restaurants, health spas, business centres or bars? Or are you just looking for a clean room to sleep in free of those pesky bed bugs? Are you a hotel shopper, looking for the best price, or are you loyal to a particular hotel brand?

Hotel loyalty may be new to many of you, but like airlines, hotels offer their customers the option of joining their loyalty programs. If you tend to spend a lot of time in hotels, then remaining loyal and amassing your stays or nights within a certain hotel chain is the way to go. The Hilton Adelaide Hotel is such a hotel that offers its customers earned benefits when staying at any Hilton branded hotel. Their Hilton Honors program allows qualified customers chances for room upgrades, complimentary breakfasts, and access to their executive lounges to name a few.

Hilton Hotel Adelaide — Victoria Square Water Fountain

As recent Hilton Honors Gold members, we thought we’d experience the benefits for ourselves. We decided to book a King Hilton Guest Room and made our way into the city. The Hilton Adelaide Hotel overlooks Victoria Square in the heart of the city.

Adelaide Hilton Hotel — Reception Desk – Welcome to the Hilton Hotel Adelaide

Upon entry into the hotel the reception desk is located to the left and the Collins Bars is down a short corridor on the right. On check in the hotel staff were very friendly and we were immediately upgraded to a King Hilton Executive room.

King Executive Room at the Hilton Hotel Adelaide — King Executive Room

We were soon in the elevator and making our way up to our room. The King Hilton Executive Room are quite spacious with plenty of room to swing a cat (no animals were harmed during the review of this hotel). There are complimentary magazines and water available in the room and the Wi-Fi is easy to access and free. The King sized bed is very comfortable with your choice of pillows, based on your preferences.

Rooms offer the usual features like a television with local and paid channels. There is also a selection of in-house movies available. Coffee and tea is also provided and the extremely old bar fridge is fully stocked. The room also has a safe for the security conscious, an iron and ironing board, and a hair-dryer for the large bathroom.

The bathroom is large and contains a bath tub and a separate shower cubicle. Bathroom amenities and towels are refreshed with the room serviced daily.

By booking the King Hilton Executive room or having enough hotel status provides access to the executive lounge on the sixteenth floor. The comfortable lounge is a good place to relax, catch up on some reviews on your laptop or at the desktop computers provided. You can help yourself to the complimentary drinks or snacks like these beautiful macaroons.

The Hilton Adelaide Hotel offers many other facilities for their customers. Their small Swimming Pool is located on the first floor balcony. Amazingly, this balcony area is a little stark, one end of the balcony has the pool and the other half is just a large empty space. This large area could be utilised a lot better to give the hotel added value, something like a balcony bar or outdoor dining area.

The Gym is also located on the first floor which looks out across the pool. This fully equipped gym with an attached spa and sauna area is immaculate, well presented and everything you want from a gym.

If you don’t want a full gym workout then the hotel also has a tennis court and small running track.

If you are getting hungry or thirsty then head to the ground floor and get comfortable in the popular Collins Bar, or feast at Coal Cellar + Grill the Hilton’s on site restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served at Coal daily. We decided for breakfast at Coal and with an enormous selection of food options, you will not go hungry eating here.

Overall the Hilton Adelaide Hotel provides good service to its customers, with comfortable well maintained rooms. Some of the furnishings and facilities like the tennis court and pool area are out-dated but the hotel is working to rectify this. The hotel has an excellent restaurant in Coal Cellar + Grill and the popular Collins Bar is always good for a relaxing nightcap.

The Hilton Adelaide Hilton experience was definitely worth it, and they have rooms available from the standard guest room to executive room and suites. So book a stay today and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Additional information

233 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: +61-8-8217-2000
Website: www.3.hilton.com

Rooms available from approximately AUD$150 – AUD$400 per night

Restaurant bookings and menu for Coal Cellar + Grill

Book your stay today at the Hilton Adelaide Hotel

Join Hilton Honors Loyalty Program

Hilton Adelaide Hotel Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Service = 9
Comfort=9
Cleanliness = 9
Price = 8
Facilities =8

Overall = 8.5

*This post contains affiliate links

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Australia, Hotels and Accommodation

Doubletree by Hilton, Flinders Street, Melbourne

August 10, 2016 OurWorldinReview Leave a comment

Melbourne is one of those cities where staying for one day or overnight doesn’t do it any justice. There is so much to do in Melbourne and the surrounding areas. Why not stay for a week or two and enjoy all it has to offer? The City of Melbourne has many accommodation options for travellers, depending on the amount they wish to spend. The Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street, is one of those reliable mid-market hotels that offers quality service to their visitors.

When we travelled to Melbourne recently, we opted to stay at the Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street, due to its handy location. We have been to Melbourne many times so we decided to walk from the Skybus stop at the Southern Cross Station to the hotel. The walk takes about 10-15 minutes and is perfect on a nice sunny day. The entrance is a little bit setback into the wall so if you aren’t concentrating, you can walk straight by. So be careful, unless you enjoy walking and backtracking.

Upon entry into the hotel foyer, you are greeted by a large reception desk on the left hand side. From the initial appearance you can see this hotel has incorporated so much into its limited floor plan. This open area alone holds the main reception, the bar and the dining area. In fact the reception desk and the bar is one continuous desk. This means there is always someone available to help you with your booking or serve your drinks.

If you decide to have breakfast included in you accommodation stay then the Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar is where you will find a nice spread of breakfast options, in a comfortable dining area.

Breakfast Buffet at the Platform 270 restaurant and bar — Breakfast Buffet at the Platform 270 Restaurant & Bar

The hotel receptionist was very friendly and once the check in process was done they gave us the signature warm and delicious chocolate chip cookie Doubletree are known for. They also mentioned that you could keep coming back for more of them, but we didn’t take them up on the tempting offer. Check in is usually set for 3:00pm but if your room is available they will allow early access. Subsequently if it is not ready they will store your baggage whilst you explore this amazing city.

A hotel can win you or lose you based on the first impression of the room. In this instance the Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street does not let you down. Upon entry you can tell the house cleaning staff take pride and care in the rooms they present. Our room wasn’t large, but it was clean. No musty smell, no mould in the bathroom, and no evidence left from the previous tenants.

Hotel Bed, with clean sheets — Queen Room, good to see a clean fresh smelling room

The bathroom was in pristine condition and well stocked with hotel accessories. The water pressure in the shower and hand basin was fantastic, the toilet was clean and there is enough bench space to hold our toiletries and hair dryer. As standard the room had a fridge, coffee-making facilities, an in-room safe and guest robes. The television was large with a good selection of in-house films or cable television channels. Wifi is free as a Hilton Honors member, so it’s a good idea to sign up before visiting.

Clean hotel bathroom perfect — No water streaks in that mirror, shiny bath tiles. Nice clean bathroom

For the fitness fanatics, the gym is located on the first floor, along with the function and conference rooms. The gym room itself isn’t large, but they have two treadmills, an exercise bike and an elliptical machine. There is also a good range of free weights and a weight machine offering different exercise options.

hotel gym, treadmills, weights — The 1st floor gym, if you can’t work up a sweat in here, you’re not doing it right!

We didn’t eat in the hotel, but it is worth noting they offer room service in case you decide to eat in, or you can try Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar. From what I hear the food is pretty good, and we saw that the dining area is nicely set out.

kitchen area platform 270 restaurant and bar — Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar Kitchen

The Verdict

The Doubletree by Hilton is located at 270 Flinders Street, Melbourne across the road from the Flinders Street Station. The average room price per night ranges between AUD$200-AUD$400 depending on the type of room you want and the dates you require. Bookings can be made through here.

We found the hotel comfortable, accessible and helpful. The CareLine service will assist you with most of your additional needs. We required a corkscrew and it was brought to our room within minutes.

The best way to get to the Doubletree by Hilton from the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport is by the Skybus service. A round trip ride is currently AUD$38 for an adult or family of four (2 adult and 2 children). The Skybus will take you to the Southern Cross station. There you can either use their free hotel shuttle service for CBD hotels, walk, take a taxi or catch a tram using a MYKI card which you can purchase from the train station.

Our team would happily recommend the 4 star Doubletree by Hilton hotel on Flinders Street. If you’re going to Melbourne check out their rates and if you book, tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Service = 8
Comfort=8
Cleanliness = 9
Price = 7
Facilities =8

Overall = 8