January 30th, 2009
This week had me staying a couple of nights at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading. Sitting on the River Thames, it was easy to reach by car as I came into town from the general direction of Oxford.
I immediately thought this hotel was going to be nice as I pulled up. Not only did I find a car parking space right in front of the hotel; it looked modern stylish and well kept as I headed into the reception area. I was immediately greeted by a friendly chap who had all the paperwork prepared and having simply applied one signature I was on my way to the room. The lift door was a little slow in closing, I thought the floor button wasn’t working but apart from that it was smooth and importantly clean. Entering my room, I was again very happy. It was large, had a view of the river and included a seating area along with a desk and reclining chair to work at with full internet connectivity available. The bathroom although small was well appointed and sparkling clean. The complimentary toiletries were of reasonable quality and the towels soft and fluffy. Even the loo roll was more your Andrex, than your Aldi variety, which is a nice touch.. literally!
Anyway after I’d unpacked my case and hung the suit up I decided to try the Spa. The pool as you can see was very good indeed. Not your usual mis-shaped hotel pool, but properly square and 17 metres long, which allowed for a decent stroke. The Spa also included a very nice gym with a good range of equipment, although I only saw it through the window as I relaxed in the Whirlpool. Heading out, I passed a steam room, sauna and a number of treatment rooms. With nice chill out music playing in the background I could easily have forgot I was in Reading and might have imagined I was back in Cyprus.
With all this exercise behind me I decided to order up room service. Again I was delighted. The quality of the food really surprised me. None of the usual thrown together affair usual to hotels, but a well cooked meal. My rib-eye steak was cooked medium rare as requested and came with chunky chips cooked in Goose fat. (Note to Paul) They were cooked so well, they were not greasy at all. Nice, light and very tasty. A lovely meal all in all.
A good nights sleep lay ahead after I turned the air conditioning down to 18 degrees and waking up the next day I felt refreshed and ready to face the world. Before that breakfast in the restaurant lay ahead. A good breakfast was available with healthy choices all round. I went for cereal with added sunflower seeds which were to the side with other nuts and optional extras (a nice touch). I skipped the fry up, more out of will power than anything else, because it looked great. The coffee brought to my table was also very good. Smooth, full flavoured and freshly made.
The rest of my stay continued in the same veign. The service was excellent and because this is not one of the biggest Crowne Plaza hotels you come across it always had a nice local warm welcoming feel about it. I look forward to going back next week.
Pryordurkin rating. 5 stars.
Hotel Reservations: 0871 423 4896
Hotel Front Desk: 44-1189-259988
Posted in Accomodation