goodwinmacc from Macclesfield on Qype

Heathrow Terminal 5 - Heathrow

Heathrow Airport, Heathrow, London UB7 0RF

1 28-04-2012

I just can't believe what I'm reading here! Terminal 5 may well be light, spacious and airy (i.e. nice to look at) but the whole business of getting through all the checking procedures is a nightmare and totally unnecessary for EU travellers. Two days ago, we came through it from Nice, en route to Manchester. Having been thoroughly searched, including 'frisking' in Nice, we were subjected in Terminal 5 to THREE passport checks inside 50 yards, and then another bag check. WHY? We had a connection to make, which made the whole procedure even more stressful. We saw even longer queues of the poor souls trying to get INTO this crazy country of ours, their first experience of Britain. Despite all this, people still manage to enter illegally, and on our way out to Nice, our flight was delayed because a passenger had managed to get on under the assumption that she was actually flying to PARIS!! (why would her ticket allow access to a NICE flight?).

Despite its size, this Terminal still rips off passengers. Even Wetherspoons was charging £2.50 for coffee and £3.00 for a fruit juice!

The name of the souvenir shop nearby summed it up neatly ---- it was called "Glorious Britain".........

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azdansk I agree with goodwinmacc – we just ended a European vacation that had connections through Terminal 5 both entering and departing Europe and I also do not understand how in this day and age the termiinal could not have been designed to handle security far more efficiently. Passengers on arriving aircraft should presumably be deemed “screened” and “secure”, having been checked before getting on their first aircraft, and therefore should be routed swiftly to their next connecting gate. To have to stand in several securiity lines and be re-screened is a complete waste of time. The airlines must understand this – our first connection was tight and BA had to provide a hostess to guide us through security using the “Fast” lanes. What a waste of money – to create special lines for “Fast” processing and hiring personnel to shepherd people through. If the terminal logistics had been desgined proplerly in the first place, these would not be necessary.

Nonetheless, England is a wonderful country and we enjoy visiting when we are able – it would just be nice to have a more pleasant experience transiting Terminal 5.

16 July 2012

Royal Northern College of Music - Manchester

124 Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester M13 9RD

5 24-03-2008 (updated on 21-07-2011)

If you’re a classical music fan, this place rocks! Apart from a very full programme of evening concerts, there are regular special weekends focusing on particular composers or instruments featuring both students and visiting professionals. There are also a fair number of jazz and world music concerts.
If you work in Manchester, try coming to the FREE lunchtime concerts on Thursdays (1.15pm) which feature all the various ensembles in the College.* Access is easy; just hop on one of the blue ‘Magic Buses’ at Piccadilly Gardens.

The current programme of events, including the lunchtime concerts, can be found on the website: http://www.rncm.ac.uk

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Masala Zone Restaurant - Covent Garden

48 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA

5 06-08-2010

Can't see many reviews here mentioning the natural appeal this place has for CHILDREN. We went with our grandson, who's generally a VERY fussy eater. The friendly staff were happy to accommodate what he likes and adapted the kid's menu accordingly. He was fascinated by the puppets everywhere, and was given colouring pencils too. The place was such a hit that we returned the following night for the early evening menu. As for us, well, we enjoyed the unusual Thaliis, fantastic value, and we liked the happy 'buzz'of the place as it filled up. Top marks!

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Restaurant Grill and green - Neustadt

Bleichenbrücke 9, 20354 Hamburg

4 31-03-2008 (updated on 24-11-2009)

We found this restaurant as we were looking for another (as you do!). Good, well-cooked food at reasonable prices (given its situation in the Bleicher-Passage), with a daily 'special offer'. Good selection of pasta dishes, grills and salads.
Friendly service.

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Sylk Restaurant - Macclesfield

3 Samuel Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6UW

4 08-01-2009

A recently opened restaurant offering beautifully-cooked modern cuisine at reasonable prices. We enjoyed the special lunch menu, offering soup and sandwiches, or main course plus glass of wine for £6.95. Choices include butternut squash risotto, chicken and spinach linguine or fish and homemade chunky chips. Service is exceptionally good. The lunch menu is expanded on Sundays to include 3 courses for £14.95, and the evening menu is 'A la Carte’. The large interior is nicely divided into cosier 'corners’. Do give it a try ---- Macclesfield needs a restaurant of this calibre!

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christmas market - Manchester

Albert Square, Manchester, Greater Manchester M2 5PE

5 17-11-2008 (updated on 17-12-2008)

I wonder how many people realise just how big this market is now. 200 stalls open this year, in six different venues in Manchester. It’s certainly more comprehensive than one we visited in Budapest last year. A few years back, I bought a table decoration in Berlin whilst on business near to Christmas time, and was mortified to find it being sold cheaper in Manchester’s Christmas Market! Moral of the tale? Save the money spent on expensive trips to markets abroad, and take a trip up North instead …..... you won’t regret it!

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Printemps - Paris

64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris

5 24-09-2008 (updated on 26-09-2008)

If you’re a shopaholic, this place will seem like seventh heaven whilst it burns a great big hole in your pocket!
I hate shopping, but loved the architecture (there’s a fabulous dome built in the 20s) and went there just to take in the most amazing view of Paris from the 9th floor Deli-cieux terrace cafe in the Printemps Maison building. Take your camera!

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L'Attirail - Le Marais

9, Rue au Maire,, 75003 Paris

4 24-09-2008

We found this place recommended on the Paris Info website as a decent venue for off-beat and world music. It’s a small cafe at the end of a narrow street full of Chinese restaurants, and every inch of the walls is covered with photos of musicians dating back 40 years or so. We had a great time, but were alarmed to find we were all of 30 years older than the oldest visitor in the cafe that night! The music changes nightly; we were entertained by a female singer who brought guitar, accordion….... and percussion instruments, which she proceeded to hand around…
The drinks are reasonably priced, and the simple but excellent food is cooked to order. Well worth a visit.

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The Great Oak Cafe - Llanidloes

12 Great Oak Street, Llanidloes, Powys SY18 6BU

5 09-06-2008

I would be happy to add the whole of Llanidloes to Qype, because this is a jewel of a small Welsh town that is all too easy to bypass; indeed, you have to take a deliberate turn off the A470 to find it. It is full of interesting privately owned shops, has a regular farmers' Market and lots of great places to eat.
The Great Oak Cafe is at the top end of Great Oak Street, and provides a mouthwatering range of wholefood and vegetarian dishes, all prepared on the premises. A blackboard lists daily specials for around a fiver. If you are lucky enough to visit on a sunny day you can sit outside at the front or in the historic enclosed yard at the back.

More details can be found on their website:
http://www.llanidloes.com/great_oak_cafe/index.html

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taverna dionysos - Budapest

Belgrád rakpart 16., V., 1056 Budapest

5 03-06-2008

The fact that this restaurant has an enviable view of the Danube and the Buda waterfront (surprisingly, a rarity for restaurants in Budapest) and its location close to the tourist mecca of Vaci Utca might well have put us off eating here, but it was packed and lively, and we soon discovered why. Service is prompt, friendly and efficient, the menu long and varied, and the prices reasonable ( 2 mains and a bottle of wine for about 10,000fts) All the Greek specialities you’d expect are there, plus a good selection of salads and vegetarian dishes. The decor is pure Greece too, all whitewash, blue tablecloths and shiny tiles. We missed out on a terrace table, having arrived just too late, but a reservation ensured this for us when we returned only two days later. Give it a try; you won’t regret it!

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