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I'm martinpaling . I've been Qyping since 27-08-2009

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The Grapevine - Whitby

2 Grape Lane, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO22 4BA

19-10-2011

I was pleased to find this little cafe offering a separate Gluten free menu in their window. Sadly though once inside we were told that they had nothing for me because “it’s too hard to get hold of gluten free bread”

If only they’d taken the two minute walk to the local co-op store who sell two brands of gluten free bread!

Clifton Hotel - Scarborough

Queens Parade, North Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO12 7HX

27-08-2009 (updated on 10-08-2011)

I have mixed feelings about this Hotel. First off the good: Excellent location, beautiful views, wonderfully polite and pleasant staff.

Now let’s get to the bad: The dirtiest Hotel room I have ever stayed in! Our room had peeling damp wallpaper, strange stains near the tea and coffee making facilities, a strange damp smell, discoloured curtains and some of the filthiest windows i’ve ever seen.

What is so astounding is that the staff can come in and make the beds but not remove years of grime from the inside of the windows. They say the World War 1 poet wilfred Owen stayed here… I’m not sure they have cleaned it since he left!

I’ve added photos for you to see in the photo section above

Elsewhere the Hotel is in dire need of some TLC, corridors and hallways had peeling paint, wallpaper and damp stains.

It’s such a shame because it’s a lovely building and the staff I met (Waiters, receptionists) were very friendly and good at their jobs.

I was staying as a guest of my parents, had I not been i’d have complained because for £65 it’s an outrage that a hotel room could be so dirty.

Voodoo Consoles - Loughborough

40 Baxter Gate, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 1TQ

27-08-2009 (updated on 10-08-2011)

Amended 2011: Earlier this year Voodoo started to restrict the number of games you could trade in and no longer accept trade in games when buying a launch title. Apart from making it harder to “afford” the next must have new game a knock on effect is that they now have a very poor line up of trade in games. In previous years VooDoo was the place to go to pick up that “hard to find title” and more often than not you’d pick up more than you planned.

It’s now just so much easier to go to Game, or even Tescos. Sorry VooDoo!

People say that independent retailers cannot deliver the best prices. This just is not true of Voodoo. They consistently compete with the big chains in Loughborough and beat them.

Staff are friendly and knowledgeable and more often than not will have a chat with you until the next customer turns up.

The store is always clean and often themed for game launches.

Pop in a day early before title launch and if they have a game they’ll let you have it too.

Game - Loughborough

31-32 Carillon Court, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3XA

27-08-2009 (updated on 10-08-2011)

Well sized shop, good selection.

Trade in prices are not great.

Staff are friendly but always seem busy and unlike other stores in Loughborough have little time to talk.

Not a bad shop, if your in a rush its easier to get to than others

Royal Chequers Chinese Restaurant - Quorn

23 Loughborough Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 8DU

27-08-2009 (updated on 10-08-2011)

Updated for 2011

Have visited Chequers a number of times since my first review and my opinion has only improved. Having recently been diagnosed as gluten intolerant the Owner was only too happy to arrange for the chefs to cook me a completely gluten free meal.


Original Review:

I’ve only eaten from the Sunday Buffet here so cannot comment on their regular menu.

We popped in after a day walking in the countryside so didn’t look at our best. However the staff were courteous and welcoming.

The well designed interior makes up for the slightly aging exterior (so don’t let it put you off!)

Prices were good and the food on the Buffet was plentiful and well prepared… perhaps not as much choice as you would see in a chain or a larger restaurant but ample enough to give you plenty of choice.

Desserts were simple (Jelly, Ice Cream and Fruit) but enjoyable – and who ever has enough room for desert after a Chinese Buffet anyway?

Clifton Hotel - Scarborough

Queens Parade, North Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO12 7HX

18-02-2010

J'ai un avis assez mitigé sur cet hôtel. Commençons par les bons points : très bon emplacement, une belle vue, le personnel est très poli et aimable. Et maintenant les problèmes : c'est la chambre la plus salle où j'ai jamais passé une nuit ! Le papier peint se décollait des murs humides, il y avait des tâches bizarres près de la cafetière, une odeur d'humidité, des rideaux décolorés et des fenêtres dégoûtantes. Ce qui est frappant est que le personnel vienne refaire les lits mais n'enlève pas les années de saletés qui se sont accumulées sur les fenêtres. Le poète de la Première Guerre Mondiale Wilfred Owen a séjourné ici... je ne sais pas trop s'ils ont fait le ménage depuis son départ ! Si vous voulez, regardez les photos que j'ai prises dans la section photos ci-dessus, ou bien ici : http://martinpaling.com/2009/08/27/clifton-hotel-scarboro... Le reste de l'hôtel a aussi besoin d'une bonne rénovation (peinture qui s'en va, tâches d'humidités...) C'est vraiment dommage parce que c'est un bâtiment charmant et le personnel que j'ai pu rencontrer (serveurs et réceptionnistes) étaient très aimables et ompétents. J'y ai séjourné en tant qu'invité de mes parents, et je me serais plaint sinon... à 65 livres la nuit, c'est une honte qu'une chambre soit aussi sale.

The Plough - Galgate

Main Road, Galgate, Lancaster, Lancashire LA2 0LQ

12-10-2009

Stumbled into this warm and inviting pub on the way home from a weekend away.

Right away we knew we'd struck gold. The staff were very welcoming and the menu varied and exciting. I settled for a Steak and Ale Suet Pudding... before it even arrived I knew I'd be in for a treat, everyone around us were eagerly tucking into there dishes.

When our meals arrived we were not dissapointed, the puddings was cooked to perfection, the vegetables were obviously fresh.

Pub food: but done excellently, fairly priced, warm welcoming staff and environment. A Must!

J B Armstrongs Mill - Shepshed

173 Charnwood Road, Shepshed, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9NN

30-08-2009

There are two of these shops in the East Midlands, this one in Shepshed near Loughborough and the other in Ilkeston (Derbyshire). Both are fairly close to the M1 and have good parking.

The Shepshed one is well sized and offers a good range of ladies and mens clothing. You want find cutting edge fashion in here and most of the lines are aimed at middle age upwards. However if you are after a suit/outfit for a wedding or other occasion it’s well worth a visit as you can pick up some real bargains.

On my last visit I saw a pretty tasty, well cut dark pin stripe suit for £30! If you are a bloke who’s usually seen in jeans and t-shirt and need a budget suit for that one off occasion you can’t go wrong!

For the more adventurous there are an entertaining amount of almost psychedelic patterned and coloured “casual jackets” - great for your inner “dandy’!

Its also very handy for outdoor clothing, fleeces, waterproofs etc.

Womenswear is not quite as exciting but my partner managed to pick up a very nice evening dress last year for £20… possibly a “Klass”

There is also a small furniture department with some nice pieces, though the prices are not as good as the clothing.

Upstairs boasts an adequate range of house and kitchen wear… prices range from budget to reasonable. There is also a nicely sized cafe that serves hot meals and drinks. However like a lot of “backwoods” places in small towns they stop serving meals at 2pm hot sandwhiches and chips are avalible up until 4pm though.

The car park is on the other side of the street to the mill so be careful when crossing!

Next - Loughborough

17 Carillon Court, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3EA

30-08-2009

Agree with previous reviewer. This Next are dull… the whole brand needs a makeover.

The Loughborough store is so small that it’s almost next to useless (excuse the pun)

10/15 years ago Next was almost good value for money. These days it seems to have lost its way… It can’t compete with the cut price designer outlet stores and it’s lost the “budget own label” war (in my opinion) to Topshop and Gap.

Dog & Duck - Derby

London Road, Shardlow, Derby, Derbyshire DE72 2GR

28-08-2009

When I lived in derbyshire this was my local. Unfortunately two years ago the restaurant side took a real dive when the brewery decided to standardise it’s menu.

No more specials, no more chefs own. Popular dishes were removed and before long the Pub began to attract a very different crowd.

Basically the place went 100% boil in the bag. For example I once ordered the “mix grill” only to find they “didn’t have any” So I asked from them to just give me what they could from that dish… they said they couldn’t - basically the mix grills come in a “bag” so even if they have the separate “components” for other dishes they can’t put it all together!

Another annoyance is that once you were allowed to go to the bar to order your food. Now however you have to wait for a waiter/waitress… last time I visited we waited 10 minutes so in frustration I went to the barman to be told he couldn’t take the order and we’d have to wait.

So I went back to my seats… another 5mins the waiter finally turns up.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!