Profil von stardotboy

The Eden Lancaster hotel is a great place to stay when visiting Amsterdam. It’s situated just outside of the centre in a quiet part of town, but within walking distance of most shops and attractions. If walking isn’t your thing there’s a tram stop just outside the hotel.

The hotel itself is very well kept and the staff are polite and helpful. From my experience the rooms are a little on the small side, but tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean.

Meals were not included in the price and were rather expensive, but fortunately there are a number of nice cafes within a couple of blocks, so there are plenty of other options for food if you’re not inclined to stay in the hotel.

For the price and service I would happily stay in the Eden Lancaster again - a great hotel if you’re on a budget.

A bright, modern and friendly hotel in central Barcelona located right next to Sants train station.

Staff were friendly and very helpful - they took the time to share their knowledge of local attractions and wrote down useful information about getting about in Barcelona on arrival at the hotel.

The room was spotless and very well kitted out, with a good size widescreen TV, air conditioning, a sturdy safe and a huge bathroom. The bed was very comfortable although the sheets were a little thin for my liking.

Would definitely recommend this place as a base if you are staying in the city as the hotel is a very enjoyable place to stay and is also well connected to local transport links.

Parc Güell is one of my favourite parks in Barcelona - it’s particularly fantastic as you never quite know what you’re going to find around the next corner. It’s pretty high up which means some brilliant views over the city, though in hot weather some of the endless steps can seem daunting!

Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the city.

Some delicious and interesting burgers to be found on the menu here - though it is worth mentioning that if you’re not into burgers you won’t find much else to choose from!

Lately they have taken to offering some rather unique burger varieties such as buffalo and wild boar - I tried the buffalo which although unusual was particularly tasty.

There’s a good selection of beer on offer, and best of all some fantastic and satisfyingly huge milkshakes.

It’s a very neat, tidy and modern establishment, though points are lost for having a slightly clinical feel to the place - there’s not much of an atmosphere.

The food and drink is good value - expect to pay around £7 for a burger.

CEX is one of those shops that I would never have set foot in had I not read about it beforehand on the internet!

I was recently looking to trade in a games console and a few games so that I could buy a different console, and was browsing the net to find out where I could get the best price for it - normally I would have gone straight to GAME or GameStation but decided to see if I could get a better deal somewhere else.

The CEX website has an extensive list (updated weekly) of what they buy and sell, which details exactly the price you can sell items to the store for. The will buy a whole range of electronic stuff, such as DVDs, CDs, computing equipment, games consoles and mobile phones.

You’ll get a better price for anything you sell if you accept store credit rather than cash, though the cash sale prices are still impressive. For a lot of the second-hand games that I sold to them I got about 80% of the current RRP in cash!

It’s worth noting that in order to sell anything to them you will need to provide some ID to prove that you’re over 18.

In terms of criticism of the store, it looks a bit ragged, doesn’t sell anything that isn’t second-hand, and the prices for pre-owned media are a little on the high side compared to other high street retailers.

All in all a great place to check out if you’re looking to trade in some gadgets or games, with the added bonus of being able to see whether it’s worth your while heading in on the internet beforehand.

The AMC Great Northen cinema is slightly smaller than it’s main city-centre rival, the Odeon, but what it lacks in screen numbers it makes up for in service and value.

The screens themselves are smaller on average than those in the Odeon, however as it is a much quieter cinema you do benefit from a more intimate setting. Having said that, screens can still fill up on opening nights of big films, so it’s best to turn up early to get a good seat in these cases, as the front row seats are very close to the screen.

Ticket prices are slighly lower than those in the Odeon, although confectionary prices are, as with all cinemas I know of, extortionate. Fortuntately for money-conscious people like myself there’s a Sainsbury’s just across the road that sells a variety of chocolate and soft drinks (although no popcorn and hot dogs… perhaps they could still break into that market?)

In summary it’s the best city centre cinema if you’re looking for a quieter, more relaxed environment to watch a mainstream film. If you’re looking for greater choice of mainstream films it’s worth checking out the Odeon as an alternative, and if you’re looking for arthouse films you should look out for the Cornerhouse.

Compared to other TK Maxx stores, this city centre outlet is relatively well stocked and tidy.

For the uninitiated, TK Maxx offers big brand last-season clothing at discounted prices. In reality it is a giant jumble sale, where you have to do a fair bit of digging to find something worth buying - and when you have found something decent you’ll notice the discounts aren’t that massive.

Staff are pretty sullen, queues are problematic and the changing rooms leave a lot to be desired.

Given the strong local competition in clothing outlets it’s generally worth giving this place a miss.

Brighton Pier is one of those must-do activities when visiting the city, if only to gorge on fish and chips, candy floss and doughnuts! The more brave follow this up with a go on one of the rollercoasters, but it’s equally fun just observing the terrified faces of others from a safe distance.

Always a great place to spend a couple of hours, though expect to be hassled by any kids that are with you for money for the amusements!