Sunday 13 November 2011

Stop 5: Grand Central Glasgow

Stop 5 : THE GRAND CENTRAL
Glasgow. Ok so lets dispel some rumours. Glasgow doesn't always get a great press, and we were warned about not going out at night etc etc. ITS ALL RUBBISH!!
Glasgow is amazing. We found the people friendly, welcoming, funny, and the city is clean, well looked after and jam packed with things to do. Museums, art galleries (we'd recommend the GOMA), markets, churches, a Cathedral, Shopping.the list is endless and offers something for everyone.
The city is a lot more historical and cultural than we ever imagined. We needed much longer than two nights to cover everything.
The first day we were up early and so decided to try out room service. The breakfast was delivered at 7.15am, and does incur an additional cost but great quality food and still warm upon delivery.
We booked a day tour with Timberbrush out to the Scottish Highlands seeing among others, Loch Dormand, Loch Oich and of course the infamous Loch Ness where we had a half an hour cruise and visited the ruins of castle Urquhart. Would well recommend the tour, with Colin our knowledgeable and amiable tour guide/driver we saw so much more to the country than we ever would on our own steam.
Highlight too was meeting new great people on the tour - especially Kara the brilliant mining engineer from Australia who promised to take the challenge of trying haggis... and irn bru
Kara and Hayley C
After the long day's tour we were overjoyed to go back to the hotel and really get to explore our accommodation before heading to The Tempus Restaurant for dinner. We were upgraded to a twin executive room, with our beds draped in crisp white sheets and dark throws and matching pillows. The room was modern, but with high ceilings and pictures of trains and rails gave the room character, and reminded us that the hotel is part of the Central station built in the late 1800s.This quirky location and stunning exterior gives the hotel a unique selling point.

The beds were really comfortable and very generous with pillows. Although the hotel is located so close to the station we were not effected by any noise and had a pleasant nights sleep. The bathroom needs mentioning - we had a bath, separate shower, large mirror and so much space we could have got a bed in there. Luxury! Our room also had TV with free view, tea tray(including biscuits this time!), lots of cupboard space, ironing board and hairdryer...and bath robes and slippers. To be honest it was tempting to just stay in the room and chill out in our towelling robes!
Ok so perhaps not such little details but spectacular extras. The reception also offers a touch screen information point offering ideas of places to visit, bars, attractions.
We also noticed how popular the hotel was for events. Charity functions and weddings both took place during our stay and everyone seemed to be having a grand time!

The recent refurb is evident - the hotel is faultless - clean, almost sparkling! with little details that make the hotel feel special - a large drop chandelier down the staircase, a selection of old travelling trunks on the window sill, a grand piano, rail themed long canvas prints down to oversized hourglass shaped plant pots.

Down in the Tempus restaurant the staff were attentive, chatty and made the whole evening really pleasant. Hayley C had the sea bream as advertised in the menu 'winning dish for Scottish chef of the year' and Hayley A felt adventurous and tried the Venison en croute.
Absolutely beautifully cooked and presented and a great portion size. The food is reasonably priced and great selection that we hadn't seen in other Tempus branches. The restaurant itself is inviting and warm, we sat by the fire and was the perfect relaxing end to a busy day.
We finished the evening by staying in the hotel in the Champagne Bar...for quite a few hours! Overlooking the station concourse, Champagne central offers a great chic setting for all, the mirrored bar and the beautiful art deco chandelier are the vocal points of the bar. The menu is varied with cocktails, soft drinks and an extensive range of champagnes and wines suited to all tastes.
Breakfast, as you may already have realised is our favourite mealtime and so the Grand won us over with its offer of fresh pancakes! Notably impressive too was the presence of chefs cooking and topping up breakfast offerings. Really gave a sense that we were having fresh quality food.
We were spoilt for choice. The restaurant itself is a little small especially on the Sunday morning we arrived at the same time as a wedding party so tables were limited but they use the space they have well, using the adjoining Deli for overspill of guests and offering juice and pastries to those who did have to wait. It's a great example of quality customer service, and everyone left happy...and stomachs satisfied!
The hotel is perfectly located - aside from being part of a main train station it is around a 20 minute drive from the airport (airport buses are cheap at £7 for an open return) and surrounded by bus stops which take you all around the city, and of course being in the centre of Glasgow we could get to most places on foot. We wandered to the shopping streets on the Sunday, stopping at the famous Willow Tea Rooms on Buchanan Street. Not the high tea experience we were expecting but still delicious cakes and well needed hot chocolate.
We also took the City Sightseeing tour bus around the city taking in all the best sights, The Tall Ship, the amazing Cathedral and People's Palace - more than you can ever see in just one day, but great way to get an overview of the city.
We feel like parents admitting they have a favourite child, you know it's wrong BUT.... We have to admit that this is our favourite Principal Hayley hotel (so far.?!) The Grand Central is right up there on top. It is a great all rounder in a fantastic location and they really have an eye for customer service and quality. We would recommend the hotel to all, and will definitely be booking up again.
The Challenge is just getting better and better...
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