Free Wi-Fi at Heathrow Berkeley Apartments

Yes please, free Wi-Fi!The Berkeley Apartments are offering customers free internet access. The Berkeley Apartments are located just one mile from Heathrow Airport and you can use free public transport to the apartments from all the Heathrow Airport terminals. These modern, well appointed apartments are a great choice for a stay at Heathrow Airport offering studio and one bedroom apartments. For more information please go to Berkeley Apartments in our self catering hotel section. For Heathrow Airport news and other hotels offering free Wi-Fi please visit our CUin Heathrow website.

Free Wi-Fi at Hilton London Heathrow Terminal 5

The newly opened Hilton London Heathrow Terminal 5 offers guests complimentary Wi-Fi. This spectacular, recently opened hotel is located close to terminal 5. For more information and to check availability and prices please visit our luxury hotel section on www.cuinheathrow.com.

Free Wi-Fi at Radisson Edwardian Heathrow

Ok, we have identified our first hotel at Heathrow offering customers free Wi-Fi included in the rate. The Radisson Edwardian at Heathrow Airport offers customers free WI-Fi throughout the hotel. But there is more good news; if you use the public bus system you can take advantage of free bus transfers from all the Heathrow Airport terminals to the hotel. Well done Radisson Edwardian! For more information and to check availability and prices please visit our hotel section.

Paying for Wi-Fi at Hotels

Why do we have to pay to access the internet at hotels where we choose to stay? 

Surely, Wi-Fi should be included and part of the deal. In today’s world most people require internet access for both work and pleasure. A favourable hotel rate can be ruined when you add in the payment for internet access. It reminds me of the days when hotels charged exorbitant charges for telephone calls. It is a rip off!

We, as customers, ultimately have the power to change this for everyone. We need to start voting with our feet. We should be supporting those establishments that offer a fair deal and include free Wi-Fi. There are accommodation providers out there that have seen the light and have included internet access as part of their service. We should be rewarding them with our custom.

We are going to make an effort to publish a list of all the hotels and other accommodation providers that we feature in our CUin Guides which offer free Wi-Fi access. Hotels should be advertising the broadband speed of the service available as a benefit to encourage us to stay with them, not the costs!

We will start with London Heathrow Airport and analise what the various hotels are charging and highlight those - which have seen the light - offering Wi-Fi complimentary as a service. Watch this space.

Trip Advisor reviews

I must say, I have never been happy using Trip Advisor, because their reviewer's are not required to stay in a hotel to leave a review. Recent articles in the UK press and a television documentary have exposed, some their reviews, as untrustworthy. I mean the fact that you don’t have to stay in a hotel to leave a review is insane. I have been in the travel and hospitality industry for many years and I have never trusted Trip Advisor for this reason.

The problem now is that there are far too many crazies actually writing favourable or unfavourable reviews. In some cases, I have heard of customers actually trying to bribe hotels for a discount or they will leave an unfavourable review, unbelievable! I am sure there are also unscrupulous hotel proprietors likewise, leaving favourable reviews to attract unsuspecting clients. I think, at the end of the day, we need to know for a fact that we can trust a review, whether good or bad. I for one certainly do not want to read a review about a hotel from someone that has not even stayed there!

You have to take into account that you will always have people with unrealistic expectations, but if the reviews are genuine, you will pick up a trend. If everyone complains about the hotel room being dirty for example, or the management being rude, I think we will get the message. That is what we want credible, honest reviews so we can make an informed decision.

Whatever happens we need and want websites that we can trust. I do not understand why Trip Advisor does not stop this practice and insist that reviewers have used the service or products that they are reviewing. I mean, if I only listened to other people’s comments and views of the budget airline Ryan Air and I wrote a review, without using the service that would be unfair, inaccurate and unacceptable. As it happens, I actually use Ryan Air and I think it offers good value on certain routes. I hate the additional charges like the credit or debit card rip-off at the end though, but that’s another topic.

Come on Trip Advisor, get your act together! We want to trust all your reviews, review your policies and start generating genuine reviews please.

BMI going, going... gone?

Lufthansa announced today, that they are selling the airline British Midland (BMI) to International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia. So will it be a good move for business and consumers?

Well the real treasure for British Airways is the take-off and landing slots that BMI operates at Heathrow Airport. IAG currently operate approximately 45% of the Heathrow Airport slots so with the acquisition of BMI that could increase to 54%. It is rumoured that IAG would cut the domestic destinations and replace them with more lucrative long haul destinations to USA and Far East.

So possibly not good for domestic travel from Heathrow Airport but huge improvement for destinations such as key Chinese destinations currently not serviced directly to the UK at all. Get it, foreign exchange, better connections to the capital, more business generated, additional tourists etc. I think we need that, good for the economy!

Actually in my opinion, the quicker that a decision is made to build a new airport in the South East the better. Heathrow is running at full capacity and future growth and expansion, ruled out. A link between Heathrow and Gatwick, known as ‘Heathwick’, as a solution surely cannot be serious. I find it frustrating changing terminals never mind airports. We need, as a country, to compete with the likes of Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris as an international hub, we simply need more capacity.

In the end there will have to be give and take from all parties concerned on this issue. The time to do that is now before any election is looming. But surely a properly planned airport in the South East with good rapid transport links to the capital and further afield is the answer. As it stands the train routes, M25 and The Underground are running at breaking point. A new airport would also create heaps of employment.

But watch this space, the deal is not complete. Virgin Atlantic has also expressed an interest and they say they are still in the hunt with a deal to acquire the airline. If Virgin Atlantic is not successful they will be off to the competition board. All in all, it will probably come down to the regulators who will need to agree the sale.

Whatever happens we need competition to keep prices and services in line.

View from Heathrow Terminal 5

The view from inside Terminal 5 is quite amazing.

Scotland the brave

The Italian Job

At 42 London Road in Glasgow is an awesome small Italian restaurant. Run by Mario, Carlo and Carmen, this is a gem of a restaurant. The food is delicious, superbly presented, wholesome and just so tasty. The prices are really competitive; in fact, the prices are cheap to be honest, especially for what you are getting. If you in Glasgow treat yourself to a great meal in a relaxing, cosy and awesome restaurant, making proper food, just like Mama just to!

Glasgow City Chambers

This awesome building is the Glasgow City Chambers. The building is located in central Glasgow on George Square, close to both Central and Queen Street Railway Stations. It is also the site of the Anti-Capitalist Please do visit us at www.cuinguides.com, Know your destination!

Frankie & Benny's

Great staff, great pub and lovely food, Frankie & Benny’s, is the best pub and restaurant after security, at Glasgow Airport.

The Sanderling Pub - Glasgow Airport

I am not a great fan of branded pubs, I think it takes too much out of a traditional pub and service is one of those main items. The Sanderling Pub at Glasgow Airport is undoubtedly one of the worst pubs I have ever been in. The staff are just awful, you can see that it is not their place they drag the furniture around like they want it to break it and the service could best be summed up by, well you actually feel like a piece of that furniture!

However, as they thankfully shut shop and chased every one out, we found the pub in Frankie and Benny’s open. In Frankie and Benny’s the staff are warm, welcoming and the place is clean. If you need a drink or something to eat at Glasgow Airport, I would not hesitate in recommending them.

As for this Wetherspoon pub, The Sanderling, I think we should all vote with our feet! 

Tiger Lucky Eight

This fine mural, the ‘Tiger Lucky Eight’, was commissioned by Tiger Beer to celebrate the year of the Tiger in 2010. You will find it down at the River Clyde not far from the Clutha Bar. The Clutha Bar features traditional Scottish music, the name Clutha comes from the Roman name for the River Clyde.

Glasgow Anti-Capitalist Camp

An interesting banner displayed at the Anti-Capitalist Protest camp in Glasgow’s George Square. If its true time to change providers!

Wellington in Full Battle Regalia

Here is Wellington in full Battle Dress outside the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. I think Wellington looks rather scary!

Clanadonia live in Glasgow

So we arrived in Glasgow to a real treat. Outside The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall were this incredible band, Clanadonia performing. This tribal pipes and drums band is just amazing. Their music is truly awesome, have a peek at their website at www.clanadonia.co.uk. Have a look at this animation produced by a student, Daniel MacLennan, who was inspired after watching Clanadonia performing on the streets of Glasgow. He produced “The First Hunt” for his BA (HONS) degree, check it out on You Tube.

Edinburgh to Glasgow

Today we are off to Glasgow; we are going to really miss this wonderful city Edinburgh. Edinburgh is just such an awesome city, thanks to the CUin team we will aim to have a guide up and running by the end of the year. I am going to say that in my humble opinion, Edinburgh is the BEST city I have ever been to. However, time to move on, so off to Glasgow. One last comment, if you have never been to Edinburgh, make a plan to get here, it is amazing!  If you need to book a ticket go to http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk if you are coming from further afield and you need a flight, secure the best deal at our 'book a flight' section.

The Scott Monument - Edinburgh

Scott Monument Edinburgh

The Scott Monument was erected in memory of a great historical novelist, playwright and poet, Sir Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott died in 1832 after contributing a host of famous titles including; Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Waverley and The Lady of The Lake. The statue of Sir Walter at the base of the monument depicts him with his dog Maida. The statue is made from white Carrara marble contrasting brilliantly with the dark Victorian Gothic monument. The Scott Monument has 287 steps and affords magnificent views around this remarkable city.

Edinburgh – Bobby the loyal Scottish Skye Terrier

Edinburgh has it’s tales but my favourite is that of the loyal dog, Bobby. Bobby was a Skye Terrier and legend has it, that Bobby and his policeman owner, John Gray, were inseparable. The story goes that after spending two years together, John Gray fell ill to tuberculosis and subsequently died. For the next fourteen years, Bobby stayed faithfully by his master’s graveside, only leaving for food or shelter in inclement weather. Bobby’s statue is erected outside the Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar on the corner of Candlemaker Row and George IV Bridge.

The Doric pub and restaurant in Edinburgh

Still in Edinburgh and I must say this is a pub and restaurant that serves the best food ever. We had black pudding spring rolls to start and the best fish and chips ever. I know a burger should probably not be up there as a great meal, but at The Doric it is in a different league. Homemade and simply delicious if you ever in Edinburgh visit The Doric just off Waverly Bridge where the open top buses leave from. The Doric is a great pub with the best food ever.

Edinburgh is such an awesome city

What an awesome city Edinburgh is! This picture of Edinburgh Castle was taken from Princess Street, looking over the Princess Street gardens. There has been a royal castle on this site since the 12^th century. However, human habitation is believed to date back to the 9^th century BC. If you have not been to Edinburgh yet, trust me, it is well worth a visit. A friendly city, lots to see and do. The CUin team are currently compiling a destination guide for this Scottish capital. CUin Edinburgh will be published by the close of 2011.

Stansted Express

BACK ON TRACK

Well the good news is that the Stansted Express service is back to normal with trains every 15 minutes linking Stansted Airport with Liverpool Street Station in London. The Stansted Express takes 45 minutes with trains departing every 15 minutes. For more information or to book a ticket, follow this direct link to the Stansted Express website @ www.stanstedexpress.com.

Know your destination!

CUin Stansted.

Stansted Express – Service Update

Tuesday 18.10.11 @ 6.40pm

The Stansted Express service is operating from London Liverpool Street Station. The trains are departing only every thirty minutes at 10 and 40 minutes past each hour calling at Harlow Town and Bishops Stortford. From Stansted Airport the trains are departing every 15 and 45 past each hour.

For up to date information please visit the following link;

www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/travel-information

Stay Green - Cycle London

A recent initiative between the London mayor, Boris Johnson and Barclays Bank has seen a bicycle hire scheme introduced into the capital. You can hire a bicycle at designated cycle stands throughout the city and return it to an ever growing number of locations after you are finished. The scheme has also paved the way for additional and improved cycle lanes, it’s all about time!

The Barclays Cycle Hire in London is designed for short use. The shorter you use the bicycle for the cheaper the costs. In fact, pay the £1.00 daily usage fee and you can use a bicycle for free for trips under 30 minutes. There are docking sites located all over the city. It is a cheap, fun way to explore this glorious city. You will find more information at the Transport for London website, www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14811.aspx

The Sustrans website, www.sustrans.org.uk will provide you with additional UK cycling news and provide you access to cycle routes and maps throughout the UK. We hope to CUin London soon.

Stansted Express Updates

Major delays affecting Stansted Express still being experienced. For more information go to:

www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/travel-information

Stansted Express Delays 18.10.11 08H15

TUESDAY 18th October as at 08H12 - STANSTED EXPRESS DELAYS AND NO CURRENT SERVICES bETWEEN LIVERPOOL STREET STATION TO STANSTED AIRPORT-
If you are intending to travel to Stansted Airport via train please note: There are major disruptions on the Stansted Express service from Liverpool Street Station. Currently there are no trains leaving Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport. There is a limited half hourly service operating between Stansted Airport and Stratford Station. From Liverpool Street use the London Underground on the Central Line to Stratford Station.
From Stratford the Stansted Express is operating a service every 30 minutes to Stansted Airport. We will keep you updated but check the Network Rail website for live updates @ www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/travel-information


Billy @ CUIN

A fun-filled tour of London

When you are in London, why not consider using London Duck Tours. It’s a guided tour passing many of the capitals famous buildings and iconic landmarks. The fun filled tour follows a route along the road and even plunges into the River Thames for a close up view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. For additional information, places to visit and other interesting sites in and around London, please do visit us at www.cuinguides.com. You can purchase tickets on-line at www.londonducktours.co.uk/

London Heathrow Airport - LHR

Are you flying into London Heathrow Airport - LHR?

Whether you are a regular traveller to Heathrow Airport or it’s your first visit, our website will provide you with the latest news, information, products and services. Our CUin websites are unique, offering you everything you may need, neatly packaged in our user friendly, ‘all in one’, websites.

CUin Heathrow is a compact website to assist you in finding and booking hotels, flights, restaurants, UK trips, London theatre deals. Find Heathrow Airport parking, personal ‘meet and greet’ services, Heathrow hotels with parking. Book transfers from London Heathrow Airport to Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports. There are no commissions, no booking fees, it’s all free!

Reserve the best car-hire deals at Heathrow. Book flights anywhere in the world. Choose the best chauffeur services available. Learn about the Heathrow Express, Heathrow buses and all the other Heathrow Airport transport options. Confirm the status of any flights arriving or departing from Heathrow Airport. Discover information about shops, restaurants and pubs at Heathrow terminals 1,2,3,4 and 5.

London Heathrow Airport information and destination guide. Visit us at www.cuinheathrow.com

Know your destination!

Cheap Travel in UK

Visiting the United Kingdom soon and looking for a cheap way to get around.

National Express Coaches are a great way to travel while in the UK. An extensive network offers passengers a wide choice of destinations. National Express Coaches offer Brit explorer passes with a 7 day Hobo Pass; a 14 day Footloose Pass and the 28 day Rolling Stone Pass. The passes afford you unlimited travel hop on and off as you wish.

National Express links airports, seaports, towns and cities across the country with over 1,000 destinations throughout the British Isles. For more travel information, recommended trips, attractions and so much more, please do visit us at www.nationalexpress.com/coach/index.cfm

Alternatively, visit our individual CUin Destination Guides for Heathrow Airport @ www.cuinheathrow.com; for Gatwick Airport @ www.cuingatwick.com; for Stansted Airport @ www.cuinstansted.com; for Luton Airport @ www.cuinluton.com.

Know your destination!