Travel
I’ve stayed in hundreds of hotels including five star resorts – but I always go back to this budget British chain
PART of the job of being a travel writer is getting to stay in some extremely amazing hotels around the world.
Some of the best hotels I’ve stayed in were unforgettable – real bucket list stuff.
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There was the five-star overwater villa in the Maldives, where the entire room was glass-walled and sea-fronted, with new floral arrangements delivered every evening.
Or there were the stunning fairytale lodges in Kenya, where my pre-dinner entertainment was watching elephants come to the watering hole.
But if you ask me what my go-to hotel is? It’s the humble Premier Inn.
You probably think I’m mad for opting for a budget chain over bucket-list resorts, but let me explain.
Of course I love it when I walk into a sparkling hotel, where staff greet me by name with a glass of champers in hand.
But those kinds of places come at a price – with some resorts costing upwards of £1,000 a night.
As someone who has always been a backpacker and cheap traveller (my biggest bargain being an £8 hostel in the middle of a nightclub in Thailand) it’s hard to quantify that cost, no matter the glamour.
Yet the humble Premier Inn has never left me down, and all for the price of a meal out.
I’m apparently not the only one. A study conducted by the hotel chain in 2022 found that 83 per cent of guests would stay again after booking.
And that £39 base rate has looked after me in the form of clean, if not simple rooms.
If you don’t believe how much I loved a Premier Inn bed, then come to my house – I have the same pillows as the hotel.
They are also amazingly located in the middle of cities, next to airport terminals, or in ideal bases to explore the area.
And it always marks the start of something exciting.
The night before a long flight, not able to sleep with anticipation, or arriving just to drop my bag and get ready for a day exploring a new city.
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It’s ease of check-in and check-out beats a fancy resort, which always seem to take forever.
Not Premier Inn, where I dump my card in the morning and am out in seconds.
And I am the guest who gets Buffet Fear – that nervousness when there are just too many stations and options.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a classic English fry up, where you know what you’re getting every time.
Followed up by a croissant or three, of course, that you can sneak into your bag for laters…
My top favourite hotels around the world
- The University Arms, Cambridge
- The Peninsular, Hong Kong
- Artist’s Residence, London
- Atmosphere Kanifushi, The Maldives
- Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
- The Ned, Doha
- Life House, Miami
- Wymara Resort + Villas, Turks & Caicos
- The Ritz-Carlton Abama, Tenerife
- 3HB Faro, Portugal
I’m not saying I’m not a fan of a gorgeous hotel – I’m still dreaming of my beachside suite, after a trip to Turks & Caicos last year.
But the humble Premier Inn has a place in my heart. Purple pillows and all.
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ONE of the UK’s trendiest seaside towns has revealed new images of its £6.6million attraction set to re-open.
Folkestone’s Leas Lift was forced to close back in 2017.
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However, works are to finally start on the multi-million pound attraction after London-based firm Apex Contractors have been appointed the £5million contract.
The firm will spend the next three months preparing the site for construction.
The Grade-II listed funicular will be fully restored to operate again which will transport passengers from the cliffside to the beach.
Along with this, the waiting room will be renovated along with a new cafe and outdoor terrace.
Read more on seaside towns
Chair of the Leas Lift Build Committee Jo Streeter said they were “extremely excited” that works were finally starting.
They added: “We wanted to be absolutely sure that as well as getting value for money – which is vital for our funders and supporters – we selected a company that understands what the Lift means to Folkestone.”
Dan Hollis, managing director at Apex, said: “From the moment we had the opportunity to work on the project, our whole team have been excited about bringing a local landmark with national importance back into public use.”
Along with £4.8million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project is expected to cost £6.6million.
It hopes to open by summer 2025 although some fear this could be delayed.
The 138-year-old lift is one of only three water-balanced funiculars remaining in the UK.
Having opened in 1885, it carried thousands of people on its first day, with 36million passengers by the time it closed.
Folkestone even had two other lifts – The Metropole Lift and the Sandgate Hill Lift – although these no longer exist.
One of the most famous UK funiculars is the Saltburn Cliff Lift which reopened back in September following a fire.
But Folkestone is set to be a popular seaside destination in the UK, taking on other Kent towns such as Margate and Whitstable.
We spoke to a number of locals about Folkestone, who have seen huge changes in recent years.
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Local Simon, who owns the Champagne Bar which is the ‘closest to France in the UK’ said: “We were told we were mad to open in Folkestone 10 years ago – now look at us.”
There is also Burrito Buoy, a Mexican restaurant that launched their own store after huge success on the Harbour Arms.
Run by couple Sammy and Matt, who is from Oregon, they opened because they “couldn’t get food like this anywhere else”.
And beach-side Brewing Brothers, who opened their first Kent bar after success in Sussex, said: “There’s been so much music this year and going to be even bigger next year.”
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor on living in Folkestone
The Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey explains why Folkestone is a great place to live.
I made the move to Folkestone a few years ago, leaving the busy life of London and have never looked back.
Named one of the Best Places to Live in 2024 study by the Times, it toes the balance of being an exciting place to live, without feeling like a seaside town catered to tourists.
There is the Harbour Arm, with bars, eateries and shops, as well as the multi-coloured shops lining the Creative Quarter.
You can test your skills at F51, the worlds first multi storey skate park, or pop on the Eurotunnel and be in Calais in 35 minutes.
And often walking past the Leas Lift (where the former cafe did one of the best hot chocolates), I can’t wait for it to be restored.
Make sure to visit the new London & Paris hotel too, one of the only boutique hotels in town.
Even the owner backed Folkestone, saying: “I’ve been to other seaside towns and you don’t get that same community feeling – and the food and drink scene here is fantastic.”
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The carrier will fly to 17 destinations from Luton next summer, including Alicante, Girona, Madeira and Verona
Continue reading Jet2 launches London Luton base at Business Traveller.
RYANAIR is launching a new route between Teesside and Malaga, with flights to start operating in March.
Earlier this year, Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, vowed to bring new Costa del Sol flights to the tiny UK airport.
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Direct services will start operating between Teesside and Malaga on March 31, 2025.
The twice-weekly service will operate every Monday and Thursday until October 23, 2025.
Monday flights will depart Malaga at 5.50am, touching down in the UK at Teesside at 8am.
Return journeys will then leave the UK airport at 8.25am, arriving in Malaga at 12.35pm local time.
Thursday flights will operate slightly later, with services leaving Malaga at 7am and arriving in the UK at 9.10am.
The return service will then depart from Teesside at 9.35am, landing in Malaga at 1.45pm.
Sun Online Travel have found one-way fares from £68.99 per person, with tickets already on sale.
When the new flights were announced, Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, said: “The people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have been asking for more sunshine destinations, and we’ve delivered exactly that with Ryanair’s fantastic support.
“This is a huge win for our airport and our region, but we’re not stopping here. Our goal is to keep growing, breaking records and getting more holiday flights for local people.”
A statement from the airport reads: “The announcement follows another successful summer for Ryanair at Teesside, where routes to holiday hotspots including Majorca, Faro and Corfu have seen booming demand.”
The news comes after Teesside Airport announced its pre-tax and interest profit in 12 years.
Teesside is mainly served by airlines like Ryanair and TUI with passengers already able to fly to destinations like Dalaman in Turkey, Corfu in Greece and Majorca in Spain.
It is hoped that more flights will be introduced at the regional airport.
Teesside International Airport was named the favourite small UK airport for leisure travel by passengers at the British Travel Awards in 2023.
Last year, Teesside International Airport saw the highest number of passengers pass through its terminal for 11 years.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ben Houchen has promised to pump £20million into renovating the airport’s train station.
Teesside Airport Station closed in May 2022, and it has yet to reopen.
Houchen told the Northern Echo: “As a serious airport we need a working rail link that passengers can use to get to the airport, and with the current state of the train station this is simply not possible.
“We are ahead of schedule on our plan to turn things around, and the next phase of development following the opening of our business park and cargo facility, will see us build a new station at the airport.”
The other small UK airport set for new flights
RYANAIR looks set to launch three brand new flights at a small UK airport, as it already begins to cast its eyes on next summer.
In April, the budget carrier started new routes from Norwich Airport for the first time.
Passengers in Norfolk were able to book flights to Alicante in Spain, Faro in Portugal and Malta, with some routes starting from as little as £17.
Now the airline could be set to launch more new routes from the regional travel hub, according to its managing director.
Richard Pace has said that he is hoping to see at least two or three more flights added to the airport’s route map in time for summer 2025.
In an interview with BBC Radio Norfolk, he spoke of the success of the first few months of flights from Norwich Airport and said he would know more about the future routes from next month.
At the moment, there is no indication of where the new routes will travel to, or when they will begin.
Meanwhile, Jet2 is set to open a brand-new airport base at London Luton Airport next year.
From the London-based airport, Jet2 will fly to 17 destinations, with 36 flights operating every week next summer.
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The Almaty lounge will operate 24 hours a day and can accommodate up to 100 guests at a time
Continue reading Air Astana opens its first-ever business class lounge at Business Traveller.
The offering will rotate to other suites and first class routes on a three-month rotational basis
Dubai-based carrier flydubai has begun flights to a second destination in Nepal, recently launching direct flights to Bhairahawa. The inaugural flight touched down at Bhairahawa Airport, also known as Gautam Buddha International Airport (BWA), on 9 November, 2024
Continue reading flydubai begins flights to Bhairahawa, Nepal at Business Traveller.
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