Night at Sheraton Noosa

I spent the night at Sheraton Noosa on Saturday night as some friends and I went to a 30th birthday party in Tewantin.

I shared a twin room with a couple of friends and another couple had the interconnecting room next door. Due to "connections", we got an extremely good rate and somehow we got upgraded to a pool view room.

I haven't been to Sheraton Noosa for a number of years so it was interesting to note the refurbishing they've done since. The lobby has been done up and they have redone the bedding package in all the rooms.

What struck me most about the rooms is their size ... they are huge (especially compared to many city/corporate hotels)! The first thing I noticed that they haven't worked on since I was last there is the bathrooms. They really don't need that much work done to them, they are still in good condition, but the tiles look quite dated and overall it could use some TLC or freshening up. Bathrooms are usually the most expensive part of a room to refurbish so its no great surprise that these are yet to be done.

We had a discount to the hotel restaurant but since a few of my friends were feeling the effects from the night before, we decided a buffet might not be the best idea. We instead had breakfast at Bistro C on the beach. Despite being busy, the service was good and all the meals were excellent. One of the girls even went as far as to call it "the best breakfast experience she's had".

Bastille Day at the Sofitel Brisbane

I was lucky enough to score an invite to Sofitel Brisbane's Bastille Day function on Wednesday night. As Accor is based in France, the Sofitel doesn't do a Christmas party for their clients, they instead have the Bastille Day function.

Having been to the re-opening of their restaurant which was fantastic, I was really looking forward to this night. The function was held on the 30th floor which is usually their club lounge and as soon as we walked in we were greeted by the General Manager and given a chilled glass of Rose.

The hotel had gone all out, there was a cocktail bar, several wine bars, an oyster bar, ice-cream bar a buffet of cheeses, pate's and even macaroons. And if that wasn't enough ... the hotel day spa had set up a lounge and were doing head, hand or shoulder massages!

It was great to see a number of familiar faces there and as expected it was an excellent night.

The Portal Hotel

Kelli and I started making bookings at The Portal Hotel in Brisbane a few months back and after a few good comments from clients, it was well and truly time I paid them a visit to have a look around.

We get along really well with the staff at the hotel so they invited me to have lunch with them after the hotel inspection. It was an offer too good to refuse so I gladly accepted.

The Portal is a boutique 4 star hotel with 85 rooms located on Astor Terrace, Spring Hill ... just behind the Novotel Brisbane. As you walk through the French iron gates to the front desk and hear the chatter from the bar and restaurant, you immediately get the feel of a boutique hotel (like The Kirketon in Sydney).

The rooms aren't what you would describe as large or spacious but they are really nicely fitted out (and I hear the beds are awesome) and they've taken care of all the little details that you need.

The hotel is only a year old and hasn't had its official opening yet as its been a work in progress up until now. As they find their place in the market, the rates are extremely good value compared to hotels of similar standard, perfect for a corporate stay midweek or as a base for a weekend on the town.

I thoroughly enjoyed my salt & pepper squid lunch which the girls described jealously as the dish of the day (it looked great and was).

I believe they're working on a new improved website but in the meantime, click here to find out more details about The Portal. Don't be put off by the Best Western affiliation, I was at first too, but after looking through the hotel its not at all what I expected and will be recommending it from now on.