Mad Jack (Avenida Eduardo Cury, 100 – Colinas – São José dos Campos (SP)) is a large pub and restaurant on a sort of American theme - pizzas, steaks, burgers etc. It is within rolling distance of the IBIS Colinas and just across the road from Colinas shopping center.
Access from the car park is via a gentle ramp. There are several levels inside, but the door level has plenty of space and quite a few tables so there should be no problem. Toilets are accessible.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Montreal, Quebec - Restaurant (Bistro L'Aromate)
These notes refer to the wheelchair access for the restaurant Bistro L'Aromate, 1410 Rue Peel, Montreal. If you want a food review there are plenty of websites where you can find them.
Access from the street is level. The restaurant has small, intimate tables on many levels. Only about 4-5 two seaters and maybe 1 four seater are on street level. It might be advisable to call ahead to explain you need one of these if you are a wheelie.
Space in the restaurant is a little tight, but okay. There is a large restroom on the ground floor. There are no grab bars, but the toilet is easy to manage and the hand-basin is at a good height. Should be no problem for most wheelies.
The food was truly excellent (ok - that's not a review, just an observation). Strongly recommended.
Access from the street is level. The restaurant has small, intimate tables on many levels. Only about 4-5 two seaters and maybe 1 four seater are on street level. It might be advisable to call ahead to explain you need one of these if you are a wheelie.
Space in the restaurant is a little tight, but okay. There is a large restroom on the ground floor. There are no grab bars, but the toilet is easy to manage and the hand-basin is at a good height. Should be no problem for most wheelies.
The food was truly excellent (ok - that's not a review, just an observation). Strongly recommended.
Montreal, Quebec - Hotel (Marriott Chateau Champlain)
These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Marriott Chateau Champlain, located in central Montreal just a few blocks from Rue St. Catherine. This is an older building and the rooms have a certain charm as a result.
The hotel is situated in an area with some fairly steep hills so be careful if you plan to do a lot of walking. But it is uphill to the main shopping/dining area so at least you have a downhill ride home!
There are many step to the front entrance. The wheelchair ramp is hard to spot, hidden off to the left and leading to a second door. Inside, the bar, restaurant and shopping mall are all on the ground floor and have level access. There is an elevator straight from the lobby to the metro - but that's not a whole lot of use since the metro is not wheelchair accessible (with the exception of 5-6 stations).
My room was medium sized, not large. Being older, it lacked some of the custom wheelchair touches you would expect, but it was perfectly adequate for me and rated 3.5 stars out of 5 for wheelchair friendliness.
There was plenty of circulation space.
The workdesk was a little small but usable. Electric sockets in the desk lamp (2) were easy to reach. In room wifi (free) was good. TV controls were left in easy reach. Coffeemaker and mini-bar easy to reach also.
The air-conditioning controls were difficult to reach because they were set high on the wall, but were usable.
The bed was a little high but transfers in and out were not difficult. Bedside light easy to reach from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). Closet was a good size and a comfortable height for hanging clothes.
Bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. Toilet was of the raised ADA compliant type. The grab-rails were a little too high and far away for comfort. Sink was also high but with plenty of knee space underneath and it was comfortable to use. My room had a bath rather than a roll-in shower. The shower rose was hand-held and mounted on a rail that was too high to reach when seated in the bath (although would be okay with a shower seat). The bell-boy who .brought my bags up offered me a shower seat without being asked - the first time that's ever happened to me. I declined as I prefer to operate without one. The grab rails around bath are too high for comfort. Towels were placed at a comfortable height and easily accessible. A nice touch is that the bath had an old-fashioned circular thermometer to tell you what temperature the water was at!
The hotel is a full-service hotel and welcoming. Definitely an option for a wheelchair user in Montreal.
The hotel is situated in an area with some fairly steep hills so be careful if you plan to do a lot of walking. But it is uphill to the main shopping/dining area so at least you have a downhill ride home!
There are many step to the front entrance. The wheelchair ramp is hard to spot, hidden off to the left and leading to a second door. Inside, the bar, restaurant and shopping mall are all on the ground floor and have level access. There is an elevator straight from the lobby to the metro - but that's not a whole lot of use since the metro is not wheelchair accessible (with the exception of 5-6 stations).
My room was medium sized, not large. Being older, it lacked some of the custom wheelchair touches you would expect, but it was perfectly adequate for me and rated 3.5 stars out of 5 for wheelchair friendliness.
There was plenty of circulation space.
The workdesk was a little small but usable. Electric sockets in the desk lamp (2) were easy to reach. In room wifi (free) was good. TV controls were left in easy reach. Coffeemaker and mini-bar easy to reach also.
The air-conditioning controls were difficult to reach because they were set high on the wall, but were usable.
The bed was a little high but transfers in and out were not difficult. Bedside light easy to reach from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). Closet was a good size and a comfortable height for hanging clothes.
Bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. Toilet was of the raised ADA compliant type. The grab-rails were a little too high and far away for comfort. Sink was also high but with plenty of knee space underneath and it was comfortable to use. My room had a bath rather than a roll-in shower. The shower rose was hand-held and mounted on a rail that was too high to reach when seated in the bath (although would be okay with a shower seat). The bell-boy who .brought my bags up offered me a shower seat without being asked - the first time that's ever happened to me. I declined as I prefer to operate without one. The grab rails around bath are too high for comfort. Towels were placed at a comfortable height and easily accessible. A nice touch is that the bath had an old-fashioned circular thermometer to tell you what temperature the water was at!
The hotel is a full-service hotel and welcoming. Definitely an option for a wheelchair user in Montreal.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Palmdale, California - Hotel (Holiday Inn) - revisit
These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Holiday Inn in Palmdale, CA, a mid-range, fairly decent hotel which was previously reviewed here. On this occasion I was given a very different and slightly better room (ground floor - 107) which merits a new review. read the previous post though to get a feel for what options you may have.
This room was medium sized, not large. The furniture layout made it easy to move around although the bed was a little close to the far wall. Not a problem as there was plenty of room at one side for getting in and out.
The workdesk was small. This was better than the previous room where the large workdesk actually cut circulation space at the end of the bed. The desk was still usable though and comfortable to sit at. The electric sockets were in the wall below the desk and difficult to reach from a chair. There was no desk lamp. In room wifi was great. TV controls were left in easy reach. Coffeemaker was on work desk and easy to reach also.
Air-conditioning unit was in the corner, set low and the controls were easy to reach.
The single queen bed was very high and transfers in and out were difficult. Bedside light easy to reach from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). Closet was open (no door) and a comfortable height.
Bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. Toilet was of the raised ADA compliant type. The grab-rails were a little too high and far away for comfort. The sink was not in the bathroom but in the bedroom area. Some may find this a little unusual. The under sink space was tight and almost touched my knees. I know for sure I would not have fit under the sink had I been using my spare chair which is slightly higher than my normal chair. Also the sink was set back making it a little awkward for washing. This room had a roll-in shower with a large wooden permanent shower seat. The seat positioning relative to the grab bars made transfers a little difficult. There were two shower roses - one fixed to the wall and one hand-held. Both were easy to reach from the shower seat. The handheld was on a wall bar and at a good height. Towel rack was at a comfortable height and easily accessible.
All in all, this room would be perfect for an ambulant disabled and better then the previous room for a wheelie travelling without a companion.
Staff at this hotel are exceptionally friendly and do make an effort to make you feel welcome.
This room was medium sized, not large. The furniture layout made it easy to move around although the bed was a little close to the far wall. Not a problem as there was plenty of room at one side for getting in and out.
The workdesk was small. This was better than the previous room where the large workdesk actually cut circulation space at the end of the bed. The desk was still usable though and comfortable to sit at. The electric sockets were in the wall below the desk and difficult to reach from a chair. There was no desk lamp. In room wifi was great. TV controls were left in easy reach. Coffeemaker was on work desk and easy to reach also.
Air-conditioning unit was in the corner, set low and the controls were easy to reach.
The single queen bed was very high and transfers in and out were difficult. Bedside light easy to reach from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). Closet was open (no door) and a comfortable height.
Bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. Toilet was of the raised ADA compliant type. The grab-rails were a little too high and far away for comfort. The sink was not in the bathroom but in the bedroom area. Some may find this a little unusual. The under sink space was tight and almost touched my knees. I know for sure I would not have fit under the sink had I been using my spare chair which is slightly higher than my normal chair. Also the sink was set back making it a little awkward for washing. This room had a roll-in shower with a large wooden permanent shower seat. The seat positioning relative to the grab bars made transfers a little difficult. There were two shower roses - one fixed to the wall and one hand-held. Both were easy to reach from the shower seat. The handheld was on a wall bar and at a good height. Towel rack was at a comfortable height and easily accessible.
All in all, this room would be perfect for an ambulant disabled and better then the previous room for a wheelie travelling without a companion.
Staff at this hotel are exceptionally friendly and do make an effort to make you feel welcome.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Wheelchair Accessible Taxis at Montreal International Airport
On this visit to Montreal, I decided to find out if there really were wheelchair accessible taxis available at airport. I asked the guy marshaling the taxi line. He brought me outside at the front of the queue (saved at least 30mins waiting right there!). After a few minutes a van pulled up. This had a ramp installed and access was easy. The van is fully configurable internally, all seats could be removed and it had tie-downs for chairs. It seemed to me it could carry three wheelchairs easily. The charge was the same as for a normal taxi. This particular driver was with co-op taxi (www.cooptaxi.com - 514-636-6666). He siad call and ask for "Van adaptee" or an adapted van.
I stayed once again at the Hilton Garden Inn, previously reviewed here.
I stayed once again at the Hilton Garden Inn, previously reviewed here.
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