San Diego, CA, USA - Hotel (Holiday Inn, Rancho Bernardo)

The Holiday Inn Rancho Bernardo is located in Rancho Bernardo in the suburbs of San Diego. These notes are intended to assist wheelchair users considering using the hotel. I reviewed the hotel before, here. At that time I gave it 2 out of 5 and it made the "worst three hotels" list - with the dubious honor of being the worst in the United States in terms of a comfortable, wheelchair accessible room. However, it is one of the cheaper hotels in the area so I ended up staying here again. On this occasion I was given a different room, and had a better experience. So this time it gets 3 and a half out of five giving it an average rating of 2.5 points and, to be fair, lifting it out of the "three worst" list.

The property is in two parts. The accessible rooms seem to be in the main part where reception is located. The lobby and breakfast area are fully accessible and there is level access from outside through automatic doors - no ramp necessary.

My room on this occasion was a king bed, ADA accessible, roll-in shower. Having just one king bed instead of the two queens of the last visit made all the difference in terms of space to move around.  The workdesk was of a good size and height with one easily reached socket in the desk lamp. Wifi in the room worked well (free).

The bed was slightly lower than the wheelchair and relatively easy to transfer in and out of.  Bedroom closet was fine. A/C controls were reachable but a little high. The TV control was left by the bed and easily accessible. Coffee maker, microwave and fridge were all usable.

The bathroom was a comfortable size with good turning space (unlike the last time). The sink was easy to use, and the toilet was low. Grab bars were well positioned. The shower had a large plastic shower seat which was tricky to transfer in and out of. The shower also had two hoses. One was a hand-held rose, on a sliding bar with it's own water controls. This was ideally placed for use from the shower seat. Unfortunately the water control had a heat regulator that was set too low so the water never got warm. Since I'm not too keen on cold showers I was unable to use this rose. The other rose is a fixed, wall mounted rose high in the shower. To use it involved dragging the shower seat to the other end of the shower and transferring there was a lot more difficult. Towels were placed on a rack above the toilet and were extremely difficult to reach.

It was a pity about the shower as otherwise this room was not bad - about middle of the road for accessible American hotels (and, to be fair, American hotels tend to be a lot more accessible than elsewhere in the world!). I've removed the hotel from the "three worst" list and recommend that if you are planning to stay here you insist on a King bed, accessible room and avoid the two doubles.

Dublin, ireland - Pub (Shebeen Chic)

The Shebeen on Georges St. in Dublin (http://www.shebeenchic.ie) features live music and bar menu. Access to the pub is level from the street and there is plenty of room to move around. The tables are low and comfortable to sit at. Although the walkie toilets are downstairs, there is an unmarked door on the ground floor which is actually a handicapped toilet. Unfortunately, the establishment stores all the floor-cleaning equipment (mops, buckets etc.) in this toilet making it almost impossible to use if you are in a wheelchair as there is no room to turn.

It could be a great pub but unfortunately I can only say - Avoid!

San Antonio, TX, USA - Riverwalk

I have written about San Antonio and the Riverwalk before (see here) so this is just an update on two particular points.

Firstly, I found an elevator just by the junction of St. Mary's St. and Houston St. I have rolled past this point at least twenty times before and never noticed this elevator (lift) so I thought I'd mention it!

Secondly, on this occasion I took a barge ride on the river. These barges have fairly level access (you might need to negotiate a level difference of a few inches) and there is space at the back by the guide to sit in your wheelchair. (Getting out of the chair into the main seating area is not really an option unless you can walk a little or are very dexterous). The downside is that you are sitting right by the diesel motor and the noise can drown out the guide's information. I found it a pleasant enough way to pass 30mins though and would recommend it. It is a good way to get oriented with the riverwalk also. I had the pleasure of doing it at Christmas time which, although cold, was well worth it for the lights!

San Antonio, TX, USA - Hotel (Holiday Inn Express, Nt Riverwalk)

These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Holiday Inn Express, North Riverwalk, 120 Camaron St., San Antonio (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/hotel/satcm). This hotel is centrally located, about two block from the Market Square and about 4 blocks from the Riverwalk. It's actually occupies an historic building, formerly a prison, that makes it's access a little awkward.

Parking for the hotel is about a block away, but there is a single handicapped parking space at the front of the hotel. Since this was occupied, hotel staff allowed me to park in the 15-min registration space but the parking situation is far from ideal. (Although, at $10/day, it is a lot cheaper than other local options). There are many steps into the hotel, so the handicapped entrance is down the right hand side. You go up a long and treacherously slippy ramp to a door. You need a room key to open the door, but there is a bell that will alert the reception staff to your presence. Once inside everything is level. There is an elevator to upper floors, although this is at the back of the hotel so you have a bit of wheeling to do! Being a Holiday Inn Express there is no restaurant or bar, but the breakfast area is by the lobby and fully accessible.

My room (tow double beds, accessible, bath) was large and comfortable with adequate circulation space. I could just fit between the two beds in my chair but there was plenty of space at the end of the beds. The workdesk was a comfortable size. There was an electric socket in the desk lamp that was easy to reach. Wired Ethernet (free) was available and worked well. The TV controls were left in front of the TV and easy to reach. The coffeemaker easy to reach also. There was a fridge and microwave, all conveniently positioned for a wheelchair user. The air-conditioning controls were located at a comfortable height. When we arrived the A/C unit was unplugged which would have required a call to housekeeping had I been on my own, but my walkie partner was able to stand on a chair and plug it in.

The bed was about wheelchair height and transfers in and out were easy. Bedside light could be reached (not easily) 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!). The closet was easy to use.

The bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. The grab-rails by the toilet were well positioned. The toilet at a comfortabe height. The sink was comfortable with plenty of knee space underneath. My room had a bath. The grab rails were not in the best position - being a little high for me. However it was usable. There was a shower seat supplied although I don't use them.  The shower rose was hand-held type and mounted on a rail that could just be reached from the chair. Towels were placed at a comfortable height and easily accessible.

All in all, the access levels and comfort in this hotel are acceptable. As an economic place to stay close to the San Antonio Riverwalk it is not a bad option. You can find some wheelchair and disabled access notes about the San Antonio riverwalk itself here.

Austin, TX - Hotel (Hilton Garden Inn Downtown)

These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown, Austin TX. These notes reflect my observations during a recent visit and are intended as a guide for other disabled or handicapped travelers. This review is actually of a non-ADA approved room. Due to a mess-up in the booking they had given my reserved handicapped room away. I had no option but to take what they had as my kids were beyond exhaustion when we got there. They moved me to an ADA approved room the next day and I was also able to review that.

The hotel is situated on 5th St so it is very close to the heart of Austin. There is valet and self parking (half the hotel's 18 floors are reserved for parking). There is level access from the street level to reception. Bar and restaurant space is on the 18th floor and is accessible. Although I should mention that these were closed for private functions during the two nights I was there. I think it is outrageous that a hotel that claims to have on-site bar and restaurant does not provide access to these for regular paying guests. But that's another argument, off-topic for this blog, and more suited to the general travel reviews on a site like travelocity.

My room (two doubles, non ADA accessible, bath) was moderately sized. There was enough room to navigate around in the chair, and the beds could be accessed. There was a lot of furniture but circulation space was ok. The work desk was a comfortable size. There were two electric sockets in the desk lamp that were easy to reach. Wifi Ethernet (free) worked great. The TV controls wereeasy to reach. Fridge and coffeemaker were easy to reach, but the microwave was too high to use. The air-conditioning controls were reachable.

The bed was high making transfers in and out a little difficult. The bedside light could be reached from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so, as always, remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). The closet hang space was too high to reach. 

The bathroom door was too narrow for the chair to get in so the bathroom was completely out of bounds for me.

Since this was not an adapted room, it is not surprising that it lacked most of the facilities that one would expect. If you are able to stand or walk short distances (enough to get into the bathroom) then this might work for you, but not for me.

On paying grumpy taxi drivers who don't want to take a wheelchair

I needed to take a taxi from Bradley International Airport (Hartford, CT) to a local hotel (Holiday Inn Express) since they don't have an accessible shuttle. The taxi controller offered to call a handicapped accessible taxi but I opted for a car that was already there. Boy - did that guy not want to take me! He made every excuse, insisting that the chair would not fit etc. etc. But I forced the issue and off we went on a short, grumpy ride to the hotel. But then I had a dilemma - do I pay him well to show him that us wheelies reward service, or do I give him the fare and no tip because of his grumpy attitude and unpleasant manner?

I paid him well in the hope that he would change the next time he was faced with a chair. But did I do right?

Windsor Lock (Hartford), Connecticut - Hotel (Holiday Inn Express, Bradley Airport)

These wheelchair access and travel notes refer to the Holiday Inn Express, Bradley International Airport, 600 Spring St., Windsor Locks, Connecticut. These notes reflect my observations during a recent visit and are intended as a guide for other disabled or handicapped travelers.

The hotel is situated close to the airport (airport code BDL) but there is no handicapped accessible shuttle. You need to get a taxi from the airport (the usher offered to call a handicapped accessible taxi but I declined) for the short run - $14 fixed charge and a grumpy taxi driver.

The hotel is fine - level access from the parking lot, breakfast area accessible. The "business center" (computer and printer) is on a high counter and not accessible.

My room (king bed, accessible, bath) was large and comfortable, with a sofa area. There was a lot of furniture but circulation space was ok. The work desk was a comfortable size. There were two electric sockets in the desk lamp that were easy to reach. Wifi Ethernet (free) worked great. The TV controls were left by the sofa and easy to reach. Fridge and coffeemaker were easy to reach, but the microwave was too high to use. The air-conditioning unit was the standard one mounted below the window, and the controls were located on it at a comfortable height.

The bed was high making transfers in and out a little difficult. The bedside light could be reached from the bed, but the room lights could not be turned off from in bed (so, as always, remember to turn them off before getting out of your chair!). The closet was easy to use.

The bathroom was large with plenty of turning space. The grab-rails by the toilet were too high, but there was a fold up grab-rail which offered an option of grab-rails on both sides of the toilet. The toilet itself was low - perfect for those with dodgy balance. The sink had plenty of knee space underneath but was easy to use. My room had a bath. The bath was a little high and the grab rails were not in the best position. However it was usable although some might need assistance. There was a shower seat, although if sitting on the seat you cannot reach the shower controls.  The shower rose was handheld and mounted just about reachable from the chair but not when in the bath. Towels were placed at a comfortable height and easily accessible.

All in all this was a fine room although the hotel is in need of updating.