Hi Ware Bear,
I didn't forget about you, just had alot to catch up on all the home/work/children fronts.
So, the Explorers....do you want the long version or the short one? I'll give you the short one...(for now
)
Check in-no probs
check out-same
Room-we had booked a room plus the cabin room (total beds for 6) which consisted of 1 double, 2 twins and a separate room, with window and a bunk bed for the little ones. Considering the size of the main room, plus the number of nights we stayed (6) this was not a luxury, plus it only cost us about 20-25eur more a night. This, also allowing for the fact that we spent very little time in the room, naturally.
The cabin roon also had an extra tv plus drawer space in the bunk beds. It was spacious, and kept the kids out of our hair just to settle down before bedtime and pre-breakfast. So if you have children, I'd go for this.
The bathroom was fine, the toilet separate, which is a double-edged knife, if you know what I mean. There is a supply of liquid soap/showergel/shampoo. The shower was the nice, power-massage type, towels were enough. (We had asked for a couple more and no probs)
The beds were suprisingly comfortable and we didn't miss the a/c. There is a ceiling fan, though.
I must say that the rooms were very clean and well kept and that goes for the rest of the hotel most of the time.
Breakfast is somewhere between ok and good. They had continental-choc and butter croissants, bread rolls, ham and cheese diced in squares (!!! take a guess why, but that didn't stop most people) yoghurt, plain and fruit, creme caramel, etc. Optional cooked breakfast for a surcharge. Coffee not the greatest, the usual machine-poured, but the o.j. was fine.
The organization in the restaurant left something to be desired, especially on Sunday morning, it was chaotic, but on most other mornings it was much calmer. You could also sit outside, wheather permitting, which we did a couple of times.
The pool is really cool for the kids w/ a couple of slides, although the big 'dragon-mouth' one was out of order. Mine just loved it and on a couple of occasions they wanted to leave the park and go swimming. (We only did them that favor once!
)
The staff in reception were mostly very helpful, but in a couple of instances (in the morning, around check out time) there was too long of a wait to enquire, so I would say they were definitely understaffed. Ask your questions in the evening, when they are just hanging out.
All in all a very child friendly hotel, with a games room for older children and soft play areas for younger ones.
There is a safe in the room as well as water boiler for instant coffee or tea. They offer complimentary coffee, tea, cocoa, but for two you will need more coffee if staying more than a couple of days, assuming you need it.
The shuttles were excellent, we never had to wait more than 5 or 10 minutes and were mostly always seated. It went directly to the park after the Explorers, except on one single occasion when it picked up afterwards at the other 3 (Movenpick, Holiday Inn, Kyriad).
We did not eat at any of the restaurants, except on our arrival night we had the pizza, as we were tired and wanted something simple, but trust me one serves at least 2 and not 1 as they will tell you when you order!
So, in my opinion a good value for the money, good service overall, clean adequate rooms (much better than the photographs, really) and very child friendly. And you get a separate bedroom for the kids. (I know what you mean about disney hotels, it was double the cost)
It looks like I gave you the long version after all
, but if you need to know something more specific, ask away.
Have a good time, and let us know your thoughts after you visit,
cheers