Jude_218_M
July 7, 2024
I want to start by sharing that my experiences of staying at this hotel have actually enhanced my quality of life. That might sound dramatic, but for 10+ years my life has been completely changed by chronic illness which is extremely debilitating. For over a decade I've mostly been house-bound and even bed-bound, mainly leaving our flat for medical appointments only. In the hope of us having a much-needed change of scenery, in September 2023 we decided to attempt staying at Christchurch Harbour Hotel, only a 10-minute taxi drive from where we live. Finding a hotel that provided room service meals and easily accessible outdoor space/view was important for me, due to my physical limitations. Our room, which included a balcony, was perfect. We were so pleased that we returned in December 2023 and then again in April 2024 (the latter date I shall now review) As soon as our taxi pulled up outside the hotel, we were immediately welcomed by the friendly, familiar faces of Kirk and David (who we'd met during our past visits) Superb service from them both, kindly helping us with my wheelchair and our bags. When we reached reception check-in, Olivia was there and as lovely as ever (we'd also met her previously) It felt safe and reassuring to be greeted by these three members of the team upon arrival and that instantly got our stay off to a great start. Especially as a wheelchair user, it's encouraging to witness people enthusiastically taking the initiative to assist me. As always, we were delighted with our room (218) Beautifully clean and stunning views from the balcony. We did initially have a little bit of trouble with the TV but two friendly maintenance men fixed it for us the following day. In my other reviews I'd mentioned that, although we love the food, we'd appreciate a wider range of vegetarian options. Well, this time there was a whole new veggie & vegan menu available! I'm really impressed that my request became a reality. It shows the hotel is eager to hear and implement ideas from their guests. Thank you to Simone Raganella for emailing me regarding this excellent new menu. Drew and I both think the meals are delicious. The only thing that's a bit of a shame, in regards to the new veggie/vegan menu, is we think they've changed the main course of stuffed 'Aubergine' from vegetarian to vegan and it doesn't taste quite as good as it did when it was vegetarian (perhaps they switched it from cheese to vegan cheese) However, we understand there needs to be vegan options as well as veggie, it's just a shame they changed the recipe of that particular dish because it was Drew's favourite (we are veggie, not vegan) Having said that, we still are very grateful for the new menu overall. The 'Wild Mushroom & Truffle Macaroni' is a new favourite. There was a mistake made with one of our starters. Drew had ordered the 'Asparagus Benedict' and was given a dish that featured asparagus but also salmon (not good for someone who's been vegetarian for