RepublicOfMeTravel
Located in the heart of Griffith, the Ramada Diplomat Hotel offers a perfect blend of comfort, style, and free parking, on a first come first served basis, both undercover and outdoors. ||The hotel is a very short distance to a number of attractions, such as Power kart Raceway and Fyshwick Fresh Food markets, which has a number of gourmet providores along with staple grocery stores. Take a look at the full review on our YouTube channel for more imfo.||A little further away you'll find the Kingston foreshore cafe's and restaurants, the Old Bus Depot Markets, and Canberra glass works, which features a little touch of Venetian style glass-making down under. They're all highly recommended, and we visited each one during our stay.||The Ramada Diplomat Hotel has undergone a recent renovation, enhancing its facilities and services to provide an even more enjoyable stay. The hotel now features a royal blue decor, which is both elegant and luxurious, and is currently very on trend in luxury design palettes. ||The hotel features a beautiful three storey central atrium, which houses the bar area and restaurant, for both breakfast and evening dining. ||We really liked the luxurious royal blue color palette, along with the art deco lighting and the bar's dark wood panelling. ||Even though the hotel is only 4 storeys, there is an elevator for those that just dont like stairs. ||For a small hotel, the central atrium and bar layout creates the atmosphere of a much larger premises. ||The hotel's restaurant features two very clear dining options, both a set menu, which is an extremely affordable choice that has a diverse offering, and an al'acarte option, for those that wish to customise their choices a little more. ||The set menu is either $49 for two courses, or $59 for three courses, and theres an option for wine pairing in each case. ||We'll be looking at the 3 course set menu first, and then lastly the al'acarte choices. ||For the entree, we had the pumpkin and ricotta ravioli. While it looks and sounds appealing, on this occasion we found the ravioli quite hard, almost like they'd been deep fried. It wasn't enjoyable because of this. It should have been very soft on the bite, as ricotta is a soft cheese and the pasta was very tough, not just al dente. ||For the main, we chose the slow cooked beef cheeks in red wine sauce, truffle infused potato mash and glazed heirloom carrots. This dish was definitely a winner, with the beef falling apart on the touch, while the sauce had the type of depth, you just know it takes hours to build. Well-done on this dish, Diplomat team, it was really rich and lovely. ||For dessert, we chose the panacotta. The presentation was playful and artistic, and while the flavour combination definitely worked, the panacotta was a little stiff on the wobble, and the serving size just a little bit smaller than you'd like. But of course, everyone wants a little more panacotta. Always ! ||Now, turning to the al'acarte menue, which is more expensive, only two courses were chosen here. ||For entree, we chose the baked brie with apple salad and ciabatta, for $24, and for the main we chose the 400 gram tee-bone steak for $52.||The entree was definitely also a winning dish, with the brie lightly baked in a crust of filo pastry, served with julienned apples in the salad, it was a delightfull experience all round. Well done again.||As for the steak, it was as described on the menu, but left us feeling a little underwhelmed, relative to the $52 price tag. The steak was a little too charred for our liking, and a little bit nervy on the bite. Perhaps a little serving of sauce on the side could embellish the overall experience a little more. ||After dinner, we decided to end our meal with a sample from the Diplomat's cocktail menu, with an espresso martini being our elixir of choice. ||While there was definitely a strong flavour of coffee, as expected, we noted there was a distinct lack of kahlua flavour, and in fact the drinks seemed very weak overall, almost like the only ingredient was coffee. For $23 each, we wouldn't be ordering these again. ||Overall, we enjoyed our dinner at the Diplomat's restaurant. We did note, however, that there was a distinct cold and sterile atmosphere in the room at the time we had dined. There were other diners there, but the room was totally silent, devoid of any suitable music to accompany diners during their meal, and it was like everyone was listening to the diner's personal conversations. A little arkward indeed. ||This was disappointing, as we knew the central bar had a great sound system, and it was only after all the diners had finished their meal, that some soft tunes were put on. ||We did raise this with staff on the night, and they apologised, advising they'd forgot to put the music on. . . . but at that point our dinner was over, and the opportunity for setting the mood was lost. ||Now, let's take a look at the room. We were in room 1017, a king-boardroom suite, on the ground floor of the hotel. ||Perfect for corporate groups and guests, the King Boardroom Suites include a boardroom table for eight, two large flat screen tv's, a kitchenette with smeg coffee machine and kettle, a microwave, two work desks, a lounge area with included pullout sofa bed, and a separate bedroom and en-suite. ||Ideal for travellers that require a meeting or interview space during their stay, the King Boardroom Suites come with the option of event catering packages, which you can contact the hotel's Events team to arrange. ||For a four star hotel, we noted the quality of the Smeg coffee machine was something that even 5-star hotels dont match, and that the bathroom amenities brand, Apelles, was also top tier quality. ||Kudo's to management for adding these little touches, and elevating the in-room experience above the hotel's general star-level. ||Both the sofa-bed, and the huge main bed were uber comfortable. We each had a great nights sleep for the two nights we stayed. ||We also really appreciated the two reverse-cycle airconditioning units in the room. They were both super silent, and pumped out furnace-level hot air, keeping us toasty warm, while Canberra hit overnight lows of 2 degrees celsius.||So what's the verdict - should you book your canberra stay at the ramada diplomat hotel? ||Well, we think you should. ||We really loved the location, and the proximity to the gourmet providores at fyshwick markets just around the corner, along with the other attractions nearby. ||We really liked our king boardroom suite, and the design palette of the hotel overall. We also appreciated the fact the late checkout beyond 11am was only $20 per hour extra, at the time of staying. And who doesn't like free parking. Seriously! This made it an easy choice for us. ||Indeed, we will stay here again in the future. Take a look at the full review on our YouTube channel for more imfo.
