Disability & Access Vilamoura, Portugal - Part1

Yippeee Its holiday time ! This is an account of our latest adventure in Vilamoura Portugal.

Prior to leaving on the 21st April for our trip, as is usual for a disabled traveller , lots of pre planning and arrangements have to be made. Emails and letters exchanged with Gatwick to try and ensure that Hubby is pre-boarded and that we get the help we need, unlike other disastrous trips. We also had to enlist the services of Accessible Portugal www.accessibleportugal.com a small travel agency here in Portugal that can help with equipment, trips out, transfers etc.

Having pre arranged help with the Gatwick team, we phoned to announce our arrival at the Sofitel Hotel, they duly met us there and gave us all the help we needed with our luggage. This time everything went to plan we were pre-boarded in good time and they got word to Faro airport that we needed the electric chair to the aircraft at the other end. I would therefore like to publicly thank the Gatwick team for a job well done. Once on the aircraft we found that BA had slipped up and not assigned us a bulk head seat, but they saw sense and put us there anywhere. Unfortunately on this small plane Hubby being sat on an aisle seat was not good as one of the stewards trod on his foot coming out of the galley. The seats in this small Airbus were very low and extremely uncomfortable for a disabled person to sit in.

We were met at the airport by a friendly representative of Accessible Portugal and transferred safely the half an hour drive to the Hilton. By the way the roads in this part of Portugal are rather lumpy so expect to be thrown and shaken about in your wheelchair whilst in a vehicle.

Accessibility at The Hilton 

Room 2050 has two access doors, which are only slightly wider if at all, than a standard hotel room door, sorry I failed to bring a tape measure with me so I am unable to give the precise measure. These doors being fire grade doors are extremely heavy to open and therefore inaccessible to an independent wheelchair user to open without help. The peep hole is at the wrong height for a chair user. The primary door to this family suite opens on to a very narrow corridor, on the left is one bathroom which is designed for use by the able-bodied in the party and a total no go area for the wheelchair user if they cannot walk. Opposite this bathroom is a set of interconnecting doors then a semi built-in full height wardrobe which makes the corridor even narrower. The room then opens up into a good sized room equipped with usual standard non adapted hotel provided, desks, couches, side tables. There were no wheelchair height adjustable tables provided.

Firstly I would like to report that a productive meeting was held with the local Managers at this hotel to try and educate and illustrate some of the problems we encountered in the hotel, some fixes were easy to carry out, and some would require some longer term planning and authority from regional bodies within Hilton Europe. The outcome of the meeting was that we were moved to a different room where we could manage a little better. We sincerely hope that this report is read, digested and acted upon by Hilton Management to help others travelling to this and other Hilton destinations.  

We were allocated Room 2050. This room was accessed via the lobby lift. The lobby and public areas are well lit, level, uncluttered and easily accessible by wheelchair users. The internal corridors can be narrow for a wheelchair user to get by maid trollies and some are very difficult to turn around in without banging into the walls while manoeuvring. Some of the hall way floors are covered by carpet which may prove difficult for manual wheelchair users.  Where ramps are provided they are on the steep side making the possibility of tipping over in a wheelchair a very real possibility. Also some of the wooden bridges have slopes that are definitely dangerous for average wheelchair users to use unattended.

Room 2050 has two access doors, which are only slightly wider if at all, than a standard hotel room door, sorry I failed to bring a tape measure with me so I am unable to give the precise measure.
These doors being fire grade doors are extremely heavy to open and therefore inaccessible to an independent wheelchair user to open without help. The peep hole is at the wrong height for a chair user. The primary door to this family suite opens on to a very narrow corridor, on the left is one bathroom which is designed for use by the able-bodied in the party and a total no go area for the wheelchair user if they cannot walk. Opposite this bathroom is a set of

interconnecting doors then a semi built-in full height wardrobe which makes the corridor even narrower. The room then opens up into a good sized room equipped with usual standard non adapted hotel provided, desks, couches, side tables. There were no wheelchair height adjustable tables provided. At the far end is French style door opening up onto a narrow balcony. The balcony being narrow and on the small side is not accessible safely by an adult wheelchair user, there is no ramp and a step to negotiate of about 4cm drop plus the height of the door runners, by the time the average user gets over the door obstacles they could find themselves pinned against the metal railings.

Therefore the balcony is a health and safety hazard to a wheelchair user without extreme caution. The location of this room also means that this balcony only gets direct sunlight for one hour in the evening.

For a wheelchair user to move from the living area to the bedroom area via the interconnecting doors is impossible without removal of one of the doors. The door opening is extremely narrow, estimate about 70cm, only just allowing a 45cm seat width wheelchair to squeeze through, users must take care they do not damage their knuckles. Coming through the other way is even worse because of the position of the wardrobe not allowing the necessary turning circle radius. This Hotel made the mistake that most make in that the standard bed offering in the disability suites is a king sized bed, so prior to arrival we had to request two single beds. Disabled couples need the same amount of choice as everyone else, some can sleep in the same bed others cannot due the nature of the disability. Hotel also does not provide beds that are slightly higher in height than their standard beds, which would be of an advantage to most

with mobility problems. As I have often remarked before it is a shame Hotels in the luxury end of the market don’t start to look for adjustable beds as they are becoming more common in general in people’s homes. Managers and hotel interior designers need to acquaint themselves with how disabled travellers are likely to gain access in and out of bed. Some will hire a hoist, lots will use a sliding board, wheelchair access around the bed is therefore imperative. One other thing of note in this particular bedroom was the French door opening was on the wrong side so meaning access was impeded by the bed furniture.

The on-suite wet room at first glance is of a good size, looking closer though I found some errors. The sliding door opening is not big enough, but can be adjusted quite easily. The toilet bowl had been placed too close to the sink unit therefore making the placement of a commode over the toilet impossible. One of the grab rails had been bolted down in place as well, causing a “bump” hazard to those moving around in the room. The shower head provided was the same as in the rest of the hotel, this though being ascetically pleasing to look at, would be extremely heavy to use by a disabled person with weak hands and also difficult to fit underneath ones bottom when sat on a shower chair.

The hotel had provided a long shower hose so well done in that regard. The shower controls may be difficult for those with hand issues to use as there is nothing definite to grab hold of. An able bodied person would also have to adjust the height of the shower head for a wheelchair user to use independently. The signage on the controls needs to be bolder and clearer. I am not sure whether the hot water system has a hot temperature safety cut off, but a definite safety issue if not in place. The water was not hot enough to be an issue when I tested it. The drainage in this wet room was excellent, best I have seen. Floor tiles did not become particularly slippery when wet, although usual caution should be employed as it is not a definitive non slip material as provided.

Two other incidental notes, the two big oval mirrors could have been a bit lower so to allow use by a wheelchair user and the intruder safety catches (door chains) had been put a bit high up and on the wrong way round so they do not work.




Out and about in the hotel grounds, there are no accessible pools either by pool hoist (which I do not recommend as not accessible to all disabled) or ramped access. The grounds have steps everywhere which make navigation around the site extremely challenging. The majority of doors to the outside are too narrow and barely accessible to a wheelchair user. Larger wheelchairs will not fit. 

Having seen various photographs of the Spa I dare not go and see how inaccessible it is. I also note that the hotel mini bus does not take wheelchairs, therefore discriminating against Hiltons disabled customers as they are not able to easily access the Hilton facilities at the beach, I have also noted the lack of alternative accessible transport available in the area, with the exception of one of  the tourist bus-train vehicles that takes wheelchairs.

We were kindly moved to a one bed apartment, 0010. This room also had to have some minor adjustments made, it was found that with the standard double bed there was insufficient room for a wheelchair to get into and around the room. Having furnished the room with 2 single beds this situation remedied itself. The hotel also nailed 12cm high blocks onto the feet of the table so that a wheelchair user could eat at the table in a fashion. They also removed a coffee table to allow for free movement of a wheelchair. The balcony has similar problems to the previous room so if we use we will have to be very careful.

I have therefore recommend to this hotel management to carry out the following alterations,

Short Term

• ·        In Room 2050 move the wardrobe over another 15cm to make more room for turning.
• ·        Provide 2 wheelchair adjustable tables, 1 for the restaurants, 1 for room. No more or less than you do for children in providing high chairs.
• ·        Lower the room mirrors slightly and fix the door security latches and peep hole.
• ·        Provide a ramped access to the balcony and carry out a full risk assessment as to whether it is wide enough to be safe.
• ·        Carry out an assessment whilst sat in a wheelchair of safe access routes around the hotel then provide a special map for disabled customers.

Longer Term

• ·        Look at all doors, widen where necessary.
• ·        Assess all ramps & bridges for steepness, are they safe for wheelchair users to use, if not fix.
• ·        Make at least one of the pools accessible via a ramp , you will also have buy a pool wheelchair, it would be appropriate to make a small charge to rent this, so recouping cost of this.
• ·        Next mini bus bought should be capable of transporting a wheelchair.
• ·        Look at changing shower heads to lighter ones. Make shower controls easier to use and markings bolder.
• ·        Look at making the spa accessible.
• ·        Do some research regarding good heights for beds for mobility restricted customers.

To Senior Hilton Managers, do not rely on architects to get it right, there are specialists in accessibility, use them. I wonder how well you have done at the new Vilamoura Conrad Hotel?

Lastly every Manager in every Hilton Hotel should sit in a wheelchair and experience their hotel from that perspective. This makes good business sense, as Europe’s populations age, and medical advances mean that people are now living longer with long term medical conditions, these people want to travel on holiday and business just like everyone else. 

Feedback from a more general point of view, very limited food menu available this time of year, room service menu very small choice plus every time you order there is a 5 Euros tray charge. Not all the restaurants on site are open. 

We will tell more about our adventures as we explore the area.

Mobility Accessibility " Build it in, don't Exclude it out"

Most builders , hoteliers, landlords if you have a conversation with them about including accessibility in their building will tell you of how difficult it is, how confusing the regulations are, as an excuse as to why it does not figure on their collective radars unless confronted with a situation they can not get out of.

I know in certain situations there is a need to build to the full accessibility standards, providing the ramps , hand rails, contrasting colours, sound aids etc. and the more of this the better of course.

I would like to get people thinking of what they can do to make everyone's environment more mobility accessible and not to the exclusion of the able bodied, giving a little more choice all round.

1. Showers -
If you are going to have a separate shower and bath , why not consider making the shower a wet-room area? Wet-rooms can look very stylish / chic and if the opening wide enough allow access to a wheeled shower chair. They are easier to clean as well.

2. New build / Refurbishments -
Why not make the doors wider than the norm, it does not cost that much more, allows access to wheelchair users. Hotels easier access for those hostess trolleys, residences easier to move in with furniture.

3. Steps & ledges.
Is it really necessary to have that high lip to a patio door , that step to the front door ? Able body people will you never have a visit from a wheelchair-ed friend member of family?

4. Luxury Hotels.
You supply high end furniture to your hotels, why not investigate whether companies do stylish high-low reclining  beds. Even more luxury everyone would love.

5. Restaurants.
You supply parents with high chairs for their children, why not adjustable(height) tables for those in wheelchairs ? When buying new tables do you think about whether someone in a wheelchair can get their foot plates under the table ?

6. Carpets.
Does that carpet have to be a thick pile ? Tiles can look great, are easier to clean and allow easy pushing for wheelchair users.

7. Lifts (Elevators).
Is the lift you are building big enough to take an ambulance trolley, electric wheelchair plus attendant / carer ?  Does it have a low set mirror that allows the disabled person to see how close their feet are getting to the edge. Dual controls at a good height to allow for not being able to reach over / turn around to operate.

8. New Pool
Make one access point ramped, not all disabled people can use hoists. People love zero entry pools, they can sit in the shallows keeping cool, older people find steps difficult, severely disabled people find floating out of a wheeled pool chair a lot easier and safer.

This list could go on and on, but hopefully has been thought provoking enough to get everyone thinking about what they could do to make things a little more accessible, for EVERYONE.

look around you, while you are refurbishing / building , at what YOU can do and not at what you can't do.  



       

Our Holiday in Tenerife or "that will be an extra 20 Euros"

 The Journey to the airport.

02:45 on the 26th April we set off for Luton Airport all packed and ready for our holiday in the sun. We arrive at the airport surrounds at about 04:00 and phone the people that are going to “meet and greet” us and take our car away for storage during our hols. I mistakenly think we will be able to unload Hubby right in front of the terminal and meet the assistance team right there. No we have to proceed to a drop off zone which is at least a 5-10 minute walk away from the terminal. Guess what the disabled drop off zone is closed for our use and is not of much help anyways as there are no significant dropped curb areas to decamp from the car. So I park up unload the luggage and then have make a herculean effort to get Hubby out of the car as the seat is now at a very uncomfortable height for me to lift him into his chair curb-side. It is cold outside and even though the help point has a small shelter Hubby is getting very distressed at being cold. As many reading this will know having a spinal injury means that more often than not you can not maintain your own body temperature. I am left in the uncomfortable position of not being able to leave the luggage to get Hubby in the warmth of the terminal straight away because it is too far away and to leave the luggage a security risk. No shelter in the car as there is a 10 minute waiting limit. After what seemed a very long wait because of our special circumstances, but only ten minutes, the assistance guy appears and helps us to the terminal.

Lesson learnt , if you are very disabled on your own or just the two of you with luggage you must telephone Luton Special Assistance (07979627278) to meet you as you arrive so that you do not have to wait in the cold. A letter is on its way to Luton Airport regarding the unsuitability of their disabled drop off zone and the fact that it was closed on our arrival. We are all used to ground level decamping from our cars as in the parking spaces that we all use so we all need those dropped curbs. We need somewhere warm to wait if the assistance is not going to meet us not the open bus shelter arrangement as currently provided. Also are the help buttons at a height that can be accessed from a wheelchair ?

Luton Airport Terminal.

The special assistance people are generally very kind and seemed to understand if some of their clients are a little grumpy at being man handled. After checking in with no problems, much relief felt when they did not even question our extra bag of medical equipment except for the fact that I was not allocated a seat directly next to my Hubby. After security and passport control we were taken to a special waiting area to await being boarded. We left carrying out Hubby’s urine catheter as late as possible as it would be touch and go that we would land in sufficient time within the six hour window. Unfortunately we were delayed by an hour so all our planning was to be for nought and we ended up doing it discretely on the plane before we landed. We were loaded up onto a scissor lift pod pre boarded via a very uncomfortable aisle wheelchair. This model was a lot lower than the one provided at the bigger airports so makes transfers a lot harder. On board due the flight being very empty the Thomson air crew were very kind and realised that I needed to sit next to Hubby to help him during the flight. I had to hold onto his legs during take off and landing and during taxi as the bumps made his legs spasms. The extra leg room afforded was not sufficient to stretch out his legs but did mean I could deal with them when they started to move. Whow! the seats on these budget airlines are thin and there is no where to put your arms.

Tenerife South Airport.

The Aisle wheelchair here was even worse as it had no arm rests making Hubby’s lack of trunk control very dangerous as he needs support to sit upright. The special assistance people got the hump when I would not let them push his wheelchair and wanted them to help instead with the luggage. The reason is that Hubby’s small wheelchair wheel at the front keeps hitting the back of his left heel and I know what to do to stop from happening, I know they would not, I was trying to prevent them getting shouted at. You can’t help some people. We were met by the Accessible Travel rep at the gate and shown to our accessible transfer bus. Hubby did not enjoy the journey he hates being strapped in the back of such vehicles in his wheelchair as it makes him feel sea sick. 25 minutes and we arrived at the hotel.

Mar y Sol Hotel Los Cristianos

The hotel looks pretty from the outside, white washed walls, greet the traveller, waterfall in front and little seating area with an interesting wooden walkway guiding you to the open spacious reception. On display at the moment is a golf cart that makes playing Golf a possibility for the less non able amongst us, i.e. Paraplegics with upper body strength. The check in procedure was much like other hotels with a porter to take our luggage to our room. We were assigned Room 3316 which to get there you take the lift from the 5th floor reception down to the 3rd, walk along a corridor at the back of the restaurant , past the table tennis, oversized chess, and dart board. Then past on the right, is the first pool , a paddling pool that is used for walking therapy, steps in one end ramp the other and why we were conned that there was a zero entry pool on site. Next, a large pool for serious swimmers with hoist. We then took a metal ramp up to our floor, from which we could see the super heated pool and hoist.

Our room was an immediate disappointment and reminded us of some of the seedy motels we had stayed in on our many road trips in the USA. It had not been redecorated since we guessed the 1980’s judging by the style of the fabrics. We felt the room could have been a show case for the hotel as being on the end of the building it had extra windows letting in all of that precious light. The “room” was made up of a bedroom, bathroom and sitting cum kitchen area, plus spacious balcony directly over looking the warm show pool and restaurant.

The Kitchen Area : supplied with a gratis litre of water on arrival but no kettle, cloths or washing up liquid. Cupboards have 3 saucepans, chopping board, plates, glasses, utensils. 2 ring cooker, Oven and small fridge. With everything being so old it all looks grubby / dirty. So if you get one of the older rooms be prepared to do some cleaning if you are a carer for any immuno-suppressed traveller. There was also a dining table and three chairs.

The Living Room Area: Tiled floor through out. Old style TV and white painted stand, Sofa that can be made up into an extra bed, coffee table that we put out of the way as it impeded Hubby’s movement in the room, another small table with the phone on, white painted book cabinet, and a wicker chair. We looked around for the TV remote there was not one so we dialled reception. “That will be an extra 20 Euros” we were told much to our annoyance having already paid an extortionate rate for the hotel just because it was supposed to have facilities for the disabled. Once we had obtained said remote it was debatable whether we should have bothered, we could of course improve our German and Spanish as the channels mainly catered for these clients, English speakers were supplied with Sky 1, Sky News, Eurosport, Cartoon Network, Sky Sports1. One of our funniest moments was watching a Tommy Lee Jones film in German that when the Mexicans were speaking had German subtitles, I know small things please small minds. And then as a reminder of a holiday we took many years ago in Mexico, where channel 6 was the sex channel, we had what we christened channel dirty thirty.

The Bedroom: plenty of storage for clothes as supplied with built in 2 side tables, wardrobe and chest of drawers. Also door access to balcony. Door width could have done with being a bit wider for us as we had difficulties getting the electric wheelchair in and out of the room. Hubby had a hospital type bed which we paid a pretty penny for ( supplied by LoRo equipment hire) and already in the room for us on arrival. Disabled peeps BEWARE ! the mattress is not of a sufficient thickness to guard against pressure sores and because the bed had metal latts underneath, extremely uncomfortable. It has left Hubby with a sore achy back. Also if you want side safety bars, much to our annoyance “That will be an extra 20 Euros”. We had already paid handsomely and now it was beginning to seem like everything we asked for was Extra ,Extra, Extra. My bed was not much better , one up from a camp bed with a water proof mattress cover that did not fit. This hotel also uses the old fashioned, sheets, blanket and bed spread, which some will like others not, personally I prefer Duvets. The pillows were very worn , some thinner than others. But having said that all the linen seemed to be old but clean.

The Bathroom: Ours had a small bath plus a wet room area. The sink has room for wheelchair bods to sit underneath. Taps are not easy use taps, but they have tilted the mirror to make use by those seated easier. Standard height toilet that a commode can be placed over. Again our problem was safety as there were tiles missing and the water did not run away down the drain making the tiled floor extremely slippery for me as an abled body person. There also does not seem to be hot temperature safety cut out. On the plus side the shower did have a hose long enough to reach under commode, but using the controls by those with limited hand function would not be possible without help. There seemed to be no mechanism to extract steam from the bathroom. Two small pieces of soap were provided and plenty of towels.

General: most light and power outlets were at a height that made them accessible for those in wheelchairs. Please note there is no heating in these units therefore if like Hubby you are unable to control your body heat you will need a heater and of course “That will be an extra 20 Euros” . We have a lot building work going on around our road at home so one of our desires was to get away from the noise and dust created by construction machinery. No such luck we had drills and power saws three rooms away, painters right outside scraping away at the white washed walls, and inconsiderate fellow guests allowing their doors to slam behind them. So by day 2 we were not happy bunnies and asked to speak with the tour rep. Platitudes were exchanged , but we were left with the like it or lump it feeling so tried to make the best of a bad situation. Also to note you will not find the usual information folder in your room, so will have to hunt for information regarding nightly entertainment, evening buffet theme, a la carte menu. You do though get given a leaflet which shows times and some of the general information that you will require.

The Restaurant: you have no choice at the hotel in that you at a minimum have to take half board and the dreaded hotel buffet. Having travelled the world very few hotels do this well, with the exception of the top hotels in the UAE who have it down to a fine art. Unfortunately as we pretty much expected, food was not kept hot and good ingredients were ruined through over cooking and standing. Fairly good choice of cold salad type foods. Most cooked hot meat were cheap cuts, dry, boring and rubbery, even that which the cook freshly prepared in the pan. Distinct lack of hot vegetable choices. Canary style potatoes were nice if you could pick out the ones that did not have black rotten bits in. French fries style chips available. Several different types of bread including some of the more interesting German style rye breads, some times fresher than others. All of the pastries, we tried, small pieces of cake, including breakfast Danishes, croissants were stale and extremely unappetising. In other words you would not starve but the hotel good do a lot better with the money you pay. The A La Carte Menu for during the day was to say the least unimaginative and not good value for money paid. Alcohol was more expensive than that found in the bars on the sea front and a large bottle of water cost Euro 1.70 which same could be bought in local Spar shop for 45 cents if able to get away to go there.

The Showcase Pool: everyone seemed to congregate around this pool being the warmest of the three, having fountains and water features. The hoist was in constant use and most of the time a life guard was on duty to help with this. SAFETY : please note it is up to the guests concerned to make the determination as to whether your particular disability precludes you from safely using this hoist, the life guard will not bar anyone its use. This led Hubby and myself watching in horror and holding our breath a few times when we saw people using said equipment that really should not have taken the risk. Personally it is my opinion that you take a huge risk of falling off if you have limited trunk strength, arm function or have bad spasms. Therefore Hubby falling into all three categories could not use this piece of equipment and was not able to use this fine pool for the duration of his stay.

The Staff: most we met were helpful and flitted happily between Spanish, German and English with ease. Having studied all of these languages on and off for many years and still not being fluent in either made me rather envious.

After filling in a feedback form I had a meeting with the German owner and founder of the hotel. He seemed to be genuinely disappointed with our reaction to our experience and explained that many of our problems were due to there not being the Hotel Guest Relations Manager available at the time of stay due to sickness. Apparently a Kettle could have been made available plus cloth and washing up liquid. All the extras we had to pay were due to the setup of the contract with Accessible Travel who should have explained and asked a lot more questions regarding our requirements prior to us paying. Most Travel Agents have a fully inclusive price for their clients so that they don’t get hit with all the extras. He also thought that due to Hubby’s level of disability we should have been put in a refurbished room type with extra wide doors, better safer bathrooms etc. I had a look at some afterwards, the rooms are like night and day! We would have managed a lot a better in one of the newer rooms.

For my part I will be sending the Hotel my detailed feedback and some links to manufacturers of pool ramps so that all guests can get into his pools safely no matter what level of disability they have.

http://www.thewheelchairsite.com/wheelchair-pool-ramps.aspx

http://www.recreonics.com/pool_access_ramps.htm

http://www.a1-wheelchair-ramps.com/types/wheelchair-pool-ramps

The Journey Back.

The Orobus picked us up and this time Hubby was more to the front and had a lot better ride. The Driver helped us with our luggage to the assistance point, where we checked in. Then for some reason even though our flight was going from gate 21 we with a few other disabled peeps were left at gate 5. Where we waited and waited. Eventually they re appeared and took us yes you have guessed it to gate 21. To our utter horror people were already boarding, so instead of being able to get Hubby settled before the masses started filing past we had to fight for space against the able bodied travellers. I hate it as I then feel rushed and pressured . I am doing all the safety lifting so I could have done without this. On top of this some guy and his wife were pissed off because they had just paid for extra leg room and we needed to take their seats. The Thomson Flight Manager thank goodness stuck up for us when I explained what I had to do during the flight to secure his legs. We thought we were off only to have to return to the parking spot again as someone had not done their job with one of the water valves. So of course I had to gain permission again on a full flight this time to discretely carry out Hubby urine catheter on board. Trying to explain to someone not medically trained that if I did not do it Hubby would get seriously ill, not sure whether she believed me but at least she tried to be understanding. On our landing back we found out that the people handling Hubby’s wheelchair in Tenerife had partially dismantled it. So he is already loaded up in the Aisle wheelchair at this point in severe pain and they want me to put him in his wheelchair with no back to it. On top of that they bash his right knee on the side door to the scissor pod.

 Poor Hubby… treated like a piece of meat… yet again… but at least it did not cost us another 20 Euros for the privilege.