Shearwater Resort, Caloundra

We enjoyed our stay at Shearwater Resort, Caloundra in a serviced apartment on the second floor.  We had a balcony with a view of the water. There were two bedrooms, lounge and kitchen, bathroom with separate toilet.  There was a great Italian restaurant downstairs, Domenico's, which did delicious take-away pizzas and we dined in the restaurant one night.  We were  also fortunate to be across the road where the Dawn Service was held.  Neither of us had attended one before and this year "it came to us".

We were told our apartment was wheelchair friendly, with a roll-in shower and a rail in the bathroom.  There are no rails in the toilet and I couldn't fit my wheelchair in there.  We took my portable commode with us, which helped me to use the toilet and also doubled as a shower chair.  The shower has no curtain so water is splashed outside the shower area.  Unfortunately for me, this accommodation was not ideal.  We enquired about another wheelie-friendly apartment nearby which was worse than this one.  It seems most of the accommodation at Kings Beach is too old.  Of course, as we are all different, this apartment may suit others.  It's such an individual thing.

Sun Princess, October/November 2016

We did a round-Australia cruise recently aboard the Sun Princess.  It was an enjoyable and interesting cruise stopping at all capital cities and other towns along the way including Broome and Albany.  There was also a stop at Alotau in Papua New Guinea.  We had an accessible cabin with wheel-in shower; rails in shower, and beside toilet. 

The cabin was comfortable and easy to negotiate. We had single beds which was ideal as my spasticity is a problem and can wake my husband.  He said the mattresses were too soft.  There was some difficulty moving about the ship when I wanted to go out on the deck, with or without my husband being with me.  There were ramps but they were not ideal, having a flat bit sticking up at the top.  We often had to wait for some kind person to hold the door open (very heavy) and help me in or out.  None of the excursions were accessible but this was not a problem for  us.  We hired taxis at each destination and found that to be cheaper and we got local people showing us the sites of each place we stopped.

There was a small ramp to get in to bathroom.  The shower was not ideal.  There was a drop-down seat, but there was a rail along the back.  So I'm sitting on the seat with a rail at my back, making it a bit uncomfortable to stay on seat.  The shower was on my left and the shower gel and shampoo on my right, both sort of behind me.  The drainage was good with a drain around the shower area so water did not go into the rest of the bathroom.  I have good core strength so I would suggest if you don't have that strength, you need a shower chair (plastic chair) for safety. 

Braeside, Maleny September 2016

We attended a family wedding at Maleny and stayed at a lovely B&B called Braeside.  When you walk in there are breathtaking views of the Glasshouse Mountains.  We stayed two nights so we would be close the wedding venue and we could enjoy a weekend in this beautiful environment.  When the proprietors decided to have a B&B they were required to have one room as wheelchair accessible.  It worked well for us.  There was a drop-down seat in the shower.  The rails in the shower and beside the toilet were adequate for me.  I could wheel-in to shower, toilet and hand basin.  It was also easy to wheel outside my room as the area had polished floor boards.  We could have breakfast while taking in the view and watching the birds outside coming to feed. The proprietor was also kind enough to drive us the short distance to the wedding and picked us up later.  Sadly, the B&B was For Sale as the proprietors would like to retire.

La Promenade, Caloundra - April 2016

We had a lovely weekend at Caloundra last week staying in an accessible unit at La Promenade.  Our hosts Kerry and Michael were very welcoming and want to encourage more people who use a wheelchair to enjoy the unit.  I know we are all have different levels of disability.  What works well for me may not necessarily work for others.  I can stand-transfer and I'm very strong.  This unit worked well for me.  There was a minor problem with the bed partially blocking access to the bathroom.  When needed, the bed can be easily moved with Michael's help.

The bathroom was accessible through another door in the hallway and this is the one I used.  The shower has a drop-down bench seat.  I was able to transfer to and from my wheelchair using the shower rail and with help from my husband/carer.  The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were a little high and could come down about 15 cm.  The shower had a moveable head so I could reach it easily.

The toilet worked well for me with the rails against the wall.  I would like to see a drop down rail on the other side which would help me to transfer to and from my chair.  The drop down rail could be left up for those who don't need that. 

The kitchen is not ideal and I think our hosts will work on that.  There are limited cooking facilities with only a microwave oven sitting on the bench and making it difficult to access power points.  There is a plug-in hot plate but not much space on the bench. 

The floors are tiled so easy to wheel around.  The view from the unit, which is on the second floor, is fantastic.  Those on the ground floor are fishing outside their unit.  That's how close we are to the water.  The weather was not the best last weekend with very strong winds making it unpleasant to be outside.  Our unit has a balcony which is accessible with a wheelchair.  This is the first time I've seen this.  Usually it is difficult to get over the tracks of the sliding door and then a drop to the balcony.  At this unit there is a tiled slope which makes it easy to get down.  We didn't stay out there long because of the wind but on a normal sunny day it would be a very pleasant spot to relax with a drink and enjoy the view.

Monier Hotel, Darra

This was quite a good toilet.  Door a bit heavy, push to open, then pull to exit.  As I stand transfer to the toilet seat I found the placement of the toilet paper holder was not ideal for me as it got in the way.  Note there is somewhere to hang a handbag but nowhere to put anything else except the floor.  The basin, liquid soap and paper handtowels were all conveniently close together.  A clean toilet. 4/5

Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point

I attended a conference yesterday at the Belvedere Hotel at Woody Point.  The hotel has wheelchair access at the rear of the hotel with plenty of disabled parking.  I used the lift to get to the conference upstairs.  I used the toilet during a break in proceedings.  The door opened inward and was very heavy.  The toilet had two toilet roll holders above the bar next to the toilet.  I appreciate everyone is different, even in the "disabled" world, so this may not be a problem for other disabled people.  I can stand transfer and I find the position of the toilet roll holders gets in my way in moving from the wheelchair to the toilet seat then a little later back to the wheelchair.  I would prefer the toilet roll holders were below the rail and back a little so I can pull myself up without banging against the toilet roll holder.  Leaving the toilet I had to pull the heavy door inwards to get out.  It never ceases to amaze me how every toilet is different.

The Workshops Rail Museum, Ipswich

We enjoyed a great day out at the Museum last week.  This is an old building, originally used by the workers to repair Queensland's trains.  The Museum has done a lot of work to make the museum wheelchair friendly and that made the day especially enjoyable for me.  I used the toilet which is also a baby-changing room.  I am always wary of these "joint" facilities as it is not always a hygienic arrangement.  There was nowhere to put my handbag except the floor or the table.  The toilet roll holder is almost on top of the toilet rail so gets in my way, especially when transferring from the toilet to my chair.  It was a good-sized room with more than ample space.

 

Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point

Baby change area

I had a very pleasant lunch at the Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point last week.  Then I used their disabled toilet.  I opened the door by pushing it as hard as I could only to find myself in a confined space where I faced a baby change table immediately in front of me and another door to the left of me.  I then pushed the second

There is a blue chair on the right

door open which was a bit awkward and I was then able to lock that door.  There was one of those large toilet paper containers right above the handrail and was in the way while I manoeuvred to sit on the toilet and again when I stood, holding on to the rail while pulling my pants up.  There was a chair in the toilet where I could put my handbag (a plus).  When I'd finished, I reversed the procedure to get out where I then had to pull the heavy outer door open after entering the baby change area.  It occurred to me it would be difficult for a person changing a nappy to have someone push the outer door in on them.  Perhaps I should be giving these toilets a rating. Okay, I will. 31/2/5

Pull this heavy door to exit

 

Mon Komo, Redcliffe

Lovely view from my room

Lounge space, moved coffee table

I spent last weekend by myself on the fourth floor of the Mon Komo Hotel at Redcliffe.  Fortunately, it was quite well set up for disabled access but it is a huge thing for me to be staying somewhere by myself for the first time since my injury. I have stayed in a number of places with my husband that weren't really suitable for me to be on my own.  My sister who travelled with us to Italy last year so understood my requirements, checked out the disabled access room at Mon Komo and told me I should be able to manage it.  My husband dropped me off there (he was going interstate).  The door to the apartment was very heavy for me.  My husband helped me settle in - move the coffee table that was in the middle of the lounge area, put two of the dining chairs out of the way, and took down some crockery from the cupboards above the stove (too high for me to reach), adjust the position of the shower head so I could reach it.  I thought disaster loomed as we had forgotten my bed-pole, though fortunately I managed without it (because I had to).  The bedroom was at one end of the apartment

and the bathroom at the other - prefer an en

suite arrangement.  The bathroom toilet had a rail on the wall beside it (no drop-down rail on the other side).  The shower had a drop-down shower seat to which I transferred from my wheelchair.  I tried to be very careful with the shower water so it didn't spread too far in to the room.  There

Crockery out of my reach

was a drain in the shower space, but it still left the floor wet.  Curiously, there were no rails for the towels.  Anyway, it worked for me though an arrangement like the one at the Stradbroke Hotel would improve it.  I was unable to go out on to the
balcony because of the tracks of the sliding doors and a small dip down.  There will be other wheelies for whom this would not be a problem.  Overall, I was very satisfied with my accommodation and I'm happy that I was able to manage on my own.

State Library of Queensland

The State Library of Queensland has a very satisfactory disabled public toilet.  There is lots of room, there is somewhere to put your stuff.  I don't like that it is shared with babies getting changed.  The liquid soap container is above the floor rather than the sink.  It has an "open sesame" door which can then be locked.

 

North Stradbroke Island Hotel

We spent the weekend at the North Stradbroke Island Hotel.  As always, when I book a "disabled" room I am a little apprehensive as to whether the room will be suitable.  So many hotels claim to have a "disabled" room which turns out to be anything but.  In this case we were very pleasantly surprised.  The lift to the room also goes to the hotel's bistro and bar.  The room itself is very roomy for a wheelie - and the bathroom!!  There is a rail on the side of the toilet which was adequate for me (I do prefer to have the dropdown rail on the other side).  The basin and mirror is easy to use.  Even the hairdryer is low enough for a wheelie.  Then there's the shower. 

There is a very generous dropdown shower seat with the shower tap and shower head within easy reach.  The shower curtain goes all around and reaches the floor.  There is a very small raised strip in a square around the shower area with a large drain in the corner, so the shower water is channeled into the drain.  There is still some "pooling" within the square, but is easily mopped up with towels.  It was easy to wheel to the shower chair and transfer and then back again to the chair with a towel covering the seat.  It would be good if all "disabled" showers met this high standard.  Unfortunately, the room was let down by the inaccessible balcony which had a "lip" then a small drop.  But, hey, there was no view there anyway.  The bistro had a ramp if you wanted to go down to the next level.  The staff were very helpful and friendly. So the hotel was very well set up for wheelie guests.

Malpensa, Italy

We stayed at the Sheraton which was next to the Airport that services Milan.  There were problems with the bathroom.  The pull down rail beside the toilet was broken and two men came to “fix it”, only taking a couple of minutes, so of course it wasn’t really fixed.  It was only for one night so I just used my portaloo over the toilet.  We had to ask for a chair for the shower, which was wheel-in but with one small rail.  

Venice, Italy

We stayed at Liassidi Palace hotel.  Getting to the hotel was the main problem as we'd used Vaporetto (water bus) which stopped three bridges short of our destination.  That problem was eventually overcome and we found our delightful hidden away hotel which had its own jetty.  When we finished our stay we returned to the Tronchetto by a disabled access water taxi, which was the more sensible option.  At the hotel, a shower chair was provided for the shower, but there were no rails.  I could wheel to the shower, but the shower doors proved difficult.  The shower wasn’t big enough to fit me and close the doors properly, because I was sitting on the shower chair.  The toilet had a floor to ceiling vertical pole, but no side rail.  It took a lot of effort to transfer from the chair to the pole and swing my body around.  So not ideal, but we managed.

 

Florence, Italy

We stayed at the Hotel Pierre very close to the Duomo, so very central to everything.  The shower and toilet arrangement here were not ideal.  I had to use my “portaloo” over the toilet as there was only a small horizontal rail on the wall.  The shower was difficult to access because the shower doors did not allow enough space to get in comfortably.  There was a small flip down seat against the wall.  There were no rails.

Road to Florence, Italy

On the highways in Italy (that you pay a toll to use), there are many "petrol stations" along the way.  These are very elaborate facilities that sell more than petrol.  They have mini-supermarkets and cafes where you can stop for refreshments.  They also have good disabled toilets.  At this place, I  they had this high vertical pole, which was perfect for me.  It also had the drop-down side rail.  Unfortunately, it had the "regulation" toilet seat, which was very uncomfortable for me.

Como, Italy

Our bathroom facilities in the Albergo Terminus Hotel were not adequate for me.  I could wheel in to the shower but it was difficult to get on the small seat in the corner, attached to the wall.  The toilet had a small horizontal rail on the side and a long rail behind the toilet.  I struggled to use the shower in our room in the morning so my sister, Sharney, spoke to the person on reception and they provided a plastic chair to use next time, which made it much easier. The mirror was too high for someone in a wheel chair and also I could not reach the hair dryer.

 

Ivrea, Italy

We stayed at the Hotel La Villa which was booked by the wife of one of the rowers my husband, Terry, coaches.  It was ideal for our situation.  My sister, Sharney’s room was next to ours.  She had her own en suite and our room had its own en suite.  There was a disabled bathroom between our bedrooms, so that was exclusively mine and with access from both bedrooms, Sharney was able to easily help when needed.  The toilet was unusual as it had the front of the seat was taken out leaving a significant gap in the middle.   As my adductors are very tight, I found this arrangement very uncomfortable as a leg would fall in to the gap.  I asked the proprietor if I could have a normal seat to cover up the gap and she told me “that is the law in Italy for disabled toilets”.  (We rarely saw this type of toilet for the rest of our Italian holiday).  So I ended up using my “portaloo” over the toilet which worked a little better for me.  The shower seat was against the wall and the rail and shower were also against the wall.  As I sat on the seat I was unable to see behind me.   So for showers I needed assistance.

"Disabled toilet from hell"!

I'll start with my most notable experience which was in Venice last August. This was where we encountered “the disabled toilet from hell”.  During our sightseeing I, of course, needed to use disabled toilets a number of times and they were all easy to use and access.  However, in this case the complete opposite happened.   As is the case at many other places, the disabled toilet was away from the “normal” toilets.  My husband, Terry, enquired with the female attendant and asked for the entry to the locked disabled toilet.  She unlocked the toilet with some difficulty and we entered and found there was no room as there was a large baby change table in the way.  My sister, Sharney, removed the table and waited with it outside while Terry and I entered the toilet.

About a minute later the lights went out.  Fortunately there was a gap in the door which allowed enough light for me to use the toilet.  When we’d finished, we pressed the large red button to open the door, but it didn't open.  Terry tried pulling the door open without success.  We yelled to Sharney that we were trapped.  She was standing outside with the change table with people looking at her like she was trying to sell it.  She got the attendant who physically struggled to get the door open long enough for us to escape and for Sharney to return the change table.  The attendant was very apologetic.  Apparently she hadn’t had anyone ask to use it before.  I wonder what would have happened to a disabled person who was on their own using that toilet, presuming they got in.  Awful, but funny experience to look back on.

Engen, Germany

The first stage of our visit to Europe was to see our cousins who live in Engen in southern Germany.  We were unable to stay at their house because it is a high set house and the bathroom is on the second floor.  My cousins fortunately found a motel, Rasthaus im Hegau, only a couple of minutes away which had a disabled access room.  It suited my needs very well.  The motel provided a shower chair when we arrived. It has a wheel-in shower and rails on either side of the toilet.

Singapore

The first picture shows the disabled toilet at Singapore Airport.  There are lots of rails, easy to use.  But nowhere to put your handbag which my carer carried for me.

Pictures 2 and 3 show a very impressive decor in a disabled toilet at the ground floor of Tower 3 in the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.  I opened the door and said "Wow!"  This is a luxury hotel and of course, you'd probably expect to see a beautiful looking public toilet.  There was a  cleaner constantly on duty and he was surprised when he saw me taking a photo with the door open.  I told him it was because it was the most beautiful public toilet I'd ever seen.  And it works in a practical sense as well.  It has good rails, and it has a hook to hang your handbag behind the door, but as we pointed out to the cleaner, I couldn't reach it.  He said he was new there and would speak to his supervisor and went in to clean after we'd left.

Pictures 4 and 5 show the toilet and shower in our room at the Oasia Hotel.  It has good rails and wheel-in shower.