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.