Alex's reviews
Review of Burger King
04 May 08, 15:54
busy at weekends! 
When I used to work near here this place was difficult to walk past at lunchtimes without feeling compelled to go in! The only time this wasn't the case was in summer on Saturdays when the place fills up so much the queue is out of the door for most of the afternoon! Thankfully I realised I should perhaps eat elsewhere occasionally else I wouldn't fit through the door anymore...
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Review of Just Add Water Sports
04 May 08, 15:48
Dude, a surfer shop!
Just Add Water is a sports store with a real surfer element to it. You feel like you should say 'dude' at the end of every sentence, dude. They do sell some really nice clothing dude. It can be a bit more than you were willing to pay but it's different to the clothing you'll find elsewhere dude. Also the staff are pretty friendly and helpful dude. Awesome dude!
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Review of Bar Fruit
04 May 08, 15:45
Mmmmm, vodka! 
The atmosphere in Fruit at the weekend is always really good - it's a good mix between those on their way to one of the clubs in Bournemouth but you also get a fair few people who just stay in the bar all night, and with the famous flavoured vodkas you can't really blame them!
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Review of Hot Rocks
04 May 08, 15:39
great location for a restaurant!
The best bit about Hot Rocks has to be the location - right on the beach, how can you beat that?! There's something really nice about being able to tuck into your dinner whilst looking out over the beach at the sea. The food is pretty good too - they do all the burgers and steak that you'd expect from this surfy-type restaurant - it seemingly works because it's always busy!
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Review of Asda Stores
04 May 08, 15:20
a cheap supermarket AND fast food?
You know what you get with Asda - cheap! But this one has a McDonalds too which can be great if you're a bit peckish - or a nightmare if you've brought the kids shopping - try getting past that without one of them chirping up "i'm hungry!" - oh, funny that, you weren't hungry BEFORE we left home, but now we're outside a fast food store you're all of a sudden struck by a bout of hunger?!
The only thing I dislike about this Asda is getting out the car park afterwards! The exit is more or less right onto St Pauls Roundabout which is busy and chaotic at the best of times - do expect other drivers to swear and 'gesture' at you as you try and get onto the main road!
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Review of Sixty Million Postcards
04 May 08, 15:17
decent little place...!
I can't work out whether it is a brilliant name for a bar or a stupid name. Either way it is different and catches the eye as you're walking down the street, as does the funky decor inside! The drinks are good and the food is pretty awesome too!
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Review of Pizza Hut
04 May 08, 15:15
good attentive staff
As far as Pizza Huts go this place is fairly good - there is ample parking which is a good thing because it's usually fairly busy whenever I've been in - even the takeaway bit! The staff are much better than some other Pizza Hut restaurants - serving fairly efficiently with a smile on their faces, it's pizza exactly how it should be!
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Review of Bath Travel
04 May 08, 15:05
great local holiday agent
The Bournemouth branch of Bath Travel is as good as any of the others. They're located right in the town centre so many workers pop in on their lunchbreak to fix up a holiday - it helps them through the afternoon at work!
The guys here are really friendly and get to know you so they can sell you the holiday you really want, which is great and doesn't leave you feeling cold like some other agents can.
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Review of Bournemouth International Centre
04 May 08, 15:04
great for gigs...
I've seen some great gigs here over the years and the BIC continues to pull in bigger and bigger names! It's now become the entertainment centre that Bournemouth deserves - there's always someone big playing within the next few weeks and it's easy to get to unlike some concert venues across the country!
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Review of Bournemouth Bedding Centres
04 May 08, 14:58
good selection & experienced staff!
They've been selling beds since beds were invented, almost, and so they know their stuff! They've got a good range as well, and to top it all off they offer free delivery! We've used them in the past and they've never let us down...
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Review of The Eye Of The Tiger
04 May 08, 14:54
almost excellent, but not quite!
This place has been going for as long as I can remember and continues to bring in the customers - as well it should, the food is very good, and the prices are reasonable too. It just lacks that little touch that COULD make this place so much better, I can't quite put my finger on it, it could just be a lick of paint the place needs - in which case I still wouldn't put my finger on it, because it would be wet paint of course...
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Review of The Pier Theatre
30 Apr 08, 16:23
Looks good - not so great inside! 
The Pier Theatre is a really great name for a theatre at the end of a pier. The theatre has been there for decades and every now and then there's a big public discussion about whether it should be knocked down or not and somebody points out it's cultural significance and it stays. But there's very rarely anything of note actually on here - if it's worthwhile then it's in the BIC or Pavilion!
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Review of Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
30 Apr 08, 16:06
great entertainment, but venue decor could be better!
I used to like the fact that it hadn't been modernised in ages - the 'rustic' look, but now 'rustic' has begun to look a bit like 'run down' and they need to do something about it soonish. The theatre itself is good, there's always something good on here whether it's a comedian, a pantomime, or a radio 4 recording (I've been to all three in the last few years!) you'll have a good night.
Top marks for the entertainment, less so for the state of the venue, but I'm sure it'll be done up soon...
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Review of Landmarc
30 Apr 08, 16:01
stunning setting... great venue!
Landmarc is a stunning new venue set in a converted church - your first impression will be 'wow' - I know mine was, and it'll be the same when you sample the food, and the same again if you see an act there. There's regular top musical and comedy acts performing - East 17 brought the roof down (not literally) when they played here last year! A really great night out!
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Review of Castle Cameras
29 Apr 08, 17:59
sound advice!
The guys at Castle Cameras are really helpful - my mum needed to get some prints from a friend's digital camera for her birthday and didn't have a clue how to go about it... She'd tried a few supermarkets that offer printing services but to no avail, until I suggested these guys - they gave her all the help she needed, and I think she's since been back!
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Review of Argos
24 Apr 08, 13:25
well-managed catalogue store...
CastlePoint is the huge out of town shopping centre that has more car parking spaces than you can shake a very large stick at. This Argos is relatively new and to start with your stuff took AGES to come out, you'd end up sitting down so long your bum went numb, but they seem to have got that sorted out now and it runs quite efficiently and the staff are fairly pleasant too.
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Review of Argos
24 Apr 08, 13:07
busy but efficient...
Down in Bournemouth's town centre this Argos gets very busy at weekends and lunchtimes as the workforce of the town pop in to pick up that little thing they need, as the staff are suddenly overwhelmed!
They do try and process the orders as quickly as possible and so I've never had to wait for a long time for my number to be called - It's a bit like winning a raffle when they call your number out, until you remember that you've already paid for your 'prize'...
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Review of Oceanarium
22 Apr 08, 18:00
Great trip out for the family!
The Oceanarium really is a great addition to Bournemouth's seaside setting. It's literally right on the beach, and allows you to explore the life that lives yonder! There's fish in there that really look nothing like fish, you do wonder if they could be done under the trade descriptions act, although of course they can't, because they aren't doing any kind of trade, they're just there - swimming in a tank. One fish says to the other - how do you drive this thing?
Anyway, back to the review, take the kids, it's a lovely place to visit - probably not quite a 'day out' but at least a decent afternoon. Price is perhaps a little on the dear side but then it is right on Bournemouth seafront and aimed at tourists so I guess you pay for the privelage.
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Review of Wilkinson
22 Apr 08, 17:22
cheap goods in a Tardis-like environment!
This Wilkinson is one of the smaller Wilkinson stores, but still manages to cram in the same range of food, drink, clothing and homeware as all the other Wilko stores. I'm still not entirely sure how they do it - is the place a Tardis?
The answer to the last question is a 'no', by the way. Because there is no blue flashing light on top of the store, nor is there a sign outside declaring it as a 'police box'.
There are, however, bargains galaore, so come, filll your boots! (Well, preferably your trolley, beacuse if you literally fill your boots you might get accused of shoplifting...)
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Review of Mr David English
22 Apr 08, 15:47
sports centre with good facilities
The David English sports centre is a well-equipped and well-run gym that actually belongs to the neighbouring Bournemouth School, but is run out-of-school hours as a leisure centre. Memberships are quite reasonable and there is a huge range of classes you can take part in. There is no swimming pool, which is just about the only downside of the David English - that along with the limited parking, but to be fair, if you're going to the gym, walk there!!!
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Review of Bournemouth Eye
22 Apr 08, 15:43
breathtaking views of Bournemouth.
The Bournemouth Eye is a Visterama Balloon that is tethered to the ground, that is slowly raised so you get higher and higher above Bournemouth. When it is fully up you get a fantastic panoramic view across Bournemouth - you can see from Poole and beyond all the way across to the Isle of Wight, and then over towards Southampton in the other direction, the views on a clearly really are breathtaking, however so are the prices, considering you are only up in the air for half an hour or so at more than £10 per person it's a bit over the top, but in summer the tourists love it...
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Review of Odeon Cinema
21 Apr 08, 13:48
old cinema, now used as a... cinema!
This is the old ABC cinema in Bournemouth which got sold off to the Odeon who now use all the screens here. It is just an extension of the one up the road basically but is nice enough. Some of the rooms need a lick of paint but hey, when the film starts it goes dark anyway!!!
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Review of Odeon Cinema
21 Apr 08, 13:26
So many screens...!
Gone are the days when you go to "the" cinema - this Odeon has a ridiculous number of screens, and is if they weren't enough on their own they for some reason decided that the old ABC cinema down the road should also be an Odeon, so they use those screens too.
It means if there's a film out, it's probably showing here. The screens vary in size from a room the size of the Sydney Opera House (nearly), to the size of your kitchen. They're all fairly comfy, although some could do with a bit of modernisation.
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Review of B & Q
20 Apr 08, 19:19
MASSIVE B&Q
This B&Q is situated at the popular Castle Point retail park. It is MASSIVE, I once heard a rumour it was the biggest B&Q in the country, though that is yet to be confirmed. Perhaps if you go in ask at the customer services desk - they might be able to find out for you. The staff are relatively helpful for a DIY store, just watch out for 'maniacs' pushing their trolleys round the corners at speeds Lewis Hamilton would be proud of with half a tonne of wood on board because it'll more than likely end in tears.
Being at Castle Point means there is also a massive car park so if you like hire an articulated truck and park it up outside just in case you get carried away and buy more than you thought...
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Review of The Moon In The Square
19 Apr 08, 17:00
huge central Wetherspoons pub
A massive pub right in the middle of Bournemouth, it's a Wetherspoons so it's cheap and cheerful, does food, has a little garden bit that's lovely in summer, is it any wonder it's popular?! It's always been busy whenever I've been in, but I've never had trouble getting served at the bar.
It gets ridiculously crowded on Friday/Saturday nights, so it's definitely not one for the claustraphobic!!!
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Review of Waterstones Booksellers
18 Apr 08, 16:35
Books and lots of them...
Waterstones is a brilliant little cove to head to when the hustle and bustle of Castle Point all gets too much, because you can go and find yourself a good book, and sit down and give it a little 'test read' in a little alcove. And my, what a large selection of books they have too!
From the latest bestsellers, a cook book from a telly chef trying to earn a few extra million, to books you didn't know existed but find strangely intriguing - I once spent an hour waiting for a friend by reading up on "how to break into the music industry".. An enthralling read it was, sadly I'm still waiting for that big break.
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Review of Marks & Spencer
18 Apr 08, 16:32
Not nearly as arousing as the adverts make out...
I used to be addicted to the food at this M&S when I used to work near here because I told myself that eating expensively is the same thing as eating healthily. It isn't.
I can't really vouch for anything except the food here, but I do remember walking past loads of clothes to get to the checkout, I'll be honest, they were mostly old people browsing the rails...
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Review of JJB Sports
18 Apr 08, 14:41
centrally located sports store...
This JJB is right in Bournemouth town centre and so gets quite busy especially in the summer months when compared to the other JJB in Bournemouth at the out of town retail park.
The layout can confuse you a bit as it literally covers the entire 2nd floor of the shopping centre, but provided you don't get lost the staff are really helpful - far more so than other JJB stores I've experienced.
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Review of Burton Menswear
17 Apr 08, 16:54
good clothing range...
Burtons do a range of clothing and accessories with everything from belts to hats, half of the clothing section is kind of fashionable stuff then the rest is suits and formalwear.
Always the first place I go when looking for something smart because the prices are pretty much spot on and the quality is great.
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Review of Topman
17 Apr 08, 16:44
good range of menswear...
More clothing ideas than a man could wish for. Topman, being the menswear arm of Topshop, seem to usually stock clothing that I prefer to that in Next, but isn't quite as good as River Island.. All in my humble opinion, you understand. Feel free to disagree but I quite like the place and the staff are always smiling.
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Review of Castlepoint Shopping Park
16 Apr 08, 13:18
Lots of shops to shop in... Excellent!
Castlepoint is an excellent place to go shopping - or at least it is now they've solved all the initial worries of the carpark falling down... There would have been nothing worse than spending a day shopping only to come out to discover your car had fallen through the floor and you had to walk home, or worse still, get the bus...
All the big high street shops are here - clothing, music, books, I'm yet to visit Castlepoint and come away without anything! Parking can be a nightmare of a weekend/bank holiday, but just be patient and you'll find a space eventually!
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Review of Fire 107 6 FM
11 Apr 08, 21:33
Another radio station 
Fire 107.6 is a radio station for Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch that plays 'Non-Stop 90s and Now' music. This means they play predominantly current music which is good, but personally I like the other radio stations in the area that also play the hits but also throw in a song or two that I haven't heard in a while!
The station does not sound as good as it used to but remains popular with students after a night out.
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Review of 2CR
11 Apr 08, 16:43
It's brilliant! 
This station plays Today's Best Mix for Bournemouth! The Paul Bunker Show is a brilliant way to wake up! There might be the name of a rival station on the balloon in the gardens, but where it counts (in the music and what they say) 2CR is much the better station! It's always playing a song I love and the presenters are always talking about funny things they've seen in Dorset & The New Forest, I love it!
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