Bristol is not Mars but
for the country's beleaguered public transport system it may as well be. Why
else would I have to board the 9.13 train (itself a journey up to town from where I live) a full 24
hours before the event began? Arriving at 12.30, I had to wait two hours to
meet Neil Hutchings from his London train and, after exploring the city for a
while, the moment came to find the venue. Most conventions are within a stone's
throw of a town or city centre but the Aztec Hotel is approximately 15 miles
away in a bleak, deserted industrial park served by one bus; the only option as
a taxi fare would have been prohibitive. Tallying all this up with the
registration fee for the weekend, £45 and the (admittedly very favourable for a
4 star hotel) £30 per night room fees, something like £125 has been spent
before a single person asks Wendy Padbury what its like in space. The real bone cruncher, however, comes as it gradually becomes clear that the
Aztec holds a monopoly on all food and drink in the area. There is a lovely
country pub opposite owned by them which has marginally lower prices, but check
these out - a pot of tea £2.50. Sandwiches £6.95, buffet £10. Any money saved
on the room rates is soon clawed back because there is nowhere else to eat or
drink; even the alcohol is higher than London prices. So, let's face it,
overpriced photos of Sylvester gurning with a stuffed ferret are the least of
our worries!That said the Aztec is an
excellent hotel full of wooden floors, beams, low ceilings and faux Tudor
decoration. The staff are tremendously helpful and friendly more so than in any
convention hotel I've been in. Hopefully they get a fair cut of all that cash flowing in.
