SaniFair Still Led By Technology

Bruchsal West
A5 Fahrtrichtung Sued
Near Frankfurt
Germany


http://www.rast.de/services/leistungen/sanifair/sanifair.html


Where is it?

The same format as before, so you know the drill. Go through the main front doors , down the spiral staircase, and pay your 50 cents.


What’s it like?

I was really impressed by the SaniFair experience. So, when I found they ran the toilets in the services near Frankfurt it was with glee that I took my 50 cents to pay for entry.

The same superior quality was on offer as at Bottrop. This time I took a little time to take things in. You can get through these toilets without touching anything that hasn’t been cleaned since its last use. Everything is automatic. I hate piped music, but for some reason it still had a calming and welcoming effect on me – all very soothing.

These toilets were fairly busy – I’m sure they could become Germany’s number one tourist attraction! Anyway, I couldn’t get much in the way of extra photos, but I did take the opportunity to take a video of the toilet seat cleaner in operation.

So here there it is.


Marks out of 10:

11. My awe grows greater...


Comments to the management:

Can I have the UK franchise?

Mc Café Has the Feel

McCafe,
Augsburger Strasse 75,
91781 Weissenburg.
Germany.

http://www.mcdonalds.de/flash.php

Where is it?

Well first a disclaimer on the address. The place we stopped at was certainly somewhere between Heidelberg and Munich. We took the back roads. We ended up stopping in somewhere beginning with a W after a really pretty stretch which continued for a long while afterwards. Without my notes (they’ve gone missing since I was there), but with a little help from the McDonalds’ finder thing this looks like it was the one.

Once there go from the entrance head towards the counter until you can head right. Go straight across the restaurant and you’ll see a corridor (more of an opening really). The toilets are down there on the left.


What’s it like?

The reality that many of us face when travelling for pleasure is inconsistent and sometimes downright disgusting toilets. Some of the worst toilets I can remember were at a truck stop near Arusha in Tanzania. I’ll not go in to the detail, but a score of –2 would probably have resulted. A trip around the newly opened eastern-bloc countries in 1991 also revealed a few basic toilets. The overnight train that headed east out of Munich had toilets that were particularly interesting. In fact it was on this trip that my love of McDonalds grew. Stumbling upon a McDonalds in Budapest meant not only could I have the first western food for 4 weeks, but also the best toilet facilities in that time too.

So it was good to continue the tradition in 2007 with a stop in a McCafe. A McCafe? This is McDonalds’ new concept for Germany. Part normal restaurant and part relaxed coffee place. And was it agreeable. Well it seemed to be going down well with the locals. People were not just rushing in and out with the kids as you might see elsewhere, but meeting their friends, reading the newspaper over a coffee and cake, and generally relaxing.

And the toilets? Well they were very new, very clean and well a little odd. These were high spec for Maccy D’s. Tile on the wall. Proper wooden doors. In fact I think they were themed to be toilets in a mountain cabin. At least that would tie in with the local area. Having said they were a little odd they were more than comfortable enough. In fact they were damned right entertaining. Add to that they were warm and cosy and all you can say is that they were a complete success. Well-done McDonalds!


Marks out of 10:

8 for a clean entertaining stop.


Comments to the management:

Mountain styling is a little odd, but these are not bad at all.

2007’s Best and Worst Public Toilets

From luxury loos to crappy crappers, Where’s the Toilet? reveals its best and worst public toilet experiences of 2007.

Best movies. Best albums. Best dressed celebrities. Best toilets. As each year ends, the media bombards us with pop-culture based lists that look back on the year’s high and low points.

Not wanting to be left out, David and Eyal, founding editors of Where’s the Toilet?, decided it was perfect time to reveal their best and worst toilet-going experiences of 2007.

“We’ve been though a lot this year,” said Dawson. “We’ve experienced some truly golden moments, no pun intended, as well as some horrific experiences. It seemed foolish not to sum them all up for the end of the year.”

The Toilet Awards for best and worst toilet experiences on Where’s the Toilet? is as follows:

The Top 5

These are what David and Eyal found to be the best toilets experienced of 2007 (based on the site’s ratings):

1. Wynn Las Vegas, NV, USA (bathrooms beside Mojito’s)
2. Lumley Castle Hotel, Chester-Le-Street, UK
3. Hotel Jerome, Aspen, CO, USA
4. Sani Fare Toilets, Various Locations, Germany
5. Okada, Wynn Las Vagas, NV, USA

Editor’s Pick (based on experience): Mall at Millenia, Orlando, Florida, USA (food court toilets)

“It didn’t make our top five list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a high-quality toilet-going experience,” said Dawson. “We have often marveled at how this toilet, which after all is only in a mall, surpasses expectations. Better still, it provides top class hotel quality for the masses at no charge!”

The Bottom 5

The most downright dreadful toilet experiences of 2007 (based on the site’s ratings):

1. Pho Pasteur, Orlando, FL, USA
2. Ghiradelli, San-Francisco, CA, USA
3. BP Services, Chateauvillain, France
4. Ay Jalisco, Sebastian, FL, USA
5. Oriental Supermarket, Orlando, FL, USA.

Editor’s Pick: The Crappiest Crapper of 2007: Ay Jalisco, Sebastian, FL, USA.

“It’s so bad, we couldn’t even include a picture,” said Dawson. “Needless to say, we will not be visiting again.”

SaniFair Vorsprung Durch Technik

Bottrop Süd
A2 Fahrtrichtung Ost
Bottrop
Near Essen
Germany


http://www.rast.de/services/leistungen/sanifair/sanifair.html


Where is it?

Go through the main front doors and head around to the left. Go down the spiral staircase. Head right, paying your 50 cents.


What’s it like?

There’s nothing like the German Autobahn. An advised limit of 130km hour is now suggested across the network, but you know that they don’t make VW’s, BMW’s, Mercedes and Audis (especially the A8’s) with that in mind. The Germans disregard the suggested speed limit when the road is clear and my 1.9 Tdi is sluggish in such company. Still, it is nice to know that you can make the best use of a clear stretch when it arrives.

With Sanifair I’ve found another reason to admire the German road network. These must be the most technologically advanced toilets I’ve ever seen. What might start with mild disgruntlement at having to pay, soon turns to admiration. These toilets are spotless. People were actually looking around in amazement!

There was plenty of capacity, so you didn’t feel hassled by other users even though it was fairly busy. You are also soothed through your visit with piped music that is unobtrusive and actually calming. The lighting is nice bright and modern. Just on this basis you’d be happy.

Then there are the technical facilities. Entering the stall I thought the toilet looked a little over styled. But, it was only when I waved my hand in front of the sensor to set off the flush that I realised everything had a purpose. At the back of the seat a blue arm extends out. Then the toilet seat rotates. Yes, every time the toilet is flushed the seat is cleaned. Wow!

Then you look at the quality of the fixtures. Just look at the triple (yes I said triple) toilet roll holder. How cool!

I have to say I am in awe.

Gobsmacked.


Marks out of 10:

10. If it wasn’t beginning to look strange I’d have stayed for longer.


Comments to the management:

Superb! You’d pay a euro just to see the toilet do its stuff.

Autostadt: Technical Flair with Design Elegance

Autostadt
StadtBrücke
38440 Wolfsburg
Germany


http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/company/factories
http://www.autostadt.de/portal/site/www/


Where is it?

If you drive a Volkswagen that is in any way modern take this tip before you leave the car. Take a note of exactly which slot in which row of the car park you are in. Then take a note of exactly which car park. Then on the walk to the museum, chalk a mark on the road every so often to help you on the way back. Virtually nobody, and I mean nobody in this town drives anything other than a Volkswagen. Believe you me this will save you from having to wait until every other person has left in the evening to find your car.

Once you get to the main building, enter the main doors and head into the building towards the information desk. Towards the right you’ll see a set of stairs that head down in to the basement. Down there you will find a gently lit subterranean hall. Head across the hall towards the left and you’ll find the toilets.


What’s it like?

OK why the big deal about checking where you parked here? Well this is Wolfsburg and Wolfsburg is Volkswagen. We left town as the shift changed and I’m not kidding you that the 3-lane highway was jammed with cars, every one a VW. The hunt around the car park could easily take enough time for three pit stops in the toilet if you happened to forget exactly where your car is.

Autostadt is the VW museum. I didn’t expect to spend more than a couple of hours here, but was surprised to find myself leaving 6 hours later. Really, this is a good family day out, which is as cool for the kids as for the car enthusiast. As well as some of the older European cars, and the last Beetle to come of the Brazilian production line in 2003, each of the VW owned brands has a section of the park. Bentley, Audi, Skoda, etc are all in attendance. The restaurants are also pretty damned good. Honestly, great waiter service and a huge pizza and beer for less than 10 euro is good any time.

What impressed me most about the whole set up was the attention to detail and design. This is the same for the toilets too. Quality doors to the entry. Hugh coloured glass dividers between the stalls all start you thinking these are not just any toilets. Come on, they even has a separate small toilet set just for the kids.

Then you hit on the square sinks. The first thing you think is that they shriek of the impracticality you sometimes get in the more fancy restaurants. But then, when using them, you forget they’re so fancy after all. They’re somehow easy to use, and you find yourself just using them with ease.

What makes these toilets so good is what makes you think they look just a little stark before you walk in. They’ve been designed by car designers. For all the fancy looks they are so easy to use. They work! I guess this is a product of having the best car designers around. Things in cars these days have to look good and be easy to live with. If they don’t people just don’t buy your cars. Volkswagen know this and have certainly managed to transfer it to these toilets.


Marks out of 10:

9. Superb to look at and practical with it.


Comments to the management:

Solid, sound, practical, technical marvel…

Atomic Toilets

Atomium Square 1020
Brussels
Belgium

http://www.atomium.be/

Where is it?

You need to pay for entry at the ticket office next to the Atomium. Enter the complex and take the lift to the top. You’ll exit the lift in to the restaurant. You are forced left. Follow all the way around and just before you meet the lift again you’ll see the toilet to the left.


What’s it like?

Despite their ability to make extraordinary beer, the people of Belgium are an odd sort. I guess being squashed between France, Germany and Holland as they are does that to you. This amiable oddness shows itself in fairly harmless ways it must be said, like their love for the Atomium. This structure can be seen clearly over the Brussels skyline. But why on earth I hear you say build a building in the shape of an Atom? Well I’ll let you get the answer to that question, but at least they included a toilet at the very top!

This is one of the oddest buildings I’ve gone looking for a toilet in. And the first thing to note is that I think the top floor only has a ladies'. Well at least that's what the front door seems to signify. OK lets say it's probably unisex. Well, at least 3 men had used it before I did, and I thought it was worth the risk in the name of toilet journalism!

So what did I find? Well these are not the most luxurious toilets in the world, and they could do with a little more capacity. Nevertheless, when you consider they are in a relatively small ball hanging above the city, they are plenty big enough. They were also fairly clean. Add to this an automatic flush and plenty of hot water in the tap and they were functional enough. Nice shiny fittings that are more than in with keeping with the space age exterior of the building. Overall, I’d have to say I was impressed.

Now we have to consider which atom the building represents. Wii2O?


Marks out of 10:

7. Perfectly functional.


Comments to the management:

Maybe you could clarify for the international visitor if this is a unisex toilet?

Alila's Got Bangalore's Best Toilets

Alila Bangalore
#100/6, HAL-Varthur
Main Road,
Whitefield, Bangalore – 560066,
India.

Where is it?

You will be drive through the usual security measures on to a gravel drop off point. Exit the car and head toward reception. Keeping the water features to your left continue on and you will find the toilets on the right. Walking in you find sinks to your left, urinals around to your right and the stalls ahead.

What's it like?

Asked by a colleague within an hour of arriving ‘How’s India?’ I replied ‘Bumpy but pleasantly warm’. By the end on my 24 hour trip to Bangalore I guess I’d add mostly unfinished and friendly to that. But then what can you really find out in 24 hours?

Well for one even luxury hotels can be tagged with unfinished. Alila has been open for four months and still has some rooms to be fitted out and the odd finishing to done here and there. But this does not detract from the fact that this is a medium scale well finished hotel. The room was a delight, well finished and thoughtful in its design. The restaurant / bar / lounge areas were pleasant – all situated alongside water features and nicely finished gardens. Throughout the quality of the materials and finish (when finished) stand out as beyond those you would find in any international chain.

So what of the toilets? Well I arrived at 4am and was checking out just before midnight the same day to catch a 3am flight when waiting for a colleague I decided to use the facilities. A propensity for impatience and general grumpiness about toilets might creep in under those circumstances, no? Well these toilets were pretty much faultless and smoothed away any travel induced weariness.

Walking in you are surrounded by polished wood slats before being enveloped in a cool, dark calm. First you are struck by the black floor tile and grey granite sinks. Then by the simplicity of the flowers in the tall narrow vase that brings just enough colour to liven things up.

The urinals are something you’d expect to find in Germany. Toto is isn’t a brand I know – but I suspect the same factory makes fittings for Kohl. Right now you could not tell the difference.

When using the sinks you find the soap in metal dispensers that are pleasing to the touch. Top quality soap with a relaxing scent is provided too. The taps provide a good splash of water pressure – which is just as well given the size of the sinks. And the sinks – I just love these sinks. (Can if fit them in my bag?)

Was I surprised by the quality of these toilets? Given the hotel’s general eye for finish, noI was not. Let’s just say I was reassured that the owners had not left the toilets to be fitted until last or neglected the quality. Rather they had made them central to the experience and equal if not better than their surroundings. Bravo!

Marks out of 10


11 out of 10. Thoughtful design and high quality finish.


Comments to the management

Great toilets. Fantastic service. Now just finish off those odds and ends and you’ll have the business crowd flocking in.

Watch Out for Dangerous Nun On the Run

Cafe-Bistro Am Pferdemarkt
Pferdemarkt 5
31785
Hameln
Germany

No web site but there’s a good picture on google earth.


Where is it?

You might want to jot this one down. Go through the main front doors of the restaurant. Head to the bar at the back of the restaurant. You’ll think this is the end of the place, but you’d be wrong. Look right and you’ll see a little passage that looks like it should head to the kitchens. Go down it and you’ll see it opens up into a whole second restaurant. Go down there and on the left there is an entrance to the toilets. Women head right, men to the left.


What’s it like?

Hameln (Hamelin to you and me) is the place where the Pied Piper did his stuff. Very quaint and very clean. The town has a family vibe to it that makes you feel at home, and although I’m sure its more of a tourist trap than we would have seen early evening midweek, it seemed to be mostly German speaking and authentic.

They also did some great beer and after a tough meeting earlier in the day I’d have to admit to having partaken in one or two (or was it three) before I decided to head off to the toilette. I headed off to the bar looking forward to the imminent consumption of goulash. When I got there I managed my German for where’s the toilet and was obviously still sober enough to understand the instructions coming back at me. But could they really be correct? Getting ready for the mugging I found myself in the second restaurant, with several other diners eating away. Not so weird after all. And oh yeah, there are the toilets.

So there I am entering the toilets, for no particular reason feeling rather smug with myself, when the door is flung open and I am literally knocked over by a flying nun who is positively running. At this point I just give up. Pied pipers I’m prepared for but a very Italian Whoopee Goldberg was not what I was expecting.

So what about the toilets? Well, I guess the drama of getting to them has something of the entertainment factor. When you get in there the facilities have the feel of being Wimpy cast offs that have been around for a few years. Red grout and white tile never did it for wimpy and it certainly didn’t do it here. The toilets are also pretty cold on what wasn’t a cold day, but given that they are clean and everything worked they were certainly serviceable.


Marks out of 10:

5 as they could do with some updating.


Comments to the management:

Basic, but it’s good you keep them clean.

Readers Vote Sani-Fair as Top Toilets

Poll Result

Readers voted Sani-Fair as their favourite of the Where’s the Toilet top rated 2007.

Sani-Fair provide the toilet facilities in many Autobahn service stops around Germany and have managed to provide a modern, clean service with enough gadgets to keep the average technophile in the facilities for hours. Our readers seem to have developed a fascination with the companies’ products as well, with 47% voting Sani-Fare as their favourite of our top toilets.

Wynn Las Vegas came in second with 23%, Hotel Jerome, Aspen coming in 3rd with 14% of the vote. Both are tip top as far as the readers are concerned!

The Results:

1st 47% Sani-Fair (August 9th)
2nd 23% Wynn Las Vegas (November 6th)
3rd 14% Hotel Jerome (December 29th)
=4th 4% Lumley Castle Hotel (February 14th)
=4th 4% Okada, Wynn Las Vegas (November 12th)

Go see more at http://www.rast.de/services/leistungen/sanifair/sanifair.html

Never Sit on Nasty Toilet Seat at Nelore

Nelore Churrascaria
5350 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819-9427
www.nelorechurrascaria.com

Where is it?

To reach the bathroom from the main entrance, first head past the fountain that greets you when you walk in. Turn right and you'll come to the hostess station. From there, snake around the walls dividing the entrance area and the bar, which will be to your left, and enter the sprawling main dining room.

You will be in the back right corner of the dining room at this point. In the center of the room is a large salad bar and beyond that, against the far left wall, is a glass enclosed wine room. Go behind that wine room to find the hallway leading to the bathrooms.

What's it like?

Orlando of late has become home to several Brazilian churrascarias, and while this one isn't my favorite in town (that honor easily belongs to the wonderful Texas de Brazil) this one is certainly dependable and offers a decent variation on the experience.

The meats here are have a stronger bite of vinegar and salt to them and on the whole are chewier in texture, which makes them a little more authentically Brazilian, since South Americans tend to like to chew on tougher (and more flavorful) cuts more than most Americans do. The salad bar here is a smaller but has a few more authentically Brazilian items - a real heart of palm salad, for example, with the toothsome palmito used in Brazil versus the mushy one we normally get in the U.S. The wine list is a more modest, the service a little more detached and the dining room more cavernous (and with lots of slick plaster patterns on the walls).

For a change of pace, and to see how others interpret this traditional grilling method, it's an interesting stop. But seeing that it's about the same price as Texas de Brazil (which is expensive to begin with), I think you may be better served with a better dining experience at that location. Nevertheless, you will leave here stuffed to the gills with meat -- if that's the goal, then you really can't go wrong at this place.

The bathrooms are also similar in spirit and style to Texas de Brazil, although they are also not as ambitious. The chambers are a little roomier and lack that Spanish-prison feel of Texas de Brazil. They are better lit and bright, with fewer decorative accouterments like rugs or sleek tile work. But at the same time they have some style and a neato bit of technology that's hard to find outside of Europe (more on that later).

The floor here is covered with small black and white tiles that instantly reminded me of the patterns seen in more modest surroundings, like at Steak n Shake or Theo's Kitchen. The walls are made of drywall and painted white on the bottom and lime green on top, with a molding line separating the two. (The colors reminded me a lot of the pattern used at Nona Sushi, only in this context they were a bit jarring to see at first, since the dining room is dark and classically designed and this carries a slight tropical vibe to it.)

The room itself has a standard setup, with a two sink vanity station up front, two urinals beyond that and two toilet stalls beyond that -- with beige metal divider walls. Similar to the setup at Conservation Station in Disney's Animal Kingdom really.

The vanity has some modern style to it -- so much so that you wonder why the rest of the place is so ordinary-looking. The vanity has white basins in place of sinks and metal spigot faucets above them. All of it sits atop a thick black marble counter and beneath a large, well-lit stretch mirror. Some fake flowers sit to the side of it all, to add to the decor. Again, not as classy as the masonry work found at the vanity in Texas de Brazil's vanity but not bad and certainly unexpected. Kind of had the same wow factor I found at Mr. K's Chinese Cuisine -- you expect plain Jane and get a little style and are thankful for it, but not much more than that.

The urinals and toilets were standard white porcelain, nothing too flashy. Except for the "Automatic Toilet Seat Cover" item that was installed on each toilet. We've seen a similar contraption before at the wonderful Sanifair bathrooms found in Germany. Those, I should say, were a little better integrated into the toilet; these look like after-the-fact add-ons (almost like toilet seat booster chairs) and required a little forethought before sitting down.

Still, the concept is neat: Before you sit to do your business, you push a button and a new seat cover (sterile and clean) spins out for you, ready for the next visitor. This ensures it to be as clean as possible (and with all the meat served here, it's definitely a good option to make, since you know these bathrooms get visited often by the patrons -- there's no other way to make room for the food, really).

Marks out of 10:

7. Clean and predictable, with a few surprises, but nothing grand enough to raise the score above the more stylish Texas de Brazil.

Comments to the Management:

Would like to see the color scheme muted some here, so it's not such a rough transition from dining room to bathroom. Also, more decor on the walls would be nice -- right now, you've got an uneven split of style and ordinary. I'm thinking that a little more style couldn't hurt -- your dining room's got it, why not here?