Sinclairs Bayview Port Blair MQ74+H7V, Corbyns Cove Rd, South Point, Shadipur, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744106, India Sinclairs Bayview is a beach-front hotel in Port Blair only 2.5 km from Cellular Jail (biggest attraction in the island). The hotel does not have a beach but more than makes up with the amazing you get from quite a few of the rooms. The hotel has a nice on-property restaurant “The Bayview” where we had both dinner and a huge buffet breakfast. There are not any dining options nearby other than the on-property restaurant “The Bayview”. We had a …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Sinclairs Bayview Port Blair
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Seashell Samssara, Neil
Seashell Samssara, Neil Neil Island, Beach, opposite Helipad, Lakshmanpur, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744104, India Seashell is probably the most renowned chain in the Andaman Islands. They have properties in Port Blair, Havelock Island and Neil Island. In Neil Island they have 2 properties, Seashell Neil and Seashell Samssara Neil. Based on photos and reviews, I had picked the latter and was quite pleased with the choice. The hotel has its own private beach but its a bit rocky and not at all suitable for swimming. Our rate included complimentary breakfast for all guests but since the dining options were …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Tilar Siro, Andamans – CGH Earth
Tilar Siro, Andamans – CGH Earth Beach No. 5, Vijay Nagar Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) 744211, India Havelock Island is probably the most picturesque of all the Andaman Islands and has the most number of resorts. I wanted to splurge on this stay and after careful consideration chose Tilar Siro. This property is located closer to Vijay Nagar Beach on the east side of Havelock Island (renamed as Swaraj Dweep). The property has its own semi-private beach and another much larger beach next to it. Lush green scenery, amazing service, and well maintained property are just …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair
Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair Opposite Airport Exit Gate, Lamba Line, Junglee Ghat, Port Blair – 744103, India Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair is located right next to Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair, Andaman Islands. The hotel provides transportation to and from the airport (not hard to do when you are right outside the airport gate). I stayed for 1 night at the hotel on arrival at Port Blair. Cash rate was USD $100/night. Since I booked the room for 3 travelers (me and my parents), the hotel provided a complimentary roll-away bed for the additional guest. In …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 24.8, San Jose del Cabo, BCS, 23400, Mexico Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos is located in the “tourist corridor” zone in Cabo. The hotels in Cabo are grouped into 4 zones – San Jose Del Cabo, Tourist Corridor, Cabo San Lucaso and Pueblo Bonito. The zones come into play when booking for round-trip hotel transfers from Cabo Airport. I stayed for just 1 night at the hotel to basically catch a flight the next day (to start my month long India trip). Cash rates were cheap …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsNov’23 – Dec’23: India Trip – Introduction
Just came back from my yearly family trip to India. My parents had always wanted to visit the Andaman Islands and so I decided to do some quick planning and squeeze in a 5 night trip to these islands. At the beginning of my trip to India, in order to redeem some Delta Skymiles for the outbound journey, I had to position myself to Cabo San Lucas to start the trip (pricing arbitrage). Airline reviews, hotel reviews and trip reports for this trip: Hotel Review – Hampton Inn Los Cabos Airline Review – China Airlines Business class from Los Angeles …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Hennan Prime Beach Resort, Boracay
Hennan Prime Beach Resort Station 1 Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines Hennan Prime Beach Resort located in Station 1 of Boracay White Beach belongs to the Hennan Chain of resorts that have several other properties in Boracay. The hotel is divided into 2 wings – the beach wing that is on one side of the road and the East Wing that is on the other side of the road away from the beach. We stayed in a double room in the Beach wing. One big difference between the wings is that the East Wing has a much nicer and spacious …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Ambassador In Paradise Resort, Boracay
Ambassador In Paradise Resort Station 1 Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, Philippines Ambassador in Paradise is a non-chain hotel property located towards the northern end of Station 1 at White Beach in Boracay. The resort features a decent size pool right on the beach with an adjacent restaurant where you can dine with toes on sand. We stayed 4 nights at the resort making up the bulk of our stay in Boracay. The hotel provides transfer option for bus + ferry from the airport but we had opted for a different company. Check-in was quick and easy however one thing to …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Holiday Inn Cebu City
Holiday Inn Cebu City Lot 5 & 6 Block, 20 Samar Loop, Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines Holiday Inn Cebu City is located 12km from Mactan International Airport and just 10 minute walk from the famous Ayala Mall of Cebu City. I booked a Grab taxi from the airport to the hotel and came out to about $8 USD one way. We stayed 2 nights at the hotel, first stay was with points (11,000 IHG points per night) and next with cash ($75 USD per night). We arrived early around 10 AM and front desk informed us that they could …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsMar’ 23: Boracay, Philippines Trip – Introduction
One of the bucket list places I have been meaning to visit is Boracay, Philippines. I remember reading a few “Top 10 beaches in the world” articles a decade ago and Boracay featured in a few of those. Well March 2023 is when we finally were able to check this one off of our places to visit finally. It was a long distance away from West Coast but it was very much worth it. I will be posting the following reviews for this trip. Airline Review: EVA Air Business Class from Los Angeles to Taipei Airline Review: EVA Air Business …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Holiday Inn Express Bangalore Whitefield ITPL
Holiday Inn Express Bangalore Whitefield ITPL Plot No. 4, EPIP Zone, Krishnarajapura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560066, India Holiday Inn Express Whitefield is located in Whitefield locality, about 35 km from Kempegowda International Airport. My previous stays in Bangalore have all been around Marathalli area and for some reason all the hotels in that neighborhood were going much higher that week, so I decided to give this hotel a try. The room was quite small with the vanity area right next to the bed. The hotel being a Holiday Inn Express, has complimentary breakfast for all guests. Menu was mostly fixed for …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Bangalore
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Bangalore Iblur Gate Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar Road, Sarjapur – Marathahalli Rd, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102, India DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Bangalore is located right next to Manipal Hospital Sarjapur Road on Marathahalli-Bellandur-Sarjapur Outer Ring Road, about 50 km from Kempegowda International Airport. I stayed 5 nights at the hotel using 30,000 Hilton points/night (with 5th night free for elite members). I had breakfast at the hotel for 3 out of the 5 days I stayed there. The breakfast buffet had a variety of items on rotation and I got to sample different indian delicacies. Thumbs …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Alii Kane Cottages
Alii Kane Cottages 11-2932 Alii Kane St, Volcano, HI 96785 Alii Kane Cottages is a collection of cottages located about 6 miles from Hawaii Volcano National Park. This property is located off of Highway 11, nestled amongst lots of trees. We stayed 1 night after booking a cottage from booking.com @ 160$/night. The owners are very responsive and they emailed me a couple of times before the stay, informing me on how to get there and providing additional information regarding the stay. When we checked in late evening, the owner came by and explained various amenities in the property. This …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo – a DoubleTree by Hilton
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo – a DoubleTree by Hilton 93 Banyan Dr, Hilo, HI 96720 Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo is an ocean-front Hilton property located just 4 miles from Hilo International Airport. We stayed at the hotel for just 1 night by redeeming 50,000 Hilton points. Check-in was very quick and it being a Doubletree brand, came with freshly baked warm cookies. The front desk agent upgraded us to a King room with Lanai and great views. He also gave us 4 drink vouchers as welcome amenity. 🙂 Because Hilton has phased out complimentary breakfast for Diamond elites, we were …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel
Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel 75-5660 Palani Rd, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Courtyard by Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel is a beachfront hotel property located about 8 miles from Kona International Airport. The hotel is at a prime location with lots of great dining options nearby. We had booked 2 stays (1 night each) at this hotel at the beginning as well as the end of the trip. The points required for a redemption stay varies by time of the year and we paid 42,000 Marriott Rewards points for 1 night redemption stay. The bed and linens …
Destination Trip Reports North America US, Canada, MexicoJan’ 23: Hawaii Big Island Trip – Introduction
We had been planning on going to the Big Island in Hawaii for a while. Back in 2018, we had a trip to the Big Island already booked but due to increasing volcanic activity we changed our trip and ended up in Oahu instead. When Hawaiian Airlines had a good airfare sale, I jumped on another chance to visit this island during the January long weekend (Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday). We ended up having a great time on the island along with once in a lifetime opportunity to view active volcanic activity from a distance. Hotel Review: Courtyard by …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa
Hilton Amingiri Resort & Spa Malé 08540, Maldives Hilton Amingiri Resort is located on a small island in the Indian Ocean, about 20 minutes speed-boat ride from Male International Airport. It is a very new resort having opened only in 2022. One of the biggest selling points of this resort is that the overwater villas book as a Standard Award making for an exceptional redemption option for Hilton Free Night certificates. The other big selling point is that all villas (including the overwater bungalows) come with its own private pool!! The points required for a free night fluctuates by season. …
Hotel Reviews Le Club AccorHotels ReviewsHotel Review – Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport
Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, 999, Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan 10540, Thailand MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not stay at this hotel at the time of this review. Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is located just a 5 minute walk from the airport through an air-conditioned, underground walkway. The hotel also provides complimentary 24-hour shuttle between the airport and the hotel. I booked a 1 night stay at the hotel through a 3rd party booking site (rocketmiles) and paid around 175$ after taxes (with breakfast). It is pricey compared to downtown …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Courtyard by Marriott Kochi Airport
Courtyard by Marriott Kochi Airport Vip Road Opposite Kochi International Airport, Kochi, Kerala 683572, India Courtyard by Marriott Kochi Airport is located just across the Kochi International Airport. Although the drive takes less than 3 minutes, to walk from the airport to the hotel would be a challenge due to the busy road between. Good thing is that the hotel provides complimentary shuttle for its guests (call ahead to confirm the booking). We stayed one night at the hotel for 10,000 Marriott points. Check-in was fairly easy and everyone was super friendly and helpful throughout the stay. They insisted on …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsNov’22 – Dec’22: India and Maldives Trip – Introduction
Just came back from my yearly family trip to India. Decided to add a short side trip of 3-night stay in the Maldives. Me and Karen had been to the Maldives in 2012 but my parents never been there. Airline reviews, hotel reviews and trip reports for this trip: Airline Review – Korean Air Business class from Los Angeles to Seoul Airline Review – Korean Air Business class from Seoul to Bangkok Airline Review – British Airways Business Class from San Francisco to London Airline Review – British Airways Business Class from London to Male Hotel Review – Courtyard by …