Day 1: We bought a day pass (110 CZK per person per day) from our hotel front desk for each of our days in Prague. The pass allowed all 4 of us to travel together on tram and metro for unlimited trips. We started the day by taking the tram to Charles Bridge. Standing on the Charles Bridge over Vltava river gives you a great view of the Prague Castle in the distance. After spending an hour on the bridge looking around at different statues, we walked back towards the Old Town Square. We walked on narrow cobblestone streets through …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2017: Prague Trip Report
Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Park Inn Prague
Park Inn Prague Svobodova 1961/1, 128 00 Nové Město, Czechia Park Inn Prague, a Carlson Rezidor hotel property, is located by the Vtlava river and about 5 minutes walk from Vysehrad Castle. There is a tram stop on both sides of the hotel within about 2 minutes walking distance, namely Vyton and Albertov. These two tram stops allowed us to take the tram to most parts of the city. An award stay at this hotel costs 28,000 Club Carlson points. Check-in was a breeze and the front desk agents were very courteous and efficient. The front desk also sell various …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2017: Budapest Trip Report
Day 1: We took the metro M1 line from Oktogon stop to Deak Ferenc Ter and switched to Bus 16. The bus crosses the river Danube and turns by the Funicular and goes uphill all the way to Buda Castle. After exploring Buda Castle for a couple of hours we walked towards Matthias Church. The exterior structure of this church is simply stunning and even though you can see it across the Danube from Pest side, nothing beats seeing it up close. From Matthias church we walked across the street to Fisherman’s Bastion. After spending some time taking pictures …
Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Radisson Blu Beke Hotel, Budapest
Radisson Blu Beke Hotel Budapest Terez Korut, 43 H-1067 Budapest Hungary Although there are a few Club Carlson properties in Budapest, we chose this hotel mainly for its location. The Radisson Blu Beke Hotel Budapest is located about 6 minutes walk from the Oktogon Metro stop (M1 Line). The hotel costs only 15,000 Club Carlson points for a free night. We have stayed at many European properties using Club Carlson points and in my opinion this was one of the best uses (value wise) of our points. The bed was very comfortable and I slept really well on all the …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2017: Vienna Trip Report
Day 1: We took the hotel shuttle to the city center where it dropped us off in front of the Vienna State Opera. Right next to the opera is the busy shopping street of Kartner Strasse. We walked along the street and came across the beautiful Donner Brunnen Fountain. After taking some pictures we walked further along the Kartner Strasse to the very busy Stephansplatz square. The square sits right in front of the St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The exterior of St. Stephen’s Cathedral is very impressive. After spending about half an hour inside the church we proceeded on Graben street. …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South
Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South Hertha-Firnberg-Strasse 5, 1100, Vienna, Austria Hilton Garden Inn is located a bit away from the city center next to Business Park Vienna. The hotel does provide a complimentary shuttle bus throughout the day (with varying frequencies depending on time of the day) between Business Park (about 1 minute walk from the hotel) to Vienna State Opera. The 2 main reasons we chose this hotel was that 1) we could use the shuttle to get to the city center and then walk to most of tourist attractions or use public transport once we were in the …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeMay 2017: Munich Trip Report
Day 1: We arrived in Munich early morning on our flight from Houston. The S-Bahn station is right outside the airport served by both S1 and S8 lines. We were staying right next to the Munich Central Railway Station (Munich Hauptbahnhof) and so the S-Bahn was the best way to get to the city. A lot of European cities have group day tickets which is more economical than personal daily tickets. A ticket from Munich Airport (Flughafen Munchen) to city is under “Entire Network” option and so I bought a group day ticket (valid for up to 5 travelers) for …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Aloft Munich
Aloft Munich Bayerstrasse 37, Munich, 80335, Germany Aloft Munich is a SPG Category 4 property located right next to the Munich Main Train Station (Munich Hauptbahnhof). This makes this hotel a perfect location for a few days trip in Munich as you can access the S-Bahn and U-Bahn as well as regional trains for other cities in Europe. If you are landing in Munich International Airport, 2 S-Bahn lines (S1 and S8) service this train station from Munich International Airport. A free night at this hotel costs 10,000 SPG points or 5,000 SPG points + $75 USD (with SPG Cash + …
Airline Reviews Reviews UnitedAirline Review: United Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 767-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Houston – Munich (UA 102)
Flight: United Airlines 102 from Houston to Munich Duration: 10 hours 20 minutes Aircraft: B763 (Boeing 767 – 300) Class: Business Seat: 2A – 2B Seat Specification: Flat bed seats, Seat pitch: 75″. Seat width: 21″ United operates a Boeing 767-300 ER (2 Class Configuration) on Houston – Munich route. There are 30 Business class seats with 6 rows of 2 x 1 x 2 configuration. Since we were flying as family we selected the window-aisle seats instead of the middle single seat. The seats are fine if you are traveling with a family member but if traveling alone I would prefer to have the …
Trip SummarySummer 2017: Central Europe Trip Report – Introduction
My parents are visiting me in the US this summer and after their month long stay we are going to be visiting Europe for a 2 week trip. I was in Europe for the first time during the summer of 2014 when we visited Amsterdam, London, Lucerne, Milan, Venice, Rome and Paris. This time around we will start in Munich followed by Vienna, Budapest, Prague and finally Berlin. In the following weeks I will publish the following reviews and trip reports. Airline Review: United Airlines Business Class – Houston to Munich Trip Report: Munich, Germany Hotel Review: Aloft Munich Trip Report: …
Airline Reviews Qantas ReviewsAirline Review: Qantas – Business Class (Airbus 380-800 with Lie Flat Seats) : Melbourne – Los Angeles (QF 93)
Flight: Qantas QF 93 from Melbourne to Los Angeles Duration: 14 hours 25 minutes Aircraft: A388(Airbus 380-800) Class: Business Seat: 18 F (Not a true flat bed, Middle row with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 78 “. Seat width: 21.5 ” This was my first ever flight on Qantas as well as an Airbus 380 aircraft. I was very excited to fly on this behemoth of a plane. We made our way to the upper deck boarding bridge. The upper deck includes the business class in the front and premium economy and economy in the back. Karen boarded from the lower …
Airline Reviews Qantas ReviewsAirline Review: Qantas – First Class (Airbus 380-800 with Open Suites and Flat Beds) : Melbourne – Los Angeles (QF 93)
Flight: Qantas QF 93 from Melbourne to Los Angeles Duration: 14 hours 25 minutes Aircraft: A388(Airbus 380-800) Class: First Seat: 3A (Open Suite, Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 79 “. Seat width: 22 ” MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I flew on Business Class on this flight. This flight happened to be a couple of first’s for me. First time on Qantas, first time on an Airbus 380 aircraft. I had experienced Singapore Airlines First Class (Hong Kong -San Francisco) and Thai Airways First Class (Bangkok – Sydney) so was excited to …
Hotel Reviews IHG ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport
Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport 10-14 Centre Rd, Melbourne Airport VIC 3045, Australia Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport is located right next to Melbourne International Airport (Tullamarine Airport). The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle to airport although you can walk through the parking structure next to the hotel. A complimentary night here costs 35,000 IHG Rewards points. The hotel was pretty busy during our stay and it took about 10 minutes before we were checked in. The airport shuttle requires a prior reservation and we booked our time for next day early morning. The room was pretty basic but good enough for …
Destination Trip Reports OceaniaJanuary 2017: Melbourne Trip Report
Day 1: After checking into our hotel (Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens, Melbourne), we walked to Queen Victoria Market which is located just 2 minutes away. Victoria Market is a fantastic place to do some souvenir shopping as well as trying out different ethnic cuisines. In addition to souvenirs, they had a variety of shops such as clothing, fruits and vegetables, artwork and handicrafts. After having some delicious Gozelme at a Turkish shop, we decided to do some late afternoon sightseeing. All the trams in the Melbourne CBD are free as designated by the free tram zone. Therefore it won’t cost anything …
Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne
Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne 380 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne is located in Melbourne CBD area next to Flagstaff Gardens. It is located within 2 minutes walk from Queen Victoria market which makes for lots of options of dining and souvenir shopping. A free night at the hotel costs 44,000 Club Carlson points. Check-in was very quick. The front desk agent was very courteous and genuinely caring. When we mentioned that my parents had a late night flight departing Melbourne, the agent was kind enough to give us a late checkout of 6 PM. Of …
Hotel Reviews IHG ReviewsHotel Review: Crowne Plaza Auckland
Crowne Plaza Auckland 128 Albert St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand Crowne Plaza Auckland is located just a couple of minutes walk away from Sky Tower in the heart of Auckland. It is about 20 km away from Auckland International Airport and you can use various mode of transportation (I recommend Skybus) to get here. A free night at this hotel costs 30,000 IHG Rewards points. Check-in was quick and one of our two rooms was upgraded to a club floor. TThe hotel is located right next Atrium on Elliott Shopping mall which also has a few dining options …
Destination Trip Reports OceaniaJanuary 2017: Auckland Trip Report
Day 1: We arrived from Queenstown in the afternoon on our Jetstar flight. After collecting our checked-in luggage we found our way to the Skybus counter outside the terminal building. By purchasing Skybus tickets online, you save a little bit of money in comparison to showing up at the airport counter. We took the airport shuttle all the way to the terminus at Queen street and from there we transferred to another complimentary shuttle service to take us towards downtown. After checking in at the hotel (Crowne Plaza Auckland) we had an early dinner at Elliott Stables which was right …
Hotel Reviews IHG ReviewsHotel Review: Crowne Plaza Queenstown
Crowne Plaza Queenstown 93 Beach St,Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Crowne Plaza Queenstown is located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and very close to the city center. The hotel is located just under 10 km from Queenstown International Airport. A complimentary night at this property costs 40,000 IHG points per night. We had booked 2 rooms for four of us. Both the rooms had awesome views of the lake. The bathroom was fairly small and felt cramped. We had rented a car for a day trip to Glenorchy and kept the car to drive to the airport next day. The …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa
Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa Kawarau Village, 79 Peninsula Rd, Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa is a Category 7 Hilton Property located just 5 minutes from Queenstown International Airport. It is located next door to the other Hilton property in the area that I reviewed earlier, the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown. This hotel like the Doubletree does not offer complimentary airport shuttle and a cab costs about $25 NZD one-way. The hotel does offer complimentary shuttle (at designated schedule) and also a water taxi ($10 NZD per person) to Queenstown city center. A complimentary night at …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown Kawarau Village 79 Peninsula Road, Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Doubletree by Hilton Queenstown is a Category 4 Hilton property located just 5 mins drive away from Queenstown International Airport. The hotel does not provide any complimentary airport shuttle and a cab ride is around $25 NZD one way. The hotel does provide a complimentary shuttle to the Queenstown city center at scheduled times or you can take the water taxi for $10 NZD per person. A free night at this hotel costs 20,000 to 30,000 Hilton HHonors points. I had booked my parents at this hotel while …