Flight: Qatar Airways QR 559 from Mumbai to Doha Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes Equipment: A320 (Airbus 320) Class: Business Seat: 1D(Aisle seat) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 45″, Seat width: 21 ” Qatar Airways alternates between an Airbus A320 and Boeing B787 between Mumbai and Doha currently. When I called Qatar Airways to select seats, I had selected middle row of 1 x 2 x 1 configuration on a B787 so I was quite dejected to see A320 at the gate when boarding. Qatar Airways A320 business class only has 3 rows of 2 x 2 business class …
Airline Reviews Qatar ReviewsAirline Review: Qatar Airways – Business Class (Airbus 320 with Lie Flat Seats) : Mumbai – Doha (QR 559)
Airline Reviews Emirates ReviewsAirline Review: Emirates – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Angled Flat Seats) : Dubai – New Delhi (EK 516)
Flight: Emirates EK 516 from Dubai to New Delhi Duration: 3 hours 15 minutes Equipment: B77W (Boeing 777-300 ER) Class: Business Seat: 9K(window seat) Seat Specification: Angled Flat seats, Seat pitch: 60″, Seat width: 20.5 ” On Dubai – New Delhi route, Emirates currently operates a Boeing 77W with the dreaded and very outdated 2 x 3 x 2 configuration. I know that they even operate this awful configuration on some long haul routes like DXB – SEA and DXB – SFO. In fact, outside of A380 aircrafts, Emirates business class is not competitive at all and lagging far behind the …
Airline Reviews Emirates ReviewsAirline Review: Emirates – Business Class (Airbus 380-800 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Dubai (EK 216)
Flight: Emirates EK 216 from Los Angeles to Dubai Duration: 15 hours 30 minutes Equipment: A388 (Airbus 380-800) Class: Business Seat: 23A (Bulkhead window seat in rear cabin) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 48 “, Seat width: 18.5 ” Emirates business class on an Airbus 380 is located entirely on the upper deck behind the First class. The business class section is split into a much smaller rear cabin with only 4 rows of 1 x 2 x 1 configuration with the rest of the rows in a much bigger forward cabin with a total of 76 seats. The …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hampton Inn Miami Beach – Mid Beach
Hampton Inn Miami Beach – Mid Beach 4000 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33140 We used up our 2 free night certificates at the Hilton Bentley and decided to stay at the Hampton Inn Miami Beach – Mid Beach for the remaining 2 nights. The cash rate was pretty reasonable for a memorial day weekend. The hotel is on the other side of Collins Avenue so does not have its own beach access. However, it’s only a 5 minute walk to the beach. During check-in we were upgraded to a partial ocean view (see picture down below). Thumbs up: Excellent …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Bentley Miami/South Beach
Hilton Bentley Miami/South Beach 101 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, 33139, USA Hilton Bentley Miami Beach is located in South Beach neighborhood about 11 miles from Miami International Airport. It is a short 5 minute walk from South Pointe Park Pier from where you can see the cruise ships departing Miami. We arrived on an early morning flight and the front desk agent notified us that the room wasn’t ready but we could leave our luggage in storage and explore the property and avail pool and beach amenities. We got our room about 3 hours later which was understandable because …
Airline Reviews Lufthansa ReviewsAirline Review: Lufthansa – Business Class (Airbus 350-900 with Lie Flat Seats) : Munich – Los Angeles (LH 452)
Flight: Lufthansa LH 452 from Munich to Los Angeles Duration: 11 hours 30 minutes Equipment: A359 (Airbus 350-900) Class: Business Seat: 1 D & 1G (Middle row bulkhead seats with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 64 “, Seat width: 20 ” Lufthansa Business class on Airbus 350-900 consists of 8 rows of 2 x 2 x 2 seats with 6 rows in main Business cabin and 2 rows in rear cabin. Lufthansa Business product definitely lags behind the times with its 2x2x2 configuration while the rest of the industry moves towards business class having all seats …
Hotel Reviews Independent ReviewsHotel Review: Hotel Fanis, Naxos, Greece
Hotel Fanis, Naxos Agia Anna Beach, Naxos Island, Cyclades, Greece For our 2 night stay in Naxos, we chose Hotel Fanis by Agia Anna Beach. The hotel is right across from the beach. We arrived at the Naxos port from Santorini in the afternoon. The hotel provides complimentary pickup and drop-off service from the airport and Naxos port. The hotel manager (Katerina) and her husband were at the port to pick us up in their van. We got Room #1 which faces the Agia Anna Beach. When we opened the doors to the patio, you could hear the waves from …
Hotel Reviews Independent ReviewsHotel Review: Avant Garde Suites, Santorini
Avant Garde Suites, Santorini Akrotiri [Caldera], Thira 847 00, Greece Avant Garde Suites is located in the quiet town of Akrotiri on south-west part of Santorini. Most tourists who want the caldera view in Santorini usually go for towns like Oia and Fira. We found this hotel on Booking.com and after visiting the hotel’s website we fell in love with it. The hotel is located about 11 km from Santorini Airport which didn’t take long as we were renting a car for our stay in Santorini. We were the very first and only guests during our stay since reopening of …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: New Hotel, Athens
New Hotel, Athens 16 Filellinon Street, Syntagma, Athens 10557 Greece New Hotel, Athens (a member of Design Hotels™) is located in the heart of Athens within 5 minute walking distance from Syntagma Square. The hotel has convenient access to the Athens International airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) via Bus (X95) or Athens Metro Line 3 from Syntagma Square. This hotel is a part of the Marriott program and costs 35,000 points/night for an award night stay. We stayed here for 2 nights at the beginning of our Greece trip and 1 night at the end. The best feature of the hotel is …
Airline Reviews British Airways ReviewsAirline Review: British Airways – Business Class (Boeing 787-800 with Lie Flat Seats) : London – Athens (BA 626)
Flight: British Airways BA 626 from London Heathrow to Athens Duration: 3 hours 50 minutes Equipment: B788 (Boeing 787-800) Class: Business Seat: 1 D & 1E (1D is forward facing & 1E is rear facing both with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 75 “. Seat width: 20” Normally British Airways Boeing 787-800 aircrafts service long haul destinations. But due to Covid and full reopening not happening at the time, we lucked out and got it on our short flight from London to Athens. British Airways Boeing 787 has 2 business class cabins, with 3 and 2 …
Airline Reviews American ReviewsAirline Review: American Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Dallas – London (AA 50)
Flight: American Airlines AA 50 from Dallas to London Heathrow Duration: 9 hours 20 minutes Equipment: B777 (Boeing 777-300) Class: Business Seat: 6 D & 6G (Middle row seats with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 43 “. Seat width: 20.5 ” American Airlines Boeing 777-300 between Dallas to London has 13 rows of Business Class (1 x 2 x 1 configuration) with 2 rows in a forward cabin and remaining in the main cabin. The starter of latin shaved beef with lemon aoli was sub par (mixed reviews as Karen apparently liked it) and salted caramel …
Airline Reviews Korean Air ReviewsAirline Review: Korean Air – Business Class (Airbus 380-800 with Lie Flat Seats): Seoul – Los Angeles (KE 11)
Flight: Korean Air KE 11 from Seoul to Los Angeles Duration: 11 hours Aircraft: A388(Airbus 380-800) Class: Business (Prestige Class) Seat: 20D (Middle row bulhead seat with direct aisle access in rear cabin) Seat Specification: Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 74 “. Seat width: 21.6 ” Korean Air operates both Airbus 380 and Boeing 777-300ER on Seoul – Los Angeles long-haul route. My flight was operated on a double-decker A380 with 2 x 2 x 2 configuration in business class throughout the upper deck. There are 3 cabins on the upper deck, all business class and I was in the rear …
Airline Reviews Korean Air ReviewsAirline Review: Korean Air – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER with Lie Flat Seats): Bangkok – Seoul (KE 660)
Flight: Korean Air KE 660 from Bangkok to Seoul Duration: 5 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 8B (side Aisle seat in forward cabin) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 74″. Seat width: 20.6 ” Korean Air flies both A380 as well as Boeing 777-300 widebody on Bangkok – Seoul route. This was my first time flying Korean Air Business and over 2 segments I got to try business class on both type of aircraft. The flight form Bangkok – Seoul was on a Boeing 777-300ER with 2 x 2 x 2 configuration for a total of 56 …
Hilton Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Colombo Residences, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Hilton Colombo Residences 200 Union Pl, Colombo 00200, Sri Lanka Hilton Colombo Residences is one of the 2 Hilton properties in Sri Lanka (as of now). Located about 30 minutes from Colombo International Airport, this hotel has huge rooms that are more like serviced apartments. I had booked a 2 bedroom suite for 1 night with 40,000 Hilton points. Check-in was quick and I was upgraded to a huge 3 bedroom – 2 bath suite. The front desk agent also handed me 3 welcome drink vouchers. We were happy to see some nice pastries and a wine bottle as welcome …
Hotel Reviews Independent ReviewsHotel Review: Earl’s Regent Hotel, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Earl’s Regent Hotel, Kandy 40/1 Deveni Rajasinghe Mawatha, Kandy, Sri Lanka Earl’s Regent Hotel is located by Mahaweli river in the outskirts of city of Kandy. Located away from the hustle and bustle of Kandy, this hotel is ideal for tourists seeking calm and quiet surroundings with great views. Check-in was fairly quick and I was glad to find out that the hotel provided complimentary accommodation for drivers. I had booked half-board rate (includes dinner & breakfast). However, we arrived late afternoon and were hungry so went for lunch at the on-property restaurant named The Flavors. The pricing was reasonable …
Hotel Reviews Independent ReviewsHotel Review: Ruvidee Villa, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka
Ruvidee Villa No. 3/6 Glenfall Rd, Nuwara Eliya 22200, Sri Lanka Ruvidee Villa is a small hotel located close to Grand Hotel in the center of Nuwara Eliya. I was quite late in searching for hotels in Nuwara Eliya and by the time I was looking to book a lot of the options were either gone or charging high prices. I basically booked this hotel mainly for the price. The room was quite small and there was not much space to move around. The bathroom was very cold during our stay. The hotel did not provide any toiletries. The hotel …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, Sri Lanka
Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa 700 Matara Road, Pelana, Weligama 81700 Sri Lanka Marriott Weligama Resort & Spa is a Category 3 (Off-peak 15,000 Marriott rewards points/night) property located in south-western part of Sri Lanka in Weligama Bay. The property is located right on the beach known for surfing and other water activities. Check-in was fairly quick and while I was being checked in, front desk manager Bhagyashree came by and introduced herself and notified me that although our room was not ready yet, if we were willing to wait for 30 minutes, she would have an amazing room …
Hotel Reviews Independent ReviewsHotel Review – Shangri-Lanka Villa, Bentota, Sri Lanka
Shangri-Lanka Villa #23, De Alwis Road, Horanduwa, Bentota – 80500, Sri Lanka Shangri-Lanka Villa is a very highly rated home-stay property located in Bentota, Sri Lanka. Surrounded by lush greenery, this property highlights individual villas and a swimming pool. I loved the bathroom the most in this property. The water pressure was really good and was nice to take a shower after all the travel. I had booked at a rate that included breakfast and the caretaker took our order the night before. We opted for Western Breakfast instead of traditional Sri Lankan breakfast. Thumbs up: Room had 3 beds …
Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific ReviewsAirline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Hong Kong (CX 881)
Flight: Cathay Pacific CX 881 from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Duration: 15 hours 55 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 11A (single bulkhead seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” Cathay Pacific flies Boeing 777-300ER on all its LAX – HKG flights (3 x Daily) and I have experienced it twice before, once in 2015 and next in 2018. There are a total of 53 business class seats divided between a small forward cabin of 2 rows of 1 x 2 x 1 reverse herringbone configuration and rest in a …
Airline Reviews EVA Airways ReviewsAirline Review: EVA Airways – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Taipei – Los Angeles (BR 6)
Flight: EVA Air BR 6 from Taipei to Los Angeles Aircraft: B773 (Boeing 777-300) Class: Business Seat: 10K, Window Seat Specification: Full Flat, 180 degree recline, Seat pitch: 81″. Seat width: 26″ EVA Air operates Boeing 777-300 on all its flights between Taipei and Los Angeles with Royal Laurel Class (Business Class) having 1-2-1 layout and full flat beds. I have flown EVA airways on this route before, on both LAX-TPE and TPE-LAX segments in 2015. I was a bit full by eating in the EVA Air lounge earlier and opted to skip the main entree. I slept for a …