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Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya

Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya Kalanchevskaya Street 21 40, Moscow, 107078, Russian Federation Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya is located right next to Leningradsky Railway station (where Sapsan trains from St. Petersburg terminates) as well as Komsomolskaya Metro stop (Line 1, Line 5). It is about 30 km from Sheremetyevo International Airport and 55 km from Moscow Domodedovo airport. The hotel building is one of the Seven Sisters skyscrapers of Moscow. We stayed 3 nights at this hotel using cash rates. The room was fairly large with plenty of space. The carpet could use a bit of cleaning though. Being Hilton Gold members, we …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2019: St. Petersburg (Russia) Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at St. Petersburg around noon on our flight from Brussels. After an uneventful immigration check, we took airport taxi to our hotel (Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg). After freshening up, we took the metro from Moskovskie Vorota Metro stop (Line M2) near our hotel to Nevsky Prospekt (Line M2). Nevsky Prospekt is the main street of St. Petersburg. Its crowded and quite touristy. We passed by the Kazan Cathedral and then walked along the channel embankment to Church of the Savior on Blood. The Church of Savior on Blood is quintessential Russian architecture with onion domes. After …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review – Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg, Russia

Staybridge Suites Saint Petersburg Moskovsky Prospekt 97V St. Petersburg, 196084 Russia Staybridge Suites Saint Petersburg is located about 15 km from St. Petersburg International Airport (Pulkovo Airport). It is right next to Moskovskiye Vorota metro station making it very easy to connect to the city. It shares a walkway with another IHG property, Holiday Inn St. Petersburg – Moskovskye Vorota. We stayed here for 2 nights and booked the room using 25,000 IHG Rewards points per night. Based on the price of the hotel, it was an excellent redemption at the time. Check-in was quick and we were informed by …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2019: Brussels Trip Report

We spent 2 nights (1 full day) in Brussels while going from Barcelona to St. Petersburg, Russia. We arrived in Brussels late at night (around midnight), spent the full day exploring Brussels and then flew out to St. Petersburg early next morning. Although we missed some popular hot spots due to short schedule, it still was a lot of fun and we gained a lot of appreciation for this city. Karen had signed up for a Belgian Chocolate Workshop and I dropped her off in the morning for the 3 hour class. While Karen was in class, me and my …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review – Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel

Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel Brussels National Airport, Brussels 1930 Belgium Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel is located right opposite of Brussels International Airport (BRU) less than 5 minutes walk from Departures level. This is a Category 5 Marriott property costing 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. The view was nothing to write about (of airport parking lot!!). While staying at the hotel for the night, we walked over to the airport next door and had dinner in the food court. One thing to remember is the food court starts to close down after 8 PM. Thumbs up: Right next to Brussels …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review – Hilton Brussels Grand Place Hotel

Hilton Brussels Grand Place Hotel Carrefour de l Europe 3, Brussels, 1000, Belgium Hilton Brussels Grand Place hotel is located in the heart of Brussels, right opposite of Brussels Central station (just 2 minute walk across from the station). This means that the hotel is walking distance to most of Brussels attractions and anything that cannot be reached by foot can be accessed by the train station (as well as Metro stop) just across the hotel. This is one of the most outstanding hotels I have stayed in Europe (based purely from location standpoint). We booked 1 night at this …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review – AC Hotel Diagonal L´Illa

AC Hotel Diagonal L´Illa Avinguda Diagonal, 555, 08029 Barcelona, Spain AC Hotel Diagonal L’llla is a Category 4 Marriott property located on the busy Avenida Diagonal street in the heart of Barcelona. We booked the hotel for 1 night at 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. The cash rate for that particular night at this hotel (as well as the nearby Hilton Barcelona) was very high so represented a good value of points. I don’t particularly like carpet flooring so really liked the wooden flooring in the room. Thumbs up: Good location on busy Avendia Diagonal street in Barcelona with lots of …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2019: Barcelona Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived on AVE train from Madrid in the evening. Although there is a direct metro line from Barcelona Sants station to our hotel (Hilton Barcelona, Maria Christina metro stop) we opted for a cab to avoid lugging all our belongings in the metro. After checking in and freshening up me and Karen decided to walk to a highly reviewed restaurant on Tripadvisor (Cerveceria Catalana) about 2 km from the hotel. Day 2: The day started out really bad weather wise and I decided to make slight changes to the itinerary for the morning. We took the metro …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review – Hilton Barcelona

Hilton Barcelona Avenida Diagonal 589-591, Barcelona, 08014, Spain Hilton Barcelona is located in the heart of Barcelona, only about a 4 minute cab ride from Camp Nou (FC Barcelona stadium). It is just 5 minute walk from Maria Cristina Metro stop (Line L3 Barcelona Metro). We booked one room with points and at that time it cost 50,000 Hilton HHonors points per night while another with cash ($160 USD per night after taxes). Thumbs up: Great location in the heart of Barcelona around a lot of dining options on Avenida Diagonal street Only 5 minutes walk to nearest metro stop …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review – Artiem Madrid

Artiem Madrid Calle Juan Perez Zuñiga, 20, 28027 Madrid, Spain While researching for various hotel options in Madrid on Tripadvisor, I came across Artiem Madrid hotel. It had a good cash rate (about $120 USD per night after taxes per room per night) along with a high rating on Tripadvisor (#3 as of booking the hotel). I went ahead and booked 2 rooms for 2 nights at this hotel. We showed up at the hotel from the airport at around 10 AM. The hotel is in a residential neighborhood and about 10 minutes walk to nearest metro stop Barrio de …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2019: Madrid Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Madrid Barajas International Airport in the morning. We were staying in Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center for the first night. After checking-in and freshening up we took the metro to the city (from the airport which was the closest Metro stop from the hotel). All metro trains outbound and inbound for the airport carry a 3 Euro surcharge. We did not buy any metro pass during our stay in Madrid and instead used the 10 journey ticket (that can be shared between travelers). It was close to lunch time and our first stop …

Airline Reviews Iberia Reviews

Airline Review: Iberia – Business Class (Airbus 340 with Lie Flat Seats) : Chicago – Madrid (IB 6274)

Flight: Iberia IB 6274 from Chicago to Madrid Equipment: A359 (Airbus 350-900) Class: Business Seat: 1E – 1G, Middle Aisle Seat Specification: Full Flat, 180 degree recline, Seat pitch: 78″. Seat width: 26″ Iberia flies a couple of different aircraft types in this route (for example A340 and A350) and we got the fly the older A340-600 aircraft. The business class still features 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access to all seats. The middle rows are good for couples traveling together while the window seats are better for solo travelers. The odd number middle rows are next to each other …

Trip Summary

June 2019: Europe Trip – Introduction

During June we visited Europe for 2 weeks at the end of my parents’ visit in US. This time we went over to Spain and Russian Federation with a short 1 day stay in Brussels. We stayed 2 nights each in Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels and St. Petersburg followed by 4 nights in Moscow. In the following months, I will be posting reviews on the following: Airline Review: Iberia Business Class – Chicago to Madrid Trip Report: Madrid Hotel Review: Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center Hotel Review: Artiem Madrid Trip Report: Barcelona Hotel Review: Hilton Barcelona Hotel Review: AC …

Airline Reviews American Reviews

Airline Review: American Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 787 with Lie Flat Seats) : Frankfurt – Dallas (AA 71)

Flight:  American Airlines AA 71 from Frankfurt to Dallas Equipment: B787 (Boeing 787-8) Class: Business Seat: 2 D & H (Middle row seats with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 60 “. Seat width: 21 ” American Airlines operates a Boeing 787-8 aircraft between Frankfurt and Dallas. There are 28 lie-flat seats with 1 – 2 – 1 configuration in Business class. Some seats are rear-facing while others are standard forward facing. Bottomline: Seat: ***** Service: *** Food: **** The seat was long, quite comfortable and even though it was a daytime flight, had no trouble sleeping …

Airline Reviews Etihad Reviews

Airline Review: Etihad Airways – Business Class (Boeing 787 with Lie Flat Seats) : Abu Dhabi – Frankfurt (EY 01)

Flight:  Etihad Airways EY 01 from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt Equipment: B789(Boeing 787-9) Class: Business Seat: 11H & 5A (Rear facing and forward facing seat in aisle) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 73 “. Seat width: 22 ” Etihad operates twice daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt, both on Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Business class consists of 28 seats with 1 x 2 x 1 configuration. The seats are in staggered layout with the odd number rows facing the aisle (less privacy) while even numbers facing the window (more privacy). Service started with pre-departure beverage. We chose a refreshing lemon-mint drink. …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2019: Abu Dhabi Trip Report

We spent only about half a day in Abu Dhabi (compared to 3 days in Dubai). We took a cab to Dubai Ibn Batuta Mall Bus Station where we then took the E101 bus to Abu Dhabi. The trip takes 1.5 hours and costs 25 AED per person. This bus is the cheapest option to travel between Dubai & Abu Dhabi. After reaching Abu Dhabi bus station we took a cab to our hotel (Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi). After checking-in and freshening up we took a cab to #1 sightseeing spot in Abu Dhabi and that is the Sheikh Zayad …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review – Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi

Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi 31st Street, between Muroor & Airport, P.O. Box 46668, Abu Dhabi There are a few IHG properties in Abu Dhabi but we chose the Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi for its high ratings in Tripadvisor. Its important to remember that there are 2 Holiday Inn hotels in Abu Dhabi. This is the one that is “closer” to Abu Dhabi International Airport while the other one is the “downtown” hotel (and also called Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown). Both these hotels charge 25,000 IHG points per night for award redemption stays. We booked direct with IHG.com as we …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2019: Dubai Trip Report

Day 1: We walked from our hotel (Doubletree Hilton Dubai Al Barsha) to Mall of Emirates and then took the Dubai Metro Red line to Al Ghubaiba station (with changing to Green line at Bur Juman station). The Dubai Ferry leaves just 2 minutes walk from Al Ghubaiba station.   After reaching Dubai Marina we took a cab back to Mall of Emirates. Cabs are plentiful in Dubai and have pretty reasonable fares. One of the popular attractions in Mall of Emirates is Ski Dubai (yes skiing in the desert!!). We had lunch at one of the food courts in the …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Residences Dubai Al Barsha

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Residences Dubai Al Barsha Al Barsha Road, Al Barsha P.O. Box 72584, Dubai, U.A.E Hilton has close to 20 properties in Dubai and it is easy to get overwhelmed by options. We were looking for a mid-price range property and the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Residences Dubai Al Barsha fit the bill. It is located very close to Mall of Emirates (about 10 minutes walk due to all the construction going on around it). I had booked 4 nights at this hotel – first 3 using regular rate through Hilton website and last night …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review – Crowne Plaza Amman

Crowne Plaza Amman K. Faysal Ben Abdul Aziz St.، Amman, Jordan Crowne Plaza Amman is located in city of Amman about 35 km from Queen Alia International Airport. While I was researching accommodations in Amman for our upcoming trip, it was rated as #1 hotel in Amman on Tripadvisor. I booked 2 rooms at this hotel for 1 night for 20,000 IHG points each. Check-in was smooth and we were upgraded to a King room. We wanted to have dinner at the Cafe Vienna and it was smoke everywhere and no separate section for non-smokers. We ended up ordering from …