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Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review – Petra Guest House

Petra Guest House Hotel P.O. Box 30 Petra, Wadi Musa, Jordan Petra Guest House Hotel is located just a few steps away from the visitor’s entrance of the ancient city of Petra. It is supposedly run by Crowne Plaza Petra management however it does not appear to be bookable at IHG site. We booked 1 night at this hotel at Booking.com site. I had booked Breakfast rate and we arrived at the restaurant early right after it opened at 6:30 AM. There was a huge selection of items along with omelette station. We were planning on sightseeing Petra till 1 …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review – Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea

Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea Dead Sea Road Dead Sea, 18186, Jordan Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea is one of the 2 IHG properties (the other being Crowne Plaza Jordan – Dead Sea Resort) located in Dead Sea, Jordan. A free night at this hotel costs 20,000 IHG points although we booked cash rate at around 60 JOD(about 90 USD)/night. Check-in was fairly quick and efficient. There is a dedicated check-in desk for elite members. After finding out that Karen is Platinum Elite, the front desk upgraded one room to Seaview King Suite while the other with poolview (partial Seaview). …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2019: Jordan Trip Report (Dead Sea & Petra)

Day 1:  We arrived in late afternoon at the Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea after driving about 80 km from Jerash. It was pretty cold being January but I was not going to let that get in the way of my bucket list item – taking a dip in the dead sea. After checking-in in at the hotel and freshening up we made our way to the private hotel beach. The hotel kept 2 big tubs of Dead Sea mud by the beach. I had read about the beneficial qualities of Dead Sea mud and coming all this way I …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2019: Jordan Trip Report (Amman & Jerash)

We arrived on a late night flight to Amman via Muscat on Oman Air. Immigration was fairly easy as we had already purchased the Jordan pass. If you are going to be visiting Petra during your Jordan visit (and staying at least 3 nights in Jordan total), Jordan Pass is basically a no-brainer. Since we were staying more than 3 nights in Jordan and also visiting Petra, we had already purchased the Jordan Pass online (must be purchased online before arriving in the country). Jordan Pass waives the visa-on-arrival fees to Jordan ($40 JOD). After picking up our rental car from …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review – Amman Marriott Hotel

Amman Marriott Hotel Issam Al-Ajlouni St., Amman, Jordan Amman Marriott Hotel is a Category 3 Marriott property located in downtown Amman and about 36 km from Queen Alia International Airport. A night at this hotel costs 15,000 Marriott points (off-peak). We arrived late at night and after a thorough security check at the entrance we were checked in pretty quickly. We even got upgraded to Executive floor (even though it did not matter as we were staying for only 1 night and I had already booked a breakfast rate). My parents decided to call it a night while me and …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review – Niranta Airport Transit Hotel & Lounge (Landside), Mumbai

Niranta Airport Transit Hotel & Lounge (Landside) Terminal 2, Mumbai International Airport, Navpada, Vile Parle East, Vile Parle, Mumbai Niranta Airport Transit Hotel is located at Terminal 2 of Mumbai International Airport in the airport premises. There are actually 2 hotels here and its important to know the distinction so as not to make a mistake during booking. The “Landside” or “Arrivals” hotel is before immigration procedures where as the “Airside” hotel is after immigration. If you are checking-in in Mumbai then remember that regardless of for how long you make the booking, you are not allowed to check-in till 4 …

Airline Reviews Reviews Singapore Airlines

Airline Review: Singapore Airlines – Business Class (Airbus 330 with Angled Flat Seats) : Seoul – Singapore (SQ 607)

Flight: Singapore Airlines SQ 607 from Seoul to Singapore Equipment: A333 (Airbus 330-300) Class: Business Seat: 16 D, Middle Aisle Seat Specification: Angled Flat, 172 degree recline, Seat pitch: 60″. Seat width: 24.5″ MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not fly this segment.  The last time I flew on Singapore Airlines business class was during our Maldives trip with my hubby. Since then the business class cabin seems to have undergone some cosmetic refresh but essentially still have angled-flat seats with 2 x 2 x 2 configuration. Although they are not full lie flat, I was not …

Airline Reviews Asiana Reviews

Airline Review: Asiana Airlines – Business Class (Airbus 380 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Seoul (OZ 203)

Flight: Asiana Airlines OZ 203 from Los Angeles to Seoul Equipment: A380 (Airbus 380) Class: Business Seat: 21K, Window Seat Specification: Full Lie Flat, 180 degree recline, Seat pitch: 80.4″. Seat width: 21.3 ” MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not fly this segment.  It was exciting as always to ride an A380 business class, this time with Asiana. When I flew Asiana business class last time, it was on a Boeing 777-200 LR. The seat configuration is the same in both the aircrafts with 1-2-1 with direct aisle access for all seats. I had pre-selected row 21 …

Trip Summary

Dec’18 – Jan’19: India, Jordan and UAE Trip – Introduction

December is here and so is the time for my family trip again. I will be visiting India and my wife will be following me in a couple of weeks. After our trip in India, we along with my parents will go on a 10 day trip to Jordan and UAE. We will be visiting Amman, Petra and Dead Sea in Jordan and Dubai and Abu Dhabi in UAE. I have been wanting to check off Dead Sea, Petra, Burj Khalifa from my bucket list and covering the 2 countries will cross all these off 🙂 There will be a …

Airline Reviews American Reviews

Airline Review: American Airlines – Business Class (Airbus A321 32B Transcon with Lie Flat Seats) : New York – Los Angeles (AA 300)

Flight:  American Airlines  AA 300 from New York to Los Angeles Equipment: A321(Airbus 321 (32 B) Transcon) Class: Business Seat: 7 D-F (Window – Aisle Pair) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 75.0 “. Seat width: 19 ” American Airlines has flat bed seats for Business and Open Suites for First Class for its coast to coast premium transcontinental flights. There are 20 flat bed seats in 2 x 2 configuration in business class. For these long haul transcontinental flights, I was happy just to get flat beds even though in a different setting I would have preferred direct aisle access for all …

Airline Reviews Qatar Reviews

Airline Review: Qatar Airways – Business Class (B773(Boeing 777-300ER) with Qsuites) : Doha – New York (QR 701)

Flight:  Qatar Airways QR 701 from Doha to New York Duration: 13 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 3E-F (Rear facing Middle Qsuite seats part of Quad setup) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 79.0 “. Seat width: 21.5 ” Ever since Qatar Airways announced the Qsuite product launch I have been dreaming of trying this one out. We finally were able to travel on a Qsuites equipped Boeing 777-300 ER plane from Doha to JFK. The business class cabin comprises of 48 closed suites with some middle seats being part of a Quad setup (ideal for a family of …

Airline Reviews Qatar Reviews

Airline Review: Qatar Airways – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Johannesburg – Doha (QR 1364)

Flight:  Qatar Airways QR 1364 from Johannesburg to Doha Duration: 8 hours 50 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 2J – 2K (Window & Aisle) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 78.0 “. Seat width: 21.8 ” Qatar Airways flies a Boeing 777-300 ER between Johannesburg and Doha. The business class has 42 seats (7 rows with 2 x 2 x 2 configuration) that convert into flat beds. In current day and age, not having business class with direct-aisle access for all seats is not competitive any more. However, the seat had a lot of space in front and I was traveling …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review – Hermanus Dorpshuys Guesthouse

Hermanus Dorpshuys 20 Hill Street | Eastcliff, Hermanus, Overstrand 7200, South Africa Hermanus Dorpshuys is a independently owned B&B in Hermanus located not far from the town center. We stayed only 1 night here during our visit to Hermanus to see the whales. We stayed here during end of September and pricing was around $100 USD/night. HallwayWe checked in late in the afternoon and it was very quick. The guesthouse has 8 or so rooms and we got assigned opposite rooms down the hallway. Cecelia and Koos, the owners of this place were very courteous, friendly and helpful. They advised us about …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge

Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge Protea Hotel Waterfront Breakwater Lodge is a Marriott Category 2 property (10,000 Marriott rewards points/night) located in a prime area in Cape Town just a mere 10 minutes walk from V&A Waterfront. Once a 19th century prison, the 3 buildings of this hotel share with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.   We checked in real late and our room and my parent’s room were assigned in different buildings. Room was standard sized with nice decor. Thumbs up: Location !! Only a 10 minute walk from V&A Waterfront with lots of dining and …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

September 2018: Cape Town and Hermanus Trip Report

We arrived in Cape Town from Johannesburg quite late at night and the difference in temperature was quite palpable. It was quite chilly and drizzling rain. We took our rental car and drove to our hotel in the V&A Waterfront neighborhood. By the time we reached our hotel it was about 1 AM. Day 1: We had planned to go to Table Mountain in the morning but it was rainy and overcast and we could see from our hotel that the visibility from Table Mountain was going to be very poor and so we altered our plans. After breakfast we …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Skukuza – Lower Sabie Rd, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa Lower Sabie Rest Camp is located in southern Kruger in an area with perhaps one of the highest concentration of leopards in the wild. It is only about 35 km from Crocodile Bridge Camp Gate. The accommodations range from Campsites to Huts, Safari Tents, Bungalows, Family Bungalows to the luxurious Guest Houses. Pricing varies from USD $25/night for Campsite to USD $425/night for Guest House. Even though I booked the accommodations about 11 months out, due to availability issues we had to book 2 …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Satara Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

Satara Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Kruger National Park, Satara Rd, South Africa Satara Rest Camp is located in central Kruger about 90 km from Orpen Gate.  This camp houses a range of accommodations from basic Camp Sites (about $20USD/night) to Bungalows to luxurious Guest Houses ($525 USD/night). We had booked a couple of Bungalows ($110 USD per night) for 3 nights with this description – BD2V (BUNGALOW): 2 single beds, Air-conditioned, Fridge, Hotplate, No smoking, Perimeter, Sink, Utensils, WC and shower. These bungalows were marketed as “perimeter bungalows” meaning they were close to the fence. All that separated you from safety …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Kruger National Park, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa Skukuza Rest camp is the largest of the Kruger National Park rest camps. It is located about 12km (30 minutes drive ) from Paul Kruger Gate, located in a very game rich area. There are a variety of accommodation options – from campsites to bungalows to guest cottages to the luxurious Guest Houses. The prices run from as low as $20 USD/night to $500 USD/night We had booked 2 bungalows for 3 nights at a rate of $100 USD/night. The official description of the bungalows on Sanparks …

Africa Destination Trip Reports

September 2018: 7 Day Safari Trip Report in Kruger National Park, South Africa

We have been wanting to visit South Africa for a while, especially after we got hooked on safari following our wonderful trip in Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya in 2016. After a year-long planning we were on our way to South Africa. This time instead of a guided private tour we were going to self-drive in Kruger National Park (mentioned as KNP from now on) as well as stay at much more modest park accommodations. The booking window for KNP opens about 11 months out and I was able to call in and secure 2 rooms at each of our rest …

Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Hong Kong – Johannesburg (CX 749)

Flight:  Cathay Pacific CX 885 from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Duration: 12 hours 50 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 15D (Middle row with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 82.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” Cathay Pacific operates a 3 class (Business, Premium Economy & Economy) version of Boeing 777-300 ER between Hong Kong and Johannesburg. There are 40 business class seats laid out in 1 x 2 x 1 configuration with all seats having direct aisle access. Meal service started soon after takeoff. The chilli prawns were kind of bland and Karen’s Beef Tenderloin was not much …