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Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Hong Kong (CX 885)

Flight:  Cathay Pacific CX 885 from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Duration: 15 hours 25 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 18D (Middle row with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” Cathay Pacific operates multiple daily flights between Los Angeles and Hong Kong and all of them are on Boeing 777-300 ER in 1 x 2 x 1 configuration with all seats having direct aisle access. I had selected row 17 for my parents and next row for me and my wife. Each seat provides plenty of privacy because of the angle of seats …

Trip Summary

September 2018: South Africa Trip Introduction

I have been wanting to visit South Africa (especially for safari at Kruger National Park) for a while after my first safari visit at Kenya Masai Mara National Park. I decided to combine my parents yearly USA visit with it so we fly out from US to South Africa and then do some safari and also visit Cape Town. After the trip, my parents flew back to India and we came back to USA. I will be posting the following trip reports and reviews in the coming days. Airline Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class – Los Angeles to Hong Kong …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort 2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI 96815 Hilton Hawaiian Village is a Category 7 Hilton property located right on Waikiki beach. The hotel is located about 8 miles from Honolulu International Airport. One night stay at this resort costs about 60,000 HHonors points. We arrived at the hotel on a Saturday (Memorial Day Weekend) and it was crazy busy. Check-in took about 30 minutes and we were upgraded to Rainbow Tower, corner room. There was no complimentary breakfast for Gold status members although we did get a dining credit of $10 USD per person (for …

Destination Trip Reports North America

May 2018: Oahu Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Honolulu International Airport around 10 AM on our flight from LAX. After collecting our rental car we drove to Nico’s Pier 38. My wife had watched a Guy Fieri’s DDD special (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) featuring this restaurant so we wanted to give it a try.  I ordered the Pier 38 fish burger while she ordered the fish with caper sauce. Both were just meh and bit of a letdown. After lunch we drove to the Hilton Waikiki Village where we were staying for the first 2 nights. After check-in and some freshening up we …

Trip Summary

May 2018: Hawaii Trip – Introduction

For the Memorial Day 2018 long weekend we took some additional days off of work for a quick getaway to Hawaii (Oahu). We had originally booked 2 nights in Oahu and 2 nights on the Big Island. However, about 2 weeks before our trip the volcanic activity on Big Island was escalating and we were worried that we might not be able to go on our helicopter tour of the volcano (our primary reason to visit Big Island). Since Hawaiian Airlines was allowing fee-free changes to itineraries for the period, we changed our booking to stay in Oahu for the …

Airline Reviews Reviews Singapore Airlines

Airline Review – Singapore Airlines – First Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats): Hong Kong – San Francisco (SQ 2)

Flight:  Singapore Airlines 2 from Hong Kong to San Francisco Duration: 12 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: B773 (Boeing 777 – 300ER) Class: First Seat: 1A Seat Specification: Flat bed seats in Open Suites, Seat pitch: 81″. Seat width: 35″ Singapore Airlines operates a Boeing 777-300ER on its Hong Kong to San Francisco route. The current configuration features only a single row of First Class Seats in 1 x 2 x 1 layout whereas a few years ago I flew same route with 2 rows of First Class. The suites are open (without doors) although there is plenty of privacy when you are seated. The …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon

Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon 3 Belilios Road, Singapore, 219924, Singapore Hilton Garden Inn Singapore is located in the Little India neighborhood just a couple minute walk from Little India MRT station (Downtown Line & North East Line). Being on Downtown Line it is easily accessible from Changi International Airport (need to switch at Expo MRT station). Check-in was smooth and when I let the front desk agent know that our outbound flight was departing early evening, he was gracious to update our check-out time to 4 PM. Our King Guest Room had clear views of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Because of …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2017: Singapore Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Changi International Airport around noon. After clearing Immigration and Customs we headed for the MRT station which is located at the lower level. I bought a Singapore 3-Day Tourist Pass which gave us unlimited rides at the MRT and Bus Transit system. After getting the pass we headed to Little India MRT station where our hotel (Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon) was located. After checking-in and freshening up, we headed out for lunch at the Mavalli Tiffin Room, Singapore located about 10 minutes away on Serangoon Road. After lunch, we headed back towards our hotel …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Sheraton Hanoi Hotel

Sheraton Hanoi Hotel K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu Road, Tay Ho District, Hanoi Sheraton Hanoi Hotel is a Category 2 SPG property located about 25 miles from Hanoi International Airport (Noi Bai). This hotel is a great option for SPG point redemptions costing only 4,000 SPG points per night. Although the hotel offers paid airport transfers, I would recommend using other airport transfer services as they provide much better value. We used Hanoi Transfer Service and paid $32 for round trip service in a luxury SUV. We arrived late at night and check-in was fairly quick although not very …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Le Méridien Angkor

Le Méridien Angkor Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Khum Svay Dang Kum, Siem Reap, Cambodia Le Méridien Angkor is an SPG category 2 hotel, located about 20 km from Siem Reap International Airport. This is the only Starwood property in Siem Reap and it costs only 4,000 SPG points per night. The hotel provides paid airport transfer however its a bit more expensive than the airport taxi which are plentiful and very easy and convenient to get. Check-in was quick and very efficient. We were given cold towels and a juice on arrival and the Assistant Front Office Manager showed up …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2017: Hanoi Trip Report

Day 1: We took the complimentary hotel shuttle to Ho Chin Minh Complex where the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, The Presidential Palace, The One pillar pagoda are all located. There were some shops by the One Pillar Pagoda and we did some souvenir shopping there. We walked along the Ho Chin Minh mausoleum along the length of the street. After reaching the President Palace we turned back. It was time for lunch and we hailed a cab back to the hotel. Cabs are very cheap in Hanoi and a very good means of transportation in the city. Late afternoon we took …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2017: Siem Reap Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Siem Reap International Airport at around noon. We took an Airport taxi (although you can opt for a tuk-tuk but there were 3 of us with cabin baggage so we went with a  taxi)  to the hotel (Le Meridien Angkor). After freshening up, I got notified by the front desk that our tuk-tuk driver for the day was in the lobby. I had contacted Angkor Wat Driver Private Tours (after reading Tripadvisor Reviews) and had booked the following itinerary. Day 1: Tuk-Tuk transportation for the day (Lunch, Made in Cambodia Market and Night Market) – …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – First Class (Boeing 747 with Lie Flat Seats) : Seoul to Bangkok (TG 659)

Flight:  Thai Airways 659 from Seoul to Bangkok Duration: 5 hours 50 minutes Aircraft: B744 (Boeing 747-400) Class: First Seat: 1A Seat Specification: Flat bed seats, Seat pitch: 76″. Seat width: 21″ Thai Airways operates multiple configuration of Boeing 747s, some featuring new First class with semi-closed suites where as some featuring old style first class seats (although lie flat). The only time I traveled in Thai First Class, it was also on a 747 but with new First Class with semi-closed suites on flight from Bangkok to Sydney. I was excited to fly Thai Airways First class again but was a little disappointed …

Airline Reviews Asiana Reviews

Airline Review: Asiana Airlines – First Class (Airbus 380 with Closed Suites) : Los Angeles – Seoul (OZ 203)

Flight:  Asiana Airlines 203 from Los Angeles to Seoul Duration: 13 hours 20 minutes Aircraft: A388 (Airbus 380-800) Class: First Seat: 1A Seat Specification: Flat bed seats in closed suites, Seat pitch: 81″. Seat width: 25.2″ Asiana Airlines operates twice daily flight between Los Angeles to Incheon both on an Airbus 380. The first class features 12 fully closed suites in 1 x 2 x 1 configuration in the lower deck of the A380. I was pretty excited as this flight was a lot of firsts for me (first time on Asiana First Class, first time on A380 First Class and first time on …

Trip Summary

Dec’17 – Jan’18: India, Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore Trip – Introduction

Its December and time for my yearly trip to visit family in India again. I always try to do some side trips during my vacation for this time of the year. In our last trip (2016-2017) we did Australia – New Zealand and the one before that (2015-2016) we did Egypt and Kenya Safari and previously in (2014-2015) we did South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia). Well this year we will do a short one week trip to Siem Reap, Hanoi and Singapore. This will check off at least two items on my bucket list – Angkor Wat in Siem Reap …

Destination Trip Reports North America

September 2017: Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Trip Report

Day 1: During the Labor day weekend we planned to do a quick weekend getaway to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Its only about a 5 hours drive from our home. We started the day fairly early and made our first stop for lunch at Three Rivers, California. There was about a 1 hour wait to enter the park and after paying the park fees we made our way through the Sequoia park. We had planned on covering the Sequoia Park on our first day so we drove towards the Giant Forest. It was fascinating to drive with …

Airline Reviews Reviews United

Airline Review: United Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 747-400 with Lie Flat Seats) : Frankfurt – San Francisco (UA 59)

Flight:  United Airlines 59 from Frankfurt to San Francisco Duration: 11 hours 35 minutes Aircraft: B744 (Boeing 747 – 400) Class: Business Seat: 6G – 6H Seat Specification: Flat bed seats (rear facing), Seat pitch: 76″. Seat width: 20″ United operates a Boeing 747 for its Frankfurt – San Francisco route with business class in both upper and lower decks. In upper deck its in 2 x 2 configuration and in lower its 2 x 4 x 2 configuration. Its kind of insane to put 8 business class seats in same row and I would otherwise actively try to avoid such flights. I was …

Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz

Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz Hotel Alexanderplatz 7 D-10178 Berlin Germany Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz Hotel is located in the previous East Berlin right by the Berlin Tower and within a couple of minutes walk from Alexanderplatz S+U Bahn station. The TXL Express Bus departs from Alexanderplatz station in very frequent intervals all day to Tegel Airport so this is a very convenient hotel for getting to both the Berlin Airport as well as other parts of Berlin. A point stay at this hotel costs 38,000 Club Carlson Points. The hotel is very busy (lots of tour groups) …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2017: Berlin Trip Report

Day 1: There are many places in Berlin where you can still see the remnants of the Berlin Wall but the two most popular ones among them are the East Side Gallery and Berlin Wall Memorial Park. We wanted to start our Berlin trip with East Side Gallery and took S-Bahn to Ostbahnhof station. After coming outside the station, within about 5 minutes walk you get to the wall. After walking along the wall by the river Spree, we reached Oberbaum Bridge. After crossing the bridge we walked to Markthale Neun market. I had TripAdvisor reviews about the place and …

Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte

Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte Wallstraße 23-24, 10179 Berlin, Germany Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte is a Carlson Rezidor property located close to Museum Island area of Berlin. It is between 2 U-Bahn stations (SpittelMarket and Märkisches Museum), within 5 minutes walking distance. It is also a couple of U-bahn stops away from Alexanderplatz which makes getting to rest of Berlin very easy. A points stay at this hotel costs 38,000 Club Carlson Points. The room size is very small but clean and comfortable. The hotel is based on Wallstreet theme (hence the name) and starting from dollar bills on …