Trip SummaryDecember 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 ReviewsFlight: 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 ReviewsFlight: 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 ReviewsFlight: 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 ReviewsHermanus 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 ReviewsProtea 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 ReportsWe 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 ReviewsLower 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 ReviewsSatara 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 ReviewsSkukuza 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 ReportsWe 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 ReviewsFlight: 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 …
Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific ReviewsFlight: 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 SummaryI 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 ReviewsHilton 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 AmericaDay 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 …
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 AirlinesFlight: 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 ReviewsHilton 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 ReportsDay 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 …