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Destination Trip Reports Oceania

January 2017: Auckland Trip Report

Day 1:  We arrived from Queenstown in the afternoon on our Jetstar flight. After collecting our checked-in luggage we found our way to the Skybus counter outside the terminal building. By purchasing Skybus tickets online, you save a little bit of money in comparison to showing up at the airport counter. We took the airport shuttle all the way to the terminus at Queen street and from there we transferred to another complimentary shuttle service to take us towards downtown. After checking in at the hotel (Crowne Plaza Auckland) we had an early dinner at Elliott Stables which was right …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Queenstown

Crowne Plaza Queenstown 93 Beach St,Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Crowne Plaza Queenstown is located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and very close to the city center. The hotel is located just under 10 km from Queenstown International Airport. A complimentary night at this property costs 40,000 IHG points per night. We had booked 2 rooms for four of us. Both the rooms had awesome views of the lake. The bathroom was fairly small and felt cramped. We had rented a car for a day trip to Glenorchy and kept the car to drive to the airport next day. The …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa Kawarau Village, 79 Peninsula Rd, Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa is a Category 7 Hilton Property located just 5 minutes from Queenstown International Airport. It is located next door to the other Hilton property in the area that I reviewed earlier, the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown. This hotel like the Doubletree does not offer complimentary airport shuttle and a cab costs about $25 NZD one-way. The hotel does offer complimentary shuttle (at designated schedule)  and also a water taxi ($10 NZD per person) to Queenstown city center. A complimentary night at …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Queenstown Kawarau Village 79 Peninsula Road, Queenstown, 9300, New Zealand Doubletree by Hilton Queenstown is a Category 4 Hilton property located just 5 mins drive away from Queenstown International Airport. The hotel does not provide any complimentary airport shuttle and a cab ride is around $25 NZD one way. The hotel does provide a complimentary shuttle to the Queenstown city center at scheduled times or you can take the water taxi for $10 NZD per person. A free night at this hotel costs 20,000 to 30,000 Hilton HHonors points. I had booked my parents at this hotel while …

Destination Trip Reports Oceania

January 2017: Queenstown Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Queenstown International Airport around early afternoon on our flight from Sydney. In case you don’t already know, New Zealand exercises very strict bio-security at its airports (with huge fines for non-compliance) so we declared every single item that we were bringing in from Australia (packaged food, snacks etc). After clearing immigration and customs we took a cab to our hotel (Hilton Queenstown). We decided to walk along the trails leading from Hilton towards Kelvin Heights that ran beside Lake Wakatipu. We came across a mother teaching her daughter how to catch fish. After walking and …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Sheraton on the Park, Sydney

Sheraton on the Park, Sydney 161 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Sheraton on the Park Sydney is located next to Hyde park and also St. James station which connects to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport via the Airport Link Train. However, if you are not traveling solo, I would recommend taking a cab to the hotel from the airport as its cheaper and more convenient. This hotel is a SPG Category 5 property with a complimentary night costing 12,000 SPG points. We checked in early in the morning around 9 AM and our rooms were not ready. The front …

Destination Trip Reports Oceania

January 2017: Sydney Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport early in the morning. After immigration and customs we lined up for the taxi line for a cab to the hotel. We were staying at Sheraton on the Park which is located right opposite of St. James station by Hyde Park. I had researched that we could take the airport train straight to St. James station but it would be cheaper to take a cab for the 4 of us and also avoid having to carry around our luggage. In fact throughout our Sydney trip, for short distances it came out …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – First Class (Boeing 747-400 with Lie Flat Sats) : Bangkok – Sydney (TG 475)

Flight:  Thai Airways TG 475 from Bangkok to Sydney Duration: 9 hours Aircraft: B744(Boeing 747-400) Class: First Seat: 3E-3F (middle seats together with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 76 “. Seat width: 21 ” Thai Airways operates  Boeing 747-400 aircraft on its Bangkok – Sydney route for its twice a day flights. Thai First Class on the 747 comes in two different configurations – a new first class with semi-enclosed suites and older with just plain open seats (with almost no privacy), both featuring flat-bed seats. Due to notorious aircraft swaps by Thai Airways (as reported by frequent flyers on …

Lounge Reviews Reviews

Airline Lounge Review: Thai Airways Royal First Lounge and Spa, Bangkok

Thai Airways Royal First Lounge, Suvarnabhumi Airport (Concourse D) I had read several outstanding reviews on Thai Airways ground service for Thai Airways First Class passengers departing Suvarnabhumi Airport. About 4 days before our Bangkok-Sydney flight on Thai Airways, I found award space for 2 passengers on Thai F and booked it right away for me and Karen. My parents were already booked on Thai F on the same flight months earlier. I was pretty stoked about trying out both Thai First Class as well as the Royal Thai First Class lounge in Bangkok. We had a 10 hour layover in Bangkok and it …

Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review: Cathay Dragon – Business Class (Airbus 320-200 with Recliner Seats) : Hong Kong – Kolkata (KA 168)

Flight:  Cathay Dragon KA 168  from Hong Kong to Kolkata Duration: 4 hours 15 minutes Aircraft: A322 (Airbus 320-200) Class: Business Seat: 10A (Window seat in 2 x 2) Seat Specification: Recliner seats Seat pitch: 42″. Seat width: 20″ Cathay Pacific operates Airbus 320-200 (Version 1) in its Hong Kong – Kolkata route which features 2 rows of recliner seats in Business and rest is economy cabin. For a 4 hour flight, it mostly serves its purpose although I have been on flights of that length that had full lie-flat seats or angled flat seats on other carriers. I was surprised when the FA’s showed up …

Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Hong Kong (CX 897)

Flight:  Cathay Pacific CX 897  from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Duration: 15 hours 15 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 18K (single seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not fly on this segment.  Cathay Pacific operates 4 daily flights between Los Angeles and Hong Kong of which all are on Boeing 777-300 ER. The aircraft features 53 flat-bed seats in business class in 1-2-1 reverse herringbone configuration. The veal chipolata was really tasty and did not taste anything …

Choice Hotels/Radisson Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok

Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok BTS Asoke Station, 16 Ratchadapisek Road, Klongtoey, Bangkok Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok is one of 4 Carlson Rezidor Hotel properties in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok. It is located in the heart of Bangkok right next to BTS Asoke station as well as Sukhumvit MRT station. Because of its accessibility to both BTS and MRT lines right next door, this hotel can be an ideal base for exploring the city. A cab ride from Suvarnabhumi International airport and Don Meuang International airport takes around 40 mins – 60 mins in each case depending on traffic. A complimentary night at …

Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review – Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Airbus 330-300 with Lie Flat Seats): Hong Kong – Bangkok (CX 705)

Flight:  Cathay Pacific CX 615 from Hong Kong to Bangkok Duration: 3 hours Aircraft: A333(Airbus 330-300) Class: Business Seat: 16K (single seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 82.0 “. Seat width: 20.2 ” My Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok was operated by an Airbus 330-300 featuring lie-flat seats in 1-2-1 configuration. For such a short flight (3 hours), even a recliner seat would be just fine by me. I did the long haul LAX – HKG flight 2 years back on a similar flight on Cathay Pacific and was very happy with the seat. After …

Airline Reviews Reviews Singapore Airlines

Airline Review – Singapore Airlines – First Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats): San Francisco – Hong Kong (SQ 1)

Flight:  Singapore Airlines SQ 1 from San Francisco to Hong Kong Duration: 14 hours 20 minutes Equipment: B773(Boeing 777-300 ER) Class: First Seat: 1K (Window) Seat Specification: Flatbed seat (non-suite), Seat pitch: 71 “. Seat width: 35 ” This was my second time ever on a Singapore Airlines First Class flight (or any First Class for that matter). My first time in Singapore F was on this same route but in reverse (Hong Kong to San Francisco). I had wait-listed my award about 330 days out and the wait-list cleared about 2 weeks before the flight. The First Class cabin consists of 8 seats in 1 x 2 x 1 …

Trip Summary

Dec’16 – Jan’17 – India, Australia and New Zealand Trip: Introduction

Its December and once again time to visit India. For the last few years, I had planned our trip in such a way that after visiting India, we could add some other destinations before returning to the US. In 2013 we visited the Maldives, 2014 was a short trip to Phuket, Thailand, 2015 had us visiting South East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand) and in 2016 it was Egypt and Kenya African Safari trip. This year we are planning on visiting Australia and New Zealand for 12 days. Both countries are big enough that you need almost a month to …

Hotel Reviews Hyatt Reviews

Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa

Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa 200 Nohea Kai Drive, Lahaina, Hawaii, USA, 96761-1985 Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa is a category 5 Hyatt property located right on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui. A complimentary night at this resort costs 20,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points (27,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for Club Level room). The hotel waives resort fees ($32 USD per night + tax) when staying at this hotel using points. We arrived at the resort around 1 PM. We were staying for 2 nights and had booked Club Level room for 1 night and regular room for 1 …

Destination Trip Reports North America

September 2016: Maui Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived on our flight from Kauai early morning. After picking up rental car, we drove from Kahului airport to Hyatt Regency on Ka’anapali Beach. After checking in, we drove to the Fish Market in Lahaina. Karen ordered some Shrimp Burrito while I had Pork Tacos. Both were very delicious. After lunch, we drove back to the resort and decided to spend rest of the afternoon on Kaanapali Beach. We walked along Ka’anapali Beach all the way to the end where Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is located. I had read on various forums that just off the beach …

Hotel Reviews Hyatt Reviews

Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa 1571 Poipu Road, Koloa, Hawaii, USA, 96756 Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa is the sole Hyatt property in Kauai, located in Poipu area close to 15 miles from Lihue Airport. It is a category 6 property costing 25,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night for redemption stays (33,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points per night for Grand Club). If you are using Hyatt Gold Passport points for stay then the resort waives the mandatory $30 resort fee. We checked in around 11 AM and the front desk agent upgraded us from standard room to partial …

Destination Trip Reports North America

September 2016: Kauai Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Lihue International Airport, Kauai around just before noon on our morning flight from Los Angeles. We took the Hertz airport shuttle to the car rental lot and were soon on our way to our hotel. We were staying at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa for 2 nights. After checking into the hotel and freshening up, we decided to go have lunch first. I had read great Tripadvisor reviews of Da Crack in Poipu area in Kauai (very close to the Grand Hyatt). So we decided to go there to grab some lunch-to-go and …

Trip Summary

September 2016: Hawaii Trip – Introduction

During the 2016 Labor Day weekend, Me and Karen took 2 extra days off from work and went to Hawaii for a mini-vacation. We visited 2 islands on this trip – Kauai and Maui. While this was my first time in Hawaii, Karen had already been to Oahu on her previous Hawaii Trip in 2014. In the following weeks, I will be posting these trip reports. Trip Report: Kauai, Hawaii Hotel Review: Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa Trip Report: Maui, Hawaii Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa Cost (Total for 2 travelers) : Transportation: $60 for gas in …