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Trip Summary

May 2015: My Parents’ USA Trip – From Puerto Rico to Portland: Introduction

My parents are visiting us again in May and will be staying with us for just over a month. Since my parents really loved the 5 day Caribbean Cruise we took in 2012, I went ahead and booked a 7 day Southern Caribbean Cruise with Carnival. Also, for the Memorial Day long-weekend, I wanted to take them on a trip to Portland, which we loved during our long weekend trip in 2013. Here is a list of the upcoming Trip Reports and Hotel Reviews for the trips in May 2015: Hotel Review: Days Inn Jamaica – JFK Airport Puerto Rico Trip …

Destination Trip Reports North America

February 2015: Whale Watching Trip Report in Point Loma, San Diego

We had been thinking of going for a whale watching trip for a while. An opportunity presented itself when Karen’s niece wanted this for her 18th birthday present. After doing a lot of research on the internet, Karen finally chose the H&M Landing company based out of Point Loma, San Diego. We arrived at the pier on a sunday afternooon and after exchanging our internet purchase receipt with a ticket we arrived at the boat. Our boat captain was Scott McDaniels who also does multi-day sport-fishing trips down the coast of Mexico. He is a very good captain and it made …

Airline Reviews EVA Airways Reviews

Airline Review: EVA Air – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Royal Laurel Class with True Flat Beds) : Taipei – Los Angeles (BR 16)

Flight:  EVA Air BR16 from Taipei to Los Angeles Duration: 12 hours Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business (Royal Laurel Class) Seat: 2D – 2G (2 Middle seats each with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 26 ” EVA Air operates 777-300ER for three daily flights out of Los Angeles, all with the Royal Laurel Class. The Royal Laurel Class differs from the Premium Laurel in that the former has flat bed seats compared to the Angled Flat seats in the latter. These seats are in reverse herringbone 1 x 2 x 1 configuration with direct aisle access …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2015: 12 Hours in Taipei

After spending a month on our India – South East Asia trip, we started our journey back home from Bangkok. We had a long 12 hour layover in Taipei and I wanted to make a trip out of it. I had researched earlier that the Taiwan Tourism Bureau operates a free half-day tour out of Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) for passengers connecting through this airport. The morning tour covers the Sanxia and Suzhi Temple while the afternoon tour covers landmarks such as the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Taipei 101 (Tallest building in the world from 2004 – 2010 and currently the 6th …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – Business Class (Airbus 330-300 with Angled Flat Seats) : Bangkok – Taipei (TG 634)

Flight:  Thai Airways TG 634 from Bangkok to Taipei Duration: 3 hours 40 minutes Aircraft: A333(Airbus 330-300) Class: Business (Royal Silk) Seat: 12 J – 12 K (Right Aisle & Window) Seat Specification: Angled Flat Seats, Seat pitch: 58.0 “. Seat width: 20 ” Thai Airways operates an A333 on this Bangkok – Taipei route that continues onward to Incheon. There are 36 business class seats in 2 x 2 x 2 configuration. I have flown this configuration of Thai airways on this type of aircraft before and for different pictures of the Royal Silk cabin you can check out my other reviews below Thai Airways Flight 634 …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort

 Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort Karon Nui Alley, Karon, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83100, Thailand Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort is a SPG Category 4 property located about 24 miles from the Phuket International Airport. This hotel is the only hotel in Phuket with its own private beach which is inaccessible to non-guests. The hotel is near Karon Beach and only 5 minutes away from Patong Beach. A free night at this resort costs 10,000 SPG points or 5,000 SPG points + $75 per night with SPG Cash + Points rate. We booked 2 rooms for 1 night using the …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Phuket – Surin Beach

 Doubletree Resort by Hilton Hotel Phuket – Surin Beach 106/27 Moo3,Cherngtalay Surin Beach, Phuket, 83110, Thailand Doubletree Resort Phuket on Surin Beach is a Category 3 Hilton property located about 20 miles south of Phuket International Airport. The cab ride from the airport to this resort is around 700 THB. A free night at this resort costs 20,000 Hilton HHonors points. After a quick check-in we were offered the Doubletree signature cookie, welcome drink and cold towels. Our check-in agent informed us that we were upgraded from King room to King suite (pool facing). Since both me and Karen are …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2015: Phuket Trip Report

 Day 1: We arrived at the Phuket International Airport very early in the morning. Before you fully exit the terminal building you see different taxi vendors with price listing. The prices for airport taxis in Phuket are outrageous compared to Bangkok. If you google “Phuket Airport Taxi Mafia” you will know what I mean. Anyways, after getting various quotes from 900 THB to 700 THB we finally settled on an operator offering the latter. For the first night we were staying at the Doubletree Resort on Surin Beach and the next night was in Le Meridien near Karon Beach. The …

Hotel Reviews Reviews Wyndham

Hotel Review: Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside, Bangkok

Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside 2074 Charoenkrung Road, Bangkorlaem, Bangkok 10120, Thailand Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside is a Wyndham property located on the banks of Chao Phraya river in the heart of Bangkok. A free night at this hotel costs only 5500 Wyndham Rewards points and is probably one of the better redemptions of this program. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle boat service to the nearby BTS Skytrain station as well as the Central Pier as well as a complimentary tuk-tuk service to nearby Asiatique market. On arrival we were offered warm towels and a delicious lychee welcome drink. The front …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2015: Bangkok Trip Report

 Day 1: We arrived at the Don Meuang International airport from our Air Asia flight from Bali around evening time. We took a cab to our hotel Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside. By the time we checked into our hotel and freshened up it was already dark and time for dinner. We took the hotel tuktuk to the neighboring Asiatique Night Market. The Asiatique night market is located next to the Chao Phraya river (and approximately a 10 minute walk from the hotel). There are a huge number of shopping and dining options here. Even if you are not interested in …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua

Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua Kawasan Pariwisata Lot SW1 Nusa Dua Bali 80363 Indonesia Courtyard Bali Nusa Dua is a Category 4 Marriott property located about 8 miles from Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali. A free night at this resort currently costs 20,000 Marriott points (15,000 points for Pointsavers redemptions). Check-in was quick. The front desk agent informed me that they had gotten a call from the Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort the previous day and were notified that my wife’s birthday was during my stay here and therefore they had arranged a cake for her. I was very happy to hear …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort

Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort Jalan Pantai Kuta, Kuta, Bali, 80361, Indonesia Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort is a Category 3 SPG property located right on the very popular Kuta Beach and only 3.5 miles from the Ngurah Rai International Airport. The hotel is actually located across the street from Kuta Beach. An SPG free night at this resort costs only 7000 SPG points and Cash + Points rewards go for 3500 SPG points + $ 55 USD per night. We used the latter option when we stayed at this resort. As soon as we arrived at the resort, after entering through a …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2015: Bali Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Ngurah Rai International Airport at Bali around 10 in the morning by Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur. I had already booked Sanny from Sanny Bali Tours for our 2 days stay in Bali to drive us around in his Toyota van. He came highly recommended by the posters in Tripadvisor Bali forum. Sanny was waiting in arrival hall for us and after a brief stop to pick up some local currency, he drove us to our hotel (Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort). After checking in and freshening up, we had lunch at a local cafe. Next we …

Hotel Reviews IHG Reviews

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur

 Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur 165 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur 50450, Malaysia This five star hotel is located right beside the Ampang Park Light Rail Transit (LRT) station on Kelana Jaya Line. This hotel is a very good option for those wanting to walk to the Petronas Towers as its only a 10 minutes walking distance away from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). When checking in, the IHG Guest services agent offered to upgrade us to an Executive Lounge floor at a steep cost (if my memory serves me right, it was something like $80 USD per room) which we declined. …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review: Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

 Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur is an SPG Category 3 property located right beside the Kuala Lumpur Sentral train station, the largest train station in South East Asia. A free night at this hotel costs 7000 SPG points per night and Cash + Points currently go for 3500 SPG points + $55 USD. The non-refundable prepaid rate for this hotel was going for only $ 97 USD for the dates we were traveling and so I did not redeem any SPG points for …

Asia Destination Trip Reports

January 2015: Kuala Lumpur Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived at Kuala Lumpur by Air Asia early in the morning. After passing immigration and customs, we made our way to the Air Asia Skybus desk. We were staying at the Le Meridien right on KL Sentral train station and I had booked an airport transfer from KLIA2 terminal to KL Sentral on Air Asia Skybus for 9 RM/person one way. One can take the KLIA Express to the same train station or take a cab but since we were in no rush, the bus seemed the best option for us. Pretty soon we were on our …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – Business Class (Airbus 330-300 with Angled Flat Seats) : Bangkok – Kolkata (TG 313)

Flight:  Thai Airways TG 313 from Bangkok to Kolkata Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes Aircraft: A333(Airbus 330-300) Class: Business (Royal Silk) Seat: 14E (Middle Aisle) Seat Specification: Angled Flat Seats, Seat pitch: 58.0 “. Seat width: 20 ” Disclaimer:  Me and Karen flew this route on two different dates. I have combined our pictures on this review. Thai Airways operates the newer reconfigured A330 (with angled-flat seats) on this route now compared to the older versions (with recliner seats) that I flew 2 years ago. For such a short-haul flight (2.5 hours), the difference in experience is not that much significant. After boarding, the stewardess …

Airline Reviews EVA Airways Reviews

Airline Review: EVA Air – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Royal Laurel Class with True Flat Beds) : Taipei – Bangkok (BR 67)

Flight:  EVA Air BR67 from Taipei to Bangkok Duration: 3 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business (Royal Laurel Class) Seat: 2K (Window) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 26 ” EVA Air operates both Royal Laurel Class (on B77W aircraft) as well as Premium Laurel Class (on A332 aircraft) on this route. My husband planned my itinerary so that I would be able to fly the 77W with Royal Laurel Class (with Flat bed seats) instead of Premium Laurel (with angled flat seats). The Royal Laurel class consists of 38 Flat bed seats with 1-2-1 configuration just …

Airline Reviews EVA Airways Reviews

Airline Review: EVA Air – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Royal Laurel Class with True Flat Beds) : Los Angeles – Taipei (BR 1)

Flight:  EVA Air BR1 from Los Angeles to Taipei Duration: 13 hours 55 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business (Royal Laurel Class) Seat: 2A (Window) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 26 ” Disclaimer: This airline review was solely the work of my wife Karen. I was not a traveler on this flight. I was really excited about this flight as it was my first ever flight on a true flat-bed product. My husband has already had enjoyed 3 true-flat bed Business class product in the past few years (namely on United, Asiana and Singapore) so it was my turn now. 🙂 …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – Business Class (Boeing 747-400 with Angled Flat Seats) : Hong Kong – Bangkok (TG 607)

Flight: Thai Airways TG 607 from Hong Kong to Bangkok Duration: 2 hours 40 minutes Aircraft: B744 (Boeing 747-400) Class: Business (Royal Silk) Seat: 12A (Window, Upper Deck) Seat Specification: Angled Flat, Seat pitch: 60.0 “. Seat width: 20 ” Thai Airways operates multiple configurations of Boeing 747 and the specific configuration that operates on the Bangkok – Hong Kong route has the newer angled-flat seats instead of the old recliner seats. Last time I flew on the upper deck of the 747 was a couple of years back on a United Airlines flight 893 from San Francisco – Incheon. Soon after boarding the aircraft, …