Home (Page 3)
Hotel Reviews Hyatt Reviews

Hotel Review – Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik

Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik Ul. kardinala Stepinca 21, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia Hotel Kompas is a luxury hotel belonging to Adriatic Luxury Hotels collection and simultaneously participating in the Hyatt program. We stayed 2 nights at the hotel, one night paid with 26,000 Hyatt points and another night in cash ($450 usd). It is a beachfront hotel directly across Lapad beach on the Adriatic sea. We booked our first night through Expedia and second night using Hyatt points. This hotel has complimentary breakfast for all guests. Additionally for our first night, we received 20% off of F&B once during the stay. We …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2025: 24 Hours in Vis, Croatia to visit Blue Cave

Day 1: We arrived late afternoon on Vis via Jadrolinija ferry from Split. The main purpose of staying in Vis was to visit the famous Blue Cave next day. You can visit the Blue Cave on a day trip from Split, but I read online that these trips last whole day and include 5-6 different islands and apparently the ride is not very comfortable. We wanted to see only the Blue Cave and there is a reliable company called Alternatura that operates Blue Cave tour out of a neighboring town of Komiza. This tour lasts 3 hours and only involves …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Vila Rosa, Vis

Vila Rosa Ul. bana Jelačića 11, 21480, Vis, Croatia We spent a night on Vis Island so we could visit the Blue Cave on Bisevo Island. We booked Vila Rosa on Agoda.com and got a great rate. The apartment is only a 7 minute walk from the ferry terminal. On the day of our arrival, we received an email with the passcode to the apartment entrance door. The apartment we booked is upstairs with 2 rooms. The apartment comes with a fully functional kitchen, although we were in no mood to cook on vacation. Our ferry was set to depart …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review – Royal Suites, Split

Royal Suites, Split Ulica kralja Zvonimira 12, Ul. Sv. Petra starog 14, 21000, Split, Croatia Royal Suites Split is located just a quick 6 minutes walk from Old Town Split. We stayed there for 1 night (booked in Agoda.com). The hotel was difficult to find. It couldn’t have been just us because we found another guest who actually seeked our help finding the hotel as we passed him by on the way to hotel. Also the building operates off of a keycard and the front desk is not always at their spot (on the 2nd floor). You might have to …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2025: Split, Croatia Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived from Plitvice Lakes National Park late afternoon and after checking into our hotel (AC Hotel Split) we took an uber to Old Town for dinner. We were having dinner at Fig Split located right in the heart of Old town Split. My green chilli buritto was outstanding. This was a very highly rated restaurant on Tripadvisor and it shows. After dinner we walked around Diocletian’s Palace a bit but as soon as lightning and thunder started we quickly grabbed an Uber and returned to hotel. Day 2: We had 5 hours to do all the sightseeing …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review – AC Hotel Split

AC Hotel Split Ul. Domovinskog rata 61A, 21000, Split, Croatia AC Hotel Split, a very nice Marriott property is located 22 km from Split International Airport and 3 km from ferry terminal. The hotel is located in Dalmatia towers, the tallest building in Croatia. Check-in was quick and the front desk agent notified us that we were going to be upgraded to the corner room on the 27th floor (2nd highest floor) of the tallest building in the country. He assured us that we were going to be impressed. And indeed we were. We have stayed in many nice hotels …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2025: Plitvice Lakes National Park Trip Report

Day 1: Upon arriving at Split International Airport from Poland, we picked up our rental car from airport and drove 3.5 hours to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The drive is mostly boring and not very picturesque although you pass through a lot of tunnels (one was quite a long one). We were staying at Pansion Breza for the night, located 15 minute walk from Entrance #3 of the park. Day 2: We walked from our B&B to Entrance #3 of the park. There is no ticket booth at this entrance and our host had advised us to book tickets online …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Pansion Breza, Plitvica Selo

Pansion Breza 53231, Plitvica Selo, Croatia Pansion Breza is a family owned lodging located in the Plitvica Selo area, just 15 minutes walk from the Entrance #3 of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. We booked a twin room through Agoda.com although you can book direct also. We also opted to have dinner the day we arrived as well as requested the breakfast next day. The surroundings of the property are very serene. The property itself is extremely well maintained. Check-in was quick. The owner indicated we could settle the bill at the end when checking out. Very important thing to …

Accor Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review: Novotel Warszawa Centrum

Novotel Warszawa Centrum Ul Marszalkowska 94/98, Warsaw 00-510 Poland Novotel Warszawa Centrum hotel is located just 10 minutes walk from the Warsaw Central Station (Warszawa Centralna) and 9 km from Warsaw Chopin Airport. Bathroom was really nice with superb water pressure from the rain shower. Thumbs up: Great location within walking distance of the Warsaw Central Station Right next to the Warsaw Central station is the Zlote Tarasy Mall (with a large food court) so lots of dining options nearby About 30 minutes walk to Warsaw old town Thumbs down: Nothing I could think of

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2025: Warsaw, Poland Trip Report

Day 1: We arrived in Warsaw Central Station late morning by train from Krakow. We were staying at Novotel Warszawa Centrum hotel which is just a 10 minute walk from there. After checking in at the hotel we walked back towards Zlote Tarasy Mall that is located next to the Warsaw Central Station. Karen ordered a Pad Thai while I went with a falafel plate. After lunch we walked to the busy Nowy Swiat street. We came upon the Warsaw University building as well as Holy Cross Church. While walking the street we came upon a Chopin bench. There are …

Hotel Reviews Independent Reviews

Hotel Review: Hotel Wielopole, Krakow

Hotel Wielopole Wielopole 3, 31-072 Kraków, Poland Hotel Wielopole is located in central Krakow, only 7 minutes walk from Rynek Glowny (main market square of Krakow) and 8 minute cab ride from Krakow Glowny (Central train station of Krakow). One of the other big location advantage of this hotel is that is it is 1 minute walk from the bus station which serves as the designated pickup point for a large number of Auschwitz or Wieliczka Salt Mine tours. Check-in was quick but our room was not ready as we had arrived early in the morning. We went on our …

Destination Trip Reports Europe

June 2025: 2 Days in Krakow, Poland Trip Report

Day 1: We took an Uber from the airport hotel to our city hotel where we were staying the next 2 nights. We were visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine on our first day by ourselves and had booked an Auschwitz – Birkenau tour through Hello Crakow on next day. We took an Uber from our hotel to Wieliczka Salt Mine which was a 20 minute ride. We pretty much used Uber for our entire stay in Poland (both in Krakow and Warsaw) and did not use public transportation on this entire trip. Whether you are visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine as part …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review – Hampton by Hilton Krakow Airport

Hampton by Hilton Krakow Airport Kapitana Mieczysława Medweckiego 22, 32-083 Balice, Poland Hampton by Hilton Krakow Airport is located very close (1.5 km) to the Krakow John Paul II International Airport. Its still a 5 min cab ride or 20 minutes walk from the terminal. We used an Uber to ride from the arrivals to the hotel. We paid cash instead of booking with points for the 1 night we stayed there. Check-in was quick (it was midnight). As a Gold member, they gave us a voucher to pick up a snack from the check-in kiosk among a selection of …

Airline Reviews LOT Reviews

Airline Review: LOT Polish Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 787-900 with Lie Flat Seats) : Los Angeles – Warsaw (LO 24)

Flight:  LOT Polish LO 24 from Los Angeles to Warsaw Duration: 10 hours 20 mins Equipment: B789(Boeing 787-900) Class: Business Seat:  2 E – 2F (Window/Aisle) Seat Specification: Flat bed seats with seat width: 22″, seat pitch: 78″ This was our first time flying LOT Polish Airlines. The business class has 4 rows of 2 – 2 – 2 seats with only the middle rows getting direct aisle access for all seats. Since it was just me and my wife flying, we didn’t mind having the window/aisle seats but if flying with a stranger definitely would opt for the middle row. …

Trip Summary

June 2025: Croatia-Poland Trip – Introduction

We are going back to Europe in June for a 1.5 week trip to Croatia & Poland.  We plan to visit Krakow and Warsaw in Poland and Split, Plitivice lakes park, island of Vis and Dubrovnik in Croatia. There will be quite a few reviews on this trip. Airline Review: LOT Business Class from Los Angeles to Warsaw Hotel Review: Hampton by Hilton Krakow Airport Hotel Review: Hotel Wielopole, Krakow Trip Report: Krakow, Poland Hotel Review: Novotel Warszawa Centrum Hotel Review: Pansion Breza, Plitivice Park Trip Report: Plitvice Lakes National Park Hotel Review: AC Hotel Split Hotel Review: Vila Rosa, …

Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific Reviews

Airline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 ER with Lie Flat Seats) : Hong Kong – Los Angeles (CX 880)

Flight:  Cathay Pacific CX 880 from Hong Kong to Los Angeles Duration: 13 hours 15 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 16K (Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: Safran Cirrus II seats, True Flat Bed, length: 79 “. Seat width: 20 “ Cathay Pacific Business Class on the Boeing 777-300ER is my highest number of flown business class legs of any airline. 10 years ago, it probably was my top 5  favorite business class carrier but post-covid the catering standards have fallen quite a bit and it is no longer in my top 5. However, the seat is still …

Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG Reviews

Hotel Review – The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok

The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok 259 Soi Sukhumvit 19, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok is located about 25 km from the Suvarnabhumi Airport in the popular touristy Sukhumvit area. Its located within 1 minute walkking distance to the BTS Asoke Train station (as well as MRT Sukhumvit station). I stayed there for 1 night using the free Marriott night certificate (35,000 Marriott rewards points). The hotel has 2 lobbies – on the ground floor where you enter the street to the building but the main lobby is on the first floor where the …

Airline Reviews EVA Airways Reviews

Airline Review: EVA Airways – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 ER with Lie Flat Seats) : Taipei – Los Angeles (BR 16)

Flight:  EVA Air BR 16 from Taipei to Los Angeles Duration: 12 hours 15 mins Equipment: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 8 D (Aisle) Seat Specification: Flat bed seats with seat width: 20″ MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not fly this segment.  EVA Air is the one airline that I have flown the most of any carriers on long-haul routes. The 1 – 2 – 1 configuration with all seats having direct aisle access is the widely accepted standard (before we move on to privacy doors some day :)). The business class cabin …

Airline Reviews Reviews Thai Airways

Airline Review: Thai Airways – Business Class (Boeing 787-8 with lie flat Seats) : Kolkata – Bangkok – Taipei (TG 314/TG 634)

Flight:  Thai Airways flight TG 314 from Kolkata to Bangkok and flight  TG 634 from Bangkok to Taipei Duration: TG314 (2 hours 30 mins), TG 634 (3 hrs 45 mins) Equipment: B787(Boeing 787-9) Class: Business Seat: 11B (Aisle), 12 F (Aisle) Seat Specification: Flat bed seats with seat width: 20″ MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review is solely the work of Karen. I personally did not fly these 2 segments.  I have flown the Thai Airways on these same 2 sectors (CCU – BKK, BKK – TPE) before and during those times the seats were mainly recliner seats in 2 x 2 x …

Hilton Hotel Reviews Reviews

Hotel Review – Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa

Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa Wolmar, Coastal Road MU, Flic en Flac 90503, Mauritius Hilton Mauritius Resort & Spa is located in the Flic en Flac neighborhood, on the western part of the island, about 50 km from  Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. This is a beachfront resort that we booked 5 nights for 80,000 Hilton Points per night (5th night free). Check-in was quick and we all got a tasty welcome drink. During check-in both me and Karen got a voucher booklet for both the rooms we booked. We only ended up using the free drink coupons from the …