Time for my yearly trip to India again!! This time I will be going there myself (without my wife that is) and planning on visiting Sri Lanka with my parents for a week or less. We will be visiting Colombo, Bentota, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. There will be a lot of trip reports, airline reviews and hotel reviews following this trip. Airline Review – Cathay Pacific Business Class from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Trip Report – Bentota, Weligama and Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka Hotel Review – Shangri-lanka Villa, Bentota Hotel Review – Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa Hotel …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsDec’19 – Jan’20: India and Sri Lanka Trip – Introduction
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Chicago O’Hare South, IL
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Chicago O’Hare South, IL 777 E Grand Ave, Bensenville, IL 60106 This Country Inn & Suites hotel (a Radisson property) is located about 7 km from O’Hare International Airport. The hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle once an hour (both for pickup and drop off). We were arriving at the airport and staying just 1 night in Chicago so this was a convenient option for us. The bed was not very comfortable and felt like it sagged in the middle. We tried the complimentary breakfast and the selection was quite limited. Thumbs up: Complimentary Breakfast …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center
Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center Av. de Aragón, 400, 28022 Madrid, Spain Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center is a Category 2 Marriott property located just 10 minutes away from Madrid Barajas International Airport. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle to and from the airport at set times (twice in an hour). We stayed at the hotel twice during our Europe trip, first at a cash rate (about $100 USD per night) and second time using points (12,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night). After clearing customs and immigration at the airport, I called the hotel front desk and …
Hotel Reviews Le Club AccorHotelsHotel Review – Ibis Moscow Domodedovo Airport
ibis Moscow Domodedovo Airport 40 km A-105 building 3, Moscow Oblast , 142046 ibis Moscow is one of the very few chain hotels located in the vicinity of Domodedovo Airport, in the outskirts of Moscow. It is located about 5 km from the airport and offers 24-hour complimentary shuttle service. We booked 2 rooms for 1 night at this hotel through Booking.com website. Check-in was quick and we were informed that the complimentary shuttle leaves for the airport twice an hour and to be at the front desk 10 minutes before scheduled time. The bathroom is very small, one of …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya
Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya Kalanchevskaya Street 21 40, Moscow, 107078, Russian Federation Hilton Moscow Leningradskaya is located right next to Leningradsky Railway station (where Sapsan trains from St. Petersburg terminates) as well as Komsomolskaya Metro stop (Line 1, Line 5). It is about 30 km from Sheremetyevo International Airport and 55 km from Moscow Domodedovo airport. The hotel building is one of the Seven Sisters skyscrapers of Moscow. We stayed 3 nights at this hotel using cash rates. The room was fairly large with plenty of space. The carpet could use a bit of cleaning though. Being Hilton Gold members, we …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Staybridge Suites St. Petersburg, Russia
Staybridge Suites Saint Petersburg Moskovsky Prospekt 97V St. Petersburg, 196084 Russia Staybridge Suites Saint Petersburg is located about 15 km from St. Petersburg International Airport (Pulkovo Airport). It is right next to Moskovskiye Vorota metro station making it very easy to connect to the city. It shares a walkway with another IHG property, Holiday Inn St. Petersburg – Moskovskye Vorota. We stayed here for 2 nights and booked the room using 25,000 IHG Rewards points per night. Based on the price of the hotel, it was an excellent redemption at the time. Check-in was quick and we were informed by …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel
Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel Brussels National Airport, Brussels 1930 Belgium Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel is located right opposite of Brussels International Airport (BRU) less than 5 minutes walk from Departures level. This is a Category 5 Marriott property costing 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. The view was nothing to write about (of airport parking lot!!). While staying at the hotel for the night, we walked over to the airport next door and had dinner in the food court. One thing to remember is the food court starts to close down after 8 PM. Thumbs up: Right next to Brussels …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hilton Brussels Grand Place Hotel
Hilton Brussels Grand Place Hotel Carrefour de l Europe 3, Brussels, 1000, Belgium Hilton Brussels Grand Place hotel is located in the heart of Brussels, right opposite of Brussels Central station (just 2 minute walk across from the station). This means that the hotel is walking distance to most of Brussels attractions and anything that cannot be reached by foot can be accessed by the train station (as well as Metro stop) just across the hotel. This is one of the most outstanding hotels I have stayed in Europe (based purely from location standpoint). We booked 1 night at this …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – AC Hotel Diagonal L´Illa
AC Hotel Diagonal L´Illa Avinguda Diagonal, 555, 08029 Barcelona, Spain AC Hotel Diagonal L’llla is a Category 4 Marriott property located on the busy Avenida Diagonal street in the heart of Barcelona. We booked the hotel for 1 night at 25,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. The cash rate for that particular night at this hotel (as well as the nearby Hilton Barcelona) was very high so represented a good value of points. I don’t particularly like carpet flooring so really liked the wooden flooring in the room. Thumbs up: Good location on busy Avendia Diagonal street in Barcelona with lots of …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hilton Barcelona
Hilton Barcelona Avenida Diagonal 589-591, Barcelona, 08014, Spain Hilton Barcelona is located in the heart of Barcelona, only about a 4 minute cab ride from Camp Nou (FC Barcelona stadium). It is just 5 minute walk from Maria Cristina Metro stop (Line L3 Barcelona Metro). We booked one room with points and at that time it cost 50,000 Hilton HHonors points per night while another with cash ($160 USD per night after taxes). Thumbs up: Great location in the heart of Barcelona around a lot of dining options on Avenida Diagonal street Only 5 minutes walk to nearest metro stop …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Artiem Madrid
Artiem Madrid Calle Juan Perez Zuñiga, 20, 28027 Madrid, Spain While researching for various hotel options in Madrid on Tripadvisor, I came across Artiem Madrid hotel. It had a good cash rate (about $120 USD per night after taxes per room per night) along with a high rating on Tripadvisor (#3 as of booking the hotel). I went ahead and booked 2 rooms for 2 nights at this hotel. We showed up at the hotel from the airport at around 10 AM. The hotel is in a residential neighborhood and about 10 minutes walk to nearest metro stop Barrio de …
Destination Trip Reports EuropeJune 2019: Europe Trip – Introduction
During June we visited Europe for 2 weeks at the end of my parents’ visit in US. This time we went over to Spain and Russian Federation with a short 1 day stay in Brussels. We stayed 2 nights each in Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels and St. Petersburg followed by 4 nights in Moscow. In the following months, I will be posting reviews on the following: Airline Review: Iberia Business Class – Chicago to Madrid Trip Report: Madrid Hotel Review: Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center Hotel Review: Artiem Madrid Trip Report: Barcelona Hotel Review: Hilton Barcelona Hotel Review: AC …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi
Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi 31st Street, between Muroor & Airport, P.O. Box 46668, Abu Dhabi There are a few IHG properties in Abu Dhabi but we chose the Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi for its high ratings in Tripadvisor. Its important to remember that there are 2 Holiday Inn hotels in Abu Dhabi. This is the one that is “closer” to Abu Dhabi International Airport while the other one is the “downtown” hotel (and also called Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi Downtown). Both these hotels charge 25,000 IHG points per night for award redemption stays. We booked direct with IHG.com as we …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Residences Dubai Al Barsha
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and Residences Dubai Al Barsha Al Barsha Road, Al Barsha P.O. Box 72584, Dubai, U.A.E Hilton has close to 20 properties in Dubai and it is easy to get overwhelmed by options. We were looking for a mid-price range property and the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Residences Dubai Al Barsha fit the bill. It is located very close to Mall of Emirates (about 10 minutes walk due to all the construction going on around it). I had booked 4 nights at this hotel – first 3 using regular rate through Hilton website and last night …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Crowne Plaza Amman
Crowne Plaza Amman K. Faysal Ben Abdul Aziz St.، Amman, Jordan Crowne Plaza Amman is located in city of Amman about 35 km from Queen Alia International Airport. While I was researching accommodations in Amman for our upcoming trip, it was rated as #1 hotel in Amman on Tripadvisor. I booked 2 rooms at this hotel for 1 night for 20,000 IHG points each. Check-in was smooth and we were upgraded to a King room. We wanted to have dinner at the Cafe Vienna and it was smoke everywhere and no separate section for non-smokers. We ended up ordering from …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Petra Guest House
Petra Guest House Hotel P.O. Box 30 Petra, Wadi Musa, Jordan Petra Guest House Hotel is located just a few steps away from the visitor’s entrance of the ancient city of Petra. It is supposedly run by Crowne Plaza Petra management however it does not appear to be bookable at IHG site. We booked 1 night at this hotel at Booking.com site. I had booked Breakfast rate and we arrived at the restaurant early right after it opened at 6:30 AM. There was a huge selection of items along with omelette station. We were planning on sightseeing Petra till 1 …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review – Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea
Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea Dead Sea Road Dead Sea, 18186, Jordan Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea is one of the 2 IHG properties (the other being Crowne Plaza Jordan – Dead Sea Resort) located in Dead Sea, Jordan. A free night at this hotel costs 20,000 IHG points although we booked cash rate at around 60 JOD(about 90 USD)/night. Check-in was fairly quick and efficient. There is a dedicated check-in desk for elite members. After finding out that Karen is Platinum Elite, the front desk upgraded one room to Seaview King Suite while the other with poolview (partial Seaview). …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review – Amman Marriott Hotel
Amman Marriott Hotel Issam Al-Ajlouni St., Amman, Jordan Amman Marriott Hotel is a Category 3 Marriott property located in downtown Amman and about 36 km from Queen Alia International Airport. A night at this hotel costs 15,000 Marriott points (off-peak). We arrived late at night and after a thorough security check at the entrance we were checked in pretty quickly. We even got upgraded to Executive floor (even though it did not matter as we were staying for only 1 night and I had already booked a breakfast rate). My parents decided to call it a night while me and …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Niranta Airport Transit Hotel & Lounge (Landside), Mumbai
Niranta Airport Transit Hotel & Lounge (Landside) Terminal 2, Mumbai International Airport, Navpada, Vile Parle East, Vile Parle, Mumbai Niranta Airport Transit Hotel is located at Terminal 2 of Mumbai International Airport in the airport premises. There are actually 2 hotels here and its important to know the distinction so as not to make a mistake during booking. The “Landside” or “Arrivals” hotel is before immigration procedures where as the “Airside” hotel is after immigration. If you are checking-in in Mumbai then remember that regardless of for how long you make the booking, you are not allowed to check-in till 4 …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsDec’18 – Jan’19: India, Jordan and UAE Trip – Introduction
December 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 …