Day 1: We walked from our hotel (Panoramic Grand) to Puerto Iguazu bus station and took Rio Uruguay bus to the entrance of the Argentina side of Iguazu Falls. Again the fares are cash only, no credit cards accepted at the bus station. After paying for the entrance tickets (credit cards accepted here), we entered the park. If you are visiting 2 consecutive days, you should save the ticket stubs as the 2nd day is 50% off. There are 3 main hiking routes on the Argentina side of the falls – the Lower circuit, the Upper circuit, the Green trail. …
Destination Trip Reports South AmericaTrip Report – Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Destination Trip Reports South AmericaTrip Report – Iguazu Falls, Brazil
We were staying at Panoramic Grand Hotel in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. There are multiple options to visit Iguazu Falls on the Brazil side from Puerto Iguazu. One can take a cab (or a private transfer service) directly to the Iguazu Falls entrance or take a bus from Puerto Iguazu bus station. The hotel was about 10 minutes walk to the Puerto Iguazu Bus station. After arriving at the bus station we purchased a round trip ticket on Rio Uruguay Bus to Iguazu Falls, Brazil. The fares are cash only, no credit cards accepted at the bus station. The bus requires …
Aeromexico Airline Reviews ReviewsAirline Review: Aeromexico – Business Class (Boeing 787-9 with Lie Flat Seats) : Mexico City – Buenos Aires(AM 30)
Flight: Aeromexico AM 30 from Mexico City to Buenos Aires Duration: 8 hours 45 minutes Equipment: B789(Boeing 787-9) Class: Business Seat: 1D-1F (Aisle) Seat Specification: Lie Flat, Seat pitch: 60″, Seat width: 20″ MilesPointsTravel Disclaimer: This review uses a few stock photos along with photos taken by other bloggers. My phone was snatched from my hand in Santiago, Chile at the end of the trip and since I did not backup my photos to cloud, I lost majority of the photos taken during this trip. Only photos that my wife took with her phone made it to the review. Any photos …
Destination Trip Reports South AmericaMarch 2024: Argentina & Chile Trip – Introduction
This was our first trip in South America continent. We have covered all continents (except Antarctica and South America) and had plans to make it to Argentina in March 2020 and we know what happened there!! The trip will have following reviews: Airline Review: Aeromexico Business Class from Mexico City to Buenos Aires Trip Report: Iguazu Falls, Brazil Trip Report: Iguazu Falls, Argentina Trip Report: El Calafate, Argentina for Perito Moreno Glacier Trip Report: 2 days in Buenos Aires, Argentina Airline Review: LATAM business class from Santiago to Los Angeles Total Cost: Airfare: $132 for 2 round-trip coach tickets …
Airline Reviews Reviews UnitedAirline Review: United Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 787-9 with Lie Flat Seats and Open Suites) : London – Denver (UA 26)
Flight: United Airlines UA 26 from London Heathrow to Denver Duration: 9 hours 5 minutes Equipment: B789(Boeing 787-9) Class: Business Seat: 9A(Window) Seat Specification: Open Suites, Bed length: 6’6″, Seat width: 20″ This was my first time flying United Business Class on a Boeing 787. I have flown this carrier’s business class on a Boeing 747-400 Upper deck (my first business class ever!!), Boeing 747-400 Lower deck (with 2 x 4 x 2 seat layout!!), Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 777-300. United Polaris Business class are one of my top 5 Business class seats I have experienced of all the airlines I …
Airline Reviews Reviews ThaiAirline Review: Thai Airways – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER with Lie Flat Seats) : Bangkok – London (TG 910)
Flight: Thai Airways TG 910 from Bangkok to London Heathrow Duration: 13 hours 15 minutes Equipment: B77Y(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 11A(Window seat with arm-rest facing aisle) Seat Specification: Lie Flat Seats, Seat pitch: 87″, Seat width: 20 ” Thai Airways is known for having a wide variety of aircraft types and configurations on its fleet and sometimes you are not sure what type of seat layout you are going to get. I have flown Thai Airways 777-300ER long-haul once before and short haul several times. This particular flight was the best Thai Airways experience ever (mainly because of amazing catering!!). …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsTrip Report – Neil Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Day 1: We stayed just 1 day at the Neil Island (now renamed Shaheed Dweep). This island is much less tourist oriented compared to Havelock Island. After arriving late morning on a ferry ride from Havelock, we were driven by our transfer service to the resort (Seashell Samssara Neil Island). We only had the afternoon for sightseeing on the island and our first stop was Bharatpur Beach. It was low tide time and you could walk on knee deep water for close to 1/2 mile from the shore. Next stop was Laxmanpur Beach #2 that has the popular attraction, “Natural …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsTrip Report – Havelock Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Day 1: We started early in the morning from Port Blair to travel to Havelock Island on Makruzz Ferry. The journey takes about 1.5 hours and the ocean was not choppy so went by pretty quickly. I had already arranged private transport so the driver was waiting for us at the Havelock Ferry terminal and drove us to our resort (Tilar Siro Andamans, CGH Earth) where we were staying for 2 nights. We arrived around 10 AM and spent a couple of hours walking along the resort’s private beach. In the afternoon we had our driver take us to Radhanagar …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsTrip Report – Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Day 1: Port Blair is the main island of the Andamans and your main point of entry and exit for all flights. We arrived at Veer Savarkar Airport just before noon and had our transport waiting to take us to our hotel (Lemon Tree Hotel Port Blair). The hotel is right outside the airport so pretty soon after checking-in we were ready for sightseeing. Our first stop was Corbyns Cove Beach. Its just 8 km from the airport on the south eastern part of the island. The beach had calm waters surrounded by beautiful greenery from 3 sides. The beach …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Sinclairs Bayview Port Blair
Sinclairs Bayview Port Blair MQ74+H7V, Corbyns Cove Rd, South Point, Shadipur, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744106, India Sinclairs Bayview is a beach-front hotel in Port Blair only 2.5 km from Cellular Jail (biggest attraction in the island). The hotel does not have a beach but more than makes up with the amazing you get from quite a few of the rooms. The hotel has a nice on-property restaurant “The Bayview” where we had both dinner and a huge buffet breakfast. There are not any dining options nearby other than the on-property restaurant “The Bayview”. We had a …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Seashell Samssara, Neil
Seashell Samssara, Neil Neil Island, Beach, opposite Helipad, Lakshmanpur, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744104, India Seashell is probably the most renowned chain in the Andaman Islands. They have properties in Port Blair, Havelock Island and Neil Island. In Neil Island they have 2 properties, Seashell Neil and Seashell Samssara Neil. Based on photos and reviews, I had picked the latter and was quite pleased with the choice. The hotel has its own private beach but its a bit rocky and not at all suitable for swimming. Our rate included complimentary breakfast for all guests but since the dining options were …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Tilar Siro, Andamans – CGH Earth
Tilar Siro, Andamans – CGH Earth Beach No. 5, Vijay Nagar Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) 744211, India Havelock Island is probably the most picturesque of all the Andaman Islands and has the most number of resorts. I wanted to splurge on this stay and after careful consideration chose Tilar Siro. This property is located closer to Vijay Nagar Beach on the east side of Havelock Island (renamed as Swaraj Dweep). The property has its own semi-private beach and another much larger beach next to it. Lush green scenery, amazing service, and well maintained property are just …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair
Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair Opposite Airport Exit Gate, Lamba Line, Junglee Ghat, Port Blair – 744103, India Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair is located right next to Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair, Andaman Islands. The hotel provides transportation to and from the airport (not hard to do when you are right outside the airport gate). I stayed for 1 night at the hotel on arrival at Port Blair. Cash rate was USD $100/night. Since I booked the room for 3 travelers (me and my parents), the hotel provided a complimentary roll-away bed for the additional guest. In …
Airline Reviews China Airlines ReviewsAirline Review: China Airlines – Business Class (Airbus A330-300 Business Class with Recliner Seats) : Taipei – Bangkok (CI 833)
Flight: China Airlines CI 833 from Taipei to Bangkok Duration: 3 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: A333(Airbus 333-300) Class: Business Seat: 2K (Middle row) Seat Specification: Recliner Seat, Seat pitch: 63.0 “. Seat width: 20 ” I flew on the Airbus A330-300 (A333) aircraft from Taipei to Bangkok by China Airlines. The business class cabin had 6 rows of recliner seats in 2 x 2 x 2 configuration. Service began with a pre-departure beverage of fruit juice and was handed menu for the flight. After lunch I tried to take a nap by increasing the recline of the seat and was …
Airline Reviews China Airlines ReviewsAirline Review: China Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Business Class with True Flat Beds) : Los Angeles – Taipei (CI 7)
Flight: China Airlines CI 7 from Los Angeles to Taipei Duration: 14 hours Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 11A (Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 78.0 “. Seat width: 22 ” China Airlines operates a 777-300ER on its flight out of Los Angeles to Taipei. The business class has flat bed seats in 1 x 2 x 1 configuration in 2 different cabins with the forward cabin having 6 rows and 4 in rear cabin. China Airlines (similar to the other Taipei based carrier EVA Air) makes available an expanded menu for business …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos
Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 24.8, San Jose del Cabo, BCS, 23400, Mexico Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Los Cabos is located in the “tourist corridor” zone in Cabo. The hotels in Cabo are grouped into 4 zones – San Jose Del Cabo, Tourist Corridor, Cabo San Lucaso and Pueblo Bonito. The zones come into play when booking for round-trip hotel transfers from Cabo Airport. I stayed for just 1 night at the hotel to basically catch a flight the next day (to start my month long India trip). Cash rates were cheap …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsNov’23 – Dec’23: India Trip – Introduction
Just came back from my yearly family trip to India. My parents had always wanted to visit the Andaman Islands and so I decided to do some quick planning and squeeze in a 5 night trip to these islands. At the beginning of my trip to India, in order to redeem some Delta Skymiles for the outbound journey, I had to position myself to Cabo San Lucas to start the trip (pricing arbitrage). Airline reviews, hotel reviews and trip reports for this trip: Hotel Review – Hampton Inn Los Cabos Airline Review – China Airlines Business class from Los Angeles …
Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific ReviewsAirline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Business Class with True Flat Beds) : 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: 17A (Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” Yet another review on Cathay Pacific Business class on Boeing 777-300 ER? I know, I know!! I have plenty of reviews on this same aircraft type that I have flown over the years. I had high hopes for the lamb but unfortunately I was expecting (my fault) a lamb leg or a variation of some sort. Having it shredded over the …
Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific ReviewsAirline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Airbus A350 Business Class with True Flat Beds) : Bangkok – Hong Kong (CX 708)
Flight: Cathay Pacific CX 708 from Bangkok to Hong Kong Duration: 3 hours Aircraft: A350-1000(Airbus A35K) Class: Business Seat: 20A (Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 75.0 “. Seat width: 20 ” I have flown the Cathay Pacific Business class on Boeing 777-300ER (on long haul flights) and Airbus A330 (on short haul flights). This was my first time flying the CX business class on A350 so was excited (although it was a very short flight of 3 hours). Business class is still on a 1 x 2 x 1 configuration and look and …
Airline Reviews Cathay Pacific ReviewsAirline Review: Cathay Pacific – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER Business Class with True Flat Beds) : Los Angeles – Hong Kong(CX 883)
Flight: Cathay Pacific CX 883 from Los Angeles to Hong Kong Duration: 14 hours 45 minutes Aircraft: B773(Boeing 777-300ER) Class: Business Seat: 15A (Bulkhead Window seat with direct aisle access) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 81.0 “. Seat width: 21 ” Cathay Pacific Business Class on the Boeing 777-300ER is one of my most frequently traveled hard product along with the EVA Air on the same aircraft. This was the first time I was flying Cathay Pacific post-pandemic and what a difference it was compared to before. I ordered the wok-fried cod on corn sauce. It was very bland and had …