Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort 2005 Kalia Rd, Honolulu, HI 96815 Hilton Hawaiian Village is a Category 7 Hilton property located right on Waikiki beach. The hotel is located about 8 miles from Honolulu International Airport. One night stay at this resort costs about 60,000 HHonors points. We arrived at the hotel on a Saturday (Memorial Day Weekend) and it was crazy busy. Check-in took about 30 minutes and we were upgraded to Rainbow Tower, corner room. There was no complimentary breakfast for Gold status members although we did get a dining credit of $10 USD per person (for …
Hotel Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon
Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon 3 Belilios Road, Singapore, 219924, Singapore Hilton Garden Inn Singapore is located in the Little India neighborhood just a couple minute walk from Little India MRT station (Downtown Line & North East Line). Being on Downtown Line it is easily accessible from Changi International Airport (need to switch at Expo MRT station). Check-in was smooth and when I let the front desk agent know that our outbound flight was departing early evening, he was gracious to update our check-out time to 4 PM. Our King Guest Room had clear views of Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple. Because of …
Hotel Review: Sheraton Hanoi Hotel
Sheraton Hanoi Hotel K5 Nghi Tam, 11 Xuan Dieu Road, Tay Ho District, Hanoi Sheraton Hanoi Hotel is a Category 2 SPG property located about 25 miles from Hanoi International Airport (Noi Bai). This hotel is a great option for SPG point redemptions costing only 4,000 SPG points per night. Although the hotel offers paid airport transfers, I would recommend using other airport transfer services as they provide much better value. We used Hanoi Transfer Service and paid $32 for round trip service in a luxury SUV. We arrived late at night and check-in was fairly quick although not very …
Hotel Review: Le Méridien Angkor
Le Méridien Angkor Vithei Charles de Gaulle, Khum Svay Dang Kum, Siem Reap, Cambodia Le Méridien Angkor is an SPG category 2 hotel, located about 20 km from Siem Reap International Airport. This is the only Starwood property in Siem Reap and it costs only 4,000 SPG points per night. The hotel provides paid airport transfer however its a bit more expensive than the airport taxi which are plentiful and very easy and convenient to get. Check-in was quick and very efficient. We were given cold towels and a juice on arrival and the Assistant Front Office Manager showed up …
Hotel Review: Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz
Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz Hotel Alexanderplatz 7 D-10178 Berlin Germany Park Inn by Radisson Berlin Alexanderplatz Hotel is located in the previous East Berlin right by the Berlin Tower and within a couple of minutes walk from Alexanderplatz S+U Bahn station. The TXL Express Bus departs from Alexanderplatz station in very frequent intervals all day to Tegel Airport so this is a very convenient hotel for getting to both the Berlin Airport as well as other parts of Berlin. A point stay at this hotel costs 38,000 Club Carlson Points. The hotel is very busy (lots of tour groups) …
Hotel Review: Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte
Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte Wallstraße 23-24, 10179 Berlin, Germany Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin Mitte is a Carlson Rezidor property located close to Museum Island area of Berlin. It is between 2 U-Bahn stations (SpittelMarket and Märkisches Museum), within 5 minutes walking distance. It is also a couple of U-bahn stops away from Alexanderplatz which makes getting to rest of Berlin very easy. A points stay at this hotel costs 38,000 Club Carlson Points. The room size is very small but clean and comfortable. The hotel is based on Wallstreet theme (hence the name) and starting from dollar bills on …
Hotel Review: Park Inn Prague
Park Inn Prague Svobodova 1961/1, 128 00 Nové Město, Czechia Park Inn Prague, a Carlson Rezidor hotel property, is located by the Vtlava river and about 5 minutes walk from Vysehrad Castle. There is a tram stop on both sides of the hotel within about 2 minutes walking distance, namely Vyton and Albertov. These two tram stops allowed us to take the tram to most parts of the city. An award stay at this hotel costs 28,000 Club Carlson points. Check-in was a breeze and the front desk agents were very courteous and efficient. The front desk also sell various …
Hotel Review: Radisson Blu Beke Hotel, Budapest
Radisson Blu Beke Hotel Budapest Terez Korut, 43 H-1067 Budapest Hungary Although there are a few Club Carlson properties in Budapest, we chose this hotel mainly for its location. The Radisson Blu Beke Hotel Budapest is located about 6 minutes walk from the Oktogon Metro stop (M1 Line). The hotel costs only 15,000 Club Carlson points for a free night. We have stayed at many European properties using Club Carlson points and in my opinion this was one of the best uses (value wise) of our points. The bed was very comfortable and I slept really well on all the …
Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South
Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South Hertha-Firnberg-Strasse 5, 1100, Vienna, Austria Hilton Garden Inn is located a bit away from the city center next to Business Park Vienna. The hotel does provide a complimentary shuttle bus throughout the day (with varying frequencies depending on time of the day) between Business Park (about 1 minute walk from the hotel) to Vienna State Opera. The 2 main reasons we chose this hotel was that 1) we could use the shuttle to get to the city center and then walk to most of tourist attractions or use public transport once we were in the …
Hotel Review: Aloft Munich
Aloft Munich Bayerstrasse 37, Munich, 80335, Germany Aloft Munich is a SPG Category 4 property located right next to the Munich Main Train Station (Munich Hauptbahnhof). This makes this hotel a perfect location for a few days trip in Munich as you can access the S-Bahn and U-Bahn as well as regional trains for other cities in Europe. If you are landing in Munich International Airport, 2 S-Bahn lines (S1 and S8) service this train station from Munich International Airport. A free night at this hotel costs 10,000 SPG points or 5,000 SPG points + $75 USD (with SPG Cash + …
Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport
Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport 10-14 Centre Rd, Melbourne Airport VIC 3045, Australia Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport is located right next to Melbourne International Airport (Tullamarine Airport). The hotel provides a complimentary shuttle to airport although you can walk through the parking structure next to the hotel. A complimentary night here costs 35,000 IHG Rewards points. The hotel was pretty busy during our stay and it took about 10 minutes before we were checked in. The airport shuttle requires a prior reservation and we booked our time for next day early morning. The room was pretty basic but good enough for …
Hotel Review: Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne
Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne 380 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens Melbourne is located in Melbourne CBD area next to Flagstaff Gardens. It is located within 2 minutes walk from Queen Victoria market which makes for lots of options of dining and souvenir shopping. A free night at the hotel costs 44,000 Club Carlson points. Check-in was very quick. The front desk agent was very courteous and genuinely caring. When we mentioned that my parents had a late night flight departing Melbourne, the agent was kind enough to give us a late checkout of 6 PM. Of …
Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Auckland
Crowne Plaza Auckland 128 Albert St, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand Crowne Plaza Auckland is located just a couple of minutes walk away from Sky Tower in the heart of Auckland. It is about 20 km away from Auckland International Airport and you can use various mode of transportation (I recommend Skybus) to get here. A free night at this hotel costs 30,000 IHG Rewards points. Check-in was quick and one of our two rooms was upgraded to a club floor. TThe hotel is located right next Atrium on Elliott Shopping mall which also has a few dining options …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …