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 Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Petra Guest House
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 …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Hermanus Dorpshuys Guesthouse
Hermanus Dorpshuys 20 Hill Street | Eastcliff, Hermanus, Overstrand 7200, South Africa Hermanus Dorpshuys is a independently owned B&B in Hermanus located not far from the town center. We stayed only 1 night here during our visit to Hermanus to see the whales. We stayed here during end of September and pricing was around $100 USD/night. HallwayWe checked in late in the afternoon and it was very quick. The guesthouse has 8 or so rooms and we got assigned opposite rooms down the hallway. Cecelia and Koos, the owners of this place were very courteous, friendly and helpful. They advised us about …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge
Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge Protea Hotel Waterfront Breakwater Lodge is a Marriott Category 2 property (10,000 Marriott rewards points/night) located in a prime area in Cape Town just a mere 10 minutes walk from V&A Waterfront. Once a 19th century prison, the 3 buildings of this hotel share with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. We checked in real late and our room and my parent’s room were assigned in different buildings. Room was standard sized with nice decor. Thumbs up: Location !! Only a 10 minute walk from V&A Waterfront with lots of dining and …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review: Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Kruger National Park
Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Skukuza – Lower Sabie Rd, Mpumalanga, 1350, South Africa Lower Sabie Rest Camp is located in southern Kruger in an area with perhaps one of the highest concentration of leopards in the wild. It is only about 35 km from Crocodile Bridge Camp Gate. The accommodations range from Campsites to Huts, Safari Tents, Bungalows, Family Bungalows to the luxurious Guest Houses. Pricing varies from USD $25/night for Campsite to USD $425/night for Guest House. Even though I booked the accommodations about 11 months out, due to availability issues we had to book 2 …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review: Satara Rest Camp, Kruger National Park
Satara Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Kruger National Park, Satara Rd, South Africa Satara Rest Camp is located in central Kruger about 90 km from Orpen Gate. This camp houses a range of accommodations from basic Camp Sites (about $20USD/night) to Bungalows to luxurious Guest Houses ($525 USD/night). We had booked a couple of Bungalows ($110 USD per night) for 3 nights with this description – BD2V (BUNGALOW): 2 single beds, Air-conditioned, Fridge, Hotplate, No smoking, Perimeter, Sink, Utensils, WC and shower. These bungalows were marketed as “perimeter bungalows” meaning they were close to the fence. All that separated you from safety …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review: Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park
Skukuza Rest Camp, Kruger National Park Kruger National Park, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa Skukuza Rest camp is the largest of the Kruger National Park rest camps. It is located about 12km (30 minutes drive ) from Paul Kruger Gate, located in a very game rich area. There are a variety of accommodation options – from campsites to bungalows to guest cottages to the luxurious Guest Houses. The prices run from as low as $20 USD/night to $500 USD/night We had booked 2 bungalows for 3 nights at a rate of $100 USD/night. The official description of the bungalows on Sanparks …
Africa Destination Trip ReportsSeptember 2018: South Africa Trip Introduction
I have been wanting to visit South Africa (especially for safari at Kruger National Park) for a while after my first safari visit at Kenya Masai Mara National Park. I decided to combine my parents yearly USA visit with it so we fly out from US to South Africa and then do some safari and also visit Cape Town. After the trip, my parents flew back to India and we came back to USA. I will be posting the following trip reports and reviews in the coming days. Airline Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class – Los Angeles to Hong Kong …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort
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 …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel 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 Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel 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 Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel 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 …
Asia Destination Trip ReportsDec’17 – Jan’18: India, Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore Trip – Introduction
Its December and time for my yearly trip to visit family in India again. I always try to do some side trips during my vacation for this time of the year. In our last trip (2016-2017) we did Australia – New Zealand and the one before that (2015-2016) we did Egypt and Kenya Safari and previously in (2014-2015) we did South East Asia (Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia). Well this year we will do a short one week trip to Siem Reap, Hanoi and Singapore. This will check off at least two items on my bucket list – Angkor Wat in Siem Reap …
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel 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) …
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel 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 …
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel 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 …
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel 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 …