Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit 23/2-3 Sukhumvit 13, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 This is a Category 3 property (28,000 points for a reward night) of the Club Carlson program located on Soi 13 just off of Sukhumvit road in Bangkok. It is within walking distance to two train stations (BTS Asoke and BTS Nana) but the hotel also provides complimentary tuktuk service to both stations as well as the nearest MRT station. Arrived at the hotel really early at 7 AM and requested early check-in but was told to wait till 11 am. I was dismayed to see only …
Club Carlson Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: Radisson Suites, Bangkok Sukhumvit
Asia Destination Trip ReportsDecember 2013 – January 2014: India – Thailand Trip Introduction
I will be traveling for about 3 weeks for my yearly family visit to India starting mid-December 2013. Towards the end of the trip I will stop by at Bangkok and Phuket for 4 days. I earned 2 Marriott Category 5 certificates during our Portland and Fort Lauderdale trips with the Marriott quarterly promotions. I will be using those to stay at the Renaissance Phuket Resort for 2 nights. I will be doing several reviews on both airlines and hotels during this trip. Airline Review – ANA Business Class – Los Angeles to Tokyo (Haneda) Airline Review – Singapore Airlines Business …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Otay Mesa, San Diego
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites San Diego Otay Mesa 2296 Niels Bohr Court , San Diego , California 92154 This hotel is located at the last US exit on the 905 freeway on the way to Tijuana, Mexico. Me and Karen have stayed there a couple of times when we were doing a mattress-run for the “Big Win” promotion as well as when we were in San Diego to watch Whitney Cummings on her comedy tour. This is one of the very few hotels where they actually call you a few days before your stay to ask if …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn, Dulles Airport
Holiday Inn Washington-Dulles Intl Airport 45425 Holiday Drive, Dulles , Virginia 20166 Holiday Inn Dulles Airport is located only 2 miles from the airport and provides complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. It is located in a commercial real estate area and the exterior is very ordinary. The interior however is actually pretty nice (considering its a Holiday Inn of course). Check in was quick and smooth. They offered 1,000 IHG Reward points or a free breakfast for platinum members and I chose the free breakfast. Business Center had only 2 computers with a printer. Thumbs up: Only 2 …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Buffalo-Airport
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Buffalo-Airport 131 Buell Avenue, Cheektowaga , New York – 14225 This hotel is located right across from the Buffalo International Airport (BUF). The hotel provides 24 hour complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. Check-in was quick and smooth. The front desk clerk inquired what time we were checking out and when we said that we were leaving very early in the morning next day, let us know that we will have our morning breakfast packed-to-go at the front desk during checkout. Excellent !! We had a 2 Queen room for this hotel and …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Niagara Falls
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Niagara Falls 10111 Niagara Falls Boulevard, Niagara Falls,New York 14304 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Niagara Falls is located on the US side of the border, about 6 miles away from the Niagara Falls. It is about 20 miles away from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. There is no complimentary shuttle to the airport so a rental or personal car is needed. This is basically a no-frills, basic amenity hotel for staying close to Niagara Falls. Our flight arrived late night at Buffalo airport and after picking up our rental car we drove …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Times Square
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel New York City – Times Square 1568 Broadway, New York, New York, 10036-8201, USA This Hilton HHonors Category 10 property is located right on Times Square as the name suggests. This is an excellent hotel choice for sightseeing in New York as many of the attractions (Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, Central Park) are all within walking distance and avoid need for a cab. I wholeheartedly recommend this hotel to prospective NYC tourists. The only downside is that it being in the highest Hilton category, it costs 70,000 – 95,000 …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Crown Plaza Dulles Airport, Herndon, Virginia
Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport 2200 Centreville Road, Herndon, Virginia 20170, United States This IHG hotel is located only 3 miles from Dulles International Airport and provides 24-hour complimentary shuttle. It is located next to a big shopping area with movie theater and plenty of restaurants like Qdoba, TGIFridays and other dining options like Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Chinese, Thai etc. Marriot Suites is just opposite of this hotel. Checkin was quick and the front desk agent informed us that both of our rooms were upgraded to Club level floor. We have never stayed at these Club levels in any chains before …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Residence Inn Arlington, Pentagon City
Residence Inn Arlington Pentagon City 550 Army Navy Drive · Arlington, Virginia 22202 USA This Marriott Rewards Category 4 hotel is located less than 3 miles away from Reagan National Airport (DCA). The hotel provides complimentary shuttle to and from this airport (although there is no shuttle for Dulles International Airport which is around 25 miles away). The hotel is located right opposite of the Pentagon and if you request a “high floor with a view” you could get a room that has great views of the Pentagon along with really awesome views of the DC memorials & monuments. The front desk …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Fairfield Inn & Suites, Dulles Airport, Sterling, Virginia
Fairfield Inn & Suites, Dulles Airport, Sterling Virginia 23000 Indian Creek Drive – Sterling, Virginia 20166 USA We stayed the first night at this hotel for our week-long DC-New York – Niagara Trip. This Marriott Rewards Category 2 hotel is about 5 minutes from the Washington Dulles airport and provides a complimentary shuttle. The hotel was undergoing renovation till 2014 and one of the floors was closed during our stay. One thing about this airport hotel is that there is not much dining options within walking-distance. There are some restaurants in the area that offer delivery (Chinese and Pizza mostly). …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Henderson, Nevada
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, Henderson, Nevada 441 Astaire Drive, Henderson , Nevada 89014 We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Henderson during our last trip to Vegas. Its about 10 miles away from the strip. I have stayed at the strip hotels many times before but this time I had signed up for a few IHG Rewards Club promo bonuses and wanted to get those points at the lowest expense. Since we were renting a car, the distance from the strip was not an issue. Check-in was quick. The front desk clerk recognized my Platinum status and …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Courtyard Fort Lauderdale North/Cypress Creek
Courtyard Fort Lauderdale North/Cypress Creek 2440 W. Cypress Creek Road · Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33309 USA This Courtyard is a Category 2 Marriott property located right next to the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) and about 20 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale Airport. The property looked recently renovated with very nice interiors. Check-in was quick and the front desk clerk offered extra bottles of water for Marriott Rewards members. The next day the front desk clerk volunteered information regarding different dining options in the area. The pool area was nice. They had a cabana with wicker furniture. We loved the …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Fairfield Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port
Fairfield Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port 2081 Griffin Road · Dania Beach, Florida 33312 USA This is a Marriott Category 5 hotel just minutes from the Fort Lauderdale airport. It is located right beside Homewood Suites by Hilton. Among other complimentary amenities, you get breakfast, parking and shuttle to FLL airport (not to Miami airport though). Check-in was quick. The front desk clerk was friendly and inquired about our stay as well as advised best places to go to see the July 4 fireworks. Room size was standard, no microwave or mini-fridge in the room. This …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: SpringHill Suites Portland Airport
SpringHill Suites Portland Airport 11922 NE Airport Way · Portland, Oregon 97220 USA The SpringHill Suites Portland Airport is a Category 4 Marriott property located within 5 minutes drive from the airport. This property is located very close to two other Marriott properties: Courtyard Portland Airport and Fairfield Inn & Suites Portland Airport. We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon and check-in process was quick and smooth. The front desk agent explained the amenities (free wi-fi and complimentary breakfast). We told her that our flight leaves late next day and she offered complimentary late checkout at 2 PM. The …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Courtyard Portland Airport
Courtyard Portland Airport 11550 NE Airport Way · Portland, Oregon 97220 USA This Marriott Rewards Category 3 hotel is located only about 5 minutes drive (3 miles) from the Portland International Airport. The property provides complimentary shuttle between the hotel and the airport. We arrived at the hotel in the evening and check-in was speedy. The front desk had only one staff (probably being the weekend and hotel having low occupancy). We were offered complimentary late checkout although we declined because we were leaving early next day for some sight-seeing. The room was fairly standard size and looked newly renovated. …
2012 – Maldives Trip – Recap
Recap of itinerary for the entire trip. Flights (all Business Class): Los Angeles – Incheon : United Airlines (for me) / Los Angeles – Incheon: Asiana Airlines (for Karen) Incheon – Bangkok : Thai Airways Bangkok – Kolkata : Thai Airways Kolkata – Singapore : Singapore Airlines Singapore – Male : Singapore Airlines Male – Singapore : Singapore Airlines Singapore – Incheon : Singapore Airlines Incheon – Los Angeles : Asiana Airlines (for Karen) / Incheon – San Francisco: Asiana Airlines (for me) Hotels: Aloft Bangkok – 1 Night Fuana Inn, Maldives – 1 Night Holiday Inn Kandooma, Maldives – 3 Nights Sightseeing: Bangkok …
Hotel Reviews IHG Rewards Club ReviewsHotel Review: Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, Maldives
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives Holiday Inn Resort, Kandooma Fushi, South Male Atoll, 00000, Maldives We stayed for 3 nights and 4 days at this Holiday Inn resort using our Priority Club points. Following redemption options are available for stay with points Free award night – 25,000 Priority Club points (currently devalued to 35,000 points/night) Cash + Points: 30,000 Priority Club points + $30 USD or 25,000 Priority Club points + $70 USD per night The resort charges $189 USD + taxes /person for shared speedboat round-trip transfers to the resort. Upon arrival at the airport from our overnight stay at the Fuana …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review: Fuana Inn, Hulhumale Island, Maldives
Fuana Inn Hulhumale’ Beach Road Plot No.10107, Hulhumale Since we were arriving at Male International Airport (also called Ibrahim Nasir International Airport) close to midnight on our Singapore Airlines flight, we had decided to spend the night at a local hotel and then go to the Holiday Inn Kandooma resort next day. Searching through Tripadvisor and Hotels.com, I came across this small hotel approximately 15 minutes from the airport. For 1 night, I would definitely advise all visitors to stay on the same island as the airport rather than in Male. You would have to take a ferry to the city …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Aloft Bangkok
Aloft Bangkok 35 Sukhumvit Soi 11, Sukhumvit Road,Bangkok 10110, Thailand Aloft Bangkok is a hip, modern, upscale hotel in the heart of Bangkok on Sukhumvit soi 11, right off the street from the BTS Nana station. For those interested staying in this hotel using points, here is what you need to know. Category 1 SPG property SPG Free Nights Redemption: 2000 – 3000 Starpoints/ night (based on dates and availability SPG Cash & Points Redemption: 1200 Starpoints + $25 USD (subject to availability) The hotel is located in a busy Soi 11 street off of Sukhumvit road. It is a 3 …
Hotel Reviews Marriott/SPG ReviewsHotel Review: Marriott Courtyard Solana Beach/Del Mar
Marriott Courtyard Solana Beach/Del Mar 717 South Highway 101, Solana Beach, California 92075 USA This is a category 5 hotel located about half a block from the Del Mar North Beach on Highway 101 very close to the famous Del Mar racetrack. The exterior of the hotel looks pretty unimpressive but inside is a different story. The lobby area looks real cool with lots of modern style furnishings. The business center is in main lobby area with 3 computers and a fax/copier. Complimentary coffee/tea with snacks is available in the evenings. The center courtyard features a heated swimming pool, Jacuzzi …