Flight: Ethiopian Airlines ET 574 from Addis Ababa to Chicago via Rome Duration: 15 hours 45 mins (6 hrs 10 mins + 9 hrs 35 mins) Aircraft: B789(Boeing 787-900) Class: Business Seat: 2D-2H (Middle row aisle) Seat Specification: Collins Super Diamond seats, Flat Bed All our previous Ethiopian Airlines flights were operated at best at 2 x 2 x 2 flat bed configuration and this was the first time we experienced a 1 x 2 x 1 configuration. Ethiopian is notorious in swapping aircrafts at the last minute and even a few days before the flight it showed a 2 …
Airline Reviews Ethiopian Airlines ReviewsAirline Review: Ethiopian Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 787-9 with Lie Flat Seats) : Addis Ababa – Rome – Chicago (ET 574)
Airline Reviews Ethiopian Airlines ReviewsAirline Review: Ethiopian Airlines – Business Class (Boeing 787-9 with Lie Flat Seats) : Victoria Falls – Gaborone – Addis Ababa (ET 823)
Flight: Ethiopian Airlines ET 823 from Victoria Falls to Addis Ababa via Gaborone Duration: 6 hours (1 hr 10 mins + 4 hr 50 mins) Aircraft: B789(Boeing 787-900) Class: Business Seat: 1D-H (Middle rows) Seat Specification: Collins Diamond Parallel Seat, Flat beds Ethiopian operates a variety of configuration on same aircraft. We have experienced good flat beds in 2 x 2 x 2 configuration as well as angled flat 2 x 2 x 2 both in Boeing 787 aircraft before. This one was the better one with flat beds. The flight is short enough that it wouldn’t have mattered that …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Nkosi Guest Lodge, Victoria Falls
Nkosi Guest Lodge, Victoria Falls 504 Acacia Crescent, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe Nkosi Guest Lodge, belonging to Bayete Collection of Hotels , is located just outside the Victoria Falls town, about 21 km from Victoria Falls Airport (VFA). I had read excellent reviews of this property on Tripadvisor as well as booking.com and was very happy at the end to have made this choice. This is an excellent property with amazing customer service and a phenomenal chef!! We arranged transportation from the airport to the hotel through the front desk itself. Our nightly rate included breakfast but we ended up having …
Hilton HHonors Hotel Reviews ReviewsHotel Review – Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek
Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek Rev Michael Scott St, Windhoek, Namibia Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek is located 44km from Hosea Kutako International Airport in Windhoek. Its a fairly easy drive and takes about 35 minutes. We stayed here for 1 night each on 2 different stays (at the beginning and the end of our Etosha National Park visit) and paid cash rates for both stays. There are actually 2 Hilton properties here located adjacent to each other, the Hilton Windhoek and the Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek. Check-in was fairly smooth. The front desk notified us that the secure parking garage located …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Namutoni Camp, Etosha National Park
Namutoni Camp, Etosha National Park Namutoni Camp is located in the eastern part of the Etosha National park, just 13 km from the Von Lindequist Gate. One thing to remember is distance between Windhoek International Airport and Namutoni Camp is 583km which is about 100km more than the Okaukuejo Camp. We arrived quite late at the camp and it was already dark. By the time we checked in and got our keys, it was pitch dark and there is lack of light inside the perimeter of the camp. We drove in circles for almost 30 minutes to get to our …
Hotel Reviews Independent/Non-Major Chain ReviewsHotel Review – Okaukuejo Camp, Etosha National Park
Okaukuejo Camp, Etosha National Park RW98+H7W Etosha National Park, Okaukuejo, Namibia Okaukuejo Camp at Etosha National Park is the largest of the 6 camps, and located just 18km from Anderson Gate. To get an idea of how long it takes to arrive at the camp for same day arrivals, its 475km from Windhoek International Airport. We arrived at the airport in late afternoon and that’s why we stayed close to the airport for the night and drove next day to the camp. The camp gates operate at a strict timing and its essential for visitors to be in before the …
Airline Reviews Qatar Airways ReviewsAirline Review: Qatar Airways – Business Class (Airbus 350-900 with flat-bed seats) : Doha – Johannesburg (QR 1363)
Flight: Qatar Airways QR 1363 from Doha to Johannesburg Duration: 8 hours 10 minutes Equipment: A359(Airbus A350-900) Class: Business Seat: 2E-2F(Middle Aisle seats) Seat Specification: Collins Aerospace Super diamond seats, Seat pitch: 31″, Width: 22″ Qatar Airways flies A350-900 on its Doha – Johannesburg route. Although there are certain Qatar Airways A359s that are equipped with Q-suites, this flight was operated with regular 1-2-1 seat configuration. These seats are comfortable, wide but lack the privacy of Q-suites and the cabin felt very open. Beverage service started just after take-off and I ordered what seemed like a mint-lemonade with warm nuts. The …
Airline Reviews Qatar Airways ReviewsAirline Review: Qatar Airways – Business Class (Boeing 777-300ER) with Qsuites : Seattle – Doha (QR 720)
Flight: Qatar Airways QR 720 from Seattle to Doha Duration: 12 hours 40 minutes Equipment: B773(Boeing 777-300 ER) Class: Business (Qsuites) Seat: 1E-1F(Middle Aisle rear-facing) Seat Specification: Closed suites (Qsuites) 79″ fully flat bed, Seat width: 21.5″ Of all the business class in 25 airlines we have experienced so far in our travels, Qatar Airways is our favorite so far. This was Karen’s 2nd ever Qsuites experience and my 3rd!! It never gets old I’ll tell you that :). Seattle to Doha is operated on a Boeing 777-300 ER with 42 business class suites arranged in alternate rows of forward …
Airline Reviews Korean Air ReviewsAirline Review: Korean Air – Business Class (Airbus 380-800 with Lie Flat Seats): Seoul – Los Angeles (KE 17)
Flight: Korean Air KE 17 from Seoul to Los Angeles Duration: 11 hours Aircraft: A388(Airbus 380-800) Class: Business (Prestige Class) Seat: 12E(Middle row aisle seat) Seat Specification: Flat Bed, Seat pitch: 74 “. Seat width: 21.6 “ Korean Air flies 3 different types of configuration between Seoul and Los Angeles though Airbus 380 seems to be the primary one. I have flown Boeing 747-800 and Boeing 777-300ER on this route both of which feature my favorite Apex Suites. However, on this flight it was sadly the Airbus 380 with the upper deck featuring all business class seats in 2 x …
Airline Reviews Korean Air ReviewsAirline Review: Korean Air – Business Class (Boeing 777-300 with Lie Flat Seats): Bangkok – Seoul (KE 652)
Flight: Korean Air KE 652 from Bangkok to Seoul Duration: 5 hours 22 minutes Equipment: B773(Boeing 777-300) Class: Business Seat: 12H(Aisle) Seat Specification: Seat pitch: 74″, Seat width: 21″, Bed length: 6′ Korean Air flies multiple versions of Boeing 777-300 in its routes and the business class seating can range from 2-2-2 full-flat Apex Suites to 2-2-2 Angled-flat seats. I have flown both versions before and was glad to experience the Apex Suites again. Apex Suites are my favorite type of business class seats right behind Qatar Qsuites (and now the Starlux Suites). Even though these seats don’t have doors, they …
Airline Reviews Reviews StarluxAirline Review: Starlux Airlines – Business Class (Airbus 350-900 with Suites) : San Francisco – Taipei (JX 11)
Flight: Starlux Airlines JX 11 from San Francisco to Taipei Duration: 13 hours 30 minutes Aircraft: A359(Airbus 350-900) Class: Business Seat: 2K(Window) Seat Specification: True Flat Bed, Suites. Seat width: 19.6″, Bed length: 6’7″ Starlux is the 3rd Taiwan based carrier that flies to the USA (although it only flies to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle as of now). Starlux flies A350-900 for its USA routes and they feature 26 Collins Aerospace designed suites in 1 x 2 x 1 format. There is no separate first class but the 4 seats in first row are much larger with higher …
Airline Reviews LATAM ReviewsAirline Review: LATAM – Business Class (Boeing 787-8 with Lie Flat Seats) : Santiago – Los Angeles(LA 602)
Flight: LATAM LA 602 from Santiago to Los Angeles Duration: 10 hours 45 minutes Equipment: B788 (Boeing 787-8) Class: Business Seat: 4D-4H(Aisle) Seat Specification: Lie Flat, Seat pitch: 75″, Seat width: 23″ LATAM flies Boeing 787-8 between Santiago and Los Angeles which unfortunately lacks the new business class product (with 1-2-1 configuration) and instead has the old 2-2-2 seat configuration in Business Class. Since we were flying together, I selected the middle rows and both of us had direct access to aisle. The cabin feels very open and the 2 rows in the forward cabin and 2 rows in rear cabin …
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 …
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 …
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 …