Tag Archives: intercontinental

InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa

Posted on March 10, 2013 | 9 Comments

Fiji Trip Report Index
Introduction: Belgium to Fiji in 13 flights (26561 miles, 42746km)
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Grand Suite at Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
Singapore Airlines First Class: The Private Room @ Changi Airport
Singapore Airlines First Class: SQ211 Singapore to Sydney B777-300A
Opera King room at Park Hyatt Sydney
Beachfront View room at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
Singapore Airlines Business Class: SQ232 Sydney to Singapore
Thai Airways First Class: Royal Orchid Spa, TG920 Bangkok to Frankfurt A380

Pic: Club Infinity Pool at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa (Jan 2013)
The InterContinental Fiji Resort Map includes Restaurants & Bars and practical Fiji travel advice. The InterContinental Fiji Concierge Guide includes info on how to get around, where to eat, drink, shop and what to discover more at Fiji.

Pic: Beachfront room 1114 at InterContinental Fiji Natadola Bay (Jan 2013)
Instead of paying FJD920 (€394, $514) per night for a Garden View room, I used the Priority Club Points + Cash trick to book my 4 night stay at InterContinental Fiji. At 30K points per night, this resulted in $210 (€161) room rate. Upon arrival at 11am I was told my Garden View room wasn’t ready yet, despite my Royal Ambassador status which guarantees 8am check-in, and no room upgrade would be given as I was staying on points. When inquiring about my other Royal Ambassador benefits, the front desk agent responded he wasn’t sure and had to check. As my Garden View room would only be ready by 2pm, I was suggested to wait at the Kama Lounge. The bartender provided me with the cocktail menu and offered me a complementary drink to ease the wait. After 15 minutes, the bartender still hadn’t returned to take my order so I asked him what was going on. He told me his supervisor had informed him the complimentary drinks policy had changed and I would actually have to pay for my drink. My stay at IC Fiji was off to a bad start… room wouldn’t be upgraded, front desk didn’t know if RA benefits applied or not (previous IC Fiji trip reports suggested they did including room upgrades) and a complimentary drink had to be paid for. In this kind of situations I turn to Twitter to express my malcontent, which in many cases results in a satisfying solution. I tweeted @IHGCare and @InterConFiji and expressed my frustration. Soon after, I was informed my Beachfront View room was ready, courtesy of the InterContinental Fiji marketing department. For the Royal Ambassador benefits, local management confirmed they didn’t apply on point stays as per IHG Ambassador T&C.

Pic: Bedroom of Beachfront room 1114 at InterContinental Fiji (Jan 2013)

Pic: InterContinental Fiji – Beachfront room 1114 Terrace with Cleopatra Bath

Pure Fiji Bathroom Amenities at InterContinental Fiji Natadola Bay (Jan 2013)

Pic: InterContinental Fiji Resort & Spa – Beachfront View Rooms 11xx
Pic: InterContinental Fiji Resort & Spa – Natadola Bay Beach (Jan 2013)

Pic: Breakfast at Sanasana Restaurant, InterContinental Fiji (Jan 2013)

Pic: InterContinental Fiji Resort – Main Infinity Adults Only Pool (Jan 2013)

Pic: Dedon Nestrest at Club InterContinental Fiji Inifinity Pool (Jan 2013)

Pic: Wedding Chapel at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa (Jan 2013)

Pic: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa – Indigenous band (Jan 2013)

Pic: Entrance InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa at night (Jan 2013)

Pic: Nighttime at Club InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa (Jan 2013)

Pic: Sunset at Infinity Pool Club InterContinental Fiji (Jan 2013)

→ 9 Comments

Posted in Hotels, trip reports

Tagged beachfront, club, fiji, hotel, infinity pool, intercontinental, natadola, pictures, priority club, resort, review, room, royal ambassador, view

InterContinental Moorea Resort and Spa

Posted on December 24, 2012 | 7 Comments

→ 7 Comments

Posted in destinations, Hotels, trip reports

Tagged ferry, french polynesia, hotel, intercontinental, moorea, pictures, priority club, resort, review, tahiti

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa

Posted on October 12, 2012 | 19 Comments

French Polynesia Trip Report Index
Tahiti and Bora Bora – Flights & Airfares
Hilton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Terminal 1, Departure Area B)
InterContinental Resort Tahiti
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort (site inspection)
InterContinental Resort and Spa Moorea

Pic: Mount Otemanu from InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Overwater Villa at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
There are 4 InterContinental properties in French Polynesia: Tahiti, Moorea, Le Moana Bora Bora and Thalasso Bora Bora. All are managed by the same owner. Detailed information on each of these resorts is available in PDF format: Resort Specifications, Rooms, Bungalows and Villas + Transfers

Pic: Blue Lagoon Wedding Chapel at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
Back in January, just a few days after I book my great airfare from Brussels to Papeete, I found another great deal for French Polynesia. InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa was bookable at 30K PriorityClub points per night! PriorityClub had announced it would increase/decrease the number of points required for a free night at many of its hotels. The intention was to increase the points required for IC Bora Bora Thalasso from 40K to 50K per night. However, instead of increasing the number of points required, someone at IHG decided to decrease it (for a brief time) to 30K! As 10K points could be bought for $60 (now $70), a free night at IC Bora Bora Thalasso was bookable for $180. Compare that with the cheapest bookable villa at +$900 (€700) and you know you have a great deal! I immediately booked a 5 night stay at 150K points which I bought for $900 (15x $60, €700). A paid 5 night stay in September would have been +$5000 (€4000)!!!

Pic: Sands Bar & Restaurant at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Sep 2012)

Pic: Beach Lounge at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Outdoor Beach Shower at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Stingrays at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Sep 2012)

Pic: Deep Ocean Spa Treatment Villas at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: View on the Wedding Chapel at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Lounge chairs at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
The problem with PriorityClub points bookings at IC Bora Bora Thalasso is the fact you can only select the “Two Bedroom Family Suite Coral Garden Villa” option. The Coral Garden Villas also know as “Motu Villas” (video) are located in the backyard of the resort and do not offer the famous Bora Bora overwater villa experience. The resort offers paid upgrades, but the fees are steep.
From 2 Bedroom Coral Garden villa to:
Emerald overwater villa 15,000 XPF + 14% tax per night ($185,€143)
Sapphire overwater villa 25,000 XPF + 14% tax per night ($270,€208)
Diamond overwater villa 35,000 XPF + 14% tax per night ($307,€237)
Diamond Otemanu overwater villa 45,000 XPF + 14% tax per night ($553,€428)
Diamond End of Pontoon overwater villa 55,000 XPF +14% tax p/n ($676,€523)
Keep in mind all overwater villas have the exact same layout, you’re just paying extra for the view from your villa and it’s location on the pier.

Pic: IC Bora Bora Thalasso Overwater Villas and Motu Family Suites Map
Due to the steep upgrade fees and the reports on Flyertalk about almost everybody being upgraded for free, I declined the paid upgraded offer. With 83 Overwater Villas and only 3 Coral Garden Villas, my Royal Ambassador status had to do the job. The only factor which raised my concern about not being upgraded was the fact the hotel had been sold-out weeks in advance of my stay. Upon arrival at the resort, the worst possible scenario came true. I was informed they were fully booked and I would be assigned Coral Garden Villa 301 for the entire duration of my stay. I immediately asked to speak to the manager on duty, but he was ‘unavailable’ (it was Monday evening, 6pm). I would have been fine staying at the Coral Garden Villa, if at least one night I could experience an Overwater Villa. Once in the Coral Garden Villa, the disappointment was even bigger when I noticed it wasn’t even clean (cobwebs, stains on walls and furniture, dirty floor). I asked again to speak to a manager, but was informed my concerns could only be addressed the next morning!?! As this was unacceptable and the hotel didn’t offer an immediate solution, I contacted IHG via twitter. Fortunately, they responded swiftly and informed me they had contacted the resort and a solution would be provided the next morning. I settled with it and went to bed. The next morning I called reception for an update and they transferred me to the Guest Relation manager. He was aware of my concerns and apologized for the inconvenience. He offered me an upgrade to a Sapphire Overwater Villa and complimentary breakfast for the duration of my stay. That was a great value proposition, as such upgrade would have been $1080 (€832) for four nights and breakfast XPF3834 ($41, €32) per day. Internet access was complimentary as Royal Ambassador, a big saving too, as the normal charge was XPF3000 ($32,€25) per 24 hours.

Pic: Sapphire Overwater Villa 118 at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
The Sapphire Overwater Villa was fantastic: very spacious living room, great terrace with sundeck offering direct access to the lagoon. Bedroom and bathroom with incredible views all day long, even from the bathtub!

Pic: Living Room Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Bedroom Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Bathroom Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Bathroom Amenties at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Sep 2012)

Pic: Terrace Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Sep 2012)

Pic: Deck Staircase Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

Pic: Overwater Villa Deck at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa (Sep 2012)

Pic: Sapphire Overwater Villa at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
Video: Sapphire Overwater Villa 118 at IC Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa

→ 19 Comments

Posted in destinations, Hotels, trip reports

Tagged bora bora, french polynesia, ihg, intercontinental, overwater, pictures, review, spa, thalasso, trip report, video, villa

InterContinental Resort Tahiti, French Polynesia

Posted on October 4, 2012 | 8 Comments

French Polynesia Trip Report Index
Tahiti and Bora Bora – Flights & Airfares
Hilton Frankfurt Airport
Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt Airport (Terminal 1, Departure Area B)
InterContinental Resort Tahiti
InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort (site inspection)
InterContinental Resort and Spa Moorea

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – View on Main Pool & Lagoonarium (Sep 2012)
There are four InterContinental properties in French Polynesia: Tahiti, Moorea, Le Moana Bora Bora and Thalasso Bora Bora. All are managed by the same owner. Detailed information on each of these resorts is available in PDF format: Resort Specifications, Rooms, Bungalows and Villas & Transfers

Pic: InterContinental Resort Tahiti – Wooden Hotel Sign (Sep 2012)
With InterContinental Resort Tahiti only being 5 min drive from the airport and my Air Tahiti flight TN101 arriving at 05:20am at Papeete airport (PPT), Belgian Air Tahiti Nui Captain Jan Ottenbourg dropped me off at the hotel around 6.30am. My room wasn’t ready yet, but breakfast was being served at the main restaurant Tiare. Around 8am, I was driven by golf cart to my Bungalow. I had used 60K Priority Club points to book a King Garden View room for 2 nights as a paid stay would have set my back XPF45,712 (EUR383). Thanks to my InterContinental Royal Ambassdor status, I was upgraded to an Overwater Lagoon Bungalow Junior Suite (515) facing Marina Taina and Sofitel Tahiti Maeva Beach Resort.
Pic: IC Tahiti – Exterior Overwater Lagoon Bungalow Junior Suite 515

Pic: IC Tahiti – Bedroom Overwater Lagoon Bungalow Junior Suite 515

Pic: IC Tahiti – Bathroom Overwater Lagoon Bungalow Junior Suite 515

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Bathroom Amenities (Sep 2012)

Pic: IC Tahiti – Terrace Overwater Lagoon Bungalow Junior Suite 515
Not bad for an ‘airport’ hotel! There was no Ambassador welcome letter/amenity in the room and the minibar was empty, but I didn’t bother as I was so exhausted from the long trip from BRU to PPT. After a refreshing shower and a few hours of sleep I was woken-up by phone call from housekeeping who wanted to fill-up my minibar. I declined as I wanted some more sleep, but unfortunately this resulted in an empty minibar for the duration of my stay. Not sure if it would have been complimentary, but internet access was free of charge for Royal Ambassadors, even on a points stay. For breakfast there were three options at Tiare restaurant: American XPF3702 (EUR31), Continental XPF3036 (€25) and Express XPF1480 (EUR12) with a fourth option on Sunday: Tahitian Brunch XPF4900 (€41) The buffet was very colorful, but definitely not as extensive as in Asia. In general, food is much more expensive in French Polynesia compared to other vacation destinations. I uploaded the IC Tahiti restaurant menu’s for your reference: Tiare, Le Lotus and In-Room Dining. Cheaper dining can be found at the Papeete Roulottes. If you’re looking for supermarkets, exit the hotel and walk to the street level. Take a right and walk for 5 min, at the roundabout keep right. You’ll see a Geant Casino market at the left and a bit futher down the road there’s a Carrefour. Great to fill-up your suitcases before heading to Bora Bora where food and drinks are outrageously expensive!

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Lagoonarium with Moorea in the background

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Lagoonarium Traditional Tahitian Decoration

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Main Pool Shop (Sep 2012)

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Main Pool Sunbeds (Sep 2012)

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Le Lotus Infinity Pool (Sep 2012)

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Overwater Motu Bungalows 49x (Sep 2012)

Pic: InterContinental Tahiti – Terrace View Overwater Motu Bungalows 49x

Pic: Bart Lapers and the Ottenbourg Family at Papeete Roulottes (Sep 2012)
On Saturday night (the day of my arrival), the Ottenbourg family (Belgians living in Papeete) invited me for dinner at the outdoor Papeete Roulottes. We ate a local delicacy called Tartare de Thon Rouge (raw tuna) at La Roulotte Vaiete. I also bumped into fellow American travel bloggers Daraius & Emily of MillionMilesSecrets.com It’s a small World!
Pic: Bart Lapers at Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia (Sep 2012)
On Sunday, I visited Salon du Tourisme, a tourism fair for French Polynesia followed by a complete tour of the Tahiti island including a stop at the World famous surf spot Teahupoo (video). A big thank you goes out to the Ottenbourg family for their great hospitality! Video: Tahiti – Ocean Voyage – French Polynesia

→ 8 Comments

Posted in destinations, Hotels

Tagged Airport, breakfast, bungalow, french polynesia, hotel, intercontinental, junior suite, papeete, pictures, review, room, Roulottes, tahiti, Teahupoo, trip report

Weekend in Hamburg (Germany)

Posted on July 11, 2012 | 4 Comments

Pic: Giant spider at Hamburger Kunsthalle und Galerie Der Gegenwart

Pic: Bratwurst at Rathausmarkt Hamburg (Jun 2012)
Hamburg, my 7th Brussels Airlines Flyday destination this year. You might wonder why I take so many trips using this €99 promo. It’s simply the cheapest way to earn status miles with Miles and More. Each Flyday trip earns me 3126 status miles (including 25% executive bonus). This is by far the best offer available for Miles and More members to earn the maximum number of status miles per € spent. Earning these status miles is important to achieve (or maintain) elite status. Miles and More has three elite statuses: Frequent Traveller (35K status miles) Senator (100K status miles) and HON Circle Member (600K status miles in 2 years) All three statuses come with a number of privileges. My current Miles and More status is Senator and is valid until Feb 2014. To extend my status with two years, I need to earn again 100K status miles in one year (in 2012 or 2013). Right now I’m at 59K status miles of which 22K were earned with SN Flyday trips, 30K with a LH business class flight to Seoul (ICN) and 6K with a SN New York (JFK) trip in economy class. I want to re-qualify for Senator status this year, as Lufthansa (owner of Miles and More) made it much more challenging to earn status miles with cheap business class tickets as of April 1, 2012. The Seoul flight which I took in February of this year was only €1111 and earned me 30K status miles (200% of flown miles). With the new Lufthansa ‘enhancements‘ cheap business class flights now only earn 150% status miles (Z booking class) or 100% status miles for promo business class flights (P booking class). That same BRU-ICN return trip would now only earn me 15K status miles. With 41K status miles still to earn this year, I’ll need to take another 13 weekend trips if I want to re-qualify solely on Flyday trips!

Pic: InterContinental Hamburg exterior (Jun 2012)

Pic: King Bed Executive room 301 at Intercontinental Hamburg (Jun 2012)

Pic: Intercontinental Hamburg – Ambassador Welcome Amenity (Jun 2012)
Contrary to my hotel successes on previous weekend trips, InterContinental Hamburg was a miss. Originally, I had booked one night at Radisson Blu Hamburg on Club Carlson points and one paid night at InterContinental Hamburg using the 35% off rate at Greenroom.co.uk After I had learned my PriorityClub status level was upgraded to InterContinental Royal Ambassador again (thanks to a generous blog reader and twitter follower), I had cancelled my Radisson Blu Hamburg reservation and added a second night using the 35% off rate. With €194 for 2 nights I had significantly exceeded my €100 hotel budget for weekend trips, but expected extra value as renewed InterContinental Royal Ambassador (my previous RA status expired in January). Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. My 2-level upgrade (a RA benefit) was a non-bookable King Executive room with dated furniture and tiny bathroom. It really angers me when hotels try to circumvent loyalty program privileges, in this case by creating fictional room categories to avoid the need for upgrading Royal Ambassadors to Junior Suites. The only real RA benefits provided were complimentary internet and minibar. Again, also with the minibar the hotel cheated by removing any hard liquor and only provided cheap soft drinks and beer. The hotel was also lacking a Club lounge and charged €26 for breakfast, a ridiculous charge which made me eat all cereal bars from the complimentary minibar instead. One would start to think his Hilton HHonors Gold status has more value than the InterContinental Royal Ambassador status. (HHonors Gold status comes with complimentary breakfast for 2, room upgrade, free internet and at some properties even with Executive Floor Lounge Access)

Pic:IC Hamburg – Complimentary Minibar for Royal Ambassadors (Jun 2012)

Pic: Rowing at Aubenalster lake near InterConinental Hamburg (Jun 2012)

Pic: Elbe Philharmonic Hall at Hafencity Hamburg (Jun 2012)

→ 4 Comments

Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged brussels airlines, flyday, germany, hamburg, hotel, intercontinental, pictures, review, royal ambassador

Sky View room at IC New York Times Square

Posted on June 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

Pic: InterContinental New York Times Square entrance (Jun 2012)

Pic: InterContinental New York Times Square building (Jun 2012)
My two night weekend stay in Manhattan was the ideal opportunity to burn an InterContinental “Free weekend night” voucher. Every time you renew your InterContinental Ambassador status, you receive a complimentary weekend night voucher. It’s valid for weekend stays at all IC hotels worldwide and uses the BOGO (Buy One, Get One) principle: you pay for the first night, the second night is free. If you’re staying more than once a year at InterContinental hotels, I can highly recommend the Ambassador program. The initial membership fee is $200 for the first year, $150 for every renewal. It comes with some great perks:
• Guaranteed room upgrade
• Guaranteed late check-out (4 pm)
• Free movie – One complimentary Pay-TV film per stay
• Fresh fruit and mineral water – in your room upon arrival
• Guaranteed room availability with 24-hour advance reservation
• Complimentary newspaper each morning
• Complimentary use of health club facilities (fitness gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi etc most hotels)
• Welcome gift upon arrival (often something reflecting the local culture at participating Hotels)
• Complimentary weekend night voucher

Pic: King Bed Sky View room at IC New York Times Square (Jun 2012)

Pic: King Bed Sky View room at IC New York Times Square (Jun 2012)
Using the complimentary weekend night voucher, I paid $347 for two nights (vs $693 regular rate) at InterContinental New York Times Square. Yes, hotels in Manhattan are expensive! My Deluxe room booking was upgrade to a Sky View room on the 35th floor offering me amazing views of the city.
Pic: Ambassador welcome amenity at IC Times Square NYC (Jun 2012)

Pic: Bathroom amenities at InterContinental Times Square (Jun 2012)

Pic: In-Room Dining Breakfast at InterContinental Times Square NYC

Pic: Sky View at InterContinental Times Square New York (Jun 2012)

Pic: Sky View at InterContinental Times Square New York (Jun 2012)