Tag Archives: review

DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Posted on March 23, 2013 | 8 Comments

Tagged DoubleTree, hhonors, hilton, hotel, Kuala Lumpur, pictures, review

Park Hyatt Sydney

Posted on March 17, 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: Enjoying the rooftop Pool & Spa at Park Hyatt Sydney (Jan 2013)
The 15h long layover between my Singapore Airlines First Class flight and my Air New Zealand Business Class flight to Auckland, allowed me to experience the amazing Park Hyatt Sydney. Located at The Rocks, right next to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, offering stunning views on the Sydney Opera House, rooms don’t come cheap at Park Hyatt Sydney. For my stay on Saturday Jan 12, the best available rate was AUD820 (€654, $853). Luckily, there was a cheaper alternative: Hyatt Stay Certificates. Until a few weeks ago, it was possible to redeem Inspire certificates ($319) at Park Hyatt Sydney. Unfortunately, Hyatt introduced new certificate levels in January and now an Ultimate certificate ($461) is required for night at the Park Hyatt Sydney. It might still make sense to use Ultimate certificates at Park Hyatt Sydney, but redeeming 22K Hyatt Gold Passport points looks to be a better choice. Using an Inspire certificate which was $319 + $25 shipping, I paid $344 (€272) instead of the best available rate of $853 (€654).
Pic: Breakfast with Opera House view at Park Hyatt Sydney (Jan 2013)
Upon arrival at Sydney airport, Aron, an Australian friend who I hadn’t seen since 2004, drove me to the Park Hyatt. At check-in my room was upgrade from a City Harbour King to an Opera King. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to make pictures of the room, as Aron and his friends insisted to show me Sydney nightlife until early in the morning. From the numerous bars we visited, Palmer & Co was my favorite. As I only returned to the Park Hyatt around 6am, I didn’t get to use my room much, except for a refreshing shower. At least I got to enjoy the Australian sunrise from the Park Hyatt rooftop Spa & Pool with view on the Opera House, followed by a delicious complimentary breakfast as per Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond benefits. Before heading to the airport for my 12pm flight to Auckland, Aron showed me some of the parks surrounding the Sydney harbour. Thanks again for the great hospitality Aron & friends! Hope to be back soon! Bart-Lapers-at-Sydney-Harbour-Bridge
Pic: Bart Lapers at Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge (Jan 2013)

Pic: View from my Opera King room 241 at Park Hyatt Sydney (Jan 2013)

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Posted in Hotels, trip reports

Tagged australia, certificate, harbour bridge, hotel, hyatt, opera house, park hyatt, pictures, pool, review, rooftop, spa, sydney

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)

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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

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Posted in destinations, Hotels, trip reports

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

St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

Posted on December 16, 2012 | 7 Comments

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Posted in destinations, Hotels, trip reports

Tagged bora bora, food, french polynesia, hotel, overwater, pictures, resorts, review, st. regis, villa

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