Bart Lapers
Visiting Every Country In The World
Welcome Studio Brussel travel fans!
A quick post to welcome my new blog readers after my ‘last-minute’ talk at Sound of Sam on Studio Brussel (Belgian radio station). Returned from an extended weekend trip to the Portugese Algarve this afternoon. At Brussels Airport, I got a call from Studio Brussel asking me if I could talk a bit about my extensive traveling and provide some travel advice to their listeners. Didn’t have much time to prepare myself, two hours later I was live on the air. A lot of people are now asking for a list of practical tips and tricks to book their next cheap luxury vacation. Unfortunately, there’s no easy one click solution to cheap luxury hotels and flights. You’ll need to invest some time to understand the ‘system’ to get the best deals for your specific needs. If it would take no effort, everyone would apply the ‘tricks’ and hotels and airlines would immediately anticipate and make it much harder to book their flights and rooms at low prices. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll post some more practical guidance on how to book flights and hotels. For those who can’t wait, here are some links to site which can help you book great deals:
Flights:
http://kayak.com
http://skyscanner.net
http://bravofly.com
http://qfly.nl
http://bruxx.be
Hotels:
http://hotelscombined.com
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/loyaltytraveler/
Learn the ‘tricks’:
http://flyertalk.com
http://milepoint.com
http://frequentflyerbonuses.com/
Club View King room at Grand Hyatt Seoul
Pic: River view from “Club View King” room at Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
Pic: King Bed Club room at Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
Pic: Seating area and work desk Club room Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
After my excellent stay at Park Hyatt Seoul last year, I had to try Grand Hyatt Seoul this time. The night before my stay I was resting my head at IP Boutique Hotel (Itaewon). Google maps indicated a 400 meter distance between IP Boutique and Grand Hyatt, so I decided to walk. Turned out to be a bad idea. GH Seoul is located on Namsan (lit. “South Mountain”) which means it’s a 400m steep uphill walk. To make things worse, the hotel’s entrance faces uphill, so you encounter the back of the hotel first. What an embarrassing hotel arrival, carrying my suitcase through the garden looking for an entrance. I finally managed to get in via the Spa/Gym floor garden entrance. Arriving from the opposite direction at the front desk, staff were surprised I wanted to check-in, not check-out. After showing my Gold Passport Diamond card, I was guided to the Club floor for check-in formalities. My standard room (booked using Gold Passport points: category 4 hotel, 30K points for 2 nights) was upgraded to a Club View King room (1558, 28-sq. m) offering panoramic views of the city and Han River. I was also informed about the free shuttle service which runs daily from 10am until 9pm as follows: Hyatt :00 -> Itaewon :05 (In front of KFC) -> Hyatt :10 -> Myeondong Subway Station Exit4 :20 -> Hyatt :35
Pic: Gold Passport Diamond Welcome Amenity Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
Pic: Bathroom Club room Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
Pic: Nighttime view Club View King room Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
During the winter months, the outdoor pool is converted to an ice skating rink.
Pic: In room breakfast service at Grand Hyatt Seoul (Mar 2012)
Complimentary continental breakfast, evening drinks & Hors-d’oeuvre were served in style at the Grand Club on the 15th and 17th floor. On the morning of my arrival, I had late in room breakfast charged at KRW35000 (€24).
Honeymoon Suite at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City
Pic: Honeymoon Suite Bedroom at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City (Feb 2012)
Originally I had planned to stay at only one hotel in Seoul, the Grand Hyatt. But in the end, I added two more: Sheraton D Cube City and IP Boutique Hotel. Two days before my arrival in Seoul, I had booked a Deluxe room with breakfast at Sheraton D Cube City for 164,000 South Korean won (incl. Tax KRW180,400 = EUR122)
Pic: Honeymoon Suite Living room at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City (Feb 2012)
Airport limousine bus 6018 (KRW15000) dropped me off at the Entrance Foyer where I was greeted by name by a friendly front desk staff member. I had been in touch with General Manager David Cuddon prior to my stay, who apparently had briefed his staff about my visit. After being guided to The Sheraton Club lounge on the 38th floor, I was welcomed by Room Division Manager Nick Song. I was upgraded to a 72 m² ‘Honeymoon Suite’ on the 30th floor (3014) and provided with access to the Sheraton Club lounge which included complimentary internet access, evening cocktails and Canapes, DVD rental, etc…
Pic: Working desk of Honeymoon Suite (Feb 2012)
Pic: Honeymoon Suite Bathroom at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City (Feb 2012)
The suite was fabulous. Living room with TV connected to digital sound system, iPod docking, working desk, full minibar, fresh fruit platter on the table, etc… Bedroom with awesome design, daytime bed, big tv, separate restroom. Bathroom with huge oversized bathtub with amazing views over Seoul, walk-in shower with steambath functionality.
Pic: View from bathroom at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City (Feb 2012)
But what made my stay most enjoyable was the hotel staff. The enthusiastic and well trained staff made me feel very welcome at this new Sheraton property. While not in the same price category, the hotel delivered a service level which could compete with the Park Hyatt Seoul. Sheraton Seoul D Cube City will definitely end up in the top 5 of Seoul hotels on Tripadvisor!
Video: Honeymoon Suite at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City (Feb 2012)
Upcoming Lufthansa Business Class trip to Seoul
Pic: Brussels-Munich-Seoul-Munich-Frankfurt-Brussels in Lufthansa C Class
Pic: Bart and South Korean School kids in Seoul (May 2008)
Back in November, Lufthansa was running an incredible sale on Business Class flights. On 11-11-11, Business Class fares to several destinations (e.g. New York, Dubai, Singapore, Seoul,…) were only €1111. As I was enjoying the Plantation Bay Resort in Lapu Lapu (Philippines) on 11/11/11, I postponed booking my ticket to the evening, which was noon time in Germany. By then, the Singapore A380 business class seats were already sold out. As destinations like New York and Dubai only made half the status miles compared to Seoul, I booked the latter.
Pic: Miles and More Mileage Accrual for my Lufthansa Business Class flights
To maximize my mileage accrual, I added an extra leg MUC-FRA on my return instead of the direct MUC-BRU flight. The layover between ICN-MUC and MUC-FRA will only 35 minutes, so I’m not sure if I’m going to make it. The extra leg added €38, but should earn me 1500 status miles (+ Senator bonus) in exchange. My €1156 (includes €7,50 credit card fee) Lufthansa Business class round trip to Seoul (Feb 25 – Mar 4, booking Class Z) should earn me 30661 status miles.
For my first 5 nights in Seoul, I’ve booked a studio apartment in the Itaewon district. I used Airbnb, a rapid growing global network of accommodations offered by locals, to make the booking. It’s a cheap alternative to hotels, especially in big cities. The studio apartment was +- €30/night + a €15 Airbnb booking fee. With a €30 Airbnb coupon code I lowered the bill to €137 for five nights! Unfortunately, the €30 coupon code is no longer valid, but if you sign-up with my Airbnb referral link, you’ll get $25 credit for your first Airbnb stay. By the way, if you want to be up-to-date with all the latest travel coupon codes, discounts, error fares, promos and deals, make sure to follow me on twitter. For my last two nights in Seoul, I booked the Grand Hyatt using Gold Passport points. I’ll have a separate blog post on the Grand Hyatt Seoul after my stay.
Deluxe room InterContinental Madrid
Pic: Deluxe room at InterContinental Madrid (Jan 2012)
Early December, I received a disappointing downgrade letter from the InterContinental Ambassador service. As of February 2012, I would no longer be an InterContinental Royal Ambassador. With 30 paid nights in 2011, I did not qualify for extension of my RA membership. A pity my RA experiences in the past 8 months were limited to InterContinental Bangkok, InterContinental London Park Lane and InterContinental Coex Seoul (the latter being so disappointing I lacked enthusiasms to write blog post) Anyway, I’m very grateful to the twitter follower who offered me his Royal Ambassador Referral Certificate.
Pic: King bed at Deluxe room InterContinental Madrid (Jan 2012)
My last stay as Royal Ambassador was a weekend stay mid January at InterContinental Madrid. While the hotel interior didn’t match my taste and the upgrade was limited to a Deluxe room, I couldn’t complain as this was a €99 two-night stay thanks to IHG Best Price Guarantee!
Pic: Complimentary minibar (Royal Ambassadors) at IC Madrid (Jan 2012)
Pic: Free breakfast at Club Lounge InterContinental Madrid (Jan 2012)
I’m going to miss the Royal Ambassador perks: free internet, complimentary minibar, 8am early check-in, 2-level upgrade, club lounge access with complimentary breakfast, cocktails, etc… Fortunately IHG offers RA downgrades a soft landing to standard Ambassador membership for one year ($150 value)
Pic: Relax area at Club Lounge InterContinental Madrid (Jan 2012)
Pic: Cava and sweets at Club Lounge InterContinental Madrid (Jan 2012)
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