As the year end break is still another 3 months away, I decided to give the kids a break by doing a short getaway to Legoland during the school holiday. I was contemplating between Legoland Resort vs. Hotel Jen. Guess which hotel got my vote?
As the year end break is still another 3 months away, I decided to give the kids a break by doing a short getaway to Legoland during the school holiday. I was contemplating between Legoland Resort vs. Hotel Jen. Guess which hotel got my vote?
After a disappointing stay I had in 2016, I blacklisted the Berjaya Group of hotels from my list. Not only was Berjaya not able to live up to what it promised, they completely screwed up my dinner booking which I made for my staff (as part of my company retreat). After a negative feedback, they reached out requesting that I give them another chance and so here I am.
This hotel is operated under the same chain as Royal Park Hotel The Shiodome. The hotel is conveniently connected to Haneda International Airport (but on the extreme end) hence there is no need to wait for a shuttle bus (unlike that in LAX).
The hotel is situated at the departure level but one must walk about 5 to 10 minutes from the subway station. Given the hotel layout, expect more walking as the hotel has a very long corridor (try getting a room nearer to elevator). The corridor however is wide enough to accommodate the luggage trolley, hence there is no worry about lugging your luggage.
This hotel / ryokan was booked as part of my 2D/1N Mount Fuji and Hakone tour. I had initially wanted to book another ryokan which is only 3 minute walk from Yumoto station but alas, I was too late. Yoshino is about 10 minute from Yumoto station which is alright if you are traveling light. Put in 2 -3 luggage coupled with narrow roads and rain, getting there can be a challenge. Fortunately, there is a regular shuttle to the hotel that cost 100 Yen per person. However, it only operate 2 trips per hour. Getting all your luggage onto the crowded bus can be a challenge as well!
Tokyo hotels are famous for their minute sized room (unless you pay good dollar for top rated hotels) and Royal Park Shiodome is of no exception. I made this booking via Expedia (and shopback) as the Citibank Expedia promotion has ended. I got the room during the promotion period, hence it cost about SGD $305 per night (excluding cash back, but including tax and breakfast).
After the highlight which was Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, it was time to leave Canada. Our next stop was Tokyo but unfortunately the flight out of LAX is pretty early at 10am. Hence, a night’s stay in LAX cannot be avoided. One thing I dislike about airports in USA is that there are no hotels connected to the airport. This make transit in USA rather tedious as one has to take another transport from the airport to the hotel.
This is probably the highlight of our 2017 trip. As the travel period was in peak season, I paid CAD $999 (before tax) per night for my Fairmont Gold room! If I were to travel a month before, the room is as low as CAD $599 (before tax). How big difference a month made! I was deciding if I should go for the Fairmont Gold room, in the end I decided to take the plunge. What benefits will Fairmont Gold get u with the additional CAD $200?
For those planning to stay here, do book in advance. Your chances of getting a room via 3rd party booking website (e.g. Expedia) for bonus miles earning may be low.
Banff which is situated about 2 hours away from Calgary is a small town within Banff National Park. It is a small town with most of the hotels and lodges situated along the main street which is Banff Avenue. Banff Aspen Lodge is one of these lodges. Like most hotels in Banff (with the exception of Banff Spring Hotel), it is a low rise building (4 storeys, including basement). As it is situated near the town centre, it is within walking distance to many restaurants and an IGA supermarket is nearby along Elk Street. Further down Banff Avenue, you will reach the central park. The Bow River Trail and the Bow Falls Trail are situated on either side of the banks of Bow River.
Not to be confused with the luxurious St. Regis Hotels (which is part of Starwood chain), this is a standalone boutique hotel in Downtown Vancouver. The main draw for this hotel is the location. It is just next to the Granville station and just a stone throw away, Canada Place station (metro line to Vancouver International Airport and Glen-MacArthur outlet mall). There are also many bus stops nearby (you have a few direct buses to Granville Market from Granville Street). The hotel has many eateries nearby and also Canada Place, Robson Street and Chinatown are all within walking distance. There is a big Nordstorm nearby and many other shopping centres too.
After completing my reviews of my flights, it is time to write on the hotels. The first will be Delta Hotels by Marriott which is situated in Downtown Montreal. Delta Hotels is a Canada-based hotel chain founded in 1962. It was taken over by Marriott since 2015 and hence you can get Marriott points for your stay in Delta. This hotel is conveniently situated between 2 metro (Place des Arts and McGill) giving you access to various parts of Montreal. It is also within reasonable walking distance to the Latin Quarter, Chinatown and even Mount Royal Park. As for eateries (and shopping complex), Complexe Desjardins and Eaton Centre are nearby. A short walk down will bring you to Rue Peel, which is where the tourism office is situated in (you can get your Montreal Passport here, and many day trip agencies are located here too).
That Time Of The Year! 