Month: September 2017

SHARQ VILLAGE RESORT AND SPA, RITZ-CARLTON, DOHA, QATAR

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On my arrival at the Sharq Village & Spa resort, I was escorted directly to my room where the check-in procedure was completed efficiently. I was assigned a room in Villa 8 overlooking the main pool with good views over the resort which reminded me very much of a Morrocan village. The buildings were low rise and in oriental style, white and very different from typical big-city resorts. Everything was very clean and the resort grounds had beautifully manicured gardens.

The Sharq Village & Spa resort offers 2 swimming pools, a jacuzzi and 300 metres of private beach frontage.  The beach is taken care of by  an enthusiastic and helpful beach attendant. He keeps the beach impeccably clean at all times, ensures that guests always have enough towels and offers plenty of free ice-cold water to his guests. The main pool area has some waterfalls and a swim-up bar which is quite popular all day long. The staff at the pool are very attentive and  ensure that everyone feels always at ease, being with an excellent service, a chat or just checking back from time to time to see if everything is all right.

The room was spacious in oriental style with a large bathroom with bathtub, a rain shower and a toilet. The room also had a Nespresso coffee machine, a kettle for tea and plenty of drinking water. The bed was very comfy and the room lighting system was flexible. There was a working desk (with a multi-type electric power plug, which I greatly appreciated) and a nice balcony.

The hotel offers several food outlets including an award winning Persian restaurant, a shisha bar and a cigar lounge. All the food outlets I tried were  excellent. The food choice available was plentiful, everything tasted  delicious, and the service was attentive and friendly.

The resort has a fantastic Six Senses Spa which offers luxury spa treatments including massages and Turkish bath (hammam). A large gym is also available on site.

This hotel offers all that a resort style property needs to offer. Spacious rooms, nice swimming pools and a private beach. All the staff members that I met were warm, charming and attentive. They strive to make the guest feel at home and they do this with great success. I would recommend this hotel for a vacation style stay as well as for business people since the airport and downtown Doha are both not far away and easily reachable.

 

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http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/qatar/sharq-village

AIR FRANCE

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I checked-in online and went directly to the gate where I arrived 20 min before departure. The boarding was taking place by bus as the airplane had an overnight stay in Zurich.

The Airbus 318 is the smallest of the Airbus family and was well designed with black seats and red headrests. The meal service comprised  breakfast served on chinaware and included orange juice and a coffee in a mug. The senior flight attendant was polite and friendly and made this short flight a  positive experience. (There was a short delay on the flight and many pax inquired about their connecting flights). Some of the onward departure gates were announced by the chef de cabine – I thought this was a good service offering.

We arrived at CDG Terminal 2F with long walkways to the terminal exit. But if you follow the signs it’s fairly easy. Verdict:  Solid product, short and pleasant flight in a clean airplane with a professional crew.

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https://www.airfrance.com/

CROWN PLAZA HOTEL, PARIS CDG AIRPORT, FRANCE

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The former Relais Spa Hotel at Paris CDG Airport is now managed by Crown Plaza. It is a large hotel which caters for the crews of several Asian airlines. The rooms are a good size with a small kitchenette  including a microwave oven for warming food or drinks.

The hotel features all the normal amenities  that you would expect. There is a bar and a restaurant which never seem to be busy.  I had a meal at the restaurant and it was good and service was well done. There is a large Spa which has a sauna, massages and a heated indoor swimming pool. Computer stations are also available as well as free wifi. The area around the hotelcomprises other hotels and not much else. There has been a terrible robbery attack to a tourist group with gas sprays outside on the public street and they were all robbed. So better be careful.

Unfortunately, under the new hotel management, the hotel shuttle bus now stops at CDG Terminal 2 only and no longer stops at Terminal 1 and the Roissypole RER train station. In my view, this is a major oversight as Terminal 1 is served by many airlines, including all Star Alliance airlines, and the Roissypole RER train station is the gateway to downtown Paris and the Paris Metro system. Passengers travelling to Terminal 1, or the Roissypole RER train station, now need to take a taxi directly from the hotel, or travel via Terminal 2 and use CDG’s free CDGVAL train system. Both options are inefficient, as compared to direct transportation via hotel shuttle bus. The taxi option is an added expense and can be an uncomfortable experience as taxi drivers do not like the short trip to/from CDG airport.  I believe that management should address this oversight as soon as possible and update the hotel’s website with details of the shuttle bus arrangements.  UBER is another option. I used it and it was easy and cheaper than regular taxis.

Verdict: One of the many options at CDG, certainly not the highest standard but acceptable for 1 night.

 

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https://www.ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/roissy-en-france/parca/hoteldetail