Club Lounge

I arrived at the Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi in the evening and was escorted directly to the club lounge for check-in. The Thai staff on duty made a great impression and made me feel at home instantly. I booked a junior suite which was generous in size with a separate living room, a bed room and a large bathroom. There were floor-to-ceiling windows which offered a fantastic view over Abu Dhabi. The room was equipped with 2 flat screen TV’s, a Nespresso coffee maker, a tea kettle and a well-stocked minibar. The bed was nice and comfy and service from housekeeping staff was very attentive and friendly.

The Dusit Club Lounge was the true highlight of the stay. There were multiple food presentations, including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea/coffee and a happy hour with a generous food buffet.

The service at the Club Lounge was impeccable and could not be faulted. ,The staff members were charming, sociable and helpful. The lounge is open from 6 am to 11 pm every day. I really appreciated the late closing time as many flights from the Middle East depart around/or after midnight. Nice to wait in comfort of the lounge rather than in the congested airport.

The Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi is located in a business district, away from the beaches. There is the Orchid Bar, the Urban Tavern Restaurant and the famous Benjarong Thai Restaurant.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi. The hotel is nicely decorated, has a swimming pool as well as the Namm Spa.  All staff members that I met were charming and professional.

 

 

https://www.dusit.com/dusitthani/abudhabi/

 

The Victorian-Style Strand Hotel opened in 1901. The hotel faces the Yangon River to its south and is one of the most famous hotels in Yangon and South East Asia. The hotel is named after its address, at 92 Strand Road.

The Strand reopened in 2016 following an extensive renovation.  The hotel is now an all-suite, top-of-the range, boutique hotel. With teak and marble floors, mahogany furniture everything looks very fine and traditional.

I stayed in a deluxe suite which was 60-65 sq. metres with a spacious sitting room, a work desk, and a large bedroom. The bathroom contained  a double basin and deep soak bathtub with a separate shower.

The hotel has a 24-hour butler service available which can take care of literally anything. Frequent coffee and tea services as well as refreshing beverages are provided during the day.

There are 2 restaurants at The Strand. The Strand Café which is open all day and serves breakfast as well. The breakfast is an all à-la-carte menu where everything can be ordered from a special breakfast menu card. The Strand fine-dining restaurant was closed during my stay. The Strand bar is a nice place to meet with people for a quiet chat during the day and is busy with see-and-to-be seen people during evenings and nights.

The Strand’s staff were very professional, polite and eager to help and to please the hotel guests. It seemed that every wish could be fulfilled and I felt very much at home at the Strand.

Several big Asian and international hotel chains will open new hotel properties in Yangon soon but I think The Strand is very well prepared to face this new competition and stay a top-notch hotel in the Yangon market which will remain a first choice for many guests.

http://hotelthestrand.com

The Legend Chiang Rai is a contemporary Thai Lanna style resort located on the Mae Kok River in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand. The resort is secluded from central Chiang Rai, yet is only a few minutes drive from the city centre. The grand architecture of The Legend Chiang Rai gives the feeling of a quiet tranquil resort hotel where time seems to stand still. The property has a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and mountains. The riverside location is rich with large rainforest trees and lush tropical vegetation. Facilities and services are offered with Thai charm and hospitality. The Legend is also the only hotel in Chiang Rai which offers large-size pool villas (1 or 2 bedroom villas are available).

I stayed in a 2 bedroom pool villa during off-season. Shortly before my stay I received an e-mail regarding planned construction work going on in the near vicinity of the pool villa. When checking back with the management they assured me that there would be no noise and ongoing work during my stay. They kept up to the promise and work was disrupted. I found that to be a good solution and was very happy about it.

The pool villa was quite large, with 2 full size bedrooms and 2 oversized bathrooms. Even though this is an older resort everything is very well maintained. The pool was cleaned daily and the gardens were kept clean and well manicured. There was a large main pool as well and a small gym was available. Breakfast was served daily at the al-fresco dining restaurant with river view and the choice was adequate. I also had room service twice and one dinner at Wine Casa. All the food was delicious.

The Legend Chiang Rai is Thai-owned and operated and I found all staff members were professional and friendly. The front office staff as well as the GM interacted nicely with the guests and I felt at home and comfortable at all times. Little problems such as electric glitches with the door operating system were solved quickly and efficiently.

In my opinion, the Legend Chiang Rai is a very good choice to stay in the city centre and offers a tranquil and restful place to relax and unwind.

https://www.thelegend-chiangrai.com

 

 

The Blue Bar

The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan (New York). The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark.

The 181-room hotel, opened in 1902, was designed by architect Goldwin Starret. It was originally conceived as a residential hotel but was quickly converted to a traditional lodging establishment. Its first owner-manager, Frank Case (who bought the hotel in 1927), established many of the hotel’s traditions. Perhaps its best-known tradition is hosting literary and theatrical notables, most prominently the members of the Algonquin Round Table.

Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan on 44th Street, the hotel is close to the bustling Times Square and Fifth Avenue precincts.

Check in time is 4pm so the room was not ready after my arrival from Europe. I used this as an opportunity to explore the hotel’s Blue Bar and enjoying a $7 Coke.

The room was average in size for a typical New York hotel. The bathroom however was bigger than expected. The bed was comfortable to sleep in.

There was no minibar or coffee maker in the room; nor did the hotel have a room service offering. I found this below standard for a hotel of the Marriott’s Autograph collection category. Turn-down service was also available on request only. (No information given at check-in)

There was a broken lift (of total 2 lifts available) which lead to long waiting times and lots of people using the small stairs. This caused disturbance from early morning to late night.

Staff were doing their job without making a big effort of being charming or welcoming.

If not for the history and the location I would not recommend this hotel. The choice of hotels in Manhattan is nearly unlimited and there are certainly plenty of other options.

 

http://www.algonquinhotel.com/

Hotel and Restaurant views:

my Junior Suite:

Suites:

 

The Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof is a luxurious five-star hotel, ideally located in the heart of central Frankfurt. This hotel features the finest of modern amenities and opulent comforts including a Michelin-star restaurant, a modern spa and magnificent panoramic views.

Easily accessible, the hotel is located in close proximity to many of the region’s most renowned attractions and is located a mere 10 minutes walk from Frankfurt’s main train station.

Check-in was fast and easy. I had pre-booked a junior suite but was allocated a large room type which did not correspond to the pictures on the hotel’s website. I queried this and was assigned another suite. No explanation was given on the different room types. This time I was given the nice suite that I booked on the 5th floor with a great view including 2 small balconies.

The suite was recently renovated and very stylish. There was a lounge area, a bar area with minibar, Nespresso maker and a tea station. A large wardrobe was available with an option of overnight shoe shining service which I used and was well done.

The bathroom was large with a bathtub, an oversized shower and a separate toilet. The rain shower had an option with fancy changing light in many colours. I found this a little strange and I’m not sure if many people really use or like this feature.

What I really loved about the room were the electric power outlets conveniently located just next to the bed. Many hotel rooms these days still lack electric plugs at convenient locations. Great job here, including the different types of outlets.

The restaurant Oscar’s offers a nice food choice including a legendary Wiener Schnitzel which was truly excellent. There is the Michelin Star French restaurant and a great bar which is stylish, discreet and offers a nice lemonade created by the Chef de Bar which has been working there for decades. This special lemonade is now even available in bottles and available in the minibar and for purchase at the hotel.

The staff at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof are formal, a bit reserved and not overly welcoming.

One little letdown was that I accidentally left my phone charger in my room and was not notified by the hotel. I would have expected a short e-mail with the information that I left something in the room. When I sent an e-mail to inquire I was informed that nothing had been found. When I was in Frankfurt a week later, I checked personally at the hotel and surprisingly my charger had been found and it was returned. Maybe the hotel’s lost-and-found procedures should be re-evaluated.

https://www.steigenberger.com/en/hotels/all-hotels/germany/frankfurt/steigenberger-frankfurter-hof?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=sea&utm_campaign=frankfurt_frankfurter_hof&utm_content=shr

Photos that I have taken inside the hotel:

Various room types and views :

Departure from Nice Airport:

 

The Hotel Negresco is located on the Promenade des Anglais on the Baie des Anges in Nice, France, and is home of the restaurant Le Chantecler. The hotel was named after Henri Negresco (1868–1920), who had the palatial hotel constructed in 1912. In keeping with the conventions of the times, when the Negresco opened in 1913, its front opened on the side opposite the Mediterranean sea.

The Negresco Hotel Nice is like a lively, colourful, historic and traditional museum. There are art objects from many decades, such as chandeliers, paintings and furniture. Every floor and wing has a different decorative theme, including themes such as Napoleon, Dali and Picasso.

I had a large size suite with a big bathroom equipped with a separate old-style bathtub, a large shower, and a separate toilet. Each room is different so be sure to check the hotel’s website which provides good information about the different sizes of the rooms and suites; and the decoration style. Unfortunately, the hotel’s website offered no information about the ongoing renovation work at the time of booking.

There are so many things to see in this hotel that you will need to take some time to explore everything. You can feel the history everywhere. The hotel is privately owned and the owner lives onsite. The bar is beautifully decorated and is a fantastic place for a drink. There is a relaxing zone upstairs if you enjoy reading, or a more lively scene downstairs which offers a good opportunity to meet people and to see and to be seen.

The hotel has two restaurants. Le Chantecler has two stars in the Guide Michelin and 15/20 in Gault Millau. The second restaurant is Brasserie La Rotonde.

The only downside was that the hotel has a door policy which is unfortunately not well enforced. There is a sign saying that only hotel patrons are allowed on the premises but I saw many people walking around who were not hotel patrons. Also my check-out process was a disappointment. There were 2 elderly couples checking out in front of me who needed a lot of attention and with only 1 staff available this process was time consuming. I felt that the staff member should have asked for help. I am sure there would have been more front desk staff available as it was check-out time 12noon. My credit card was then charged incorrectly and had to be credited back which took more time. I found this check-out experience unprofessional and annoying.

Conclusion: If you have a lot of time and are looking for an exclusive, old-style, historic hotel you will be very happy. The location is fantastic and there are plenty of things to do and to see in Nice and the Côte d’Azur.

http://www.hotel-negresco-nice.com/en/

 

 

 

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VIP Salon Azur Nice Airport

This lounge is used as a VIP and business class lounge by various airlines which depart from Terminal 1. Cold ambience with almost no fresh food on offer (mostly packaged items), a standard drink choice and a rather poor selection of reading material. Mediocre experience.

 

The Grand Hyatt Cannes Hôtel Martinez is a famous Art Deco style Grand Hotel on the Croisette at Cannes. It was opened on 20 February 1929 by its founder-owner Emmanuel Michele Martinez.

Situated in a prime location on the exclusive Boulevard de la Croisette, overlooking the Bay of Cannes and the Mediterranean Sea, the luxury 5 star Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez benefits from Cannes’ status as France’s second most important city for business tourism and is one of the prime destinations for exhibitions and conventions.

Providing authentic hospitality, the hotel’s long and rich history, culture and timeless architectural beauty has long established itself as the flagship luxury hotel on the Cannes Riviera. Today, its timeless beauty, elegance and sophistication continue to ensure it is one of the top European luxury hotels.

I chose to visit during January as I wanted to explore the French Riviera during Winter. The temperatures were low but I was very lucky to have good weather with clear blue skies. The ambiance of the hotel is peaceful and relaxed.

I had a wonderful experience at the Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez. The welcome was very warm and friendly and I felt at ease from the first second.

I had a magnificent deluxe room with a splendid view. The hotel is very luxurious and stylish. The bathroom was large with an XXL shower which I found fabulous. Everything was beautifully decorated and tasteful.

The hotel features a great SPA, a gym and two restaurants including the only 2-Michelin star restaurant in Cannes.

The staff were extremely charming and always helpful. I had a delightful stay and can strongly recommend this gorgeous hotel if you are visiting Cannes.

https://cannesmartinez.grand.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html