MALAYSIA AIRLINES

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Malaysia Airlines, Kuala Lumpur-Langkawi-Kuala Lumpur,

Business Class, B737-800, Confirguration : 16/144

 

Check-in at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was disgraceful. There was a separate check-in area for premium customers but there were only 2 counters open and they were dealing with passengers having oversized baggage and other complicated matters. There was no line for quick bag drop so the only choice was to wait. After check-in, I quickly proceeded through security.

I was informed that the Golden Lounge was under renovation and that a temporary lounge had been set up. This was located at a regular boarding gate waiting area and some plants had been put to give it a little privacy. There was a minimal choice of drinks and a few food snacks such as cakes and cup noodle soups were available. Boarding passes were checked at the entrance of the “Lounge” but staff members could not provide accurate information about flight departures. We were sent to the gate about 20 min before scheduled flight departure time, only to discover that the aircraft had not even landed. Boarding took place about 45 min later. The airline provided no proper information about the delay. No reason or explanation was given.

The flight was a pleasant experience. Business Class consisted of a 2-2 configuration with 16 seats whilst Economy Class had 144 seats in 3-3 configuration. The flight attendants were friendly and offered a choice of chicken sandwich or a local hot dish on this flight. This seemed reasonable, given the relatively short flight time of 50 minutes.

Baggage delivery at Langkawi airport was extremely fast as we were the only aircraft on the ground. The passenger terminal was accessed via a short walk from the aircraft as there are no aerobridges available at this small regional airport.

Verdict: Like many other airlines, Malaysian Airlines seems to struggle with their ground services while their inflight product and crews are pleasant.

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https://www.malaysiaairlines.com

THE RITZ-CARLTON, LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA

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I arrived at the Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi a few days after their official opening. Although there were some teething problems which were to be expected, I had a very pleasant stay. I stayed in a Rainforest Deluxe Room which was a generous 75 sq. metres in size, with a living area, a balcony and an oversized bathroom. The decoration is tasteful and fits well in a remote jungle setting.

Upon arrival, I was checked-in at the arrival lounge and then taken by electric buggy to the Dahlia building which hosted 9 suites.

The hotel offers 3 food and beverage outlets. The high-end Chinese restaurant Hai Yan; the Langkawi Kitchen serving Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine; and the Beach Grill serving western and eastern dishes, mainly seafood. The menu choices at the Beach Grill were quite limited and comfort food (beach resort favourites) such as club sandwiches or spaghetti dishes etc. was unfortunately missing. However, all the food that I tasted at the resort was delicious.

The hotel had a nice private, clean, sandy beach with plenty of lounge chairs, all of which were unfortunately not equipped with sun umbrellas yet.The pool is beautifully situated overlooking the beach and the bay.

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi opened during early October 2017 and all the staff members that I met were eager to please, charming and helpful.

The resort is set in an emerald jungle and its design is inspired by a Malay fishing village. The contemporary Ritz-Carlton SPA is offering various treatments in private settings which are shaped like local Bubu fish traps.

The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi offers luxury accommodation and the renowned Ritz-Carlton service. It’s a beautiful place in the Malaysian rainforest.

 

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http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/malaysia/langkawi#Hotel

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

DUSIT THANI, ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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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/

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ETIHAD AIRWAYS

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Zurich-Abu Dhabi-Zurich, B787-9 Dreamliner, Configuration: 8/28/195

second review on Etihad, please also see my first review under the tab “Airline reviews” 

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I flew on the new Etihad Airways Dreamliner out of Zurich on a midday flight. The business class seating configuration is 1-2-1 with some seats facing forward and some seats facing backwards.

I was seated in 5C which was the first row but facing backwards. The seat was a large size full flat business class seat which offered different lights (reading, moodlight and decolight). The seat was comfortable and offered enough stowing space. The well-known windows of the Dreamliner are a real highlight featuring the automatic shades which allow for different levels of natural light during daylight flights. The headsets are not particularly comfortable and are connected to the seat with a small magnetic plug which can accidentally disconnect  whenever moving or shifting. I did not like it.

The inflight service consists  of a dine anytime concept where you order your food from the menu and decide on the time that you like to eat. I tried the soup and a main dish (radicchio risotto) as well as a dessert and then some ice cream and fruits before landing.

The cabin crew on the outbound flight was correct but not very charming or friendly. Different picture on the inbound flight where the crew was attentive and charming at all times.

Abu Dhabi Airport is still under construction and does not have enough gates with aerobridges. I would guess that about 50 % of all flights are still operated by bus gates.  This can be very time consuming and uncomfortable in Abu Dhabi’s hot and humid climate.

Verdict: Hardware from check-in to airplanes are solid, inflight service depends a lot on the crews. Abu Dhabi Airport needs a lot of improvement.

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 www.etihad.com

 

THE STRAND, YANGON, MYANMAR

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IMG_5110The 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.

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http://hotelthestrand.com