tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61521149613988708742024-03-13T08:24:40.632-07:00PurefectoPurefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.comBlogger443125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-3374902229394790782021-10-02T18:10:00.001-07:002021-10-02T18:10:47.713-07:00Most luxurious stay in town at Reykjavik <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGZy_ePcLVM/YVkBaPg2CiI/AAAAAAAACvc/4l4Jo2uzuLEoIXQ6FaDqnn8XnP8HcRzNACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Tower%2BSuites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZGZy_ePcLVM/YVkBaPg2CiI/AAAAAAAACvc/4l4Jo2uzuLEoIXQ6FaDqnn8XnP8HcRzNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Tower%2BSuites.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>There really isn't many luxurious options in Reykjavik and honestly it's not surprising since Iceland is known for its natural beauty out in the countryside than city life. With that said, 2/3 of the population in Iceland lives in Reykjavik so there must be something to the city that Icelanders appreciate. Indeed there are plenty of cultural things to do in the biggest city on this island. Tower Suite is a perfect respite in Reykjavik while you enjoy the city. Because it's on 20th floor, every room has fantastic view whether it be looking at the city or ocean. </p><p>For my three day stay at Reykjavik, I decided to stay at the Esja Corner Suite which I feel is the best suite in the hotel as it has ocean and city view. To start, the check in process was rather simple. Once you arrive at the hotel (it's actually an office building with hotel on its top floor), you are greeted by a front desk person. This person will check you in at your room and walk you around the facility available at the hotel. In all honesty, there isn't any facility really. Essentially next to the elevator lobby area on the 20th floor, there is a rather spacious living room where you can get coffee and snacks. Breakfast are served in the room or you can take it in at this living room. Personally I prefer in room breakfast. There is no gym or spa facility so don't even bother to look for one. The front desk person act as concierge for the hotel so any restaurant bookings or other activities can be booked through him/her. </p><p>Now onto the suite. I actually toured all the suites while I was there and concluded the best ones are Akrafjall Corner Suite and Esja Corner Suite as both have water view. While Akrafjall Suite also has a view of the top Reykjavik iconic sites: Hallgrimskirkja church and Harpan Concert Hall, but the layout feels a bit more choppy as the bathroom divided living room and bedroom spaces which made each individual area feel small. Esja suite, on the other hand, feel more airy and bigger because there is no walls between living room and bedroom. </p><p>In terms of finishes. I thought most of the finishes was quite nice with few odd choices thrown in. The best part to me was the light in the ceiling. It made the space feel very designed. The view of the suite was also quite nice. While I was there, Reykjavik was overcast day and night (possibly due to a recent volcano eruption) so I imagine the view would be spectacular during a sunny day. When one sees Northern light in Reykjavik, view out of this suite would be incredible!! (Although later I learned that Reykjavik rarely experience Northern light). </p><p>To me the downside of the suite was the bathroom enclosure. It is basically a sliding glass panel. However, the panel doesn't go all the way to meet the wall so you have a half inch gap whenever you "fully enclose" the bathroom. For complete privacy, there is a curtain you can pull over the glass panel so that helps a bit. In addition, the bathroom only has one sink which I feel at this price point, it really should have two sinks. Toilet room inside the bathroom has another glass door which is helpful. </p><p>While the location of the hotel is a bit further out from major tourist area, I feel it's a good thing as you are away from it all and downtown area is only a good 20-25 minute stroll which isn't bad. Reykjavik is quite safe so a perfect way to see the city is to eat in downtown core and then walk back to the hotel. Next to the Tower Suite is<span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Höfði</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> </span></span>House. This is where Reagan and Gorbachev met for 1986 Reykjavik Summit during Cold War years. Although prior to this pivotal summit, the house was initially built for a French consul in early 1900s and was home to British Embassy in 1950s.</p><p>Overall I thought the service was good and suites were nicely designed. Without a doubt next time when I return to Reykjavik, this will be the place I will stay again. If you are a design snob, I think Tower Suite will scratch that itch. </p><p> </p>Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0Reykjavík, Iceland64.146582 -21.942635435.83634816382115 -57.0988854 90 13.2136146tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-44234702763292982182020-04-10T09:00:00.000-07:002020-04-10T13:18:50.649-07:00Can you really see the pyramid from a Four Seasons?There are two Four Seasons hotel in Cairo. I ended up choosing the First Residence because this one is suppose to have a pyramid view. My understanding is if the weather/smog permit, you are suppose to be able to see the pyramids. While I don't regret choosing this particular Four Seasons, I would be interested to stay at the Nile Plaza next time to see the difference.<br />
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I was told that First Residence is closer to the Pyramids while Nile Plaza is closer to the Egyptian Museum. Given the traffic in Cairo, it may make a big difference between which hotel you go with. If you want to see more of the downtown Cairo, I would pick Nile Plaza. Otherwise, I think First Residence is a good choice.<br />
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The impression I have is that First Residence is the more suburb Four Seasons of the two. Their website shows two high-rises on a podium. One is next to the Nile while the other one is further away. The one next to the Nile is the condo building hence the name First Residence. The structure behind the condo building is the one that will have the Pyramid view on a good day and is the hotel side. The podium that both structures sit on is a mall. I was told it is perhaps the most luxurious mall in Cairo. <br />
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The hotel has a very small lobby area. Essentially there is a check in area and that's about it. With that said, it's well decorated with lots of flowers with typical Four Seasons arrangements. In order to go inside the hotel, you have to go through a security screening. There is another door that lead to the mall. Mall entrances also have security screening thus once you go through either the hotel or mall security screening, you can move through both places without additional security screening. It is a bit odd to have a mall attached to the hotel as we don't see that often in American Four Seasons. However, I think this type of set up is more common in Asian Four Seasons. <br />
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I believe some of the hotel rooms have been refreshed. It didn't feel like everything was completely gutted and built anew. The renovation feels more like things are updated but certain things are just repainted. Given what had happened since the Revolution in 2011, I think it was smart for this Four Seasons to update their rooms without costing them an arm and a leg. The suite I had was lovely; while it looked traditional, clearly everything was reupholstered, repainted, and things like curtains were replaced. The only gripe I had was that the road in front of the hotel looks like a major thoroughfare thus if you want some quietude, you must ask for high floors. Get as high of a floor as you can. I believe all the windows were at least double if not triple pane but you can definitely hear traffic noise especially if you are on a lower floor.<br />
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I would say service level is typically Four Seasons good. Everyone was friendly and staff were on top of their games. It was lovely to stay at this Four Seasons since I have been staying at Sofitel at both Luxor and Aswan. At the end of the day, you know what you are getting yourself into as Four Seasons typically has an uniformly high level standard compare to most other brands no matter where you are.<br />
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The spa was a bit of a trek as it wasn't in the hotel side of the building but at the condo side. To access it, essentially you walk across the roof top of the mall which is where hotel swimming pool is at. They also have the Egyptian food restaurant next to the pool. I had a fine treatment although I would say the spa wasn't particularly memorable. <br />
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I ended up going to an Italian restaurant inside the mall. In fact it was in the middle courtyard of the mall which I had hope would be at least eatable. To my surprise, my pasta was actually quite good. It was cooked the way I like it; al dente. Everything was tasty and service was good. Again, I think I came with American preconception of mall foods in general is bad. But here in Cairo, like in Asia, some of the best restaurants are inside of malls! I would not hesitate to come back here to eat.<br />
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Apparently Four Seasons First Residence also own a large docked structure that looks like a boat on the Nile right in front of the condo side of Four Seasons. On this boat you can have either Brazilian food or Chinese food. Under the Chinese restaurant, there is a discotheque/ bar that also serves finger bite Chinese food. It's all so confusing. But the funny part is their Chinese restaurant actually serves pretty good quality dim sum! Who would have guessed! <br />
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Overall I was happy with my stay at this Four Seasons. I thought food selection was good, staff are all very courteous, and suites look quite lovely and in good shape. If looking at a pyramid out of your window is important to you, then I would stay here. But just remember you can only see the pyramid on a less smoggy day which would usually be Friday and Saturday as these two days are weekends in Egypt. I would not hesitate to recommend a friend to stay here. <br />
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<br />Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-17579881087453388852020-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:002020-04-09T09:00:09.442-07:00On the other end of the Sofitel Spectrum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Couple days ago I posted about Sofitel Winter Palace in Luxor. Today, I'll talk about Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan. The difference between these two Sofitels is night and day. My understanding is that Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan was already deep into renovation when 2011 revolution started in Egypt. The government then decided to go forward and finish with the renovation. The result was a jewel on the Nile that any Egyptians would be proud of. <br />
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The claim to fame for this particular Sofitel is this is where Agatha Christie wrote her novel Death on the Nile. In fact, the desk she used is prominently displayed in the lobby. This hotel, built in 1899, has hosted who's who of the world: Tsar Nicholas II, Jimmy Carter, Winston Churchill, Francois Mitterrand to name a few. Dr Henry Kissinger stayed here while negotiating to end the Yom Kippur War in 1973.<br />
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It is of no surprise that who's who have stayed at this Sofitel as the architecture is simply gorgeous. I stayed at the Palace Opera Suite with Nile View. I would highly recommend this suite as it really has a stunning view of the Nile compare to any other suite including Sir Winston Churchill Suite and Agatha Christie's Suite. The reason being both of those name suites have balcony views including the new structure. The suite I was in, from my balcony I can see the new structure but it's less in the direct line of eye sight. One thing to remember is that when you book, the ones that says Palace means that it is in the older structure. If you prefer newly built wing, then pick the rooms without the world Palace. I prefer the old structure better because it has history and higher ceiling to say the least. The new wing has an easier access to gym, spa and swimming pool.<br />
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My suite is quite lovely. There is a quarter bath right by entry hall. Then there is a large dining table or breakfast in the room. Then the sunny living room has gorgeous view of the Nile. It also includes a small balcony for one to step out and take in the stunning view. Next to the living room is the bedroom with a huge flat screen TV which I promptly had it taken out of the room. I'm here to see the Nile and temples. Last thing I want to do is watch TV. The master bathroom is large with separate shower and tub. I like layout as bedroom is tucked away inside away from main doorway which ensures good slight at night even if someone is talking in hallways or closing doors.<br />
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Unlike Sofitel Winter Palace, food at Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan was good. Their French restaurant is at bib Gourmand level which is all I can ask for! Their Egyptian restaurant is equally as good. Even their International restaurant/ cafe was quite competent. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of the food here. <br />
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Service standard is quite high as well although not as high as Sofitel Winter Palace. The reason being my suite didn't come with a butler in Aswan whereas in Luxor, my suite did. With that said, everyone was helpful and on friendly. I would say the service standard is as high as any other Four Seasons I've been to around the world.<br />
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Few miscellaneous things to mention about the property. First, at the car drop off area in front of the property, there are two structures. One is security and the other has two ATM machines. So it's a good place to get cash if you need it. Secondly, there is a dock at the property so you can rent a felucca and have it sail to the hotel dock to pick you up. Lastly, for some odd reason, it feels like Egyptian hotels laundered my clothes with lots of detergent. I feel this is a local thing. So if you are particularly allergic to detergent, I would do your laundry outside of Egypt.<br />
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Overall this Sofitel is a 180 from the one in Luxor which made me rather sad as I know how beautiful the Sofitel in Luxor could be. If I were to return to Aswan again, there is no doubt in my mind where I will be staying. This hotel has a perfect combination of historical charm, clean and modern facility, good service and tasty food. What's there not to love? Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-31881182764607664592020-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:002020-04-08T09:00:01.632-07:00Singita does it again! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having stayed at Singita Sasakwa in Tanzania couple years ago, I had high hope for Singita Kwitonda Lodge in Rwanda. This is reported to be the best of the best gorilla trekking lodge in Rwanda and my expectation was high. <br />
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This isn't the most expensive Singita lodge, I believe Sasakwa takes the crown. With that said, Kwitonda Lodge is indeed the most expensive lodge overall due to the exorbitantly expensive gorilla trekking permit fee at $1500 per person per day. At Sasakwa, the safari jeep and guide is included in the nightly rate. So before the lodging fee at Kwitonda, for a couple, the cost will be at a sky-high $3000. My understanding is the permit fee will likely increase to $1760 per person per day by end of 2020. However, that is before coronavirus hit the world. I suspect the $1500 permit fee will stick for few years until tourism return to normal again.<br />
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Kwitonda Lodge is named after one of the largest gorilla family in Rwanda: Kwitonda family. This family had five silverbacks which is rare. Kwitonda died in 2012 and the youngest silverback Muhoza left the group to start his own family in 2016 (now has 12 family members). Currently Kwitonda (now lead by Akarevuro) has three silverbacks and 30 other members. <br />
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First and foremost, the architecture of Kwitonda Lodge is stunningly beautiful. It's very modern but warm. The architect used a lot of wood and local material to humanize the space. There are a total of eight lodges and I stayed at lodge 9 which is at the very end. Unlike typical African safari, there isn't really any wild animals that can kill you here thus there is no need for staff to escort you to the main dining hall at night. Each freestanding lodge is basically divided into four parts. You have an outdoor sitting area with fireplace and a dipping pool that looks to a dormant volcano. Next to that you have an indoor living room which I feel is a tab bit small. There is just enough room for two club chairs and a table with two dining chairs. The room has a huge glass window that also looks out to a dormant volcano. The bedroom is next to the living room and it comes with a deep inset window sill with cushions... a perfect place to read a book and take in gorgeous view. The large bathroom is behind bedroom area. The bathroom is large enough for a massage table and then some. The lodge doesn't have a dedicated spa space so masseuse will come to you when you need spa service. It also has two overhead showers; one inside and one outside. Toilet room thankfully is completely enclosed in a separate room. Besides the size of indoor living room, I thought everything was perfectly designed. <br />
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The public space basically consist of outdoor dining area, indoor dining hall, a bar, a wine cave, a conservation room, and a vegetable garden that's few minutes walk from main building. While it would be nice if they have a gym onsite, given the amount of trekking one has to do to see gorillas, perhaps a gym is an overkill. The conservation room has a good look and is a good place to read or have a cup of tea. Bar area is quite lovely and it's a good place to socialize with other guests if you want to. Next to the vegetable garden, you will see three local artisans making various objects for you to take home as a souvenir. One specialize in straw work, another in textile. The third person does wood carvings. <br />
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The service is typical Singita; on point and friendly. Coming back from a tiresome gorilla trekking, staff is there welcome you back to the lodge with warm towels and refreshing drinks. You take off your muddy hiking boots and somehow they are able to clean them and make them look like brand new for you to wear for the following day gorilla trek! It's amazing. I have never seen anything like it. I can go on and on about their service standard. At the end of the day, this place is very expensive and I expect the very best service and Singita does not fail to deliver.<br />
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Bad food at a luxury lodge is another pet peeve of mine. Sometimes a resort can have spectacular lodging and service, but food is less than desirable. Given Singita has it's own cooking school which has a very high standard, I knew I was in good hands. I would say the food here is at bib gourmand level which is not an easy feat to achieve when Singita Kwitonda is in the middle of nowhere. I don't think I had a meal here that I was not happy with. <br />
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I won't go into gorilla trekking as that's not part of Singita Kwitonda. The only thing I would mention would be that everyone knows when coming to see the gorillas in Rwanda, gorillas can be anywhere in the park. They can be an hour to four hours away by foot each way. Naturally I was most interested in the shortest trek as I have no desire to hike more than I have to to see these gorillas. The first day I trekked to see the Muhoza family which took about 1.5 hour each way in a relatively easy hike. The second day I trekked to see Kwitonda family which took about an hour each way in a relatively difficult hike due to slippery rocks and very muddy paths. What I noticed is that the guests who were in the 1-1.5 hour trekking groups were staying at either Kwitonda Lodge or Bisate Lodge. The two of the most expensive lodge in Rwanda. Coincident? Hmmmmm.... I'll let you be the judge. ;)<br />
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Overall the Kwitonda Lodge met my very high expectations. You simply cannot go wrong with them. If you are an Amanjunkie, you will feel right at home at Kwitonda Lodge. Oh and the gorilla experience? Simply spectacular! <br />
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Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-1273417007275038892020-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:002020-04-07T09:00:04.318-07:00Probably the most dated hotel I have ever stayed at! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sofitel Winter Palace at Luxor is not a hotel I would particularly recommend. The only two redeeming part of the hotel is the lovely garden and my butler. The hotel has long passed its prime and is in need of a makeover.<br />
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My understanding is that this particular Sofitel was going to be renovated in 2011. Unfortunately Egypt had a revolution before the renovation can be started. Since the revolution, tourism trade had been in a dire straight until two years when tourists start to come back to Egypt. Hence the hopeless situation that Sofitel Winter Palace is in. Now with Coronavirus all over the world with tourism being decimated everywhere, I'm sure any plan to renovated this Sofitel has been postponed to many more years down the road. <br />
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While looking on the website, it was clear that the hotel was going to be dated. But I thought to myself how bad can it be? Well, let's just say 1980s is calling and they want their furniture back! I had booked Opera Suite which is their highest category suite available. The space is quite grand and I can see when renovated, it can exude luxury as it has a great bone. Unfortunately currently it looks like a faded movie star home who has no more money to upkeep it. In another words, it just looks sad and joyless. The curtain doesn't even have a blackout drape so you better be up when sun rises. The bathroom, while quite large, looks like a set from TV show Dynasty. It was usable but it just all look so dated. Apparently this suite is a two bedroom suite which I had somehow misread on their website. So if you are there with two kids, it's actually quite economical to get this suite. The other bedroom also comes with its own full bathroom and exit door. The bedrooms are connected by a living room in the middle.<br />
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The hotel has several restaurants. The best one is the outdoor BBQ one in the garden. They serve regular Egyptian food which is fresh and delectable. By the pool there is a cafe where one can be typical international food like a hamburger which I had one and would have it again in lieu of dinners I had onsite. I ate dinner at two separate venues inside the hotel. One is regular international fare and the other is French. I'm sad to say both are at American diner level quality. I mean yes, food is digestible, but why would I want to pay $30 - $40 per dish for something that taste like this??? I would much prefer the burger I had at lunch in the garden. I would recommend no one to eat inside the hotel. The quality of the food does not match with the price. I have no problem paying for delectable food but this ain't it! My understanding is since 2011 revolution, jobs were lost due to zero tourists. Thus most of the top chefs in Egypt went to Dubai which lead to dismal food at this Sofitel (except the ones in the garden). <br />
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My suite came with a butler and he was THE saving grace for this hotel. He clearly went to a British butler school as he knew exactly what he was doing. He was the best thing this hotel has going for them. Clothes were pressed to perfection, laundry were done in a timely manner, he even waited outside my door daily so I didn't have to wait long when I telephone him for service. He was fantastic.<br />
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It is quite sad that this hotel wasn't renovated back in 2011; it would have been quite a spectacular property today in this gorgeous ancient city. The ground is pretty, the architecture is beautiful, and location is good. I hope Egyptian government (who own this hotel) will put money into this property when they finish the new Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Luxor deserves to have a spectacular hotel. I hope to visit this hotel again once it is renovated in the future. <br />
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-69897147318903559752020-04-06T12:17:00.001-07:002020-04-06T12:17:31.042-07:00Winter wonderland at Fairmont Banff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Banff is absolutely beautiful during winter time and if you have to choose between Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Lake Louis, I would definitely go with Fairmont Banff Springs in the winter time. The reason being Lake Louis is basically a big frozen ice cube. So unless you like to figure skate, imo, Fairmont Banff Springs is the way to go as scenery is prettier.<br />
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There is no doubt that Fairmont Banff rooms need some RnR. I believe only certain gold level rooms are updated and rest of the rooms are tired for sure. However, there is some charm to the old timey furniture in my suite that are reminiscent of a visit to grandma's home. With that said, thankfully bathrooms are updated. I had the pleasure to stay at room 611 which is the Rungius Suite. The suite was named after Carl Rungius, a German American painter, who spent his time painting western United States and Canada in the first half of 20th century. In fact, Rungius had a studio in Banff that he kept until 1959, the year he died. I can see why the suite was named after him as my room has a glorious view of Bow River and Mount Girouard. </div>
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The service is somewhat uneven. Staying at a suite gives me access to their private concierge desk which is quite nice as they can basically make things happen even down to calling to get my rental car ready. They really do try hard. However, there were a few times balls were dropped. But with that said, I would highly recommend staying at their Gold Level rooms as that gives you access to the private concierge desk.</div>
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Their spa was under renovation during my stay. I had a manicure in basically one of the hotel rooms that were transformed into a spa room. It was a bit disappointing as this hotel was known for the spa and I didn't really get to enjoy the facility. I guess it's one of those I will need to return to see what the fuss is about! <br />
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Across the street from the main hotel is their convention center area. In it, they have a theatre where the hotel put on A Christmas Carol production. The production is small and set doesn't compare to broadway production for sure. With that said, it was nicely done and I would highly recommend it for anyone who comes to Banff over winter holidays. It puts one in a nice holiday mood for sure.<br />
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I didn't eat on site most of the time because the restaurants I was interested in was not open. I think they rotate opening dates during winter time. The only restaurant I ate at was The Vermillion Room. The food was competent but nothing to write home about. The decor was nicely done in a French brasserie style. Off site, I would recommend Three Ravens Restaurant and Eden at the Rimrock Hotel. Three Ravens is more nouveau cuisine while Eden is traditional French. <br />
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Overall it was a nice stay and I would highly recommend anyone who's coming to Banff to stay at Fairmont Banff Springs during winter time. While nothing will blow you out of water (except the view), everything was either nicely done or you can tell staff makes every effort to make things right and comfortable. If I come back to Banff again, I would definitely stay here. </div>
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-25440315933277073622020-03-10T21:27:00.001-07:002020-03-10T21:27:06.667-07:00Lost in the Reverie in Saigon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Reverie Saigon, no doubt, is the most luxurious hotel right now in this southern Vietnamese city. With Mandarin Oriental opening next door in 2020, should the Reverie Saigon be worried? I don't think so as I'm sure the interior decor at Mandarin will be vastly different from The Reverie Saigon. <br />
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To say the Reverie Saigon is luxurious is perhaps an understatement. Right when you walk in, it's full on Italian marble from floor to ceiling. At the Reverie Saigon, 24 karat gold, is splashed everywhere! My first thought was only if Liberace can dream up a hotel, this place would be it. The owner wanted Italian opulence that perhaps no place in Asia have ever seen before and since. You can tell no expense was spared. I am doubtful Mandarin Oriental has half of the interior decor budget that the Reverie Saigon had. I suspect the hotels will split tourist groups into two kinds: the ones who loves bling will go for the Reverie Saigon; the ones who likes something more elegant and subtle will go for Mandarin Oriental. Given the construction boom Saigon is having, I'm sure both hotel will have no problem filling up their beds.<br />
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The suite I stayed is called the Designer Suites by Giorgetti. Clearly everything in the room is imported from Italy. I chose this room because it's the most clean cut modern/ not so over the top suite offering in the hotel. Naturally the living room has what looks like a Sicis glass mosaic panel that practically covers whole length of the wall. This huge expensive/expansive mosaic panel feels much more appropriate in a hotel lobby than in a living room of a suite. The oddest thing of the suite is there is no bathroom fan which doesn't seem to make any sense. I believe the architect of the building dropped the ball. The lack of ventilation means they have to think of ways to rectify this situation. One of the way is turn down the temperature of the shower. Thus if you enjoy lukewarm shower (i.e. not so much steam), you are at the right hotel. If you want scalding hot shower, better move along. The worst part of the suite is the noise across the street; there is a nightclub (moved in couple years ago) that plays loud thumping music nightly! I was told all the highest category suites of the hotel all happen to face this night club! Luckily Designer Suite by Giorgetti is more off to the side thus avoid the direct blast of the night club and music is somewhat muddled compared to say the Designer Suite by Provasi which gets the full blast treatment!<br />
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I had dinner at the Cardinal which serves contemporary French cuisine in the evening. Since Vietnam used to be a French colony, I had expected the French food here to be as good as the ones in Paris. Furthermore, this is the most expensive hotel in Saigon thus I had expected minimally one Michelin star level French food at their main restaurant. Sad to say, it was not. It's not that food was terrible; I just had really high expectations and it was not met. I would say food at this restaurant is thoroughly competent but don't expect Michelin star level food. In another words, think Four Seasons good enough food.<br />
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By staying at the Designer Suite, I had access to the Reverie Lounge on 38th floor. This essentially is Reverie Saigon's club lounge. You can come here to have free snacks or afternoon tea. The view here is very nice and I would highly recommend guests to utilize this lounge if they have access to it. I enjoyed the afternoon tea and snacks very much.<br />
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All the staff here are quite nice. The service standard is good. Staff always smile and tried to be helpful. While not everyone's English is fluent, majority of the staff can converse with me with no problem which is helpful when I need help.<br />
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I think next time when I come to Saigon I will try Mandarin Oriental as the decor style at The Reverie Saigon really just isn't my cup of tea. With that said, if MO doesn't open next year and I come back to Saigon, I would not have any problem staying at RS again. The location of the hotel is good and if you like this over the top style, you will really enjoy staying here. <br />
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<br />Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-29579755960042597702020-03-09T22:12:00.001-07:002020-03-09T22:15:09.219-07:00Does Sofitel Legend Metropole lives up to its lofty reputation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Currently the best hotel in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi is Sofitel Legend Metropole until Four Seasons opens its door in the coming year or two. With that said, there are lots of things to be like with Sofitel Legend Metropole; the history, the Indochine charm, and the service.<br />
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Sofitel Legend Metropole has been around since 1901. This French colonial style hotel has hosted the who's who of the world: George Bush, Francois Mitterrand, Jacques Chirac, Jane Fonda, Charlie Chaplin to name a few. Of course recently it was the venue that hosted the infamous meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Famous writers are known to whip up a novel at the hotel as well; Somerset Maugham wrote The Gentleman in the Parlour at the hotel; Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American during his stay at the hotel in 1951.<br />
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The hotel actually has two entrances. One is the original one and the other is located at the new wing. Like all hotels, this hotel hosts conferences. While I was there, every night there were lots of conferences/parties going on. I understand that's part of the hotel function but it certainly doesn't make the hotel feels exclusive or luxurious. <br />
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The new wing is where the renovated rooms are. They are renovated to a nice quality but unfortunately the room that was allocated to me was facing directly to an elevator bank. While normally it would be ok. But given large conference crowds I'm seeing in the lobby area, I start to think I will have very late nights with lots of noises coming from drunk conference attendees waddling out of elevators. In addition, the windows in my room were facing some kind of department store which looks like it was going under some kind of renovation. I ended up requesting to move to a different room due to these reasons. Management was very reluctant to move me which again, I guess is indicative of brands at this level. Once again, I'm reminded I'm not staying at a Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental but a Sofitel. Eventually the management moved me to Somerset Maugham Suite which was very lovely. <br />
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The suite is essentially a one bedroom suite with a large interior courtyard balcony. This is lovely as one can take in tea or breakfast facing interior courtyard which is a lot quieter than facing outwards. The bathroom is on the dated side but certainly serviceable. The room is quiet which is important for any travelers as that allows one to rest without waking up by traffic noise either from elevators or traffic. <br />
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Restaurants at the hotel are very lovely especially Le Beaulieu. This was my first foray to Sofitel brand. The hotel, while nice, doesn't seem particularly high end thus I had my doubts about their restaurants. I was very happy to be proven wrong. The wait staff couldn't be any more attentive not to mention food, while traditional, is delectable and on point. In fact, I liked it so much I came back the second time! I guess it shouldn't be a surprise as Vietnam is a former French colony. The Spices Garden, which is their Vietnamese food restaurant, is also delicious with great attentive staff! I wouldn't hesitate to eat at either hotel upon my return visit. <br />
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The hotel is within a stone's throw distance from a local high end mall called Trang Tien Shopping Mall. Thus if you are in need to shop at international brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, or Cartier, you are in luck. If music is your thing, then Hanoi Opera House is also within a short walking distance. In addition,the hotel is close to a lake called Hoan Siem Lake which is a perfect for a morning run if you are into that. For a closer shopping experience, hotel has couple gift shops on the ground floor which have a wide variety of local made goods that looks expensive but easy on the wallet.<br />
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Overall I had a nice stay at the hotel. I thought the service level was quite high and food was delicious. I'm pleasantly surprised by Sofitel brand. Next time when I come back to Hanoi, I will probably stay at Four Seasons Hanoi to see how it stacks up to Sofitel Metropole. I'm sure the finishes at the new Four Seasons Hanoi will surpass Sofitel Metropole but the real test will be the level of service. With that said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend my friends and family to stay at Sofitel Metropole especially if they like to stay at historical hotels. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-26037675038563466042019-08-30T11:00:00.000-07:002019-08-30T11:00:07.759-07:00The best beach resort in Vietnam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Amanoi is viewed as the best resort in Vietnam by the locals. But is this 6 year old resort really that good or perhaps it's just better than other hotels in Vietnam? Having just came from two other Amans in Southeast Asia, I can assure you Amanoi is as good as other Amans around. <br />
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In order to get to this Aman, you have to fly to Cam Ranh airport. Once you are there, the ride is about hour and a half through mostly trafficless road. The roads around the airport are newly paved and you can tell Vietnamese government is eager to promote Cam Ranh Bay as the next resort destination. <br />
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The arrival ritual at Amans is always perfect; someone from the management along with my butler come to greet me with warm/ cold towels and drinks. Then they proceed to take me upstairs to the grand lobby where one takes in lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. I thought the architect did a great job at breaking up the stairs into two section so you don't feel like you are climbing forever before reaching the top. Once you get there, the reveal is a magnificent view of the Vinh Hy Bay. If you don't feel like to walk up the stairs, you can easily take a golf cart up to the lobby level as well. <br />
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The room I booked into was Amanoi Ocean Pool Villa which is the highest category suite. The description online said Grand private wooden deck with infinity pool and breathtaking ocean views. The view, as description promised, was truly breathtaking. Basically this room has the ocean and mountain view all rolled into one with a very private pool; the kind that you can wear your birthday suit with no chance of anyone seeing you while you swim in the pool. The bathroom shower is set up in such a way that you can access it from the swimming pool deck which is perfect. This suite is set back from the golf cart path that there is no way you will hear people talking or sound of a golf cart passing by. It really is a suite that one can spend all day and never leave. <br />
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If shopping is in your blood, then Amanoi has the shop for you. While the shop isn't the biggest Aman gift shop I have ever seen, it does have a lot of interesting and good quality things that I would not mind having. Obviously all can be charged to your account and yes, you don't need to tell them which room you are at. You literally can just grab and go. <br />
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As I alluded earlier, on top of the hill is where the grand dinning room is at. The dinning room is actually set up into several different sections; bar, enclosed dining area, open air dinning area, and outdoor dining area. My understanding is sometimes it can get quite windy at Amanoi thus sitting outside or in the open air area while eating may not always be pleasant. I did not encounter strong wind during my stay. I had food at the dining room as well as at the beach club. Both places served good high quality food that is tasty. Everything was cooked perfectly; nothing was overdone or dried out.<br />
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Amanoi spa is absolutely beautiful! The spa is in a separate area from the villas thus in order to get there, you just have to call up a golf cart. With that said, there is one spa villa that's available for rent. This spa villa is exactly the same as other villas with exception that in it's lower floor facing the lake, there is a dedicated plunge pool, steam room, treatment room, etc. My understanding is guests can also rent out the lower part of the villa for half a day if it's not occupied. The treatment room is quite nice and comes with a large bathroom with soaking tubs. I had an enjoyable massage while I was there.<br />
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For the suite I was in, I was afforded a personal butler who basically take cares of my stay. I'm unsure if that's true for lower category suites. I thought my butler was great. She took care of everything and all my requests were met. I have no cause for complaint! <br />
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In order to access the beach, you can have a golf cart come to pick you up as most of the villas are right up in the hills. The wait is never long for these carts. While all beaches are public, there really is no way to access Amanoi's beach unless you are staying there. The water right off the beach has some decent snorkeling. I was a bit surprised at how much fish there are! While it's no Hanauma Bay in Oahu or the Maldives, there is decent amount of fish to see....much more than off the beach at Belmont La Samanna in St Martin in the Caribbean.<br />
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Overall this new(ish) Aman does not disappoint; the rooms are gorgeous; the food is delicious; the service is Aman good; and the beach is beautiful. This place reminds me a bit of Amankila in Bali although the facility here is definitely newer/ better. With that said, Amankila has better gift shop and better waves for bodyboard surfing. In either case, you can't go wrong with either Aman. This is definitely one of the Aman I will return to again. <br />
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<br />Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-10643725269208703342019-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:002019-08-29T11:00:05.464-07:00A little paradise in Luang Prabang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No doubt the best hotel to stay at in Luang Prabang is Amantaka. This ten year old French colonial resort was originally built in 1923 for Prince Born Khong. In 2009, it was transformed by Aman into 24 suites luxury resort. <br />
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The placement of the building on the hotel formed an U shape. Every single suite faces interior courtyard. The center courtyard closest to the public area has a large swimming pool as well as lounge chairs dotted along the edge. Along the edge of the pool, you can also find spa rooms as well as a gym. Where the pool ends is where the suites starts. The suite closest to the pool is Amantaka suite which is the largest suite available. <br />
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I stayed in the Amantaka suite and it was quite lovely. I'll let the video do the talking. The room is pretty quiet. In no time was I ever woken up by noise outside of the resort. If you look at surrounding of Amantaka, it is actually in a residential neighborhood thus there could be potential traffic/ people noise. The pool in the backyard is great if you want some private swimming time. The huge shower room is fantastic; the tile floor is heated. As with any Aman, you can customize your bed to super hard or super soft or anything in between. <br />
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The food is delectable. The chef hails from Montenegro although you wouldn't know it as he's very adapt at cooking local cuisine. However, I asked him to whip up something I had at Aman Sveti Stefan and he was happy to oblige! As with many Amans, Amantaka had someone playing traditional Laotian instruments nightly while I take in delicious dinner. For the less adventurous eaters, chef's pasta is on point and al dente. <br />
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The spa at Amantaka is gorgeous. Each spa room is as big as any of the suites! I had several very good massages and would definitely recommend spa addicts to book a treatment or two. <br />
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Aman has a large and well stocked gift shop. There are lots of selections from clothes to local antiques as well as lots of well made crafts by local artisan. Shopping addicts will have a field day! For those looking for night market type of experience, it's within walking distance from the hotel too. <br />
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Aman excels at their exclusive activity menu. Essentially instead of hiring a guide, Amantaka puts together activities you can do in Luang Prabang. All you have to do is tell anyone at the hotel when and what activity you want to do and everything will be planned out for you. No fuss no muss. There are two activities that I highly recommend. One is take the private Amantaka boat out on Mekong River for few hours. You will have a great time. Scenery along the river is beautiful and you can go into a cave call Pak Ou Caves to explore. The other activity is go to Kuang Si Falls. The color of the water is unreal! It's neon blue/green... kinda similar to what you see in Maldives/ Bora Bora except it's more green than blue. Bring your bathing suit as you can swim in parts of the river. <br />
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The only regretful thing I did at Amantaka is not staying longer. While the temperature is slightly hotter and more humid than I typically liked, but temperature in February is quite tolerable. I look forward to coming back to Luang Prabang again... specifically Amantaka. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-36335510079382172412019-08-28T11:00:00.000-07:002019-08-28T14:02:39.157-07:00Aman divided by five in Bhutan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Amankora is an interesting concept. Typically one associate Aman with one single resort but in Bhutan, Amankora actually spans five different lodges in five different locations. You have a choice to go to all five or just stay in one depending on the length of your trip. <br />
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Regrettably I only had time for four nights five days trip. This means two lodges; one at Thimphu and the other one at Paro. On Aman's website, there are options of 3,4,7,8,9,11,12 night journey. Everything is planned out to the T although I'm sure you can stay for 5,6,10 days easily if you want to. From my personal experience, I would say four nights is really the minimum you should do if you decide to go to Amankora. <br />
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The international airport is at Paro so your guide for your whole stay will come to pick you up. My first night was at Thimphu lodge. It's about an hour and a half away from Paro airport. I would say the lodge feels minimalist as most Amans do. The lodge was built to look like a Dzong which is fortress like architecture that's prevalent in this part of the world. As luck would have it, I had a choice of first or second floor room. I decided first floor was better as I didn't want to bother with stairs daily. The rooms are adequately good sized. In lieu of a couch, a built in window banquet is there for gazing out the window. There is a large double vanity area where they pump heat throughout the day which makes washing hands nice and toasty every time. One thing to note is that the bathroom is wide open to rest of the room thus if you are shy, you can request folding screens to gain privacy. There is one large tub for soaking as well as in room fireplace to fragrant the room when you burn wood at night for warmth. With that said, there is central air to warm the room thus fireplace is really more for atmosphere. <br />
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There is a central courtyard at this lodge. This is the place where you can watch traditional Bhutanese dance. I have to say the dance numbers are absolutely mesmerizing. Again, Aman excels at bringing cultural experience to your front door. It was nice to enjoy the dance with staff serving you hot drinks and cookies. Another bonus is I had the front row seat as the dance viewing was only available to staying guests and I think there were maybe 6 people total watching a whole troupe of dancers. <br />
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The food at this Aman lodge was very good. I would say the pastry was definitely the highlight. There is only one central restaurant for this lodge and it's actually quite grand. The ceiling is double height which means the space feels very large. Amankora had someone playing a Bhutanese traditional instrument while I ate (similar to the time when Amanbagh had someone playing flute when I was eating). The instrument he played was called Chiwang which is a type of fiddle. As you can see, Aman is excellent at creating mood and giving you a sense of place through sight, sound, taste, and smell.<br />
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The gift shop here is quite nice. There is a large selection of high quality items you can buy for remembrance of your trip. The decision at these Aman shops always come down to what can I fit in my luggage! Of course Aman is also happy to send anything that don't fit in your luggage. <br />
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The spa is probably the weakest point in this lodge. It is in the basement of the lodge and feels a bit like an after thought in terms of space and decor.<br />
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After spending two nights at Thimphu, I moved to Paro lodge. Paro lodge is most likely the largest lodge compare to other ones as this is the place that typically where Aman guests end their Bhutan trip. This is because typically you have adjusted to the altitude in Bhutan in order to climb the iconic Tiger's Nest which also happen to located at Paro. <br />
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The room set up is different in Paro. The bathroom while still open to rest of the room, once you put a screen in front of the bathtub, it feels quite enclosed. Again, there is no stand alone sofa but there is a large window banquet for gazing out the window. My room had a lovely view of a 17th century Dzong in a distance. <br />
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The dining area is much smaller compare to the one at Thimphu. It almost feel like you are in a student cafeteria as there is no individual tables but several large long tables with chairs. I have to say this eating space feels like a left over space where architect have to squeeze in a place for people to dine. Sure you can eat outside with individual table and chairs but that's only doable depending on the weather. The food is on par with what was provided at Thimphu but pastry was not as good.<br />
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The gift shop here is tiny. Again, it feels like they figure they need to put a gift shop in so they squeeze it into this tiny space. Given how much open space is available at this property, surely they can build a separate gift shop? But then again, maybe they can't due to zoning law.<br />
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The spa is where this lodge shine. Unlike the Thimphu lodge, Paro lodge has a separate large spa building. There are two floors in this building. The upper floor is locker rooms and reception. The lower floors are treatment rooms. If you come here don't forget to sign up for a hot-stone bath. Your feet will thank you especially if you just went on the Tiger's Nest hike! <br />
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While I don't regret that I only signed up for four night stay at Amankora as I have another Aman to go to, this short five days had given me a good taste of this beautiful country. My suggestion is come to Amankora but spend more than four nights if your wallet and time allow. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-45857793232893369112019-08-27T11:00:00.000-07:002019-08-27T11:00:01.665-07:00Where to stay in Kathmandu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since there are no Amans and Four Seasons, or even St Regis and Park Hyatts, where does one stay in Kathmandu? Frankly speaking there aren't many choices to be had. With some trepidation, I ended up staying at Dwarika's hotel. It was recommend to me by a friend of mine who had stayed there before.<br />
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There are actually two Dwarika's hotels. One is inside Kathmandu and the other about an hour outside of Kathmandu. I stayed at both but this review will concentrate on the one inside Kathmandu. <br />
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Because there is barely any paved road in Kathmandu with one street light that doesn't work, getting around Kathmandu is very chaotic not to mention dusty. Thus location of your hotel is important as it would mean getting to the attraction quickly or sit in a dusty traffic hours on end. While I don't know the traffic pattern of Kathmandu, it seems to me Dwarika, more or less, sits right at the juncture of major tourist sites. I find each time we go out, we would usually get stuck in traffic initially but then quickly reach our destination after passing the main thoroughfare. When we hit few destinations in one day, we would ended up passing by the hotel multiple times. This tells me Dwarika is actually centrally located to all these tourist sites from my multi-day experience. <br />
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The first impression of the hotel is it's quite lovely. Apparently the original owner, Dwarika Das Shrestha, picked up a bunch of architectural carvings in 1950s as people were sawing them off for firewood. He decided to collect these ancient carvings and constructed a hotel around these architectural elements as people discard them. Thus the hotel architecturally is a mixture of various styles which can look a bit messy but charming at the same time. <br />
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Every night around sunset, the hotel has a dancer who would do traditional dance in central courtyard. I really enjoyed seeing that as it not only reenforced the local culture upon its guests, but also this is a nice way to calm its guests from the hectic Kathmandu right outside the entrance. <br />
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I stayed in the Heritage Executive Suite which faces the beautiful interior courtyard. The room obviously can't be compared to Amans or Four Seasons. It's very rustic. But everything in the room feels very authentic and not put on. Everything you need is there; the bed was comfortable; the room is large; the bathroom is almost the same size as the bedroom. The only complaint I have is I wish bathroom is brighter. It felt a bit dark especially in the shower area. I typically like to hang up everything when I check into a hotel room. Unfortunately the existing clothes rod couldn't take on the weight and fell. It was quite funny actually. I ended up requesting clothing racks as I'm sure those will hold weight of several heavy jackets and pants. <br />
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There are several restaurants available within the Dwarika hotel/ compound. The Krishnarpan restaurant is a must for someone who's curious about Nepalese food. From my understanding is that Krishnarpan is one of the best Nepalese restaurant in the city. In addition, there is a Japanese restaurant called Mako's. It felt like a neighborhood Japanese restaurant here in the SF Bay Area. I would say the food is fine. Furthermore, there is a restaurant called Toran. It basically has some Nepalese food plus other western cuisines. Among these three restaurants, my favorite is Mako's as it reminded me of typical Japanese food I have at home. I didn't get a chance to try the Fusion Bar or Kaiser Cafe.<br />
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I didn't use the pool as it was end of January in Kathmandu. While I didn't test the water, I assume it's not heated. I also didn't try the spa. Although if the spa here is similar to the one at Dwarika's Resort, I would recommend it. There is a conglomerate of shops towards the back of the compound. I think it's probably rented out by the hotel to individual shop owners. I would say lots of interesting stuff and most look like they have been curated and not junky stuff you find around tourist attraction sites. <br />
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One thing I was not happy about was I had asked the concierge for a taxi to take me to a monastery outside of Kathmandu. The name of the monastery is quite long and I had assumed there is only one monastery with such name. Unbeknown to me, there is two monastery with same name. The concierge failed to tell me and luck would have it I was sent to east side of the town instead of west side. Because I had an appointment with a monk, I ended up being two plus hours late. Later on I found out the concierge knew there were more than one monastery with the same name. I'm not sure why he didn't notify me before I hop into the taxi the hotel found for me. Later the owner (Dwarika Das Shrestha's daughter) came to apologize to me and paid for my dinner at Mako's. I obviously would much rather be at the monastery at the appointed time than a free meal but I appreciate the owner took responsibility for her staff's failing. <br />
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Even with the concierge mixed up, I would still recommend this hotel. Don't expect this place to be luxurious (as in Aman or Four Seasons' way) because it is not. However, the service standard is as high as any Amans I've been to and I would gladly return to this hotel next time I come back to Kathmandu. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-22550392390704026352019-08-23T11:00:00.000-07:002019-08-23T14:49:42.836-07:00Is Four Seasons in Mexico City North American or South American standard?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While Four Seasons in general has a very high standard, I find the ones in South America not as polished as Four Seasons in rest of the world. Technically Mexico City's Four Season hotel is not in South America, but given the Mexican culture is more similar to South America than United States, I had my hesitations.<br />
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At first glance, hotel lobby is quite lovely. Clearly it was renovated not too long ago. All the decoration feels very current yet referencing the past. The rooms itself is also very nice. I had a higher floor executive suite facing the beautiful interior courtyard. I stayed here in December which is Christmas season. Courtyard had a gigantic Christmas tree with beautiful decorations. It was very festive looking. The living room had a comfortable couch and a large desk. There is also a round table with two seats which is perfect for in room breakfast. The bathroom was clad in white marble with a separate toilet room. Hotel provides bottle water daily for brushing teeth which is much appreciated. It's not safe to drink off the tap water in Mexico City. <br />
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Hotel has several restaurants but I only had food at Zanaya which basically is a patio restaurant bordering central garden. It was very nice to sit there because Mexico City doesn't get very cold in December thus outdoor seating is my preference. The seafood I ordered was on point. Everything tasted fresh and cooked perfectly. I would definitely return to this restaurant next time I come back to Mexico City.<br />
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While I was there, Moet & Chandon had a soiree in the courtyard. You can tell Mexico City society turned up at this party. The dessert and drinks were free floating. They had clowns there to entertain kids. There was also a small chorus singing Christmas songs. It was really festive and fun. I didn't know anyone but definitely had a good time. <br />
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The service standard is mostly up to par with what one would expect of Four Seasons. The only mixed up I had was the guide I booked through concierge who came several hours earlier than I requested. Luckily it's Four Seasons and they were able to find another guide with a car in no time. So all is fine in the end. Besides this minor snafu, everyone was very friendly. My flight was going to leave later at night and I had requested to have a late check out. Unfortunately I had to move because someone else had reserved my room. But Four Seasons was able to move me to another room and let me stay until I leave for the airport around 4PM. All of this without extra charge which I greatly appreciate. <br />
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Overall this is a polished Four Seasons that I would not hesitate to recommend people to stay here. In fact, I've already planned to return here myself in the future as Mexico City is just too wonderful to come only once in my lifetime. <br />
<br />Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-27650290683372522282019-08-22T09:00:00.000-07:002019-08-22T09:00:17.878-07:00Does Connaught lives up to its reputation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This hotel has been around since early 1800s but it really came into forefront of the hotel scene when French President Charles de Gaulle temporarily stayed at the hotel in 1940s. If it's good enough for a president, a French one at that, then it's definitely good enough for me! <br />
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When I first entered the hotel, I had a deja vu experience... something just looks awfully familiar. Later I found out that Ralph Lauren's flagship store on Madison Avenue in NYC replicated of the staircase at the Connaught for their own shop! Kinda crazy if you ask me. But understandable as the stairway is quite gorgeous.<br />
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The suite I stayed at is called Sutherland Suite which is divided into three spaces: drawing room, bathroom, and bedroom. This suite is designed by fame interior designer Guy Oliver who clearly knows what he's doing; everything looked just right. From the beautiful Adam-esque gilded plaster work on the ceiling to sumptuous furniture; there is no single details that was overlooked by this master interior designer. The bookcases is really pretty and the gorgeous antique Chinoiserie cocktail cabinet tops off the room. A minor complaint is the size of the shower which is somewhat compact. I wish it's bigger.<br />
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The Sutherland Suite came with its 24 hour butler. Given I just left the North Island, the butler service at Connaught, while very good, doesn't compare to my favorite butler in the world: Kiki. But I am being unfair here... Kiki only had to take care of my villa whereas Connaught's butlers are assigned to take care of more than just one room. I would say the service standard at Connaught is as good as any Four Seasons/ Mandarin Orientals you will find anywhere although being in England, the butlers here are definitely more formal.<br />
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Connaught has a Aman spa which I didn't get to try. I believe this is the only offsite Aman spa anywhere in the world. Given every Aman spa I have been to always provide excellent service, I have no doubt this one is as good as the ones at actual Aman resorts. <br />
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Restaurants at the Connaught are excellent. I tried both Jean-Georges as well as Helen Darroze which has two Michelin stars. At Helen Darroze, they bring out a set of marble balls where you can pick the ingredients you like and this set of marble balls informs the chef which dishes you want. It's a very interesting idea that I have never seen any restaurant done before. Since there is no menu, everything is a bit of a surprise which is fun. I highly recommend it. The Jean-Georges restaurant is more casual. The highlight for me was definitely the strawberry dessert. It is possibly one of the prettiest dessert I ever encountered! I don't remember the Jean-Georges restaurant in NYC has a dessert as pretty as this one in the Connaught! <br />
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I thought the location of the hotel is quite ideal. You are within walking distance to many landmarks in London not to mention close to all the shops one wants to visit while in this mega metropolis. For all the Goyard fans out there, the boutique is literally diagonally across from entrance of the hotel! <br />
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I was very happy with my stay at the Connaught. I thought my suite was gorgeous and service standard is high not to mention delicious food. This hotel is one of those place where you can recommend to friends and family and know that they will have a wonderful stay. <br />
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-5672530238305270932019-08-21T16:03:00.002-07:002019-08-22T11:15:59.932-07:00The resort where William and Kate/ George and Amal Clooney had their honeymoon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No doubt in top 5 as one the most expensive private island resort on earth is North Island. But how does it stack up against other cheaper places that are a fraction of its cost? I will present the facts and you can be the judge.<br />
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In order to arrive at North Island, you will have to take a helicopter. You can possibly take a boat but why would you do that when flying allows you to take the aerial view of the Seychelles islands in? Taking a boat will be cheaper but at this price range, I'm guessing the only reason one wouldn't take the helicopter is because of the weather not of cost. The helicopter takes off not far from the international airport. However, it will only fly if it can make it to North Island and back to hanger before sunset. So if you arrive at 5PM, you are out of luck unless sunset is at 7PM. Before booking, definitely take this into consideration as you don't want to pay for a night for a place you can't get to. Also remember there is only two lane street between airport and helipad. If you land during the traffic hour (ie. 4PM) at the airport, it may take awhile to get to the helipad even though technically it's not that far of a drive. </div>
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Once you arrive at the North Island, you will be greeted by the management team as well as your butler. Our butler was Kiki who hales from Indonesia. He's no doubt the best butler we ever had. If you can, request Kiki as your butler. You will not regret it. But more on that later. Once you arrive at the Island, you will be whisk away to see rest of the resort or directly to your villa whichever you choose to.</div>
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We opted for going to the villa. The villa we stayed in was actually the villa that William and Kate stayed in. Although my understanding is that all the villa is exactly the same except their "presidential villa" which is couple villas away from the one we stayed in. The difference it that one is bigger and higher up from the beach. And because it is at the end, it is the most secluded villa. With that said, I believe there is only 11 villas total and most of the time not all 10 are occupied so chances of you rubbing shoulders with anyone else is not likely. This is the villa that George and Amal Clooney stayed at for their honeymoon. In order to get in and out of the presidential villa, there are some steps one will have to trek. Although I wouldn't say steps are arduous, I prefer no steps to get in and out of our villa. </div>
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The villa is pretty much open air except sleeping room. There is actually two rooms that are enclosed. One is what they called library. This can also double as your kids' room. In this room there is a sink, a desk, and sofa area which can easily turn into a bed. This place also act as a movie/ TV room. Right next to the library there is open air shower and toilet room. So yes, if you have your kids with you, they have their own bathroom facility. The living room area is basically a big thatch roof with minimal walls with sofa and tables. It is where you can lounge and read or take a nap. This is also where the dining table is at. Next to the living room area, there is a small hut with a stove, fridge, and pantry. This is where you butler will heat up food for you, get snacks, and drinks. Next to living room you can access your bedroom pod. The bedroom is enclosed complete with a vanity area. It's quite large and besides the library, is the only place where there is air condition 24/7. I love air condition spaces so I prefer to lounge inside vs outdoor living room. The master bathroom is completely open with no walls and a thatched roof. There are two areas for you to take shower. one is open air and the other one is under the giant thatched roof. Both are quite lovely. The sink countertop is gigantic complete with two large mirrors. You can tell the faucets are very expensive as well as the mirrors. In fact, because the design of the whole villa is freeform that everything had to be custom built onsite which makes it very costly. The biggest complaint I have of the design is that because bathroom is open air, you get bugs coming in. Every morning when I went to brush my teeth, I would see tons of dead bugs lying on top of the countertop. Yeah, not my cup of tea to be honest at any price point especially at this nightly rate. The villa also comes with a large circular dipping pool. They really should have a proper pool build for each villa. I get the concept of circular pool for each villa as everything in the villa is designed as free flowing thus circular pool would go better with the design concept. But the pool is too small to swim in it thus you pretty much can just sit in the pool and that's it. Sure there is ocean just steps away which is actually my preference anyway but it would be nice to swim in a pool during the time when waves are strong.<br />
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This brings in another complaint of mine besides the small pool/ hot tub: the ocean. I get that there is nothing staff can do about the condition of the ocean. Sadly when we went, snorkeling wasn't available anywhere off the beach of the island. The only snorkeling spot is only accessible during November/ December. I tried to get into the ocean right off my villa. I would say wave was pretty strong and I was knocked over a few times. After that, I opted to swim in the hotel's elevated gorgeous public swimming pool. Although frankly speaking it might as well be a private pool since I never seen anyone up there when I went. When I'm on a beach vacation, I like to go snorkeling/ swimming in the ocean. Sadly I feel North Island in July/ August probably isn't suitable for that. The calmest water is the bay right by the dining area but sadly there is maybe one fish in the entire area. <br />
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The shop can definitely use some improvement. There is very little effort putting into the shop display. The way they display things reminds me of some shops off the street in Bangkok. It's very surprising given how beautifully all the facilities on the island are. Go figure. <br />
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Given how far we are from civilization, food is good. However, not nearly as good as say Cheval Blanc Randheli's Le 1947 which is on an equally remote island. With that said, CB has a lot more villas and most likely have more resources (LVMH) and manpower compare to North Island. The chef came from Test Kitchen and I would say the food was quite competent as long as you tell him you want him to cook Test Kitchen-esque type of food. Otherwise you are going to get the Four Seasons good enough level type of food. <br />
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The island has tons of giant tortoise walking everywhere. They are just a delight to see and pet. My favorites are Brutus and Patrick which if I remember correctly are around 80 years old. They also have a lot of turtles that would come up to the beach to lay eggs. In fact, the night I arrived a turtle came up to the beach in front of my villa to lay eggs and you can clearly see the track from ocean to right outside of my villa then back to ocean. It was very cool to see this. Staff would come and mark where the eggs were laid.<br />
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North Island has a nice spa. You can walk up a hill or drive your own buggy up the hill. It's next to the stunning free form public swimming pool. The spa is essentially a huge room with massage beds and a enclosed area where you can take shower, etc. The interior decor is very similar to the villa but the view of the ocean is better since you are elevated.<br />
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North Island has two bars. One is next to the main dining area. The other one is on the opposite end of the island. It's a cute little bar. Sadly the larger one that was there before got burned down sometimes last year so the one I saw was a temporary one. Still, I think they did a pretty good job with the temporary bar. The best part of this side of the beach is the sunset. The villas are all on the sunrise part of the island. So in order to see the sunset, you have to drive your buggy and come to the opposite side of the island to see sunset. The sunset here is spectacular. The color of the sunset is perhaps the best I have ever seen and I've been to pretty much all the Polynesian islands in the Pacific. I will let the #nofilter photo do the talking.<br />
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The very best part of the North Island is undoubtedly Kiki. He's my butler and he's always around to take care of every last detail. For example he knows I am going to the private beach one afternoon, so he went and did some scouting to make sure it is accessible couple hours before hand (sometimes it's not due to tide). Because it wasn't accessible from the normal route, one has to do some climbing and he personally recorded the route using his cellphone and showed it to me to see if I'm ok with trekking to this private beach. Another example would be I wanted to gift a stuff animal to another couple's kid I met on the island. Unfortunately the boutique on North Island did not sell such thing. One mention to the management, a stuff turtle magically appeared the very next day. It was flown in via helicopter. The only charge on my bill was the stuff animal. Now if that's not above and beyond personal service, I don't know what is. In a nutshell, this resort has the highest service standard I have ever received from any resort hands down. <br />
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I think this is a perfect place for someone who wants anonymity especially people from Europe given it's really not that far. I didn't see any movie stars or politicians here but I did meet a guy who was the CFO of a well known Fortune 500 company. I'm sure it's better to vacation on a very private island out of probing eyes of public for these type of people. With most vacationers though, I'm not sure if this kind of extreme privacy is needed. </div>
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Sadly, I read that North Island is now being managed by Marriott. Enough said. I feel bad for the staff there. I'm sure in no time Marriott will think of ways to maximize the return by building many more structures on the island and getting loads more vacationers onto this paradise. Glad I get to experience it before it is ruined. Needless to say I will not return to this place now that it is being managed by Marriott. Just about everyone I spoke to whom has been here was aghast that Marriott is taking over. </div>
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-1207759998466256752018-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:002018-11-29T09:00:14.042-08:00Famed Serengeti Resort <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the luxury travel world, if you are going to Serengeti in Tanzania, there is really only one lodge that will meet all your demanding requirements: Singita Sasakwa Lodge. The photos on their website do not do justice to the ground of this gorgeous safari lodge. From the arrival service to food to guide, everything was topnotch. This is definitely the best safari lodging experience for me in Africa.<br />
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The ground of this lodge is absolutely stunning. It looks like they moved an English manor from UK and plot it down in Tanzania. If you want to experience the romanticized version of Out of Africa, the grounds here will give you just that. The interior decor is done in a colonial Victorian hunting lodge style. From beautiful wallpaper to African statues, the designer was on point with everything down to the high tank pull chain Victorian style toilet in public bathrooms. Not to mention each of these 1/2 bathrooms are as big as most studios in New York City! The lodge is located up on a hill so you get a sweeping view of Serengeti in the public area. It's really quite lovely.</div>
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I believe there are around 12 villas total. Each villa is free standing with complete privacy as there are tall trees and bushes separating each one. There is also enough distance between each villa that you are not going to hear your neighbors if you decide to eat out in your backyard! Each villa is essentially a house with its own dipping pool complete with front and back yard. There is a proper foyer with 1/2 bath as you enter the house into its living room. Next to living room is the master bedroom. Behind the master bedroom is a large closet area with a vanity desk. Next to that you have a large bathroom with a separate toilet room and a glass wall shower that makes you feel like you are taking an outdoor shower! Of course if taking a bubble bath is more of your thing, there is a claw footed bathtub as well. The whole house is impeccably decorated with wallpaper and colonial hunting lodge era style decor. Everything is well maintained and beautifully presented. In addition to the gorgeous house, view in the backyard is similar to the one at the main lodge: a sweeping view of Serengeti plain. </div>
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Service, like each villa, is impeccable. Each villa is assigned a butler. I believe the butler is shared between two villas? I'm not quite sure. But in either case, my butler is always there when I needed him. He is so sweet and so on top of everything. I can't thank him enough for the service he provided me. </div>
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Same with our safari guide: impeccable service and knowledge. In fact, our guide was one of the guides who served Obama family when they came two weeks prior to my arrival. He was so knowledgeable about everything. I learned a lot from him. And the fact that he can conjure up everything I wanted to see was a huge plus. You want to see a cheetah? No problem. 20 minutes later, a cheetah in front of our jeep. You want to see a pride of lion eating? No problem. 30 minutes later we came across a pride of 15 lions chowing down a wildebeest. How about a leopard sleeping on a tree? No problem. 40 minutes later, we saw a leopard on a tree taking a nap and then slowly tread down a tree to give me an excellent photo opportunities! </div>
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The only complaint I have, and it's not against the lodge, is that Serengeti is on a much lower altitude compare to Masai Mara in Kenya and closer to equator than Kruger in South Africa. So what this means is that even if you are visiting Serengeti in the winter time (July/August), you will have bugs/flies. I didn't feel like I was swarmed in them but it is important to bring a hat with mosquito net attached so you don't have to constantly swapping away flies or bugs. It just makes viewing experience much easier. </div>
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The spa at Sasakwa was quite nice. Again, the decor is geared more towards Victorian era which is a bit unusual but nonetheless lovely. There are two shops on site and both are quite lovely. One is more about jewelry and the other more about clothes and interior decor. There is also a tennis court facility I didn't use but there were guests playing each time I passed by. </div>
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Food was quite good. Again, not Michelin star level good. But chef was thoroughly competent and I enjoyed everything I was served with. Plating was the best I had in all the safari lodges I went to if that's important to you. Food was included in the price so you can eat as much as you want anytime you want. It is possible to over indulge oneself. They have their own vegetable garden on site and I had salad often and was never sick from eating raw vegetable. </div>
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All in all, I was very happy at this safari lodge. Everything was done to the highest standard. I cannot imagine there is a better safari lodge out there. Singita is a well oiled machine and this is commonly known as the best Singita lodge out there. I can see why. There is nothing I can complaint about this lodge except the price. But then again, it is at this price for a good reason: it just doesn't get better than this. </div>
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Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-43497600001933428832018-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:002018-10-01T10:31:01.307-07:00Safari Resort in Kruger National Park in South Africa <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are many places to go on a safari trip in South Africa. But when French president Nicholas Sarkozy, Gates family, Elton John, Paul Allen, Bono, etc. repeatedly go to Royal Malewane resort, you know RM is doing something right. Is Royal Malewane the most perfect safari experience one can have? Because I can only compare it to two other safari lodges in Africa, I can't say that must be the case. However, I can see why people who can afford to go anywhere repeatedly go back to Royal Malewane: location, service, accommodation, and game drive are all top notch. <br />
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Royal Malewane is next to Kruger Park which is the most famous safari public park in South Africa. Guests of RM don't actually go into Kruger Park most of the time, you stay in their private game reserve called Thornybush...and literally the bushes are thorny! I have no idea the difference between private game reserve and public park until I came here. Difference is private game reserve is literally owned by a private individual/ company so you are allowed to drive off road. In addition, because it is a private property, you seldom see many jeeps. In my opinion, this makes a huge difference as most games are not right next to road thus when you are in a private reserve, you get to see animals much closer than you would at a public park which requires all cars stay on public roads; off road driving is not allowed. Secondly, another benefit with private reserve is you see a lot less jeeps which enhance the animal viewing experience not to mention a lot less dust. If you have been to Serengeti Park or Masai Mara Park, you know exactly what I mean... a few hours in a jeep means covered in dust from other jeeps passing your jeep or you passing other jeeps.<br />
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There is never lack of things to do at Royal Malewane. Typical daily schedule is: get up at 6AM and leave between 6:30 and 7AM for a morning drive. When you get back around 9:30AM, they feed you with a huge breakfast spread. Then around 1PM you eat lunch. Then around 3:30PM, you go out for an afternoon drive. You usually get back around 6:30-7:00PM. Dinner is around 8:00PM. So essentially you have between 9:30AM-3:30PM free. But because of the packed animal viewing schedule, typically you just want to relax and do nothing between game drives; most people catch up with some sleep, download photos onto computer, emails, read, gym, and/or spa. <br />
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The service at Royal Malewane is fantastic. Everyone is really nice and kind. Anything you need you just ask and it's done. There is never any push backs with requests. Rooms are made up several times a day while you are gone on game drives. They also come to clean up the room while you eat lunch and dinner. Hence your room is always spotless.<br />
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Speaking of rooms, they are actually all free standing lodges. All are very nicely appointed although not particularly large. Bathroom is very generously sized; same size as bedroom/ living room. Plumbing worked perfectly like the ones at home. I'm not a fan of their high beds as it's not easy to get in and out of. However, that's a minor quip. The bedroom/ living room also has a nice cozy fireplace which is a great touch especially during winter time (July/ August). The dipping pool outside unfortunately was freezing cold. I wish they can be warmed up. In addition to indoor shower, there is also an outdoor shower option which is very nice. The lodges are quite far from each other so you don't hear any noise from your neighbors which is a huge plus. <br />
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Royal Malewane has a gorgeous spa which has to be seen to be believed. It's definitely one of the prettiest spa I've seen in Africa. I had a massage which was excellent. I was worry I wouldn't be able to get a deep massage like I usually get back at home; I can attest my masseuse was very capable of breaking up knots in my back. I would definitely recommend the massage service at this spa. <br />
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Food was generally good except we had a bush dinner once which due to equipment, entree was overcooked. With that said, I would say the food here is what I called Four Seasons good....you will get solid good food but don't expect Michelin star level or anything close to it. In terms of eating time, it's up to you. You can eat breakfast at 1PM if you choose to or eat right after you come back from the morning game drive at 10AM. Same with dinner. Typically they start dinner around 8PM and you can eat in your room or anywhere on the property. <br />
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Because this is my first African safari, I didn't know what to expect for the game drive. I would say it's quite good. You will generally see something interesting every 30 minutes... be it a lion, a hyena, a wild dog, or a cape buffalo. I was there for a total of three nights and four days and I saw the big five and then some. It's always very exciting on every game drive as you never know what you will see. I would say Thornybush had more than met my expectation. One thing about coming to Royal Malewane in July/ August is that there is very few bugs around due to colder weather. In fact, you definitely need your puffer jacket and a scarf in the morning drive as it can get quite chilly with open air jeep. <br />
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Lastly, there is a waterhole right in front of the lobby/ dining area. There are always tons of elephants coming to have a drink. Some even frolic inside the pond. One time we saw a hippo hidden inside the waterhole which surprised all the elephants. Because there are so many elephants around the waterhole, the lone hippo quickly left the pond for its own safety! There are also many deers on the property. They are very use to human and won't run away when you get close. When you eat lunch, you always have to watch out for monkeys as they may all of a sudden show up and snatch your food! So as you can see, even if you decide not to go on a game drive, you can still find plenty of action on the property. <br />
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Overall I would highly recommend Royal Malewane and I can see why celebrities keep on returning to this sumptuous property. If I were to return to South Africa for a safari trip, I would definitely come back to Royal Malewane. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-4292335061621003082018-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:002018-06-26T15:49:23.821-07:00The best luxury resort on turtle island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The only luxury resort option you should consider when going to Galapagos Islands is Pikaia Lodge if you decide to stay on land instead of on sea. Some of you reading this post may suffer from sea sickness like me and this resort is really heaven send. Again, because we are in South America, service and food standard isn't the same as what one can find in Asia or Europe. With that said, there is plenty to like at this resort.<br />
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The architecture of the resort is really quite special. It's located on top of a hill so you get a nice panoramic view of the area. The rooms are basically divided into two parts. One part has bed and living room area and the other part consist of a large bathroom with a walk in closet. While I know my suite is very luxurious for Galapagos standard, there were a few odd decisions that the designer made. One is the shower glass is quite small. It protrudes about 3 feet from the wall. So every time I take a shower, I have to put bath towels on the floor outside of the shower area otherwise the floor would be flooded with water. Clearly the designer of the bathroom uses bath tub a lot more than shower as anyone who takes showers daily would have designed the shower area differently. Another odd choice was to have a small circular dinning table tucked right at the corner of the living room. The only way to get in and out of the corner is basically move one of the free stand alone arm chair out of the way or if you wear size zero jeans. Lastly, the spa is very small. It felt like an afterthought. I think there was only one or two treatment rooms. I got a massage once and I felt the whole set up was kinda chintzy and not luxurious.<br />
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The food at the hotel was good. It was not Michelin star level good but it was a good resort food in a Four Seasons way. If you stay at plenty of Four Seasons before, you know exactly what I mean. The service at the restaurant was very good. They try to accommodate you the best they can in terms of limited choices. I thought the food manager was trying very hard and it definitely showed. I appreciate her service very much.<br />
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There are plenty of things to see. Depending on how long you stay, they have a whole calendar set up where you get plenty of daily activities and then some. You are never bored. I would say typically they take you to an island to see iguana or sea lion etc. in the morning, and then in the afternoon they take you to snorkel. Pikaia Lodge provides the whole set up so you don't need to bring a wet suit or snorkel gear.<br />
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Pikaia Lodge has their own boat which from my understanding is quite luxurious. Each room gets their own cabinet with a private bathroom. If you get seasick easily, I would ask for the cabinets on the top. I wouldn't exactly call the interior of the cabinet luxurious. I would say it is functional. Good thing is you have a charger next to bed so make sure you bring your phone chargers as there is plenty of photo ops once you land.<br />
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The biggest draw back of staying at Pikaia Lodge versus a cruise boat is that everyday you have to trek in and out of the island. To go from the Lodge to ferry terminal, it takes about a good 45-50 minutes. Then once you reach the ferry terminal, it takes another 20-30 minutes to get to Pikaia I boat. So essentially you are spending three hours daily to trek back and forth before you even see anything! If you are on a cruise, then obviously you bypass all that. So it's really a decision of how easily seasick you get and if you need a large space to relax in. My understanding is that the highest end of Galapagos Islands cruises are still not that luxurious (compare to what you get on Pikaia Lodge). The only way to get something comparable to Pikaia Lodge on a boat would be bring your own luxury ship. But obviously that would be very costly.<br />
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Overall, this is not the most luxurious stay I ever had at a resort. With that said, I do think this is the most luxurious option available on Galapagos Island and I would not hesitate to recommend this place to friends and family. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-47357120713297035772018-05-24T09:00:00.000-07:002018-05-24T09:00:02.738-07:00The best hotel in the fable land of El Dorado<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had really low expectation coming to Colombia. I knew it had a lot of drug trafficking problems in the past as well as kidnapping. I heard it had been cleaned up but who knows? I knew the best way to get home from my long trip in South America was taking the Avianca flight from Bogota to LAX. Plus there are two Four Seasons hotels in town. How bad can it be?<br />
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To my great surprise, Bogota was not bad at all! In fact, I know for sure on my way to finally get to Machu Picchu someday, I will use Bogota as a jumping off point not Lima (since there is a nonstop flight from Bogota to Cusco). Bogota is at 8,660 ft high so this is actually a good city to acclimatize oneself to high altitude before heading to Cusco at 11,152 ft high. To give you a reference point, Denver is 5280 ft high.<br />
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But Bogota is more than just a convenient point for me to acclimatize before hopping to the dizzying height of Cusco. I actually find Bogota a very charming town that I would recommend any of my friends to go to. As stated earlier, there are two Four Seasons in town. The Four Seasons Hotel Bogota is located at the business part of the city where as Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina is located at the fine dining section of the city. For this review, I will talk about Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina.<br />
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If you always wanted to stay at a Four Seasons Hotel but never had the budget to stay at one, Casa Medina should be on your list as the rooms here starts from low $300s per night. Their one bedroom suite is less than $550 per night. You really cannot find a cheaper Four Seasons Hotel to stay at in the world! <br />
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I stayed at the Penthouse Suite which was where Mick Jagger stayed when he visited Bogota couple years back. The suite is essentially divided into three areas. You have a fully functional kitchen, a living room/ dining room combo, and a master bedroom. There are two full baths in the suite so if you are traveling with kids, this can work quite well as the kids can sleep in the living room while parents sleep in the bedroom. There is also a large walk in closet in the master bedroom and a large desk and chair in the entrance hall. Because the hotel is a historical building, so central air is not allowed in the rooms. However, Bogota temperature is quite similar to San Francisco meaning it's never too hot during day time and at night time temperature tends to fall to high 40s so the rooms stay relatively cool even without air condition. My understanding is Four Seasons Casa Medina is still trying to install central air system so perhaps when you visit in the future, it would be installed.<br />
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I thought the location of the hotel was good. Sure, it's not next to all the tourist trap areas so you can't just walk to different landmarks but it's only about a quick 25-30 minutes car ride. I like the fact that hotel is actually in a fine dinning section of the city so you can stroll to many restaurants without having to hail a cab. The food scene here reminded me of San Francisco ten years ago. You can see proliferation of good solid restaurants popping up left and right and prices are definitely very very reasonable compare to San Francisco.<br />
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The staff at the Casa Medina was also some of the best I have encountered in South America. The luxury tourism trade have not taken its roots here yet. Having stayed at several "luxury" hotels in South America, the service standard is definitely below what one would get in Europe or Asia. The Four Seasons in Bogota and Buenos Aires suffer the same fate. Don't expect to have topnotch service as it doesn't exist in South America. With that said, Casa Medina probably has the most polished service staff I came across in this part of the world with the exception of Awasi Patagonia which was better.<br />
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Overall I would highly recommend this Four Seasons in Bogota. I find the service standard quite good, location ideal, and room comfortable. I would not hesitate to return here again or recommend this hotel to friends. <br />
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<br />Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-57095061564081151922018-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:002018-05-10T09:00:16.127-07:00Where to stay at the second highest capital in the world?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you know your trivia, you would know the answer to the question: Quito. Most people see this city as the jumping off point to Galapagos Islands. I thought of the same thing as well. But boy, was I wrong.<br />
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The only luxury hotel in this town is Casa Gangotena. This boutique hotel used to be a private home for Gangotena family. The house was rebuilt in the 1920s as the previous one was burn to the ground by a lover of one of the family's daughters. The location of the hotel is perfect: right in the heart of this UNESCO world heritage site. Quito is actually one of the first city to get that designation in 1978 from UNESCO and for good reason; walking around the historic downtown it's like stepping back in time to 17th century Spain. <br />
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The location of the hotel is unbeatable if you are looking to immerse yourself with the Quito culture. It's literally a stone throw from one of the most important church in town: San Francisco monastery. In fact, one of the perks at staying at Casa Gangotena is that you can get a private tour of the SF monastery with one of the Franciscan friar! The friar who took me around was so knowledgeable about the history of the monastery as well as Quito in general. He was such a joy to spend time with. Another perk staying at Casa Gangotena is you get free entry into Pre-Columbian Art Museum across the alley from the hotel. Someone spend a lot of money on that museum as it's as well designed and finished as any museum in the world. I mean we are talking about Getty museum level of finish. Very impressive.<br />
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But back to the hotel. The hotel public area is grand and stylish. It retained its old world charm without looking dated. The room I stayed in was their balcony junior suite. It's probably the nicest room in the hotel. They don't really have any presidential suites and the best they have is connecting two rooms via end of a hallway type of suite. So not a true proper suite. There is actually two Jr Suites on premise. One is larger and in the back... presumably more insulated from noise from the street but also doesn't get as much light and does not have a balcony. The Jr Suite with balcony is bright and airy with a nice large balcony to take breakfast in. But its bathroom is right on the alley and sometimes when stores in the alleyway start to blast music, you can hear it right through walls and windows. I ended up taking the Jr Suite with balcony. Honestly, it's a bit cramped from what I'm used to and constant noise from the alley or other parts of the hotel makes me give this hotel a four stars instead of five.<br />
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Service is fine at this hotel. I think there are some sophistication with their service ethics but it's not quite there. The intentions are there but Four Seasons in Asia or Amans in general would blow this place out of water. I would say the staffs are quite friendly but not anticipatory. <br />
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Food at this hotel is definitely better than any you would find in the historical center. I had several meals outside thinking it would be better. It wasn't. Just eat in the hotel before you go out. In this respect, it's very similar to Asia... meaning best restaurants tend to be inside luxury hotels. The Sunday brunch at the hotel is quite lovely... they have a big spread of food. The tasting menu at the hotel restaurant is not bad. I would say it's slightly below bib gourmand level. It's also quite cheap so one can't complain. <br />
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Few precautions before coming to this hotel, because Quito is so high up, I would stay around the hotel for a day or two before start to seriously trekking around the historical center. You can easily get altitude sickness if you go up and down this hilly historical area. <br />
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Overall it's a lovely hotel. But don't expect Four Seasons level luxury as it's not quite there. With that said, my stay here was comfortable for the most part and I would recommend anyone coming to Quito to stay at Casa Gangotena. One should stay at least a three full day if not four as there are quite a few things to see around Quito not just the historical downtown area. Plus you need at least a day to adjust to the altitude. Definitely leave the teleferico cable car ride to the day before you leave as it's over two miles high when you reach the top. You definitely want to be adjusted to the altitude before you take the ride. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-37969391654468221152018-05-08T11:20:00.001-07:002018-05-08T11:20:14.293-07:00Exploring the Explora at Rapa Nui<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Having read many tripadvisor reviews, I was somewhat intimidated about staying at this Explora. This will actually be the first Explora hotel I have ever stayed at. The only other Explora hotel I've been to in the past was Explora Patagonia. I did not stay there but I would say the impression I have is it's a well run place but not particularly luxurious. Since this is probably the best reviewed place and looked like the most luxurious accommodation one can have on the island, I made the reservation and hope for the best. Turned out my trepidation was unfounded. Sure there is no in room service or all the activities were done in a group than individuals room, but those are the only none five star aspect of the whole experience. There is much to be liked about this resort.<br />
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Once you get out of the chaotic Mataveri airport with your luggage, Explora is there to pick you up. The resort is not in town but maybe only 20 minutes car drive from it. It's a plus or a minus depending on your traveling style and preference. I didn't care either way. The check in process was smooth and I was in my room Raa Suite in no time. There are basically two options. One is Raa suite which is close to 500 sqft whereas the regular rooms are 350 sqft. I would highly recommend the Raa suite as it gives you a bit more space to layout and chill. I'm not a big fan of cramped rooms and 350 sqft size room to me is cramped. The vanity is open to bedroom area. There is a separate toilet room and a separate shower/tub room. I kinda wish they would enclose the whole bathroom to give it even more privacy but exposing the vanity area makes the room feel roomier so I understand where the architect thought process was.<br />
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I do appreciate the architecture of the hotel. It's a series of circles (ovals) stacked on top of each other. Circular architecture is more expensive to build but feels more special and interesting imo. In addition, ocean is on one side of the property and circular architecture gives more viewing opportunities for more guests to have ocean views compare to square or rectangular buildings.<br />
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Because how late I arrived, Explora took the liberty to assign me an activity for the following day which I was fine with. The way how they structure the activities is you leave in your activity group around 9AM and you come back around 1PM. Then you leave again around 3PM and come back around 7PM. Of course this depends on the activity you are on. You may leave a little bit later or come back a little bit earlier. But in general, this is the schedule. Everyday after your exploration, your guide will ask you what you want to do the following day. So depending on what you choose, you may see the same people in your group. This forces you to meet people that you see in the dining room whether you like it or not. I typically would prefer not to interact with other resort guests but I have to say I really enjoy meeting all the guests at Explora Rapa Nui. One thing I find almost all the guests here have in common is everyone is very well traveled. It makes sense as typically people start from big cities like NYC, London, Paris, etc. and then you branch out to more "exotic destinations" such as Rapa Nui island. It was fun to trade experiences at various destinations/hotels as well as finding out more information on places that I will be going to in the future. I have to say meeting other guests at Explora Rapa Nui was one of the highlights for me on the island.<br />
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Food at the hotel was surprisingly good. Selection isn't extensive by any means but what they had was always fresh and well seasoned. Nothing was bib gourmand level but everything was tasty. However, I would say if you stay a week (which most people probably aren't), you will likely get tired of the food especially breakfast as they pretty much serve same breakfast over and over again. If memory serves me correctly, they change their dinner menu every two days.<br />
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Internet is only available in the dining/ lobby area. It was a bit annoying but I knew this in advance so I was prepared. Other things that is worth mentioning is that they do have a nice pool area. I didn't swim in the pool so I'm unsure temperature of the water but it was nicely designed. The spa area is basically few rooms off to the side. It felt kinda basic and I wish they would make it look better (ie staffed it with a reception desk, steam room, sauna room, etc). None of those were present. Masseuse is farmed out to local people and you have to call in advance. There is no dedicated spa staff at the hotel. The massage I had was good. The treatment room was fine. It didn't feel particularly luxurious (but wasn't shabby) and yet it was nice. I definitely feel they could have taken it up a notch in terms of finishes. But then again, the finishes of the hotel didn't exude luxury so I guess spa was on par with rest of the hotel. <br />
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I was happy with all the guides I had. They were knowledgeable. Few of them were locals and you can feel the passion they had for the island. I really enjoyed them retelling their forefather's history. They were lovely... although one of them was particularly long winded...<br />
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Service was surprisingly good. I thought the hotel management did a very good job of accommodating my requests big and small. I felt they tried very hard and it showed. I appreciate them going out of their way to do stuff for me. I know some of the comments on Tripadvisor complained about the activities were very rigid. But in reality is that if you want to see the sites on your own without a guide, the hotel is more than happy to call a car service for you and pay for it. I wanted to go to lunch in downtown area. No problem. I want to see a dance show in town. No problem. They dispatched a car to take me there and back. I want to do some shopping. No problem. They took me to various shops and I even get to meet a local well known artist who does art shows all over the world. <br />
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I wasn't quite sure if I will like this hotel and being the first time staying at an Explora hotel, I was full of hesitations due to some of the negative reviews I read on Tripadvisor. I'm glad to say I would be very happy to return to this resort. In fact, I would be very happy to recommend this resort to friends and family. Is this resort at an Aman level? No. But with right expectations, this hotel is thoroughly enjoyable. <br />
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Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-38973752833439952972017-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:002017-12-18T09:00:29.558-08:00The place to stay in Maui<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Maui has two luxury resorts that one can choose from: Four Seasons Maui at Wailea and Ritz Carlton Kapalua. But because Ritz Carlton is own by Marriott, the culture and finishes in the hotel is more Marriott like than smaller hotel luxury chains like Mandarin Oriental or Four Seasons. For my first time visiting Maui, I stayed at Four Seasons Maui at Wailea. I know this Four Seasons was recently renovated and I was curious to see how the finishes stack up to Four Seasons Lanai. <br />
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Unfortunately this Four Seasons resort is owned by Michael Dell (as in Dell Computer) not by Larry Ellison. What this means is there is budgetary concern when it comes to remodeling. Now of course it is unfair to compare this Four Seasons with the one on Lanai so I will hold the standard of this Four Seasons with other ones I've been to. <br />
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This Four Seasons has done many things right and just few things that needs some improvement. To start, the layout of the hotel is a U shape. What this means is that unless you are at the end of the U, or middle of the U, you will have side views to the ocean. Not the end of the world but when one comes to Hawaii, naturally one wants to have ocean view to watch the sunset. This shape of architecture is prevalent among many hotels here in Maui. It's the easiest way to give everyone some ocean view while stacking up as many room as possible in a limited amount of space. I'm sure it was thought through thoroughly by the building architect. So if you want the best view, you will naturally have to pay a steep premium. I do think for the product, the steepness of the price is on the high side. A side note, if you want a quick access to the beach and restaurants, the rooms at the end of the U has the quickest access in addition to gorgeous views. If you are at the middle of the U shape, it'll be a 10-15 minutes to trek to the beach.<br />
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My first impression of the lobby is nice and airy. It exude graciousness like most Four Seasons resort I had the pleasure to stay at. The overall ambiance is relaxed and calm. There is actually another floor below the entrance which has spa, shops, and gym. They have one of the nicer gym I've seen at a Four Seasons resort. It's quite large and there is a dedicated area for treadmills that look out toward the beach area. Although I'm not sure if you can actually see the ocean from the treadmills or not. I also did not use the spa service as I was too busy exploring the island. So can't comment on the spa service either.<br />
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I would say food is Four Seasons good. Meaning it's not bad but I certainly would not write home about it. As can be expected, Spago was the best. The worse food was Ferraro's Bar e Ristorante. It has the best view of the ocean but I honestly cannot recommend anyone to eat there. The pasta I had was overcooked and sauce was not good. The in room breakfast was good. There were lots of fresh juice choices. A lot more than the Four Seasons at Lanai. I think it's because Lanai has to import all their fruit whereas Maui has their own.<br />
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I stayed at the Elite suite which I highly recommend it. Even though the website only has two bedroom or three bedroom options available, you can actually request for one bedroom option which is what I had. The room was very modern which I liked and you can tell everything was quite new. The finish of the furniture wasn't quite on the same level as my suite at Four Seasons Lanai but it was definitely one of the nicer suites I had at a Four Seasons resort. The way this suite is set up, you can easily fit a family of four. This suite actually has two full bathrooms so kids can sleep on sofa bed in the living room and have their own bathroom. There is also a kitchenette with its own door that lead to hallway in case you decide to hire a caterer to host a party. The master bathroom was basically lined with beautiful Carrara marble. It looks very modern and luxurious. The only criticism I have is that I wish the tub is a two person tub instead of just one. There was definitely enough space to put a two person tub. The best part of the suite was the lanai. The sunset view at this resort is absolutely stunning. Everyday I rush back to my suite at 5PM to take in the view. The sunset view here definitely has Lanai Four Seasons beat.<br />
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You may have read that people complaint about having to rush down to the pool to reserve their chaise lounges early in the morning. I find that a bit ridiculous as they should just do what Eden Rock does: each room comes with its own assigned chaise lounge. I know this Four Seasons doesn't have enough chaise lounges for every room. But I would think they should minimally assign chaise lounges for the residential suites. After all, people at residential suites are paying a lot more than typical rooms at the resort and should not have to rush down early in the morning to snatch chaise lounges. With that said, I don't particularly care for the swimming pool... I much rather go swim in the ocean. The second best part of this resort is snorkeling with turtles. I'm not sure why, the turtles come out en force to swim just right off the beach at Four Seasons Maui. I must had swam with four five giant turtles. One of them was bigger than me! Crazy! I can stay in that water swimming with those turtle for days. But alas, all good things have to come to an end. <br />
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Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to this resort after five days. I think if this was your first time at Maui, this Four Seasons is a terrific jumping off point. The only thing that would give me any reservation about staying here would be the price. Vacationing in Hawaii is never cheap but the best rooms at this hotel will definitely cost you an arm and a leg. Do look into their offers tab. If you stay at a suite in the fall, you will get a nightly resort credit of $400 which will cover your breakfast and dinner (unless you get very expensive wine) during your stay. <br />
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-73481628537904824002017-12-15T09:00:00.000-08:002017-12-16T14:45:42.675-08:00Four Seasons in Buenos Aires<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This Four Seasons is one of those Four Seasons that I like but not head over heel for. I do think it is difficult to operate an urban Four Seasons as the number of rooms tend to be higher and traffic is more mixed in terms of none staying guests going in and out of the hotel. With that said, the only other luxury alternative is Faena Hotel and that hotel has its own deficit as well....so the choices is limited. <br />
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The location of this Four Seasons is very good. It's at an area called Recoleta which is one of the best neighborhood in Buenos Aires. The hotel is actually at the end of a very wide boulevard called Ave 9 de Julio. In fact, it is the widest boulevard in the world. The boulevard more or less ends next to the hotel and becomes a freeway. Typically it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing to stay at a hotel next to the entrance to a freeway. But in this case, somehow it didn't feel like a negative. In fact, it might be a plus if you are looking to get in and out of the city quickly. The Museo Nacional de bellas Artes is within walking distance from the hotel as well as the fame cemeterio de le Recoleta where Eva Peron is burried. There are few other museums I didn't get to go such as Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo in the area. Next time.<br />
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I can't say I particularly like the lobby at this Four Seasons. Most Four Seasons go with clean line stately look with lots and lots of beautifully arranged flowers. This one has an Eastern European fashionable look which is not my cup of tea. It doesn't mean the lobby is ugly but just not my taste. The Belle Epoque-style mansion on the back of the hotel is quite nice. The mansion is connect with the hotel via a podium. The podium level of the mansion serves as event space. I did a walk through of the space and wish the lobby of the hotel is in the mansion. The look is much more gracious to me and in keeping of typical Four Seasons style. <br />
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I stayed at the Mansion-view one bedroom suite. Above this would be rooms in the mansion which has rooms decorated in traditional style which I didn't want for my stay at Buenos Aires. The owners suite looks quite nice but it's close to three times as much as the mansion-view one bedroom suite and it's only 200 sqft bigger. It does seem to have a fabulous view though. I was plenty happy with the one bedroom suite I had. I love that they have two separate bathrooms. It's always a plus in my book. The finishes in the living room and bedroom is nice. The bathroom looks new and water pressure is good. The closet was a bit on the smaller side. It was a walk-in closet but it's a one person walk-in closet so that should give you a good idea of the size. <br />
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I had dinner at the Elena restaurant. I really enjoyed it. I thought the decor was on point. I love the black and white marble tiles. I can just imagine people doing tango on top of it! It just feels very Argentinean. I had a steak which was perfectly cooked. Tip: Remember in Argentina, medium rare means medium well. If you want medium rare, order rare. There are lots of local Argentinean in the restaurant which is a great sign. You know locals can go anywhere and they decided to patronize Elena so you know it's good. Indeed, it's one of the top three meal we had in Buenos Aires.<br />
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The hotel concierge is fabulous and they arranged for me to go to Colonial in Uruguay, an estancia in Pampas region, and a tango dinner at Faena Hotel. I would highly recommend the tango dinner. The food, as can be expected, was just ok. The dancers and choreography were out of this world. It was so good. I feel like I should take up tango for cardio exercise! I didn't get to visit the hotel rooms at Faena hotel. The decor of the public area of Faena I do like. It's modern but in a French not Eastern European way if you know what I mean. However, this hotel has two drawbacks for me: the room decor feels borderline tacky from pictures online and the hotel is in the Puerto Madero area which isn't exactly close to tourist attractions. Hence I was happy I had chosen Four Seasons over Faena.<br />
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When I go back to Buenos Aires, I would definitely stay at Four Seasons again. This place is at a great location. It has delectable food at its signature restaurant. The service standard is good although it can be better. I do wonder since I am in South America not Asia, the service here is probably as good as it gets. And what score would Bruno Tonioli have given to this Four Seasons? I say a solid 8. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-13468798527447255442017-12-04T11:20:00.002-08:002017-12-14T13:12:12.893-08:00Luxury in Patagonia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Patagonia, for the longest time, isn't exactly the place where one can find a luxury resort. Instead, it's about hiking, camping, wind, and gorgeous views. Thank god that Awasi came along and set up "camp" near Torres del Paine. Otherwise I don't think I would have ever come to this part of the earth. While I never stayed at Explora Patagonia before, but having visited it briefly and seen various pictures online, I feel I had made the right choice for me by staying at Awasi Patagonia. I will go into the difference I see between the two resorts so you can decide better for yourself which is more preferable for you when you come to Patagonia.<br />
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Location: Awasi Patagonia is located outside of Torres del Paine National Park. In fact, it takes about an hour or so to get to the entrance of the park and another half hour to get to where most hikers take a boat out to start the W-trek. So this is the dilemma for visitors: to stay at Explora Patagonia which is right in the middle of the park or to stay at Awasi and take the daily car ride in and out of the park. It really depends on what you are looking for. For me, Awasi Patagonia is a perfect location as I can look directly onto the famous three towers every morning when I wake up and when I go to bed (sun is up until 10PM at this time of the year). The decision is similar to when one go to Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Do you stay at the foothill of Otemanu or do you stay at islets and look at Mount Otemanu. Most people would argue that when going to Bora Bora, they want the Otemanu view from islets. To me, this is no different. Since I'm not an avid hiker and my purpose to come to Patagonia is so I can get photos for my instagram account (joking), Awasi was a better choice for me.<br />
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Lodging: Awasi wins hands down. The rooms at Explora Patagonia is small. The largest room is 450 square feet and those get booked up very quickly. Then you are left with a tight 300 square feet rooms. No thanks. I get that coming to Patagonia, you are not going to stay inside all day. It's about experiencing the nature outside. However, when I do decide to stay inside, I want to feel comfortable and not claustrophobic. At Awasi, every independent lodge (read lots of privacy) is 1200 square feet. Not only it's substantially bigger, the furnishing is also much much better. Explora Patagonia looks like a nice dorm room with a bathroom that 1990s are calling and they want it back whereas Awasi Patagonia looks like a proper luxury resort bathroom. With that said, I had issues with my shower temperature during my four night stay going from warm to hot to warm to hot which was annoying but not a deal breaker. Management was never able to fix it during my stay. Talking to other guests, they didn't have the same problem so I guess it was just bad luck for me and hopefully they fixed the lodge I stayed quickly before another guest arrives. <br />
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Food: The food at Awasi was exceptional for a resort in the middle of nowhere. I was really impressed with the plating and taste of the food. I would say food was around bib gourmand to one Michelin star level (closer to one Michelin star). Chef used lots of local ingredients and service was friendly but not intrusive. In fact, I would say restaurant staff here were some of the very best I've encountered anywhere at a resort setting. They found out your habit and things will magically appear without asking. I like to drink ice tea with my meal and after the first meal, I never had to ask for it again during my stay. That gives you a glimpse of the amount of personal attention one gets when one stays here.<br />
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Guide: I was very happy with my guide. He drove me everywhere and anywhere I asked. We went to Torres del Paine national park as well as many other places outside of the national park. I like the idea of having my private guide. He caters to my schedule and not the other way around. I know at Explora Patagonia you are put in a group and you are on a schedule. So if you are stuck with people like me who barely hikes, then too bad for you... we are going to hike at a turtle pace. Having a private guide, I can sleep in and start my day at 11AM. I never have to cater to anyone else's whim except my own. This is the way luxury travel should be.<br />
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Facility: Awasi Patagonia has one single main building where you can lounge or take in food. Unfortunately there is no spa facility and if you want a massage, a masseuse will come to your lodge. There is a firewood hot tub next to your villa. Yes, you read that right, literally firewood. The idea is great. How often does one actually get to sit inside of a tub of water that's warm by firewood. On the other hand, if you come here during windy seasons (spring, summer, fall), then there is a good chance the wind is too dangerous for them to lit up fire under your wooden tub outside. To me, the idea of firewood tub is cute and romantic, but someone forgot it's really really really windy here in Patagonia ALL THE TIME (except winter as I was told). A jacuzzi tub powered by electric makes much more sense IMO.<br />
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Activities: I stayed four nights and five days. It was the perfect amount of time for me. The first day was just arrival. Currently LATAM flies to Puerto Natales on Tuesdays and leave on Saturdays which fit into my schedule to a T. If you arrive at Punta Areanas (which LATAM flies to daily from Santiago), then you will have to take a 5 hour car ride after you land whereas Puerto Natales is hour and a half from the resort. Much more doable IMO. The second day I spend the whole day inside the Torres del Paine and saw waterfalls (with crazy strong wind), Lake Pehoe, lots of guanaca, and various mountains . The third day I went to Baguales area which is about an hour and a half away from the resort. Apparently Awasi rents access to this area from various owners and they are the only resort in the area has access to the very end of the road where I saw a profusion of dandelions. It was stunning. Because this area is private, you don't see hoards of tourists like Torres del Paine has. The fourth day, I went to Grey Lake inside the Torres del Paine National Park. Unfortunately the wind was so strong that day they cancelled the boat tour to glacier. I did see some icebergs and you can see the glacier from afar. My first time. The last day was time to pack up and go back to civilization. So five days was perfect. If you only stay three nights, you will have to miss some stuff. If you are very into hiking, then you will need easily eight nights nine days if not longer. For a city slicker like me, four nights and five days was perfect. <br />
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Overall, I was very happy with my choice of lodging. Honestly, if you are looking for luxury lodging options in Patagonia, this is the only choice. In fact, this place is reminiscent of experiences I have at various Aman resorts. I would not be surprised if the owner of Awasi is an Amanjunkie. If you stayed at Aman resorts before, you know they give you little gifts nightly. At Awasi Patagonia, they do the same. Also everyone here knows who you are just like at Aman resorts. They know your preferences and you never have to repeat yourself over and over again like when one stays at those big anonymous Starwood properties. If you are totally gung ho about hiking inside the national park all day and everyday you are here, then I would probably recommend you to go to Explora Patagonia despite their inferior lodging and food. If you are looking for a true luxury experience with varied destinations beside Torres del Paine national park, then Awasi Patagonia will be better for you. Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6152114961398870874.post-51454804489558750652017-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:002017-11-08T09:00:11.125-08:00The best Four Seasons Resort ever?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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While I have not been to every single Four Seasons out there, but I have been to quite a few around the world. Four Seasons to me, stands for high quality service and nice interior. Because Four Seasons own very few of their properties, each property has its own look and quality depending on owner's objective. Some Four Seasons looks like a slightly nicer version of a Westin Hotel such as Four Seasons Palo Alto. Some Four Seasons look beautiful like the Four Seasons Bora Bora. And then there is the Four Seasons on Lana'i; it is one of those exceptional Four Seasons that warrants repeat visits.<br />
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Four Seasons Lana'i really has it made in many aspects. First, it has an owner who is ultra wealthy and looking at this Four Seasons as his vanity project (ie. return isn't that important but showing off is). Secondly, it has a gorgeous setting that's hard to replicate. Lastly, it is in a location that has access to great staff.<br />
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As many of you may know, Four Seasons Lana'i is own by Larry Ellison. What this means is he has oodles of money to spend on sprucing up Lana'i if he wants to and thankfully for me, he did. In general, Four Seasons lobbies are very grand. They are very good at setting the tone of luxury. However, when you step into your room, let's just say sometimes it can be a let down. Again, I would refer this back to Palo Alto Four Seasons (let me beat this dead horse again). Lana'i Four Seasons' finishes is unparalleled to any other Four Seasons I've been to. They use Neorest Toto toilet in every guest room! Most hotel only reserve a $5k toilet for their presidential suites if that. But here we have $5k toilets even for cheapest rooms. This is absolutely unheard of. This kind of lavish detail tells you the amount of money that was spent on sprucing up this resort. <br />
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I was lucky to stay at their Alii Royal Suite and I honestly did not want to leave. This suite is basically Four Seasons Lana'i's highest category suite.... even higher than their presidential suite. Alii Royal suite can be either one bedroom or two (connecting room next door can be made available). I have stayed at places that have similar level of opulence such as Cheval Blanc Randheli or the Brando in Tahiti. But the amount of space and custom details made my stay at Four Seasons Lana'i the most opulent hotel suite I had the pleasure to stay in. Everything about the suite is gorgeous; from the beautiful handmade Nepalese Lokta wallpaper to gorgeous museum worthy artwork on walls. My favorite is the Dietrich Varez wallpaper in the closet anteroom. Yes, you read that correctly.... there is an anteroom to go to the closet room which is as big as a studios in NYC. A steam bath is incorporated into a large two person shower room. Oh and did I mention there is a two person Japanese tub in the bathroom as well. I'm not a tub person but I did take a nice long bath in that tub. It was heavenly. And of course let's not forget about the amazing ocean front view off the living room, dining room, media room, and master bedroom. Yes, count them... four lanais. The suite also comes with a library but I didn't spend any time in there as I was too busy looking out the window. Just in case you don't want to look at TV in your master bedroom, they mounted a hidden TV in the ceiling above your bed so you don't have to look at it unless you want to. When I'm on vacation, I rarely watch TV but believe me, I watched TV a few times in bed. <br />
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While I can stay in Alii Royal suite and never leave, I did leave so I can enjoy rest of the resort. There are few restaurants onsite. I really liked Malibu Farm which came from Los Angeles. Food is very fresh and tasty. The Sports Bar and Grill has yummy salad and their poke bowl uses freshest tuna. It was divine. Nobu is always good... I wish it was Matsuhisa though which I like better. The weakest link for me was One Forty. The food was typical Four Seasons good. It's competent food but not something to write home about. <br />
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Another thing I enjoyed about staying at a resort is experiencing their spa. So naturally I have to hit up the one here. Funny thing is they use exact same lockers as the ones at Four Seasons Bora Bora. But I would say the spa is prettier here at Lana'i. The one at Bora Bora is more rustic looking which it makes sense but personally I prefer a more luxe tailored looking spa. There is the typical lockers, shower stalls, steam room, sauna room, and waiting area. All very nicely furnished. The spa room was adequately sized and my masseur was good. One thing spa manager did which I really appreciate was he moved my masseur's meeting around to accommodate me. I thought that was very consumer-centric move. He could have easily left my original reservation time and I would had to come back later at a less optimal time for me. So bravo to the manager at the spa. And he is not the only one who went out of his way to make me feel cared for. But more on that later.<br />
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Spa facility is actually very close to the hotel pools. This resort has two pools. One is family pool and the other one is adult pool. They are not that far apart from each other but I suppose some foliage, walkway, and palm trees between them do serve some kind of separation. The funny thing is I found the adult pool less serene as there were few frat boy types talking loudly and probably drunk on some of the day during my stay while the family pool only had one mom and her kid swimming quietly... The later pool was definitely more relaxing. For me though, I much rather go to a beach then jump into a pool. Lana'i Four Seasons has a nice beach very close to the resort. All Hawaiian beaches are public so we did run into several local people next to the Four Seasons beach. However, because the population on Lanai is small, there isn't that many people on the beach so it felt fairly private. If you are looking to snorkel, you have to go to the side that's farther away from the resort. It's a five minute walk so you don't have to trek very far. The snorkeling experience was good. There were plenty of colorful fish and creatures in the water. I was satisfied with what I saw. I would say it was comparable to other Hawaiian islands I've experienced. <br />
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If you are a gym junkie, then you are in luck as this resort has a very nice large gym. It has free weights and assisted weight machines. It's a proper gym which one normally don't get in a resort no matter how luxe the resort is. Most places have an onsite gym as an afterthought. This gym not only offer you lots of equipment, it even has free earphones in case you don't have one when you hop onto a cardio machine! Now that's a first. Oh, and it does have a very nice ocean view while you do your cardio to boot. Makes doing cardio slightly less painful...<br />
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Lastly, the staff at Four Seasons Lanai was incredible. The best Four Seasons Service I've experience was at Four Seasons Koh Samui. That resort has 60 villas with 11 private residence rentals. Lanai Four Seasons has a total of 213 rooms and I have to say they give the staff at Koh Samui a run for their money. Everyone from resort manager David to beach boy was super nice and incredibly they all remember my name!! It's one thing I'm at an Aman resort (which has 35 rooms or less) and people remembers me but it's another when the staff at the beach here asked me about how was my dinner last night at Lanai City Bar and Grill (a local restaurant in town) when I know the only other staff that know I went was the ambassador/ concierge at the front entrance. It goes to show that every department in the hotel communicates with each other and they want to make sure you are absolutely taken care of down to the littlest details. I'm impressed. I don't know how they do it with so many rooms. There is a saying that one of the best thing about being in Hawaii is the Ohana spirit that one comes across while in Hawaii. I have to say Four Seasons Lana'i embraced that concept and then some. I will be back. This Four Seasons is the best Hawaiian Four Seasons bar none. It would not surprise me if this is the best Four Seasons beach resort in the world. Maybe someday I'll find out after I go to every single one of them. In any case, I hope to return to this gorgeous respite soon. <br />
Purefectohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06409986646083786740noreply@blogger.com0