Meeting friends for an extended weekend in Amsterdam, the Mr. Jordaan Hotel would be my place to rest my head. Lodging in Amsterdam is notably pricey but the Mr Jordaan hotel offered a reasonable rate for a top rated hotel at about $190 USD a night. That’s an overall good rate for Amsterdam Centrum based on my general research. I checked out a couple Airbnbs but didn’t find any great deals. Location: 5 of 5 Stars – The location of…
Sending a long weekend in Oslo, the Thon Hotel Terminus in Central Oslo would be my home for 3 nights.Oslo is notably an expensive city with mid-range lodging options often extending $200 USD per night. However, I was able to snag a rare deal on Booking.com for only $77 USD a night at the Thon Terminus Hotel. Quite the deal for Oslo! Location: 4 of 5 Stars – If you’re looking for a very central location, the Thon Hotel Terminus…
On a trip with my dad to Ireland, Cork was one of our planed overnight stays. However, it was not in our original plans to stay at the Cork Airport Hotel. I’m a master of travel planning if I must pat myself on the back. But on this trip, I made a rare mistake of booking a hotel stay on the wrong date. Ooops! Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 4 of 5 Stars Service: 4 of 5 Stars…
I’m not even going to waste my time writing a full review of the Novotel London Paddington. I’ll save you all the time and get straight to the point: this hotel is a big disappointment. My sister and I had planned to stay at the Novotel London Paddington for three nights while in London. I have a few reliable favorite London hotels that I usually stick to. But this time I decided to try something new. We got a great rate in a supposedly…
Spending a quick weekend in New York City, we wanted a comfortable place to stay without busting the bank. New York City hotels are generally quite expensive and after a bit of scouring, I found the Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Midtown East on Hotels.com. After double-checking rates and the TripAdvisor reviews, it seemed to be a solid option in a great location. Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5 Stars Service: 4 of 5 Stars Comfort: 5 of 5 Stars…
Spending a long (and pleasantly warm) weekend in Berlin, we made the Citadines Kurfürstendamm Berlin our home for a couple of nights. Located in the Kurfürstendamm neighborhood of Berlin, this apartment-style hotel or “Aparthotel” offers amenities well-suited for a longer stay in Berlin. Located in a posh neighborhood along The Kurfürstendamm, there’s not shortage of high-end shopping nearby. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5 Stars Service: 3.5 of 5 Stars Comfort: 3.5 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of…
Spending a weekend in Singapore, I had selected the AMOY Singapore for it’s solid reviews and a reasonable cash rate. As you know, I’m a fan of the Hotels.com Rewards program with it’s simple rewards earning concept. I had booked the room on Hotels.com for a cash rate of $100 USD per night which Is fantastic for Downtown Singapore. Located in the Chinatown area of Downtown, the AMOY Singapore is just around the corner from the Telok Ayer MRT Station. Overall Rating: 4 of…
Listed in the top 100 hotels in London out of over 3,000 hotels on TripAdvisor, you can bet that I had some pretty high exceptions for The Nadler Kensington. The west end of London is one of my favorite locations to stay in the city so it influenced my decision to book The Nadler Kensington. The rooms at the The Nadler Kensington are more like an apartment-style room than a traditional hotel room. I had booked the room on Hotels.com…
This was my second stay at an NH Hotels property in Madrid with my last stay being at the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding whichI I really greatly enjoyed. I snagged a great rate this at the NH Zurbano Madrid on Hotels.com for about $85 USD which was a pretty good cash rate for Central Madrid. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5 Stars Service: 4 of 5 Stars Comfort: 3.5 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of 5 Stars Location I’d arrived from…
Located just north of Central Barcelona in the Les Corts neighborhood, the NH Collection Barcelona Constanza is a hip 4-start hotel. Part of the NH Collection portfolio, the location offers relative convenience yet the peace and quiet of a residential neighborhood. We had booked the NH Collection Barcelona Constanza through Hotels.com and secured a great rate of $117 USD per night during a very busy weekend in Barcelona. The weekend we visited Barcelona happened to be during La Mercè Festival so hotel rates…
Almost hidden in the quiet Bayswater neighborhood of Westminster in Greater London, the Vancouver Studios London is a cozy hotel that makes one feel at home. In contrast to a traditional full-service hotel, the Vancouver Studios is more of an apartment-style hotel. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Service: 3.5 of 5 Stars Location: 4 of 5 Stars Comfort: 4 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of 5 Stars I was spending a short 3 days in London with plans…
After having a surprisingly hard time selecting accomodations for our four days in Rome, I came across Casa Sotgiu. We were seeking comfort in a quiet, yet convenient neighborhood with Metro access. After reviewing the solid reviews of Casa Sotgiu, I was sold. Overall Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Service: 5 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5 Stars Comfort: 5 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of 5 Stars It’s a bed and breakfast property located on the 4th floor…
Hopping into Madrid for a quick 24-hour visit, I booked a night at the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding, located in the Financial District of Central Madrid. I snagged the room using a Hotels.com reward night. Had I paid out of picket, I would have paid ~$180 USD for the one night stay. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Service: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 4 of 5 Stars Comfort: 5 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of 5 Stars The hotel is located…
This is part one of a three part series highlighting Mérida, Mexico and the surrounding Yucatan region. In part two, I’ll focus on the nearby villages of Cuzama, Chunkanán, and the well known “Los 3” Cenotes. Part One: Exploring Centro Mérida Part Two: Exploring Kabah. Uxmal, & Santa Elena Part Three: Exploring Cuzama and Los 3 Cenotes In the third and final post in this series, I’ll cover exploring Cuzama and “Los 3” cenotes, a fantastic day trip from Mérida. On our third day staying in Mérida,…
This is part two of a three part series highlighting Mérida, Mexico and the surrounding Yucatan region. In part two, I’ll focus on the nearby ruins of Uxmal and Kabah, and the small village of Santa Elena. Part One: Exploring Centro Mérida Part Two: Exploring Kabah. Uxmal, & Santa Elena Part Three: Exploring Cuzama and Los 3 Cenotes As we were planning our trip to Mérida, we knew we wanted to spend a fair amount of time outside the city and visit the nearby ruins….
This is part one of a three part series highlighting Mérida, Mexico and the surrounding Yucatan region. In part one, I’ll focus on the sights, flavors, and sounds of Centro Mérida. Part One: Exploring Centro Mérida Part Two: Exploring Kabah. Uxmal, & Santa Elena Part Three: Exploring Cuzama and Los 3 Cenotes When I told most of my friends that we were headed to Mérida for a long weekend, most of them had no clue where that even is. The vast majority of Americans will…
Inconspicuously tucked along Calle 74A, sits the Hotel Santiago Mérida near the heart of Centro Mérida. In advance of our trip to Mérida, we had browsed several boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts. The reviews were solid and it was rated as the number two bed and breakfast in Mérida at the time of booking. Overall Rating: 5 of 5 Stars Service: 5 of 5 Stars Location: 5 of 5 Stars Comfort: 5 of 5 Stars Cleanliness: 5 of 5…
As part of our 9-day trek through Central and Eastern Europe, we spent 3 days in Krakow, Poland, taking in the sights and scenery of the city and the surrounding towns. We booked a unique “hotel” property, the Apartamenty Parkside Kraków. Located just outside the city center, this property was unique in the sense that it was somewhere between a hotel and an Airbnb type property. Overall Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Service: 4 of 5 Stars Location: 4 of 5…
I’ve just returned from a quick trip to Hong Kong earlier this week which involved a stay at the Somerset Victoria Park Hong Kong, located in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island. As you may pick up, the major hotel rewards programs are not my cup of tea and I tend to focus on two main booking tools: Airbnb and Hotels.com. I like Hotels.com as the rates are competitive and the rewards program is straightforward which is the site I used for…
I’ve just returned from a 36 hour visit to Helsinki which included some express sightseeing, a few great lounge visits, a new airline for me, and a stay at the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki. Location: The central location of the Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki is hard to beat. It’s just about 2 blocks from the Central Railway station in Helsinki. And if you’re coming directly from the Airport train platforms, there’s a side street that’s a nice direct shortcut to the…