…eck supervisor who also checked out the noise, and she escalated it to the Hotel Director. By the time I returned from breakfast, there was a call from the hotel director telling me that they were moving me to another cabin. My finding an ally in the crew, making it their problem to solve, and letting them use the levers they know will work was so much more effective than going to the front desk. They moved me to a fantastic cabin. From an Oceanvi…
…tay Scams With the costs of flying to our cruises and pre- and post-cruise hotel stays spiralling, I am sure you, like me, are on the lookout for cheaper ways of doing both. The scammers have noticed this too. The scammers are catching cruisers searching terms like cheap flights and hotels, by setting up authentic looking but fake sites. Once booked several things may happen, the site disappears and there is no booking, or close to the trip cruise…
…s who want to escape the bustle of big ships and move into a calmer, more adult, boutique-hotel-style experience with more interesting itineraries that the bigger premium ships are limited to. As most of the ships carry around a thousand guests, although some are far smaller, it provides that quiet but also means they can get into smaller ports, dock in city centres that big ships can’t, like Marseille or Shanghai, and they tend to offer more over…
…the main dining room is also very stylish and modern looking. More like a hotel than a ship Overall I think the ship did not feel like a ship, and more like a 5 star hotel that happened to go to sea. I am sure this will appeal to a lot of people, although think it is more targeted to the American than a British consumer. It does have a modern and well planned feel overall, but for me it lacked the tradition and sea-faring approach that Cunard has…
…To find them head to Clark Quay, Boat Quay, and Robinson Quay. #10 Raffles Hotel My last and final tip is Raffles. As I mentioned before it is named after Sir Thomas Raffles. It is a beautiful old colonial hotel. They have the amazing shops selling Singapore and Raffles branded souvenirs. You must visit the Raffles Bar and have a “Singapore Sling” which was invented by one of the barmen at Raffles. You are given peanuts which drinks, which you pod…
…s to be rather unattractive developments out of the city. I also wonder if during the Soviet years (after the Russians famously sent tanks in during 1968 to crush a move to greater democracy) there was not a lot of investment and upgrading and so the old buildings were retained. Ready for post iron curtain revival. I know that is true of the Petrin Tower which closed in 1979 for a decade as it had fallen into disrepair and was only recently restor…
…rked, and you think that they would have at least have tried to ensure that the replacement worked. When booking, check you get a deal that has the valet parking and the breakfast included as they are expensive as extras. So overall it is a neat, up-market hotel that does a lot well but lacks some of the depth that other 5 star hotels offer. So close but just misses. Watch the videos of the 2 rooms I have stayed at: Room 420: click here to watch o…
…ore impressed at a recent stay last week at the massive Concorde Lafayette hotel. Not only are they revamping the hotel and rooms but both on checking in and checking out senior staff (sales on arrival and duty manager when checking out) were called and told me how my custom was valued, how I liked the new rooms and suggestions etc. They really made you feel important. I assume they both knew my record and number of stays at the chain but also the…
…than the Nassau Inn in Princeton! Of course, I am slightly spoilt as most hotels I stay in are for work (around 8 nights a year) – and we tend to stay in nice hotels. I have had to stay in the Nassau Inn many times in the last 15 years. And I have never liked nor enjoyed it. I only stay here when I have to, like this trip when we are at a meeting being held all week here. The hotel feels run down and shabby from the outside and all through. It is…
…k where the cruise terminal is. We found out later that this was where the Dutch people who were emigrating to America used to sail from. There is a very beautiful building which used to be the Holland America Line headquarters but is now a hotel called New York. We had breakfast in the room today, having placed and order before bed. It was great, though the Queens Grill restaurant is so beautiful and the service so good we also missed out on that…
…he hotel for 4 nights for a training meeting we were running. I loved this hotel. It has a stunning art deco look which is executed with style, flair and a great attention to detail.The entrance hall is large and impressive. The halls very long but quite breathtaking. The bedrooms have large comfortable beds, very funky bathrooms. Staff is helpful and friendly.The downside is that the hotel is not that convenient. It is a fairly long trek to the C…
