Sunday, February 25, 2024

Trip Report: Breeze Airways, Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to New Orleans (February 2024)

 Trip Report: Breeze Airways 

Raleigh (RDU) to New Orleans (MSY)

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


I needed to fly to Raleigh/Durham to New Orleans and previously there were no non-stop flights as you had to connect somewhere; however, recently a new airline started a direct flight between RDU and MSY so decided to try them out.  Breeze Airways is a relatively new airline primarily operating Embraer 190's and Airbus A220s.  They fly to relatively smaller and/or secondary airports and generally have less frequency than the mainline carriers.  One of their founders in the same person who started jetBlue so they seem to be a mix between that airline and low-cost carriers.  They have a base fare which includes a personal item only and then charge for everything else, but they have termed themselves the 'nice airline'.

Between Raleigh and New Orleans, Breeze is the only carrier that operates a direct flight between the two cities and currently operates this with an Embraer 195 (the airline is currently awaiting the A220 and will fly all routes with that aircraft once delivered).  The flight was originally scheduled to depart at 4:08p and arrive into New Orleans at 5:27p for a scheduled flight time of 2hr and 19min.  As stated earlier, the base fare only includes a personal item and the base fare is relatively inexpensive.  You can add seat selection, personal carry-on, and checked baggage separately or you can bundle them together.  I was going to add seat selection and personal carry-on and when I looked at the individual fare vs the bundle, the bundle was less expensive and offered better seat selection.  Therefore, I went with the 'Nicer bundle" which included extra legroom seat, personal carryon as well as a checked bag.  Even with the bundle, the total costs for my ticket was $120.  I booked my flight through the app and when you book online you automatically get enrolled with Breeze points, the Breeze frequent flyer program.  I had previously booked a flight but then cancelled and was able to get a full refund, but still collected Breeze points for signing up; I was able to use those points for this flight and make my overall costs less!

About 2 weeks prior to departure, I received an email stating that there was going be changes to the flight time - my flight was now going to depart and arrive one hour earlier than scheduled; the new departure time would be 3:08p with a boarding time of 2:30pm.  Breeze offered to either accept the change, or cancel the itinerary for a full-refund; I accepted the change and modified my schedule accordingly.  Check-in was easy through the app and I obtained my boarding pass 24-hours prior to check-in.  As Breeze is a new airline, and they have less frequency on this route, so their planes tend to be late or cancelled more often; and this can cause issues sometimes they are the only ones providing this flight service.  I checked the Breeze app and the previous day the flight was delayed by over 5hrs - also alarming was that Google Flights and FlightRadar showed my flight as being cancelled.  I immediately contacted customer service - Breeze does not have a phone number but rather provides support through chat, SMS, as well as Facebook Messanger.  I contacted them through FB Messanger and they responded within 30mins stating that my flight was scheduled ontime.

Flight MX331 operates New York/Islip to Raleigh and then Raleigh to New Orleans with only enoughtime to turn the plane around in Raleigh between flights.  The inbound flight arrive on-time but there was only one Breeze attendant at the gate; they had to handle the incoming flight as well as the outgoing flight and they were not the most efficient; this meant that boarding which was supposed to commence at 2:30pm did not and there was no announcement and no one to answer questions.  Once they finished deplaning and assisting the inbound aircraft, they came back basically to start boarding the outbound flight; communication and details could definitely be better as there was at least a 20-30min delay with no notice.                                                                                                            After preboarders, boarding was done by zone and with the 'Nicer' bundle you get Zone 1 boarding; also with this bundle I was able to select the extra legroom seat and was able to select 1C which is the first seat and a bulkhead seat.  The flight was operated by an Embraer 195 which is a smaller plane in a 2-2 section; you could feel the smallness of the plane as you entered since the height is smaller and the overhead bins are larger.  The overhead bins could fit a personal carryon as well as a roll carryon, but the flight was extremely full so it took some maneuvering to get everyone's bag onboarded.  Once boarding was complete, the doors were closed, manual safety demonstrations were done, we pushed back and departed Raleigh 20 mins behind schedule.                                                                                                                                                 
The plane is configured in a 2-2 layout.  I was in the bulkhead seat which meant that there was lots of legroom but the seat was narrower than I had expected.  From what I could tell, the seat width and comfort on the bulkhead seat was the same as the other seats but the seat pitch and legroom were different.  As I said, the seat was somewhat narrow and I am not sure if that is the seat or the Embraer aircraft; also, the seat comfort was decent for the short flight but not sure if it would comfortable for a longer flight.  Flight time ended being 1hr 45 mins and after levelling off, the inflight service started.  As with all low-cost carriers, most items are available for purchase including drink and food boxes.  Those were first offered and then complimentary water and hot tea were offered for no charge; that is something different and many passengers were not expecting that.  Breeze did offer wifi on the plane in which you could access the complimentary entertainment - the entertainment options were extremely limited as they offered 4 movies and 4 tv shows and both were extremely old or odd selections; however, they were available and they were complimentary.  I did not see wifi packages for offer nor was texing or messaging options offered.  Once the service completed, passengers found various time to occupy their time until we landed in New Orleans.

Overall, it was an interesting flight with Breeze.  The airline concept of a combination between low-
cost carrier with charging for everything but with a better, 'nicer' attitude seems to be an interesting concept.  The fare I paid, which included everything, was very inexpensive and made the flight more attractive.  The service on board was also great as some the FA's looked like they were really enjoying their job (unlike FA's on some of the mainline carriers).  The downside is the lack of frequency, the lack of consistency of on-time departures, and the lack of communication of delays.  Would I go out of my way to take Breeze, no; would I fly Breeze again if they offered the flight route that I wanted to take, absolutely! 

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Stay Report: MeliĆ” Milano (Milan, Italy - December 2023)

    Stay Report: Melia Milano
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


When traveling through Italy, we were stopping in Milan and there are many hotels to choose from but our criteria was the following: easy access to shops and restaurants, easy access to public transportation, and big rooms.  In looking for these criteria, we found the Melia Milano which is on the outskirts of the city near the football stadium and near the Lotto metro stop.  From this stop, it would take about 15 mins to get to the city center and about 20mins to get to the main train station.  I also had points with Melia so utilized this during my stay.                                                                                                                                                                                                             
From the outside the hotel looks big, and I found out later that the hotel is in a converted bakery factory hence the large size.  The hotel is oddly situated in that it is in the middle of the neighborhood and so you have to walk 2-3 blocks to the main road to access the metro stop and the shops and restaurants.  As you enter the hotel, you enter into this massive lobby with high ceilings and a grand staircase in the middle.  To the left is the check-in desk and a waiting area and to the right is the bar and restaurant.  Up the stairs is the first floor which contains the meeting rooms, the Melia lounge, as well as guest rooms.  Our train was late so we arrived almost at midnight at the hotel and check-in was curt, not very friendly, and barely provided any information on the hotel (more about this later on).  I received my key and went to the room on the first floor.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the room is that despite the large size of the hotel and the massive lobby, the hotel rooms were somewhat smaller and more compact than I expected; the size would be fine if I was closer to the city but away from the city one expects a larger room size.  As you entered the room, on the left was the entrance to the bathroom while on the right was a little wall that ended as you entered into the main part of the room.  The bathroom was decent but also compact and contained a toilet, bidet, sink with minimal counter space, and a walk-in shower.  The toiletries were refillable and had handwash and lotion next to the sink with body wash, shampoo and conditioner in the shower; the basic amenities were there but the space was more compact and restricted.  
As you entered into the room, on the right was a stand with shelves for storage and then continuing on the right was a nook with an open closet and open luggage rack.  The luggage rack and open closet was a nice touch but there was minimal storage space as the open rack and the shelves were the only storage.  In the main part of the room, the king-size bed was along with right side of the wall and on each side of the bed was a table with a lamp on it and plugs behind it along with USB ports.  The bed was decent enough for the first night but was a bit uncomfortable towards the third night but overall provided a decent sleep.  The tables next to the bed were somewhat small so again it did the job but space was limited.  Across from the bed, along the left side of the wall, was the TV mounted on the wall and in the corner a table with chairs.  The table and chairs was a nice touch to have but again it was a small table so could barely have two people eating or drinking at the same time.  Overall it was a decent room with the necessary amenities but the space was more compact than I expected for a suburb hotel.

The hotel is a full-service hotel so has lots of amenities including a hotel bar, restaurant, meeting rooms, hotel lounge, a gym, and wifi.  The wifi was decent and you could connect as many devices as you want but it did slow down sometimes and was not always the most reliable.  I did not try the bar nor restaurant but did see lots of people going there so it seemed popular.  I have tried the Melia lounge during my first experience with Melia in Punta Cana (check out the review here) and I was not overly impressed with the quality so we did not opt that here.                                                                                                                                                                                 
Overall, it was not an impressive stay at Melia Milano.  I have stayed at other Melia properties before and INNSIDE Melia New York NOMAD (review here) is one of my favorite places to stay in NYC because its convenient and the room sizes are decent for the central location; but this hotel was outside the city and is in a former factory so one would expect bigger rooms but the size of this room is what you would expect at a hotel closer to the city.  The customer service was also lacking as we connected with the frontdesk staff many times and throughout my interactions only staff person was actually nice and helpful while the others barely did their job and barely provided any support.  An example of that is we woke up one morning and the lobby entrance and access was restricted; apparently the football/soccer team was staying at the hotel before the gameday.  While I understand they could not say why there would be distributions but altering the guests as to potential distributions to access would have been helpful and communicative.

Monday, January 29, 2024

Trip Report: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Milan to London via Amsterdam - Business Class (December 2023)

 Trip Report: KLM Dutch Airlines, 

Milan to London via Amsterdam Business Class 

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


I wanted to travel from Milan to London and when I looked online, there were not a lot of direct options so looked for connecting options.  Each time I travel, I am also looking for the best options and looking at points redemption versus payment, and in this search I found I could redeem Delta Skymiles points to get an intra-European business class ticket on KLM from Milan Malpensa to London Heathrow via Amsterdam.  I booked the ticket through Delta using my Skymiles points and then contacted KLM to confirm the booking and obtain the KLM booking reference number.   Once I had the KLM booking number, it was somewhat easy to manage my booking through the KLM app as well as through customer service. 
My flight was from Milan to London Heathrow via Amsterdam.  The first flight was approximately 1h55min while the second flight was 1hr20min and with an originally layover of 1hr30min.  Both sectors were flown by Boeing 737 and both were in 'intra-European business class' which means that the seats are the same as the rest of the plane with extra legroom and the middle seat blocked off.  As part of business class, both sectors included complimentary meals.  The experience on both sectors were similar so I will combine all experiences into one review.                                                                                                                                                                                    Our flight was scheduled to depart Milan at 4:55pm.  We had both Business Class access as well as Sky Priority status so we were able to use that check-in as well as fast track security; although there were not many people in check-in line so either line would have been fine.  The business class lounge in Milan was through a third party and the lounge was small but decent and had complimentary soft drinks, water, alcoholic beverages, as well as a wide variety of snacks and small foods.  The drinks were plentiful and the snacks were decent enough to fill you up but not to overstuff.  There was also complimentary wifi.  During the layover in Amsterdam I was able to try out the renovated KLM Crown Club.  The club was massive with lots of seating but also lots of people.  The food was disappointing as it was minimal snacks and I expected better quality and quantity of food from a lounge in the airlines home airport (in face, the food on the plane was better than the food in the lounge).  The drinks were weak and not good either; overall it was a disappointing experience in the Crown Club in Amsterdam.

KLM has a departure time and a scheduled boarding time and for both flights, the flights were delayed and boarding time came and went without any communication.  Boarding is to be conducted by groups, with Business Class and Sky Priority in Group 3 but each time boarding was chaotic and many people were unsure which group was going when.  There was a lack of communication and order during the boarding and regarding any delays.                                                                                                                                                                                    Once onboard, both planes were laid out in a similar fashion as they were both Boeing 737-800.  Both were in a 3-3 configuration and as mentioned above we were in 'European Business Class' which meant that the seats were standard but there was extra legroom and the middle seat was blocked.  The major difference was that the Milan to Amsterdam sector was operated by a newer plane with newer seats while the Amsterdam to Heathrow sector was operated by an older plane with the old style seats.  The newer seats were more slimline and thus had less padding but were more efficiently designed.  The older planes had a bit bigger seats but the wear and tear had made them uncomfortable towards the end.  

Both seats were designed in a similar fashion with the updated ones having somewhat more modern features.  Both featured a tray table as well as pocket underneath, and neither had a monitor.  The older plane's tray table was a standard tray table while the newer plane had a bi-folded table.  The newer plane had a USB port on the back of each seat as well as plugs underneath the seat; the older plane only had plugs underneath the seats. The newer plane had a literature pocket on top as well as while the older plane did not have this.  Neither plane had wifi nor stream to your own device entertainment, which meant that you had to bring your own entertainment or occupy yourself.                                                                                                                                                                                            In Business Class, KLM offers a complimentary meal as well as complimentary drinks, including complimentary alcoholic drinks.  The meals come in prepared boxes and cannot be modified - ie no special meals can be ordered nor requested and there is only one option for the meal choice.   Prior to the meals, a warn nuts and a menu card was handed out explaining the meal box along with a berry burst drink, which apparently is very popular but after trying it, is an acquired taste.  Due to the short flight time, once airborne the meal boxes were served immediately.  The meal boxes contained a main meal which was vegetarian and included a veggie protein with a salad and another box containing dessert; warm bread and your choice of drink were served afterwards.  The quantity of the meal box was sufficient for the short-duration of the flight, and as I said earlier the quality of the food was better than expected.  I tend to not enjoy airplane food, as most of them are not good, but this food was actually good quality and taste and in fact the food in the plane was better than the food in the lounge.

We landed in Heathrow late as we departed late and even though we had business class tags and sky priority tags, our luggage did not come out first but rather came out in the middle.  Overall, it was a mixed bag experience with KLM.  I haven't flown with KLM for over 20+ years so I was unsure as to what to expect.  Positives were the better-than-expected quality of food that was given and the average seat quality and pitch.  Negatives was the lack of wifi and/or entertainment provided, a lack of customer service nor attention even paid to business class passengers, lack of communication regarding delays, and finally confusion and lack of order regarding boarding.  

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Stay Report: Hyatt House Atlanta / Perimeter Center (Atlanta, Ga - April 2022)

  Stay Report: Hyatt House Atlanta / Perimeter Center
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


I travel to Atlanta a lot and have stayed in many areas but I prefer the Perimeter area due to access of services as well as strategic location.  There a couple of hotels in this area and generally I used to stay at the Hyatt Place Perimeter Center which was a nice location as it was right on the Perimeter Mall parking lot and it was close to many restaurants and other services; however, the service at the hotel as well as other factors made us look for other hotels in the area.  Down the street from the Hyatt Place is the Hyatt House and I had never stayed at this brand from Hyatt so was eager to check it out.

Hyatt describes Hyatt House as "a residentially inspired hotel experience offering spacious, apartment-style rooms and suites with full kitchens" and is Hyatt's response to the extended-stay format.  It was easy to book and modify the reservation either through the Hyatt app or website.  The entrance to the hotel is odd in that its right off of the main road but also next to a interstate onramp - good thing is that you do not hear the noise from the cars in the hotel.  The main entrance to the hotel is on the upper level but the vehicle entrance is on the main level and so you park in the temporary spots and then walk up to the upper level to access the check-in desks and main level of the hotel.  There are parking spots on the main level as well as the lower level of the hotel as well as entrances and elevators which can take you directly to your room.

As you enter the lobby, you notice how large the lobby is and how vast the space is.  The lobby containsa large seating area, the check-in desks, the hotel restaurant and bar, the business center, and meeting rooms.  It is a huge space and even though it can get crowded, it does not feel cramped as there is a lot of space for people to sit and mingle.  Check-in was good, we received our key and proceeded to the room.  There are a variety of room types available - there is the standard hotel room, an expanded hotel room that resembles the Hyatt Place with a kitchenette, and more extended stay-type rooms with full kitchens.  As we generally are staying there for a couple of days, we book the expanded hotel room that includes a kitchenette and a seating area.  

When you open the door, you enter into the kitchenette area.  On the left side is a ledge with a mirror and coat hooks on top.  On the right side is a small kitchen with a sink, a small stovetop, a microwave, as well as shelves with plates and glasses.  In the middle of the kitchenette is an island with a huge counter space.  On one side of the island, across from the stovetop, is a dorm-size fridge which is bigger than a mini-fridge but not much larger.  On the other side of the island are two seating areas and this can be for both dining as well as working as there are plugs and outlets right next the seating areas in the island.  

The room section is divided into the seating area and the bed section.  The seating area contains a sectional sofa that turns into a sofabed as well as a small table.  There is a small table next to the couch and the other sectional part of the sofa is against the wall and has a small window behind it.  The seating area is small and once the sofabed pulls out, there is no room for the seating area or to access any other section/part of this area.  In front of the sectional is a stand with a TV on top and shelves on the bottom.  The TV can either face the sectional/seating area or the bedroom area as right behind the TV stand is the bedroom area - there is no separation between the bedroom and the seating area besides the TV stand.  This room comes with on king-size bed so in the bedroom section there is one king-size bed with nightstands on either side.  The bed is large and somewhat comfortable and provides a decent nights sleep.  When facing the bed, to the left is the closet and bathroom area.  From the bedroom, you pass a vanity area which has a luggage storage/ledge on one side and the closet on the other.  The closet contains a mirror on the outside and inside a place to hang your clothes, an iron, ironing board, and a safe.  Further along is the actual bathroom which contains a sink, a toilet and a long shower.  The shower is decent and provides nice water pressure and there are standard Hyatt toiletries included soap, body wash and shampoo; this hotel does not provide lotion though.

As a full-service hotel there are a lot of amenities offered including wifi, complimentary breakfast,
fitness center, meeting rooms, business center, onsite restaurant/bar, attached parking, and a pool.  We have experienced the wifi which was strong and able to check email, stream videos, and handle multiple people working at the same time; the business center which was just two computers and a printer next to the meeting rooms in the lobby; the parking which is an extra charge and there are limited spaces connected to the hotel but there is also spaces in the parking garage across the street; and the complimentary breakfast which was a standard hotel complimentary breakfast with cereal, fruit, bagels and french toast.  The hotel is located next to the MARTA station stop and is a 30-60 second walk from the station to the hotel entrance - that can be good during the day but caution does need to be adhered to at night.

Overall, its a decent hotel near the Perimeter Mall.  The hotel lobby is spacious and while the hotel may be full it does not seem full in the hotel; the hotel does not seem rushed nor packed.  The room type that we choose is decent especially the island which provides a nice working and counter space; the only wish is that the fridge would be a little bit bigger especially if you are staying at the hotel for an extended period.  Other than that, nice hotel with decent service and good size room.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Stay Report: avid hotel Richmond North - Ashland, an IHG Hotel (Glen Allen, Virginia - January 2024)

 Stay Report: avid hotel, Richmond North
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


I was traveling and needed to stop so I was looking for a hotel in Richmond, and through my search I found avid hotel.  Avid hotel is a new concept by IHG hotels aimed at budget conscious/minimalist travelers and I wanted to experience this new concept so decided to book it.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the IHG website and afterwards through the app I could see the hotel amenities as well as what services my level of membership would get me.                                                                                                         
From the outside, the hotel looked brand new and had lots of parking.  As you stepped inside, you entered into a large lobby area with lots of seating and dining tables.  At the front was a small check-in desk and at the back was the complimentary tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, microwave, as well as where the 'grab'n'go' breakfast is located.  Checkout took a bit to get the key and explain all the details of the property, but once I had my key I made my way up to the room.

The room itself is basic but room enough and has all the basic amenities.  As you opened the door, on the left was the entrance to the bathroom and after that was a storage rack with a place to store you luggage on top as well as hooks with hangers to hang your stuff on.  Next to that was a small section which contained a small ironing board, and underneath the luggage rack was a fridge as well as cubby hotels with additional storage and the iron.  The bathroom was also a decent size and contained a sink with counter space, a toilet, and a small stand-in shower.  The shower was the only thing that looked small and prefabricated (and thus a bit cheap) but overall the bathroom was decent and had Dove toiletries next to the sink (hand wash and lotion) as well as in the shower (body wash, shampoo and conditioner).
The bed was located along the left side of the wall and I had a king-size room which the bed size and comfort were decent and provided a good nights sleep.  On either side of the bed were two small nightstands with plugs as well as USB ports on either side.  Across from the bed, along the right side of the wall, contained additional hooks to hang your jacket/clothes, a TV mounted along the wall, and a long desk underneath that along with a TV-tray/mini table underneath the big table.  The big table was great to do work as well as eat and the mini-table provided extra storage for the work and food.  Overall, the room was a decent size, comfortable, had the basic amenities that a guests need, and provided a good nights sleep.
The hotel does provide additional amenities for the guests including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate available all the time, grab'n'go breakfast, pool as well as a gym.  I was only there for a little while so only experienced the complimentary parking (lots of spaces) and the complimentary wifi which was strong and was able to connect multiple devices.  Had I stayed longer I would've enjoyed the complimentary tea/coffee/hot chocolate, the fitness facility as well as the breakfast.                                                                                                                                     Overall, it was a nice hotel with lots of amenities and services for the guest.  The room was comfortable, provided a good nights sleep, and the wifi was strong.  Staying at this hotel did remind me of another hotel and it seemed that avid hotel is IHG's answer to Tru by Hilton (check out my review here).  Tru by Hilton is one of Hilton's newest properties aimed at the budget-conscious and these two brands mirror each other very similarly.  It seems that IHG, Hilton, and others implementing the US version of ibis hotels with these hotels (check out my ibis review here). 

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Stay Report: Ca' di Dio (Venice, Italy - December 2023)

   Stay Report: Ca' di Dio Hotel
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


We were travelling through Europe and our first stop was in Italy, specifically in Venice.  When in Venice, some of the hotels are located on the mainland, near the airport, while others are located on the island.  We were only going to be in Venice for a couple of days so wanted to stay on the island to be within walking distance of many sights and sounds.  When looking around the various sites and hotels, I came across Ca' di Dio which was a hotel in Venice and was part of the 'Small Luxury Hotels'.  That group is now a Hyatt partner so we were able to book the hotel through the Hyatt site.  It was easy to navigate and book the room, and a couple of days prior to arrival the hotel reached out regarding any arrival or stay requests. 
The hotel is located on the island of Venice right in front of the Arsenale stop.  While the hotel is a little further away from the main part of the city, it is only a 10 minute walk to Piazza San Marco, and the water taxi stop is literally in front of the hotel.  From the airport, it takes about 45mins on the water taxi and its one line and 7 stops from the airport.  We also took the water taxi to the train station and that took about 20mins, and again it was one line and 6 stops.  The location of the hotel was very convenient with both walking distance to many shops and sights as well as access to public transportation.  On the outside, there is no sign that the hotel exists so when we first went we almost passed by the hotel.  There are three doors to the hotel that take you to different areas of the hotel.  The middle door is the 'main door' as it leads into the lobby area and the front desk; the door to the right leads to the restaurant while the door on the left leads to the conference rooms as well as the elevator to the rooms; the are all interconnected so you can access every part of the hotel from each door.

The lobby is very nice and has a small desk at the back for check-in and some seating around.  In the afternoon, they also provide water and some juices in the lobby.  Near the front of the lobby, on the right side, is entryway that leads to a small sitting area/library with some couches and small tables and then that leads into the hallway which has the restaurant and other facilities.  On the other side of the lobby, on the left side, is the entryway to the hallway which will lead to the breakfast area, conference rooms, spa, as well as elevator to the rooms.  Check-in was relatively quick, and due to status we were 'upgraded' to a junior room.  We proceeded to the tiny elevator and went to our room.
The room itself was a standard American size hotel but for European standards it was a larger room, hence the upgrade notion.  As you entered the room, to the left was a TV mounted on the wall as well as a lounge chaise underneath it.  Along one wall were big windows which showcased the courtyard and the windows were covered by great blackout curtains which covered all sound and light (the curtains did a fantastic job!).  There was a couch and lamps next to the window as well.  Along the other wall were the two junior beds which were right next to each other.  In the European places I have stayed, either they have one bed frame and two mattresses or they have two bed frames and one giant mattress.  The beds were generally comfortable, a decent size, and provided a good nights sleep.  Next to each bed were a table and mounted on the wall above the table were switches, plugs, USB ports, as well as bedside lights.  

On the right side of the room was a hallway in which the closet was on one side and the entrance to the bathroom was on the other.  The closet contained a place to hang your clothes, shelves, a safe, coffee maker, as well as plenty of storage; it was a good size closet.  The bathroom was also a good size and contained a large sink with counter space, a toilet, a bidet, and a walk-in shower.  There were refillable toiletries next to the sink as well as in the shower.  The bathroom style looked very Moroccan-esque and the space and size was very generous (I was expecting and used to very small and narrow Eupean-style bathrooms).
The hotel came with many amenities, some of which we availed of and some of which we did not. There was a restaurant, a bar, a spa, wifi, concierge, luggage hold, as well as other amenities.  Our room came with complimentary breakfast so we did avail ourselves of that.  The breakfast took place in the smaller restaurant behind the lobby and next to the courtyard.  It was a buffet style with a selection of breakfast items as well as some cheeses, fruits, cereals, and other hot and cold dishes.  It was not a huge spread but decent enough to start the day with.  The wifi was decent and provided good coverage; the luggage hold was great as you could check-out and hold your luggage so not to drag it all around town; and the concierge was great as some restaurants needed reservation and only took them via phone call and only when they opened!

Overall, it was a great stay at the Ca' di Dio hotel.  The location was great as it was easy access to sights (walking distance) as well as directly in front of public transportation.  The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the noise level was minimal, and the service was good.  Overall, a great place to stay in Venice/Venezia!

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa And Casino (Noord, Aruba - September 2023)

  Stay Report: Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)


We had a planned a trip to Aruba and were looking at a variety of hotels to stay at.  We were originally looking at all-inclusive but Aruba does not have many of those so then looked at what the reviews said.  There were many different opinions but we decided on the Hyatt Regency for a couple of reasons: 1) they had a club access rate which was the second-best option to all inclusive; 2) one of my family had high status with Hyatt so more likely to get better service; and 3) it seemed to be the newer of the all the properties that I looked into.  We booked the property through Hyatt.com, and even though we booked in advance we continued to look as the rate for the property did go down.  It was easy to manage the reservation through the website as well as the app, and through the app you could add additional services and requests.

We booked a car and picked that up at the airport and drove to the hotel - the hotel offers valet parking as well as complimentary self-parking located at a lot across the street.  There was plenty of parking the entire time we were there and it was an easy walk across the street to access the hotel.  We walked into the open-air lobby which had lots of seating in the front; the check-in desk to the left as well as the room and the club; to the right was the restaurant and additional rooms, and in front was the main pool and access to the beach.  Check-in was quick and we received a wrist band which provided access to the room, as well as access to the club room.  This band also showed that you were part of the Hyatt hotel so when you were on the beach you could access Hyatt beach chairs.  The wrist band was very comfortable, could get wet, dirty, or sandy and would still work!

The hotel was laid out like a U with rooms on each side and the main pool in the middle.  On the other side of the U was the adults-only pool as well as meeting rooms.  Our room was on the 8th floor and faced the adult-only pool section as well as looking out onto the beach.  For the room, when you open the door you enter into a hallway that leads into the bedroom.  In the hallway, on the left side was the closet as well as the entrance to the bathroom.  The closet contained a place to hang your clothes, some racks, a safe deposit box, an iron and ironing board, as well as luggage rack.  Next to the closet was the entrance to the bathroom which was very large.  The bathroom had a large counter space with a sink and refillable toiletries from Pharmacopia; a toilet, and a tub again with refillable toiletries from Pharmacopia.
In the main room, we had a room with 2 double beds and those were against the wall with a nightstand in the middle.  There were lamps on either side but no plugs next to the bed unless near the nightstand.  The beds were comfortable and provided a good nights sleep.  Next to the bed, against the wall, was a stand which had the fridge on the bottom, coffee on top, as well as shelves above.  This is also where there were additional plugs as well as complimentary bottles of water.  Across from the bed, against the other wall was a bench to either sit or place your luggage and next to that was a chest with a flat surface on top and drawers underneath.  Above the chest, mounted on the wall was the TV.  The chest provided another area of storage and the drawers provided more storage.  The flat surface on top continued when the chest ended as that is where the desk started - the desk chair was a little uncomfortable to do work but it did its job.  Between the desk and the balcony was a small table with 2 chairs that you could sit on and look out onto the view.   There was a sliding door and a mini-balcony and by mini I mean there was only enough room to stand on the balcony and see the view.  Overall it was a nice and spacious room with lots of amenities - we were 3 people total and never did it feel cramped or tight in terms of personal space nor storage space.  

The hotel had lots of amenities for guests to enjoy including two family pools, an adults-only pool, access to the beach, many restaurants and bars, a casino attached to the hotel, a fitness center, lots of seating around the hotel, as well as daily exercises and other activities.  We really enjoyed the adults-only pool as it allowed adults to relax and families to relax separately without having to worry about bothering anyone else.  You did have to reserve chairs next to the pool and your reservation was held all-day; which was both a good and bad thing.  There was plenty of beach access and plenty of chairs and access to the beach to enjoy and not have to worry about that.  
We also enjoyed the Hyatt Club which provided snacks and light meals throughout the day including a light breakfast, light lunch, light hors d'ouver in the evening and snacks, water, tea/coffee, and soft drinks throughout the day.  As I mentioned before, there is complimentary parking in a parking lot across the street with plenty of parking and easy access to the hotel.  The hotel does provide complimentary wifi as well as business center and meeting rooms.  The wifi reception was spotty throughout the hotel; it barely worked in our room and only seemed to work either near the club or near the meeting rooms.  The hotel is also located within walking distance to many shops and restaurants making it a convenient place to stay.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Hyatt Regency Aruba.  The staff was nice, the location was beautiful, there were plenty of amenities and space for the guests to enjoy without toppling over each other (which happens at other resorts/hotels).  If you do, I would recommend getting the Club Access as then its somewhat akin to an all inclusive