Trip Report: jetBlue Airlines, New Orleans to Providenciales (July 2021)

Stay Report: JetBlue Airlines - New Orleans to Providenciales
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I wanted to travel to Turks & Caicos and I had originally booked travel on another carrier but then dates changed so had to look for another option and in my search Jetblue came up.  I have flown Jetblue before and really enjoyed their service so decided to try them for Caribbean service and see if their reputation held up.  At the time of booking, Jetblue had partnership with a variety of airlines so you could earn AAdvanage, Skyward or TrueBlue miles on this flight.  

My flight operated from New Orleans to Fort Lauderdale to Providenciales.  My flight was early in the

morning with a 6am departure on an Airbus A320 from New Orleans to Fort Lauderdale and then a 2.5hr layover prior to departing on an Embraer E190 to Providenciales at 12pm.  I had booked the 'Blue' fare which includes a carry-on, a personal item, and seat selection; checking luggage on this fare requires a cost.  Jetblue also introduced 'Blue Basic' to compete with ULCC's and that only includes a personal carry-on, no additional carryon or seat selection is available.  In every class, every passenger gets access to the inflight TVs and the wide variety of snacks.

My first flight was on an Airbus A320 with a 3-3 seat configuration.  The plane had a small business class followed by standard economy.  There were some seats that had extra legroom, which required an extra charge, but the standard legroom on Jetblue was very generous.  I am 6'1 and the seat pitch was extremely good and I could easily fit my legs in the seat.  The seat itself was very comfortable and wide.  Each seat came with a PTV screen and the plane was equipped with wifi.  The PTV had access to movies and TV shows as well as live TV.  After take-off, Jetblue's signature inflight service commenced.  I say signature because Jetblue is the only one to offer a wide variety of snacks including chips, popcorn, and cookies and these are offered throughout the flight and you can go up to the FA to request more.  In addition to these complimentary snacks, complimentary drinks are served and you can also purchase additional food and beverage items.  The extra seatpitch, the PTV and access to free content, and the access to quality snacks are some of the main reasons that people choose Jetblue; its good that they have kept those options all these years.

We landed in Fort Lauderdale and had a very long layover in a small airport (Fort Lauderdale airport

was not built to handle the capacity that it currently operates at).  About an hour before our flight to Providenciales, passengers were called to the gate so that documents could be checked - these included passport but also COVID tests and T&C health screenings.  Once all documents were checked, we were able to board the plane.  The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Providenciales was operated by an Embraer E190 with a 2-2 seat configuration.  The plane was small and it felt small - even though the flight time was 1hr50min and T&C can accommodate bigger planes; I am not sure why Jetblue operated the smaller plane.  The seats on the E190 were the same in terms of seat pitch and width and each had a PTV screen, but these were older and so did not have access to all the content from the previous plane; free live tv was still available.  After take-off, the signature service commenced with complimentary snacks and drinks and then it was time to enjoy the Jetblue experience before we started our descent into Providenciales.  

Overall, it was a nice flight experience with Jetblue.  The comfortable legroom, the comfortable seat, the access to PTV screens, and access to complimentary snacks made the overall experience a very pleasant one.  The FA's onboard were nice and friendly so it made the experience that much more pleasant.  Since taking this flight, Jetblue has increased its partnership with American meaning you can earn and redeem AAdvantage points on Jetblue flights.  This is just another reason to choose Jetblue. 

Stay Report: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Gainesville (Florida - December 2015)

Stay Report: SpringHill Suites by Marriott Gainesville
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photo courtesy Marriott.com

I was on my way to Miami and passing through Florida when I decided to stay the night in Gainesville.  I have previously stayed at SpringHill Suites and have enjoyed the spacious rooms and the complimentary amenities, so based on this I decided to book the SpringHill Suites in Gainesville. From the exterior, the hotel looks like a standard Springhill Suites.  Inside, the lobby included the check-in desks, a small pantry to purchase forgotten items, a nice relaxing lounge/sitting area, as well as the restaurant where the breakfast is served in the morning.  Check-in was efficient, I received my key and proceeded to my room. 

The room was nice and spacious.  The first part of the room was divided into a left and right section.  The left section contained a counter against one wall and the TV on top of a chest against the other wall.  The counter contained a mini-fridge on the bottom and a microwave and a coffee station on top; the counter also contained plates and cups.  Across from the counter, next to the partial wall, was a chest with drawers on the bottom a TV on top that swiveled to allow access from either the bedroom or the lounge.  On the other side, the right section contained a couch that turned into a sofa bed, as well as a desk.   Behind the desk was a wall, a ¾ wall that separated the lounge/sitting area from the bedroom/bathroom area.  The half-wall provides some separation but not complete separation. 

The beds were located against the right side of the wall, while the bathroom was on the left.  The beds were decent and comfortable, and provided a good night’s sleep.  There was one nightstand in between the two beds.  Next to the second bed, close to the window and away from the half wall, was a small closet to store items.  The closet was small and out of place as it was hard to access and hard to open.  Across from the beds, in the middle of the room, was the access to the bathroom.  The bathroom is laid out with an open sink, which can be loud if you are sharing the room with others.  The other bathroom facilities are behind a door, including the toilet and the bathtub, but the quality of the facilities was a bit low and made the room look cheap.

photo courtesy of Marriott.com

The hotel provides a decent amount of facilities for guests to enjoy including complimentary parking, complimentary wifi, complimentary breakfast, and a fitness center.  As I had arrived fairly late at night and left early the next morning, I was only able to enjoy a few of the facilities such as the wifi, free and a decent speed; the complimentary parking which had plenty of spaces; and the complimentary breakfast, which was basic but decent. 

Overall, Springhill Suites provide the guests with a good night’s sleep and a lot of a facilities.  The room is not perfect, but it’s decent and they are generally clean and spacious.

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Tallahassee (Florida - January 2016)

Stay Report: Hilton Garden Inn Tallahassee
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I was passing through Florida and were looking for a place to stay for the night in Tallahassee.  The Hilton Garden Inn usually provides a nice and clean place so I decided to check it out.  Overall, the hotel looks and smells brand new and provides a nice and comfortable room to rest and relax.

The hotel is located in an office park and the entrance is a bit odd as there is no real driveway to the hotel.  The hotel can be accessed from two roads – through the first access you have to go past banks and the parking lot of the hotel and the back road sort of merge.  From the other road, the access is a bit more direct to the hotel but you access the side of the hotel and need to drive around to the front; it’s a bit odd.  

In terms of the hotel itself, it looks newly built.  As you enter the lobby, straight ahead are the check-in desks.  On the right hand side is a nice and large sitting area with plenty of couches and chairs.  On the other side is the kitchen and dining area where breakfast and dinner can be purchased.  This is also where free coffee, water, and cookies were provided (a nice touch!).   Right next to the check-in desk was the hallway that led to the elevators.  This hallway also led to the business center, the fitness center, as well as the outdoor pool.  Check-in was very efficient, and my participation in the rewards program was acknowledged (also a nice touch!).  I received the key and took the elevator to my room. 

The room was a standard Hilton Garden Inn room, and it was both comfortable and relaxing.  As you entered, on the left was the bathroom while on the right was the closet and storage area.  Next to the closet was a shelf with the coffee maker, a fridge on the bottom, as well as a microwave on top.  The bathroom was nice and had standard facilities of a tub, a sink, and a toilet.  Further into the room were the two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were very tall, spacious, and very comfortable.  The lamps next to the bed also had multiple outlets so that was very convenient.  Across from the beds was the TV with storage underneath, and next to that was the desk.  

Since we were only there for one night, I was not able to experience the hotel amenities such as the business center, the pool, or the fitness center.  I did experience the wifi, which was decent enough for emails and general internet browsing.  Overall, the hotel provided a nice, clean room and comfortable beds which provided a good night’s sleep.  Customer service at the hotel was also very good and this added the extra comfort to the experience.  The only negative of the hotel was the location, which was a bit odd and a bit hard to access.

Stay Report: Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon (Miami - January 2016)

Stay Report: Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon
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I was spending a couple of days in Miami and was looking for a hotel near the airport, and in my search decided to try the Hilton Miami Airport.  Overall, the hotel provides a nice and large facility near the airport with plenty of amenities (including a nice shower).  The hotel is located in an office park, so that there is not that much around it.  That makes it very quiet and provides a lot of space, but makes it difficult to access services without a car.  Like all Miami airport hotels, this hotel also charges for parking (the standard seems to be $17 per day).  There were plenty of spaces as the hotel has a lot of land.

The lobby of the hotel is very large and open - you enter in the sitting area and on right hand side is the check-in desk.  Right next to the desks is a hallway which leads to the elevators and the outside.  The hotel restaurant is located in the lobby as well.  The hallway to the elevators also leads towards the fitness center (which was pretty big) as well as to the large outside area.  As the hotel is connected to a business park, the business park has a walking trail and the hotel is connected to this walking trail.  You can walk around the hotel grounds as well as the business park.  Outside is also where the outdoor pool and jacuzzi are located.

Check-in was efficient and we received our keys and went to our room.  There seems to be a main wing and then two additional wings on each side of the hotel - but only one elevator in the main wing to access all wings.  Our room was located in the second wing so it took a couple of minutes to get from the elevator to our room.  

The room was nicely decorated, modern, and with various spaces for luggage and electrical outlets.  As you entered into the room, on the right was the closet and storage while on the left was the bathroom.  The bathroom had a tub, a full sink and toilet. The tub had a really nice and powerful shower and it was very nice and relaxing.  Right outside the bathroom was a table with the coffee maker.  In the room there were two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were large and spacious and provided a good night’s sleep.  Across from the bed was a TV with storage underneath.  Right next to the beds on the wall were windows that spanned the width of the wall -- the windows were only from the midpoint up as below the windows was a desk that also went along the entire width of the wall.

As we were spending most of our time exploring Miami, I did not get a chance to explore the hotel amenities - the fitness center, the outdoor pool and jacuzzi, and the restaurant.  The only amenity I did experience was the wifi, which was complimentary and provided good speeds.  Overall, the hotel provided a nice location near the airport, a comfortable room and many amenities to have a relaxing time.  Some airport hotels usually do not provide many amenities, but this hotel provides a lot of amenities across a large property. 

Stay Report: InterContinental Miami (Miami - January 2016)

Stay Report: InterContinental Miami 
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In planning a vacation in Miami, the place to stay is on or near South Beach.  In looking for a hotel near South Beach, I found a good deal at the Intercontinental Miami.  The hotel is located across the bay from South Beach thus provided great views.  Overall, it’s a very nice hotel with lots of amenities and is always crowded; and being that crowded seems to sometimes overwhelm the hotel.

The hotel itself is very large and sits at the edge of the water.  The hotel is connected to a pedestrian park and walkway that stretches along the waterfront and leads to a shopping mall.  The downtown location of the hotel makes it very convenient to access shops and services.  The entrance to the hotel is to on the side street, so that makes the entrance very crowded.  Additionally, all the parking is valet-parking as self-parking at the hotel is not available.  Given that valet is the only option, the hotel should be a bit better at the parking situation; there were delays on both the drop-off and pick up of the car.  Once you drop off your car, you walk up the steps into the lobby.

The lobby of the hotel is very grandiose and large, and is a cross between lobby and a lounge.  As you enter into the lobby, straight ahead are chairs and couches to lounge and relax.  The chairs are part of the lobby as well as part of the bar which is behind the chairs, and the bar has a DJ playing live music in the lobby.  On the left hand side down the hall is the concierge desk, the check-in desks, the ‘business center’, as well as the guest elevators.  On the right hand side down the hall is the coffee shop (in-house Starbucks), a FedEx center, the hotel restaurants, as well as access to the meeting rooms.  Because of all the services, the lobby is a hub of activity for the hotel and constantly seemed full of people. 

At the check-in desks, there were long lines for both checking-in as well as checking-out.  Even though check-in time is at 2pm, when we arrived at 3pm our room was not ready.  This apparently happened to a lot of people as I noticed many instances of this occurring in my short stay.  The hotel was nice and provided some nice compensation, but it took almost 3.5 hours after check-in for us to receive our room.  The hotel acts like a resort, and similar to a resort they have a mandatory resort fee.  The fee covers the following: internet access, access to the sauna, the fitness center, the pool, and many other amenities.  While the amenities were nice and really large, I am not sure the fee was justified as internationally these amenities are provided without the fee. 

After finally receiving our key we went to our room and this is where the hotel excels.  The room was massive and EXTREMELY spacious.  As you entered into the room, you went down a long hallway to get into the room.  The entrance to the bathroom was in this hallway, and at the end of the hallway was a nook for the coffee maker.  The room itself was very spacious with 2 double beds, a night stand in between, a TV stand with drawers underneath, a desk, plus a chair next to the window.  Even with all the items, the room felt very open and large and there was plenty of room to move around.  The beds were also spacious and comfortable and provided a nice and relaxing sleep.  There were plenty of outlets all around the room to charge all the electronic devices.   Right next to the bed were switches which would automatically bring down the shades to make the room darker, as there were windows which stretched along the wall and provided a nice view of the sea and the city.

The bathroom was equally large and spacious.  As you entered into the bathroom, straight ahead was the sink while to the right, along the wall, was the closet and a shelf that housed towels and other bathroom items.  The sink itself was also very big, and next to the sink was the toilet and next to that was the tub.  The bathtub had a shower hooked onto it that seemed like two individual showerheads put together – so they provided an alright shower; and again the water pressure was not that good.

Given I was only there for a short time, I was not able to experience all of the hotel’s facilities.  The facilities I did experience were the wifi and the business center.  The wifi was decent and provided good speed for basic internet browsing (considering it was part of the ‘resort fee’, I expected faster speeds).  The business center was located across from the check-in desks, and were basically two rooms each with a Mac computer and a printer (there was a FedEx shop located on the other side of the lobby).  The hotel had other facilities which I was not able to experience, including the outdoor pool, the fitness center, the sauna or the spa.

Overall, the Intercontinental is a nice hotel that is conveniently located downtown and provides a nice spacious room.  The parking rate is a bit high, and chaotic; not sure if the resort fee is worth it; and the check-in seems a bit chaotic as well.  The hotel does provide a lot of amenities and great views.

Stay Report: Hilton Sandestin Beach, Golf Resort & Spa (Destin, Florida - September 2017)

Stay Report: Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort & Spa
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Destin, Florida is known to have some of the best beaches in the United States.  I was looking for a nice beach spot to spend a long weekend, and I had previously been to and enjoyed the Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort and Spa.  I had initially come here in 2013 and enjoyed it so much that I decided to come back in 2017.  My experience was the same for both occasions - overall really nice and spacious rooms with good amenities and decent service. 

In 2013, I had booked a junior suite as that was the only room that was available.  This time, I was booking two rooms so I booked two regular rooms.  The two rooms were booked together, on one reservation, so I had requested that they be connecting rooms.  We arrived late to the hotel, and by the time we had arrived all the connecting rooms were full - so instead we were given complimentary upgrades to junior suites.  The suites were on two different floors, but the the room was a bigger size than what we had booked.  We had arrived late to the hotel in 2017 because in 2013 when we arrive in the afternoon, there was a lot of rush so to avoid that we arrived later in the evening.   


We checked in, received the keys to our bigger room, and received our wristbands.  Each guests receives white wristbands which indicate they are hotel guests.  In addition to the room rate, the hotel charges a daily resort charge which includes "guest internet access; self parking; fitness center access; tram transport throughout resort; kids 10 and under eat free breakfast Sandcastles; exclusive shopping pass for Silver Sands/Grand Blvd; local/toll free calls"  The daily charge is $30, and that to me seems excessive for what they are charging as there are many items which we did not use.  In the amenities included in the resort fee, we only used the internet and self parking.  The good thing about Hilton is that the notice of the resort fee is plastered everywhere - when you are making reservation, when the reservation is confirmed, and when you check-in.  

We received our keys and went to the rooms.  Both junior suites had a similar layout.  As you walked into the room, on the left were two bunk beds each of which had a personal tv with them.  Past the bunk beds was the bathroom area which had a sink and mirror outside, a large closet - which had a safe in it as well as an iron and ironing board - and then a door to the bathroom with another sink, the toilet and the bathtub.  The bathroom itself looked like a standard Hilton bathroom, but the additional sink and mirror outside was nice.  

As you entered further into the room, along the right hand wall was the TV and chest with drawers.  Further along the right hand wall was the desk with chairs and outlets - the room had been updated to allow many outlets throughout the room (something that is lacking in other hotels).  The only negative was that the desk was positioned too close to the TV stand so the chair could not fit properly.   Along the left hand side was the two double beds with a large nightstand in the middle.  The beds were standard Hilton beds and were comfortable enough to provide a good nights sleep.  


Along the wall between the bed and the bathroom was a little nook.  On the top shelf of the nook was the coffee maker and microwave.  There were shelves below that as well as a fridge.  These additional amenities were very nice and very useful in the family suite, but the placement was odd as it was closer to the bed rather than the sitting area.  

Next to the second bed was a sitting area which had a really big sitting chair and couch that opened up to a sofa bed.  There was coffee table in front of the couch.  Sitting on the couch you could face out onto the balcony which overlooked either the ocean or the parking lot (depending on which tower and your view).  The balcony was also pretty big and could accommodate at least three individuals.  It was also nice and enjoy the ocean view while sitting on the balcony.

Most people come to the Hilton Sandestin for the beach, and the hotel does have direct beach access as well as a pool.  The beach is nice and clean, and there are lots of chairs but Hilton started charging $50 a day to rent the beach chairs (we did not pay any money in 2013).  If we are already paying for the room rental plus the resort fee, why are we paying additional money for the beach chairs - shouldn't those be included?  There are chairs available on the deck and the near the pool which are free.  The pool itself is somewhat small given the size of the resort - and there is both an indoor and outdoor pool (the indoor pool was mostly filled with little kids).    

The hotel had other amenities, some of which I tried in 2013 and some of which I have never tried.  In 2013 I tried both the gym and spa.  The gym was spacious and could accommodate many people, and the spa was decent and the hotel had hired many extra people to accommodate the rush.  Self parking was included in the resort fee and there were plenty of spaces.  

The service at the hotel was also decent.  The staff were polite and courteous.  There was a lot of guests and I am sure a lot of requests, but the staff never looked flustered nor agitated.  There were only a couple of complaints - 1) the charge for the beach chairs.  2) there is a lot of rush during checkout and thus it took almost 30 minutes for the elevators to arrive.  Some guests had said they saw the bell staff hold elevators as those who requested bell service got first priority.  3) some of the rooms were connecting and so there is a door between the two rooms.  The door is located across from the bathroom, and a lot of noise is transmitted between this door.  The hotel needs to do a better job of soundproofing.

Overall, I enjoyed both of my times at the Hilton Sandestin.  The room quality stayed the same as well as the access to the beach and pool.  What changed was the increase in charging for the extras and a small decrease in the customer service.  This is one of the best resorts in the area and seems to be holding up well.