Trip Report: AirArabia, Sharjah to Almaty; Bishkek to Sharjah (September 2024)

 Trip Report: Air Arabia, Sharjah to Almaty; Bishkek to Sharjah
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I wanted to travel from Pakistan to Central Asia on a visit to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  In looking for options, online searches came back with FlyDubai but there was a really long layover in Dubai which did not seem appealing so I continued to look and that is when I looked into FlyJinnah and AirArabia.  I have reviewed the FlyJinnah portion in a separate review (found here) as for this review I will forcus on the AirArabia portion.  AirArabia is a low-cost carrier based out of Sharjah in the UAE (Sharjah is the Emirate located next to Dubai).  They had a big network covering AirArabia Middle East, AirArabia Marob, and now FlyJinnah covering Pakistan.  Because they are all part of the AirArabia family, you can book multiple sectors and connecting flights on one ticket.  Even though I was flying FlyJinnah + AirArabia, I could and did book my travel on AirArabia's website and selected the flight in which the Pakistan to Sharjah and Sharjah to Pakistan flights were to be operated by FlyJinnah and the Sharjah to Central Asia flights operated by AirArabia.  

 

AirArabia is a low-cost carrier meaning the base ticket includes a personal pack plus a carry-on, everything else needs to be charged for.  I choose to pay for my seats as I prefer certain seats on the plane and I paid for luggage.  The seat costs were not bad and I was able to get an aisle seat near the front of the plane for not a high cost; the luggage charge was also not that high and included a checked bag of 30kg which is a generous portion.  Once I booked my ticket, I could use the same confirmation code on either site to manage my booking.  This review will be a compilation of my two flights on AirArabia - from Sharjan to Central Asia and from Central Asia to Sharjah - as both were operated by the same aircraft and both had a similar experience.  For the check-in experience, I only experienced AirArabia check-in on the outbound.  I arrived at the airport 3-hours in advance to ensure check-in went ok; the process was chaotic with little organization but I received both boarding passes and my luggage was tagged to my final destination.  I had talked about some of the security and other issues that I had experienced on my flights with FlyJinnah, and some of the issues continued with my flight on AirArabia.   

AirArabia's policy is that boarding is supposed to be in groups, starting with the rear of the aircraft.  As was my experience with FlyJinnah, on AirArabia for both sectors this was only mildly adhered to as once the plane got halfway full everyone was allowed to board to ensure an on-time departure.  Both operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 which had a cabin laid in a 3-3 seat layout.  Both flights were not completely full so the chaotic boarding ended, manual safety demonstrations commenced, and we pushed back for an on-time departure.  The seats itself were basic and decent for a low-cost carrier, not padded seats but there was decent amount of legroom.  For both sectors I luckily had the entire row to myself but if there was another passenger next to me, that could be uncomfortable as the seat width was narrow.  For both sectors, the flight time was a bit over 3hours and after the second/third hour you got to feel the uncomfortableness of the seat.  On both sectors, most of the announcements were done by prerecorded statements which were done in Arabic and English.  On both sectors, the attendants seemed not interested nor caring in neither their job.  For my low-cost carriers, paying for a seat is big business so many are strict as to ensure passengers do not sit in a sit they did not pay for; this was not the case with AirArabia.  On both sectors, many passengers who had not paid for seats and thus were allocated seats in the back moved up in the middle of the flight to the front of the plane where seat selection came at a costs.  

As detailed earlier, AirArabia is a low-cost company which means there is no inflight complimentary service.  You can preorder meals and drinks, and certain upgraded tickets come with meals, but generally everything is buy on-board.  As soon as we reached cruising altitude, the FA's came down the aisle for you to purchase snacks or drinks.  My first flight departed at 9pm so coming by within the first hour of the flight made sense; the return flight left at 3am so most of the passengers were sleeping.  Instead of waiting until the end to conduct the service, thus ensuring more revenue, the FA's came around at the beginning when most passengers were sleeping.  Also, service was only conducted once and within the first hour even though both sectors were 3hr+; other low cost carriers would've come back towards the end of the flight to increase revenue and purchase of items.  Despite it being a low-cost airline, complimentary entertainment was provided through streaming to your device.  Once you connected to the internet, you can stream movies, TV shows, and other programs for free.  Other airlines also showed a flight map, the inflight menu, or other items when you are connected to the entertainment but AirArabia only had the entertainment. 

Overall, how was my experience on AirArabia?  Similar to FlyJinnah, it was not very good.  Positives were that you are able to book multi-country journeys on one ticket and there was no issue with that.  Another positive was the consistent product with similar planes, similar seats, and similar service.  Last positive was that complimentary entertainment was provided which is a nice gesture for a low-cost carrier.  Negatives were the lack of support/padding on the seats, the lack of attention from the FA's, and generally the chaotic boarding and nature of how the airline operated.  Did we depart ontime, yes; did I and my baggage make it to my destination, yes.  Was it comfortable, definitely not.  For this route, I had a choice between AirArabia or FlyDubai; AirArabia was less expensive and had less overflight time but if I had to choose again, I would probably choose FlyDubai as they seem less chaotic and better overall product.

Trip Report: FlyJinnah, Lahore to Sharjah; Sharjah to Islamabad (September 2024)

 Trip Report: FlyJinnah, Lahore to Sharjah; Sharjah to Islamabad
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

I wanted to travel from Pakistan to Central Asia on a visit to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  In looking for options, online searches came back with FlyDubai but there was a really long layover in Dubai which did not seem appealing so I continued to look.  That is when I looked into FlyJinnah and AirArabia - FlyJinnah is a new Pakistani-based airline which was started in partnership with AirArabia.  They use AirArabia planes and their branding is in the AirArabia style, and recently FlyJinnah started flying to Sharjah which is the hub for AirArabia.  Because FlyJinnah is part of AirArabia, you can book connecting flights for both airlines on each other websites.  I booked mine on AirArabia website and selected the flight in which the Pakistan to Sharjah and Sharjah to Pakistan flights were to be operated by FlyJinnah and the Sharjah to Central Asia flights operated by AirArabia.  I will focus on the FlyJinnah portion here as I will have a separate post for the AirArabia portion (found here).

Because they are both part of the same AirArabia organization, you can book the FlyJinnah portioneither on FlyJinnah's site or AirArabia's site.  Both sites look similar and you can book the same itinerary, including connecting portions, on both sites.  I choose to book my travel on the AirArabia site because of trust of sites as well as currency conversions (AirArabia charges in Dirhams while FlyJinnah charges in Pakistan Rupees).  In  booking my journey, the portion from Pakistan to Sharjah and from Sharjah to Pakistan was to be operated by FlyJinnah.  Both are low-cost carriers so the base ticket includes a personal pack plus a carry-on, everything else needs to be charged for.  I choose to pay for my seats as I prefer certain seats on the plane and I paid for luggage.  The seat costs were not bad and I was able to get an aisle seat near the front of the plane for not a high cost; the luggage charge was also not that high and included a checked bag of 30kg which is a generous portion.  Once I booked my ticket, I could use the same confirmation code on either FlyJinnah and/or AirArabia to manage my booking.

This review will be a compilation of my two flights on FlyJinnah - from Pakistan to Sharjah and from Sharjah to Pakistan.  Both were operated by the same aircraft and both had a similar experience.   For the check-in experience, I only experienced FlyJinnah check-in on the outbound as for the return I connected to FlyJinnah.  For the outbound, I could check-in either on the FlyJinnah or the AirArabia site, but after check-in I was only able to get the AirArabia boarding pass and I would need to check-in at the counter for the FlyJinnah portion.  I proceeded to the airport and was able to check-in, receive my boarding pass, and get my bags tagged all the way to my final destination.  At the check-in counter, I saw a lot of passengers being 'upgraded' for free even though they did not pay for the seats; this does not seem like a good practice for a low-cost airline and it was the first of many issues that I noticed throughout my flights with FlyJinnah.

Boarding for both FlyJinnah sectors were chaotic.  Boarding was supposed to be in groups starting with the rear of the aircraft but for both sectors this was only mildly adhered to as once the plane got halfway full everyone was allowed to board to ensure an on-time departure.  Both operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 which had a cabin laid in a 3-3 seat layout.  Both the outside and inside of the plane resembled AirArabia; the only markings of FlyJinnah were the seat covers and the boarding pass.  Both flights were not completely full so the chaotic boarding ended, manual safety demonstrations commenced, and we pushed back for an on-time departure.                                                                                                              The seats itself were basic and decent for a low-cost carrier.  The seat was not very wide nor very padded but there was decent amount of legroom.  For both sectors I luckily had the entire row to myself but if there was another passenger next to me, that could be uncomfortable as the seat width was narrow.  For both sectors, the flight time was a bit over 3hours and after the second/third hour you got to feel the uncomfortableness of the seat.  On both sectors, most of the announcements were done by prerecorded statements which were done in Arabic, English and Urdu.  On both sectors, the attendants seemed not interested nor caring in neither their job nor the safety nor security of the plane nor passengers.  On both sectors, basic safety and security standards such as ensuring everyone had their seatbelt on for takeoff and landing or ensuring the seat was upright were not adhered to; on both sectors the lavatory was not maintained in terms of cleanliness nor restocking even though the FA's were conversing in the galley right next to the lavatory.  Also, seat selection in the front came at a higher cost and most other airlines would prevent passengers from changing seats for both safety as well as monetary reasons; FlyJinnah did not seem to care as midflight many passengers moved up as they saw empty rows and seats near the front.

FlyJinnah, similar to their parent company AirArabia, is a low-cost company which means there is no inflight complimentary service.  You can preorder meals and drinks, and certain upgraded tickets come with meals, but generally everything is buy on-board.  As soon as we reached cruising altitude, the FA's came down the aisle for you to purchase snacks or drinks. Even though they were supposed to accept card, they preferred cash and even though it was over a 3hr flight, they only came by within the first hour to sell items; other low cost carriers would've come back towards the end of the flight to increase revenue and purchase of items.  Despite it being a low-cost airline, complimentary entertainment was provided through streaming to your device.  Once you connected to the internet, you can stream movies, TV shows, and other programs for free.  This was a great option and the selection was actually very good so this was a plus point for FlyJinnah.  Other airlines also showed a flight map, the inflight menu, or other items when you are connected to the entertainment but FlyJinnah only had the entertainment. 

Overall, how was my experience on FlyJinnah?  Not very good, especially since they are a new airline and new airlines are generally better.  Positives are that you are able to book a journey on FlyJinnah and AirArabia on one ticket and there are seamless and hassle free transitions between the two.  Also, the complimentary entertainment was also a nice gesture.  Negatives were the lack of support on the seats, the lack of attention or detail to safety and security, the lack of caring by the FAs for their job or towards the passengers, and the chaos of boarding the flights.  As I stated before, my options for this sector were either FlyJinnah + AirArabia or FlyDubai and if I had to choose again, I would probably choose FlyDubai.

Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport (Dubai, UAE - March 2019)

Stay Report: Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport
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I was spending about 24-hours in Dubai and I was meeting someone who was spending only 12hours in Dubai, so I was looking for an inexpensive place near Dubai Airport that provided shuttle as well as early check-in.  The Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport is located across from T3 and in my previous travels I have passed by the hotel numerous times, so I looked online and found a good rate and decided to check it out.  It was very easy to book the hotel through the IHG website or app, and I had some additional requests that I emailed to the hotel and they were very quick to respond.

According to hotel’s website, the shuttle from the airport to the hotel runs every 30 minutes but I was not sure where the shuttle actually stops so I tried to call the hotel but no one every picked up the phone.  The shuttle finally came and it was a 10-15 minute shuttle ride from either T1 or T3 to the hotel.  The hotel itself is quite large and there are a lot of rooms, but there is nothing around the hotel that is within walking distance; everything is about a 10-15 minute car ride away.  Considering the hotel caters to passengers departing and leaving at various times, their policies are a bit different than other hotels.  For example, if you check-in that day and are leaving that night (ie not staying until the next morning) then the breakfast in the morning you check-in is complimentary.  Check-in times can also be early as well, but only as early as 8am if you have booked one night; if you want to get a room earlier you have to book a room for the previous night.

As you enter the hotel’s lobby, the check-in desks are to the left while straight ahead is the waiting area with couches and chairs.  To the right is a little shop where you can buy snacks, drinks, and some basic items.  Further ahead on the right is the breakfast area and the room is large, spacious, and can accommodate a lot of guests.  There is a tour agencies desk in the middle of the lobby as well as bathrooms and meeting rooms as well.  I had arrived around 6am, which was too early for me to check-in but early enough to access the breakfast so I decided to enjoy the complimentary breakfast while waiting for my room.  I have stayed in Holiday Inn Express hotels in the U.S., and their complimentary breakfast is standard and a bit unappealing.  That is what I was expecting here, but at this hotel the complimentary breakfast is very large and has a decent variety of various breakfast items (the breakfast was comparable to that offered in 3-4 star hotels).  There were hot dishes – including eggs, beans, and potatoes – bread, cheese, salad, fruit, coffee, and a variety of other items; overall, I was very impressed with the breakfast. 

I was finally able to check-in and access the room around 8am, and the room itself is a bit underwhelming.  The layout and quality of the room and bathroom reminds me of the ibis hotels, which are also basic hotels that offer lower rates with lower standards of rooms.  As you entered into the room, on the right was the bathroom which contained a side sink, a toilet, and small stand-up shower, as environmentally-friendly, refillable toiletries – one in the shower and one next to the sink (very similar to the ibis hotels).  Further into the room, on the right were the two beds, double-size beds, with a nightstand in between.  Across from the beds was a desk and above the desk was the TV while below was a mini-fridge.  Next to the desk was an large armoire that also was the closet, and if you opened up the closet there was full-length mirror in there.  The beds themselves were of decent size and quality and provided a decent night’s sleep.  The size of the room was also decent, not too grand but not too compact either.  It was a good layover or transit-size hotel room, but only good for a day or two. 

Amenities for guests at the hotel included the complimentary breakfast, parking, a health and fitness center, shuttle to/from the airport (at select timings), laundry service, complimentary wifi, and a computer and printer in the lobby.  The complimentary wifi was available in the lobby for all guests and in the room as well as for guests.  The wifi speed was good enough for checking email, doing work, and streaming videos on YouTube.  The airport shuttle was convenient, but it was limited in its timings so you had to make sure to schedule around the shuttle timings.  As I said, there was little to nothing around the hotel in terms of walking distance; the only thing in walking distance was the metro station, which was a 5-10 minute walk and you are one-stop way from T1 or two stops away from T3. 

Overall, the hotel provided complimentary shuttle, complimentary breakfast and a decent night’s sleep.  The room was basic but clean and updated, and the considering the low price it was a good value.  Overall, the hotel provided a nice and affordable transit or layover hotel.

Trip Report: airblue, Lahore to Dubai (March 2019)

Trip Report: airblue - Lahore to Dubai
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I was supposed to be traveling from Pakistan to Dhaka on SriLankan, but my flight was cancelled due to the airspace closure.  I then had to rebook a flight to Dubai and the only option that was available was airblue.  Airblue is a Pakistani-based airline that has been in operation since 2004, operates an all-economy fleet, and operates domestic as well as select international flights.  With a fleet size of 8 aircraft, their operations are limited with usually one flight a day.  

This was my problem with them during my previous encounter with them – my last experience with the airline was about 7 years ago and it was the same route, Lahore to Dubai, but the return was from Abu Dhabi.  The outbound flight never came and thus the return was cancelled and it was handled very badly; after that I tried to avoid flying on the airline (see full review here).  Given this, I was not looking forward to the flight but this was the only option available given the circumstances.

Navigating through the airblue website is generally easy and user-friendly.  You can easily search for your flight, see what options are available, and select the flight.  Once you have selected your flight and entered your details, you can then either choose to hold the flight or book directly with a credit card.  In my previous experience, I had booked with a credit card and had difficulty at the airport as the credit card needed to be verified.  To avoid all that, I put my reservation on hold and could go to the local sales office or any travel agent, pay the fee and received a print out of my ticket. 

My flight was scheduled to depart Lahore at 02:20am and arrive into Dubai at 5:35am.  I went to the airport early for 2 reasons: 1) on the website, there is no option to preselect your seat or to check-in, so the only option to check-in and receive your boarding pass is at the airport; and it is on a first-come, first-serve basis (you can request seat assignments with the travel agent or through the phone, but it is a request and it is not guaranteed); and 2) given the flights had only recently opened, I wanted to ensure I was able to secure my seat.  I arrived at the airport at 11p and the counter was scheduled to open at 11:30p.  Around 11:15p, the check-in staff arrived and opened the counters early to allow the waiting passengers to check-in. 

The ticket price includes complimentary checked-baggage allowance of 20kg and hand-carry   I did not have any baggage to check-in, and my hand carry was not weighed on the outbound.  Given the flight time and my previous experience with the airline and their limited seat-pitch, I had requested an exit row seat and the request was granted.  I proceeded to the gate as the flight was scheduled to depart at 2:20am with boarding beginning at 1:30am.  1:30am came and went but there was no announcement of the flight, but around 2am an announcement was made stating will start soon.  Boarding started around 2:15am and passengers were loaded from the rear to the front.  Even though boarding started late, passengers were boarded and seated and we pushed back around 2:30am.  Right after boarding, newspapers in both English and Urdu were passed out the customers, and this was the only form of onboard entertainment.  Manual safety demonstrations were done and we took off for Dubai.
allowance of 7kg.

The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 in a 3-3 configuration.  The plane looked in good condition(most of the planes have been previously operated by other carriers) with new overhead panels and controls.  The seats were slimline so there width of the seat was narrow, and there was minimal to no cushion/padding on the seat so it was uncomfortable from the start.  The seats itself are basic as there is only a tray table and a seatback pocket.  There are no PTVs, either in the seatback or overhead, and in the seatback pocket was only the safety card and an airsickness bag; no inflight magazine or other materials.  It was really a no-frills type of aircraft (in my previous experience, there were overhead screens that had shown a kids movie during the flight)

The normal flight time to Dubai is about 3hr, but the plane needed to take a longer route considering the closed airspace and this made the flight time 3hr45mins.   The lights inside the aircraft were dimmed for takeoff, and they remained dimmed for the first 1hr30min of the flight.  As it was in the middle of the night, most passengers were already asleep anyway so this allowed for the passengers to get more rest.  About 2hrs in the flight, the cabin lights were turned on and the inflight service commenced.  A complimentary meal plus drinks were provided (the crew did come around with water for everyone as soon as we reached cruising altitude).  There was only selection for the meal and the meal consisted of chicken masala, rice, kheer (dessert), and yogurt (you could apparently request a vegetarian meal from either the travel agent or directly with the airline, but the request is not always guaranteed).  This was served along with complimentary soft drinks, juice, and later tea and coffee were also served (along with water again).  The meal size was decent, not too small but not too large either and would be sufficient for the 3-hour flight.  About 30minutes after the meal trays were cleared, we started our decent into Dubai and we landed right on-time. 

My return flight was the next day but the timings for this flight were departure scheduled at 1:20p and with arrival of 5:30pm.  Again, I was not able to preselect my seat nor checkin online so I went to the airport early to do both.  My return flight was similar to the outbound except for the following:

• I decided to try a regular seat instead of an exit row; that was a mistake.  The operating aircraft was an Airbus A320 (previously operated by Ural Airlines) and it was definitely a smaller and older plane.  The seatpitch and seat width were both definitely smaller, in fact when I sat in my regular seat my knees literally could not fit into the seat (I am 6’1); I had to sit sideways in order to fit into the seat.  Luckily an exit row seat was unoccupied so I quickly moved there as soon as boarding was completed.
• The incoming aircraft was late, and this delayed our departure.  Boarding time was initially scheduled for 12:30pm, but we did not end up boarding until 1:30pm.  Also, because of the delay we missed our departure slot and had to wait for another one, adding more time to the delay.  While we were on the ground waiting for pushback, the airhostesses did come around with water for the passengers
• As the operating aircraft was smaller, the airline and the ground staff were very strict about enforcing the 7kg handcarry rule.  They went around the waiting area weighing and tagging passengers handcarry.  It was a bit disruptive but the checkin staff did mention that 7kg was the handcarry limit, and this included any duty-free items purchased (which is the first I had heard for any airline).

Other than these items, the return flight was similar to the outbound; newspapers were distributed, the inflight service commenced only about halfway through the flight (even though this was an afternoon flight), the seat was a basic seat with no inflight entertainment, and seat padding was minimal.  As we departed late, we also landed about an hour behind schedule.

Overall, it was an interesting flight experience with airblue.  They seem to be a hybrid between a full-cost and a low-cost carrier.  Their ticket prices include complimentary checked baggage as well as hand-carry, and they also provide complimentary meal and drink service; however, there is no entertainment on-board, the seat pitch, width, and cushion are all minimal. I booked a higher fare for this flight as I booked last minute and the airspace had just opened so there was a lot of demand; however, even normally the fares for this flight seem higher given the experience.  You pay a high price and in return get a combo of full-cost and low-cost airline experience.  

Stay Report: Novotel Suites, Dubai Mall of the Emirates (Dubai, UAE - April 2016)

Stay Report: Novotel Suites, Dubai Mall of the Emirates
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We were looking for a hotel near the Mall of the Emirates and decided on the Novotel Suites for a couple of reasons:  1) There were three of us travelling and it is difficult to get 3 people in one room in Dubai so I needed 2 rooms and I had points from a previous Accorhotels stay that I could use for a free room; 2) the hotel described itself as a suite which meant bigger rooms; and 3) I had previously tried ibis by Accor so wanted to try a different brand from the same group.  Overall, it was a nice stay but the room is definitely not a suite.  

The hotel is located near the Mall of the Emirates, meaning to say it’s a quick 3-4 minute drive.  I am not sure if you could walk to the Mall as I did not see many people walking nor a clear/direct path from the hotel area to the Mall.  We pulled up to the hotel but there is no real entrance/drive-way to the hotel from the street.  The entrance to the hotel is on the sidewalk so you have to park your car in a 10-minute parking (and Dubai does monitor and ticket) while you are checking in.  As you enter into the lobby, you enter into a spacious lounge area with lots of chairs and couches to lounge on.  It seemed very relaxed.  To the right of the lounge was the restaurant as well as the indoor and outdoor dining area (this is where breakfast is served in the morning).  The indoor dining area is shared with the ibis hotel, as both the Novotel and Ibis are located in the same building - just on opposite sides.

 

As you enter further into the lobby you encounter the check-in desk.  We were a bit early than the scheduled check-in time, but I had communicated this information to the hotel prior to arrival so they accommodated our early arrival and checked us in.  After receiving our keys, we headed to the elevators which were located behind the check-in desks.  While the elevators are tiny, they are very quick so no long waits.  Our room was located at the end of the hallway, for the Novotel, but the hallway continued through the door into the ibis.  Both hotels were connected and only divided on the floor rooms by a door which was not locked - so anyone from the ibis side could come to the Novotel and vice versa.  

Even though we had requested two rooms next to each other, those were not available so we received two rooms that were near each other.  Both rooms looked similar in terms of layout and the only difference was that one room had one bed while the other room had two beds. 

As you entered into the room, you entered into a mini-hallway that lead into the bedroom.  As you walked towards the bedroom, on the right-hand side was a door that led to a small area for the toilet.  The area for the toilet it was very narrow as you had to step to the side to close the door because it was very cramped; this was the only toilet in the room.  As you progressed further into the room, on the left hand was a shelf with the TV and menus.  In front of the TV was a couch and a desk - the desk could be moved.  The couch doubled as a sofa bed so potentially someone could sleep here (although given the size of the room not sure how).  

                       

In between the couch area and the bedroom was a curtain which could be pulled for privacy - so I am guessing that is how it is justified as a suite - but given the size and narrowness of the room I would definitely not count it as a suite.  

As you progressed further into the room, on the right side was a curved closet plus a nook area that held the coffee maker on top and fridge on the bottom.  The curved closets were huge and provided a lot of space, frankly more space than was need (in my opinion they could have used some of the closet space for the toilet).  The closets were big and provided a lot of storage and had a safe, slippers, and laundry bags available.  

 

Following the closets led you to the other bathroom door, and this was the shower/tub area.  Again, this area was somewhat narrow and cramped.  As you entered, on the left hand side was a tub while on the right hand side was a small shower.  Against the wall was a sink that had little to no counter space to hold anything.  There was a shelf for the shower and this housed the amenities for the shower including a shampoo, a bath gel, mouthwash, soap, and lotion.  The amenities were a nice touch.  

The beds were located against the back wall, and between the bed and the bathroom was a night stand.  Additional storage space was provided by a stack of small shelves on the wall next to the bathroom door.  The night stand had plugs next to it as well as light switches to control the room - again a nice touch.  We had two rooms - one with one big bed and the other with two beds.  The two beds were put right next to each other with no room in the middle.  The big bed basically was one mattress on top of the two small box springs on the bottom.  Both provided a decent nights rest, but the two beds being so close together meant that there was no space between you and your bedmate; you got really comfortable with your sleeping partner.  The pillows were also decent and thus it provided a decent night’s sleep.  

The hotel did have provide amenities such as a pool, gym, massage room, free parking, and free wifi.  The wifi speed was decent and you stayed connected so that was a good amenity.  The parking garage was free but it was extremely tight and the spaces limited, but we managed to get a parking spot.  The gym was decent and had the basic equipment for a decent workout.  The pool was outside and looked to be a decent size - not grand but not small either.  

 

The other amenity that we tried was the restaurant, as we could add breakfast to the room.  If you added breakfast prior to the reservation, then you received the discounted rate but if you added breakfast the day of then it was the regular rate.  The breakfast was a buffet and overall it was decent, it provided the basic items needed for breakfast.   Given the selection and the quality of the food, the cost was a bit pricey so am not sure if I would choose this option again.

Overall, the hotel was decent if you know what you are getting.  If you go expecting a suite with a lot of amenities, then you will be disappointed.  If you go in expecting a decent room and a decent night’s sleep at a low cost, then you will enjoy the Suites Novotel Dubai Mall of the Emirates.

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Residences Dubai - Al Barsha (April 2017)

Stay Report: Doubletree Hotel & Residences
Dubai - Al Barsha
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We had a day layover in Dubai and wanted to stay at a hotel that was next to a Mall as well as next to the metro station so that we could move around.  I decided to try the DoubleTree Hotel & Residences, Dubai Al Barsha as its located near the Mall of the Emirates. The Mall of the Emirates is a very large mall (where Ski Dubai is located) so there is access to food, clothes, services, and a grocery store.  The mall is also a stop on the metro thus providing easy access to the train.  The hotel has very good customer service as they responded quickly and were willing to work with me when I emailed them questions regarding my stay.  That was a positive sign of the hotel.  Overall, the hotel provides a nice comfortable stay in Dubai with nice amenities.

The hotel located in a building by itself, and is advertised as both a Hotel and Residences.

 As you enter into the hotel, you enter into an open atrium.  Immediately in front of you are chairs to sit and lounge, while to the right is a coffee bar and restaurant.  To the left is the check-in desk and in front are the glass elevators which take you to the room.  The lobby itself is somewhat narrow, the atrium makes it feel bigger but overall the hotel looks a bit older that some of the other hotels I have seen in Dubai.  Check-in was smooth and we received our key to our room (plus directions to the Mall).  There are two sets of elevators, but they were both in the middle and both led to the same direction.  We were on the 4th floor, and on the 4th floor the elevators were separated by a glass door so in the end it did not matter which set of elevators you took. 

The first thing you notice when you enter the room is the long entrance-way.  The entrance way from the door to the actual bedroom is very long and very wide.  The room is shaped like an L, with a long entrance way that leads to the bedroom. For us, everything was on the right side of the entrance way as on the left was a wall and a door leading to the next room.  On the right side was the entrance to the bathroom, followed by two sets of big closets, and then a nook area that had shelves on top as well as a coffee maker and fridge on the bottom.  The closets were very big and housed a safe, an iron plus ironing board, slippers, as well as plenty of space to hang clothes.  

The bathroom was very spacious and had all the basic amenities including a sink, a toilet,

and a shower.  There was not a lot of counter space on the sink, but there was some space above the toilet (be careful nothing splashes down or up).  The shower was bit tricky to work out as the same handle operated both the shower as well as the hand-held.  It took a few (wet) tries to figure out which direction went for which mode.  The was also not covered, as there was only a glass partition for half of the shower.  I am not sure why hotels do this as it causes a lot of water to spill out, thus creating a mess for the guest and the housekeeping.  

Considering the size of the entrance-way, the room itself was a bit narrow.  As you entered into the room area, there was a L-shaped couch with a table in front of it.  Had the couch been a bit bigger it could have fit a sofa-bed - the couch itself was decent but the table was a bit out of place as it was very big so you could not sit at the table and pass around the table at the same time.  On the wall opposite the couch was a ledge that led to the TV stand, and this was also connected to the desk.  The ledge provided a lot of space to put your things, but the TV was oddly placed as you could not move it so you couldn't see the TV from the couch, only from the bed.  

The beds were two twin beds with nightstand in the middle.  Since the room was narrow, there was no room to move on the other side of the bed, so both persons had to move in the same direction which made the room feel even more cramped.  The beds themselves were comfortable and provided a decent night sleep.  The AC in the room also faced the beds, so if you were sitting on the bed you felt the breeze but if you were sitting on the couch you could not.  Next to the bed were switches to control the lights, but you could either turn off all the lights or keep them all on.  There was no option to turn off just the bedroom lights and keep the hallway lights on.  There were plugs available next to the bed and near the desk, but that was about it - no USB ports available.      

The hotel itself is located behind the Mall of the Emirates.  There is no connection between the hotel and the Mall, and there is a lot of construction between the hotel and the Mall which cuts off a direct route.  To get to the Mall from the hotel you have to exit the hotel and go around the construction and enter the hotel through the parking garage near the grocery store.  Overall it's about a 5-7 minute walk and there are many people walking as you pass through a residential neighborhood.  There is also a shuttle to the Mall as well as to the Beach which runs every 2 hours.  

The hotel is a full-service hotel with lots of amenities including meeting rooms, a business center, a fitness center, a pool, steam and sauna rooms, as well as coffee bar and restaurant.  We were only there for one-day so I was not able to try out the facilities, but they looked really nice and well-maintained.  The business center was near the meeting areas and provided a nice and quiet place to conduct business and any potential meetings.  The fitness center was also nice and well-maintained and had enough equipment for a good workout.  The pool was outside on the 1st floor and was surrounded by the views from the room, but the pool was decent given the hotel.   There is also free wifi, with an access code, and the speed was decent. 

Overall, it was a pleasant stay at the DoubleTree Al Barsha.  While it looked liked an older hotel, the rooms had been properly updated and maintained so it provided a nice rest.  The layout and narrowness of the room, in my mind, made it good for one night but not sure if I would spend more here.  The hotel does provide good customer service, lots of amenities, and of course the DoubleTree cookie :)  

Trip Report: Saudia, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Abu Dhabi to Jeddah (April 2017)

Trip Report: Saudia Airlines, Abu Dhabi to Jeddah 

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

We were travelling to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage.  From Abu Dhabi, we have a choice to take either Etihad or Saudia.  I have previously flown with Etihad and find their service to be extremely bad and their staff rude; so I decided to fly on Saudia.  The last time I flew Saudia was in 2007, and then the service was decent but the planes needed to be upgraded. Since then, Saudia has invested in upgrading their fleet so I decided to try them out.  Since Saudia is part of SkyTeam, I also get SkyTeam miles with Delta (another perk).  

Our flight from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah was scheduled to take off at 11:50a.  After the reservations been booked, I tried to go online and manage the reservation but could not.  I had booked the flight through a travel agent, but for other airlines this had never been a problem.  I called the reservation number to manage my booking, including adding frequent flyer numbers, requesting special meals, and seat assignments.  I had downloaded the Saudia app but even through that I could not manage my booking.  The day before my flight I went online to checkin – online checkin is only available in some markets – and when checking in I could change seats and review my booking. 

Even though we had checked in, we were still told to be at the airport 3hrs early.  We arrived to the airport two hours early and there was no one in line so checkin and luggage tagging was very quick.  We received our printed boarding pass and went to spend some time before the flight.

The flight was scheduled to take off at 11:50am and boarding scheduled to start at 10:40am, but when we arrive at the gate around 10:30a the inbound aircraft had not arrived yet.  The aircraft arrived around 11am and it took a while before the plane was ready to be boarded which resulted to a delayed start.  The operating aircraft is an Airbus A321in a 3-3 layout.  The boarding process started and we boarded the plane.  The first three rows were in 2-2 business class layout followed by economy class.  When I checked in, I was able to select seats in front of the plane.  While the outside of the plane looked decent, the inside of the plane indicated it was an older plane.  There are positive and negative aspects of older planes – the positive being bigger seat width and seat pitch while the negative include less amenities such as USB ports and PTVs.

As this was an older plane, the seats were large and comfortable with a good seat pitch.  There were no USB port nor any PTVs, the only feature of the seat was channel and volume control in the side of the armrest (some of which worked, some didn’t).  The passengers boarded and we deplaned behind schedule – as in before Saudia never seemed to be focused on ontime departure.  As soon as all passengers had boarded, refreshing wipes were passed out.  A safety video was screened on the overhead screens (some of which came down, others didn’t).

The scheduled flight time is 3hr10min but the actual flight time is around 2.5hrs.  We reached cruising altitude, but even after that the flight attendants took another 30-45mins before the service started.  They first started by delivering the special meals, but it took them another 20-30mins before the regular service started.  The service included a meal and drink service.  The meal included a choice between chicken and fish with rice.  The meals were substantial in amount but were average in taste.  After the meal both tea and coffee were offered.

Once the meal trays were cleared, there was really nothing to do to pass the time.  The entertainment on board including the airline magazine as well as some programs shown on the overhead screen.  The shows included lots of commercial and only 10mins of Mr.Bean; however it was difficult to hear thru program as the channel system stopped working many times.  After a bit more time, we descended into Jeddah.  We landed and taxied to our parking spot – Jeddah does not have any jetbridges so every passengers deplaned via stairs and buses. 

Overall, it was an average flight with Saudia.  I had not seen any changes in the last ten years, as both then and now both the aircraft and service were decent; nothing spectacular and everything right above basic.  From others who have taken the Boeing 777, those planes have good seat pitches, USB ports and PTVs so I am a bit torn as whether to take Saudia longhaul – they have good specials and prices but their service can be average.