Trip Report: Sun Country Airlines, New Orleans to Minneapolis (July 2024)

Trip Report: Sun Country Airlines, New Orleans to Minneapolis

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I was traveling to Minneapolis from New Orleans and generally there are two options available - either Delta or Sun Country Airlines.  I have flown Delta but have never flown Sun Country and was curious to decided to try them out.   From New Orleans, Sun Country flies one flight a day and the timings change; luckily for me the day I wanted to fly out they flew in the evening at the exact same time the Delta flight was heading out.  When I did research, Sun Country is a leisure-based airline that operates mainly to vacation and leisure destinations so I was not sure what to expect when booking the ticket or when onboard.  

You can book the ticket either through the website, the app, or directly at the airport.  When I booked online, the website and the options reminded me of ULCC, Spirit and Frontier, as there was a basic charge for the ticket and then there were fees for everything else from the carry-on to selecting your seat.  If you book online, they charge a 'passenger convenience fee' which can range in price, and online research said you can avoid this fee by booking at the airport yet no one could tell me if you could book the bundle of seat + carryon at the airport.  I paid for the bundle and the total for everything for my one-way flight was $110 which was a very good price.                                                                                                                                                          24-hours prior to my flight I checked in online and received my boarding pass so when I got to the airport I went directly to my gate.  The plane had just come from Minneapolis and was turning around to go back; and boarding was done by groups but the process was slow and more akin to leisure carriers rather than ULCC carriers.  The operating aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 in a 3-3 seat configuration.  The first couple of rows were premium seats which contained more legroom and complimentary snacks during the service.  The remaining aircraft was in a standard 3-3 configuration with slimline-esque seats but they did have a recline and an adjustable headrest.  The seats were basic as there was a literature compartment up top, a tray table underneath, a pocket below that, and USB ports were available below the seats.  There was no seatback entertainment but you could connect to the wifi to stream movies, TV shows, and audio (there was no moving map no flight path so you could not figure out where you were).

Even though we were boarded ahead of the pushback time, there was no rush from the staff to close the door and depart early; again their attitude and pace of movement was more akin to leisure carriers versus ULCC even though their booking and other items were similar to ULCC.  We pushed back, manual safety demonstrations were conducted, and we took off for Minneapolis.  Once we reached our cruising altitude, the in-flight service commenced.  Sun Country offers complimentary drinks including soda, water, tea and coffee but everything else needs to be purchased onboard; premium seat members did receive a complimentary pack of snack but also had to purchase everything else.  The complimentary drinks were a nice touch and akin to leisure carriers, but not giving a snack and having a buy-on-board was more like ULCCs.  After the service finished, the FA's were rarely seen in the cabin for the remainder of the flight; no additional water nor trash collection was conducted and they only came back once they were preparing the cabin for landing. 

The remainder of the flight was uneventful and you could pass your time watching entertainment onyour screen, sleeping, or staring out the window.  The seats were decently comfortable but started to get uncomfortable towards to the end of the flight.  The legroom was also decent and similar to what you would find on a leisure carrier and not that of ULCC.  Once we landed there was no rush to get to the gate or deplane as fast as you can, instead there was a leisure pace to deboarding.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                After my experience, I am perplexed with Sun Country Airlines.  Part of their model resembles ULCC - from paying for seat selection, carry-ons and snacks - while other aspects resemble a leisure carrier - complimentary onboard drinks, decent legroom and being able to recline your seat.  It was an interesting but uneventful flight and got me to Minneapolis on time (the Delta flight that was scheduled to leave about the same time left early and got to Minneapolis early as well).

Stay Report: Royalton CHIC Antigua, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort (Antigua - July 2024)

  Stay Report: Royalton CHIC Antigua
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We are looking for a summer place and during the booking I encountered the Royalton Chic Antigua.  I had never heard of the Royalton brand but I decided to book it for the following reasons: 1) this was now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection and we are a Silver Elite member in Marriott Bonvoy so I thought this would be better; and 2) I went online and the reviews both on TripAdvisor and YouTube generally seemed good so I booked the stay.  Booking my stay at this resort and choosing Antigua was the biggest mistake I made in my life.

The hotel is an all-inclusive which means that you pay one price and everything is included - food,drinks, and supposedly some activities.  The room that we booked was a "Luxury Pool View, All-Inclusive, Guest room, 2 Queen beds".  Most of the rooms allow upto 3-guests per room but all the reviews say that they allow 4 people for an extra charge; we were 4 people so decided to follow upon that and proceed to book through the Marriott website.

There are two Royalton resorts in Antigua - one is the Royalton Resort and the second is the Royalton Chic with the later supposedly the more upscale and better version of the resorts.  The entrance to the Royalton Chic does not look very chic at all and the service from the gate attendant was minimal, but once past there you proceed down the hill towards the main entrance.  There is a circular driveway at the main entrance with a small parking lot located next to the main entrance.  We had a car so we stopped by the main entrance before proceeding to park; when we got to the main entrance we were greeted by a bellman who was inquiring about our luggage.  I was a bit confused as there was no instructions nor details about what was happening or the direction in which we had to go but rather just wanted us to answer his questions; it was very confusing and not a great start.  

The main entrance is where you have the bellman and then you walk halfway down the building to the check-in desk on the right side.  At other all-inclusive I have been to there is someone at the main entrance/bell stop guiding you through the process or there to assist; no one was there here.  When we got to the check-in desk, there was no greeting, no welcoming us to the property, and generally no version of any type of customer service.  We were asked about the passports and whose name the reservation was under - and during that time no mention of the membership status, nothing - and when they said we have 4 people the response was 'our policy is 3 only so you have to book another room which I cannot do so you either have to call reservations or go online'.  The lack of customer service, the lack of engagement, the lack of caring was outstanding throughout my entire journey but especially at check-in.  After lots of back and forth, lots of miscommunication and lies from the staff, the hotel miraculously changed their policy and allowed a 4th person to be in the room for some extra money.  

After check-in, we all got wristbands tied to our hand and were told so sign multiple documents and when we asked about a resort map or details of what was included the response was 'everything is on the TV' and when we asked if there were paper maps or details, the response was 'no'.  That was the lack of customer service we experienced.  The bellman who took our luggage from check-in to the room did not interact with us, did not share anything about the resort, and was more interested in connecting with his coworker friends than the guest; at every other resort the bellman were always interested in talking and sharing details about the resort as this was their policy but it also increased their tip.

When we got to the room, it looked like a standard 2-queen bed room and did not look luxurious at all.  As you entered the room, there was a hallway which led into the main part of the room and in that hallway was the bathroom on the left and closets on the right.  The closet was divided into two parts with the first part to hang clothes and contained the luggage rack and robes, while the other side contained the safe as well as the shelves within the closet.  The bathroom was basic and tiny and contained a small sink, toilet as well as a rain shower.  Bathroom toiletries including body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion were included but no bar soap was included and there was no place to put these items in the shower.  

In the room itself, along left side were the two queen beds with a nightstand in the middle.  Along the right side of the wall was a stand that had the coffee maker and water on top, and below was the fridge plus drawers.   Continuing along the wall was the mounted TV and then there was a countertop with two chairs which could be used as a dining table.  The beds were decent and were spacious enough to accommodate two people and comfortable to provide a decent night sleep.  There were outlets along the wall and on the nightstand so you could charge your devices.  The best part of the room though was the balcony, which opened up to the view of the pool and the ocean in the background; contain two chairs and was big enough to comfortably sit outside and/or dry your clothes.  Overall, the room was a small-to-decent size and I have been in bigger rooms at resorts (see Aruba Hyatt review) but I have been in smaller rooms so the room was decent for 3-4 people but the bathroom was definitely smaller.    

It is supposed to be an all-inclusive resorts so all food and activities should be included.  There were two pools available, one near the main entrance which had the swim-up bar and where most of the staff were, and another smaller pool near our section which was quieter and almost never had any staff come by and check.  The beach was decent and there were chairs and lounges available, and the beach for this resort connected to the Sandals beach resort so it made for a nice walk along the beach; also on the beach we barely saw any staff attending to or inquiring about guests.  There was a bar that was near the beach but that was never staffed; there was also another bar near the restaurants but that was only staffed at night.  If you were at the beach and you wanted something to drink, you had to walk to the main bar near the main entrance to get anything; and the resort long width wise so it took a bit of time to walk from our section near the end towards the main entrance, especially if you were elderly or had mobility issues.

There were supposedly multiple restaurants serving meals throughout the day and night, but which was open and when was never clear even though we asked multiple staff members.  The information on the TV was not correct and no staff member knew of any of the openings; the advice we got was 'just walk around see what was open.'  There was a Caribbean restaurant, a steak restaurant, an Italian restaurant, a sports bar, a Mediterranean restaurant, a food truck serving burgers, a coffee shop and a buffet restaurant.  The Mediterranean restaurant was never open the entire time we were there; we went to the steak restaurant one night and waited over 2-hours and still never got our food; we went to the Italian restaurant and waited 1hr30min only to be told that a party that came in after us was going to get the food before us; we went to the food truck which did not have a menu so you had to ask what was available and they it took almost 30-45 minutes to get your food.  Overall, the food quality and quantity was poor as each restaurant we went to they served starters and then a main course but the portion and quantity were so small it seemed more like a tasting rather than a meal.  The quality and lack of seasoning was also something that stood out as the food was bland and lacked seasoning and/or taste.

If there were other amenities included in the resort, we had no idea since we were not given any

information and no staff was willing to provide any details.  As I mentioned at the top, the main issue was the lack of service.  From the time we entered the property to the time we left, we encountered staff who did not care, were not courteous, some were downright rude, dismissive and borderline racists.  We shared this feedback with Management who kept saying 'thank you for your feedback but that is not my department' and nothing seemed to happen after that.  There was complimentary wifi available and complimentary parking.  You could also order food from the TV and then it was brought to your room, we did this to order food and additional drinks so there was no service by the pool nor the beach.

Overall, it was a complete waste of time and money at this resort.  My recommendation is to not go here, do not waste your time nor money to experience such a bad resort that does not care about its guests.  I have reviews of other all-inclusive and/or resorts in the Caribbean, check those out and go there instead.  

P.s..this is just my experience and my review.  While at the resort, we did talk to individuals who either themselves or their friends had similar experiences in terms of negative staff experience, rude/dismissive staff and overall a negative experience at the resort.

Stay Report: Radisson Hotel Baku (Baku, Azerbaijan - May 2024)

 Stay Report: Radisson Hotel Baku
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When traveling to Baku, there are many hotel options available covering all price ranges.  I was traveling with a friend so I was looking for a hotel that was near them but also affordable.  I found a couple of options and when I went to communicate with them, the Radisson is the only hotel that responded in a timely manner and provided good communication (one hotel never even responded).  I have limited experience with the Radisson brand as my first experience was with Radisson hotel in Brunei (see review here) and my other experience was with Radisson Blu in  Stockholm (see review here); both of the experiences were average or underwhelming so I had low expectations of my room and stay. 

I had booked the hotel through the Radisson website.  It was very easy to book and manage the hotel through the website, and there are member-only rates available online or through the app.  As I mentioned before, the hotel was very communicative in responding to queries and provided a lot of good information and that is something I greatly appreciated.  The hotel did offer airport pick and drop at an additional costs but I did not avail of this option.  The hotel is located on the main boulevard in Baku and has a small driveway for car drop-off.  From research, the hotel used to be a Park Inn by Radisson but then changed to Radisson (on some ride-hailing apps it is still listed as Park Inn).  From the outside, you climb up 5 steps (or take the ramp) and enter the hotel.  

From the outside the hotel looks very big but the lobby is narrow and does not have a lot of space to sit nor congregate; if there is a big group checking in then it gets very hard to navigate in the lobby.  There is a narrow lane of sofas in the middle of the lobby and to the left are the check-in desks while to the right is the restaurant.  Straight ahead, beyond the sofas, are the elevators.  I checked in at 8am in the morning so there was no one in the lobby; however, when I left at 5pm a group had come in to check-in and it made navigating the lobby very difficult.  I checked-in, received my key, and proceeded to my room.

The room was in the middle of a long hallway;it seemed that the elevators were at the beginning of the hallway and the rooms proceeded that.  Once I entered the room, there was a small entryway for the door before getting into the main part of the room.  In the main part of the room, on the left was the entryway to the bathroom while on the right a closed closet which contained places to hang your clothes, the iron and ironing board, and I believe a safe.  The bathroom contained a sink with a long counter, a toilet, and a shower stall with refillable amenities.  The bathroom was basic and the size was bearable but a bit on the cramped size; and even though I had just checked in some of the refillable amenities - body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion - had not been refilled.  Once you entered into the room, there was the queen-size bed on the left with a nightstand on each side.  Across from the bed, on the right side, was the TV mounted on the wall.  Further along into the room, on the right was a couch and a table while on the left was a nice size desk with a chair and the tea station.  There was a huge window that looked out onto the street and it was actually a small balcony so you could open up and enjoy a breeze or the view from the outside.  The space of the room was good, decent for 1-2 people and plenty of room to store your luggage.  The bed was comfortable enough and provided a good nights sleep.  Overall it was a comfortable bed in a decent size room and good enough for the price that was being charged.  Was the room worth a higher price, no and that is because it was the little things that made the room feel more like a 3-star hotel including the quality of the furniture, the not refillable of the amenities, and other such small things.  Its a basic and decent room but keep expectations at check.  

The hotel is a full-service hotel and thus provides the following amenities: free wifi, airport pickup and drop-off for a charge, fitness center, meeting rooms, restaurant and bar where breakfast is served (you can book a room with breakfast or add it later for a charge), and luggage hold.  I did try the wifi which was decent and you can connect as many devices as you would like, and I did do the luggage hold as they were very strict on the check-in and check-out time and were not authorizing either early check-in or late check-outs without charging for them. 

Overall, it was a decent stay at the hotel.  The room was clean, a decent size, and provided a good nights sleep as well as providing complimentary wifi and luggage hold.  The service was a bit lackluster and the other finishings and services were minimal; but given the price it was a decent nighs stay.  If you keep your expectations to a minimal, you will have a good nights stay.

Trip Report: AZAL Airlines, Lahore to Baku (May 2024)

  Trip Report: AZAL Airlines, Lahore to Baku

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I was in Pakistan and looking for a place to travel so was looking at direct flights from Lahore.  Recently, AZAL Airlines started direct flights from Lahore to Baku and Azerbaijan has been on my list so decided to check out the airline, the city and the country.  I booked my ticket online through the AZAL website directly and since AZAL is a full-service airline, each ticket came with a free seat selection, complimentary meals as well as complimentary 23-kg checked baggage.  You could add additional baggage online if needed (I did need it and it was convenient to have this process done online prior to the airport so that airport check-in is easier).  During the booking process, I was able to select my seat - there were regular seat selection as well as priority seat selection; later on I figured out these were exit row as well as in the front of the plane seats that required costs to select them. 

The flight was scheduled to depart at 2am and arrive into Baku at 5:40am and was to be operated by an Airbus A319 for a flight time of 4 hours.  The flight only 2-3 times a week so its essential to make the flight.  I got to the airport 3-hours in advance, quickly checked in and received my boarding pass, and went to the gate.  Boarding was to commence at 1:15am but it started late and was a bit chaotic but we ended being boarded for an on-time pushback.  The plane is an Airbus A319 with a small business class upfront in a 2-2 configuration and economy in the back in a 3-3 configuration.  The first 3 rows of economy as well as the exit row were designated as premium - so even though some of them sat empty they would not allow people to move there unless they paid an upgrade.  There was a family separated and instead of rearranging seats to get the family to sit together as well as accommodate other passengers, the airline insisted everyone take their assigned seats and kept the family separate throughout the entire flight!

The seat itself was basic as it had an adjustable headrest, a tray table, as well as a storage pocket but that was it.  There was no USB nor charging ports and no additional amenities.  The legroom was decent, not great but not terrible, and the seat comfort was ok for the first 2 hours but then it got uncomfortable afterwards for the remaining two hours.  Service onboard was average as they were not mean but were not nice, and communication in English was definitely an issue.  AZAL provides a complimentary meal on all their flights - and that is a nice gesture especially in today's time.  You can preorder special meals based on religious and/or dietary restrictions.  On this leg, one meal service was going to be conducted; we took off on-time and it was a late night flight so instead of serving the food quickly and letting people sleep, or letting people sleep and then serve food before we landed into Baku, the airline decided to keep the cabin dark for an hour, let everyone sleep, and then an hour after takeoff start the meal and drink service.  It was a really odd choice and after the meal service coffee and tea were offered, and again that took a while so hour 2-3 of your flight was taken up by the meal service.

The meal provided was basic but decent and for my special meal included a salad, fresh fruit, the main dish, as well as a piece of bread.  The main meal was a smaller portion but decent for the 4-hour flight but was a bit bland and needed some flavor; the bread was not warmed but was decent.  Complimentary drinks, including alcoholic drinks, were served and coffee and tea were offered afterwards.  After the meal service, the lights were turned off again for the remaining flight time to do what you wanted.  They did have screens above that showed the flight map, and you could connect to the entertainment system on your own device.  The entertainment system was present but extremely limited as it only offered a handful of movies and other programs; it was basically bring your own entertainment. We landed in Baku on time and quickly exited the plane and cleared through customs and immigration.

I took AZAL again when flying between Baku and Tbilisi and the overall experience was the same but there were a couple of differences.  The plane operating this route was an Embraer E190 and it was newer so the seat pitch and comfort were better; all regional flights operate out of Terminal 2 which is the older terminal and you can definitely feel that; and the Embraer did not have the 'stream to your device' entertainment option.                                                                                                                                                                    In the end, it was an average and basic flight was AZAL.  There are some things that were good including the price which was not expensive, each flight took off and landed on-time, the complimentary seat selection and luggage allowance, and the complimentary meals and service on both flights.  Service could have been better but airlines within this region are not known for their service; generally if they get to your destination on time in a clean and comfortable space then they did their job and AZAL does the job.   

Stay Report: Ibis Styles Tbilisi Center (Tbilisi, Georgia - May 2024)

 Stay Report: ibis Styles Tbilisi Center
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I was traveling to Tbilisi and was looking for a central place to stay.  While looking online, I noticed the ibis Styles Tbilisi Center centrally located and within walking distance to many sights and attractions.  I have stayed at many Accor properties including ibis Styles before (see review here) and so was familiar with their products and knew what to expect.

Accor, and especially the ibis brand of properties, provide clean, decent accommodation at a low price and generally do not offer any frills; or if they are offered, they are priced a la carte.  Generally there is no concierge and breakfast is available for a cost; what they do offer is a clean room with complimentary wifi.  I was able to book and manage my reservation online and through the app, where sometimes lower fares can be found versus the online/website.  

The ibis Styles brand is a bit more upscale versus regular ibis so they have more options for the traveler to choose from; the hotel could offer airport pick-up and drop-off for an extra charge and I used this service for the drop-off to the airport.  The hotel is located on walkway behind the main Independence Square; the walkway is pedestrian only during the day but cars can come early or late in the evening.  Being centrally located and within walking distance to the main square is a great plus point for the hotel; also within walking distance there are a number of restaurants, ATM/banks, shops, and other services all centrally located.  

The hotel is comprised of 7 floors with the check-in desk and main entrance on the ground floor.  Also on the ground floor is a coffee/tea/water station which is complimentary, the restaurant where breakfast is available for purchase (if you did not include it in your rate) and plenty of seating.  As per European standards, the hotel is somewhat narrow and tall but does not feel cramped.  After checking in, I took the key card to take the elevator up to the 4th floor for my room.

ibis Styles main difference between them and other ibis is that they like to incorporate more local and unique designs to their rooms.  When I entered the room, it did have more unique design aspects to them which made the basic room look more interesting.  You entered the room into a tiled hallway which had a open closet on the left with a luggage rack down below and shelves up above.  Continuing on the left was a doorway which led to the toilet and next to that was another doorway which led to the shower.  The sink was outside in the tiled hallway facing the bedroom.  The shower had refillable shower products including body/hair wash and conditioner; the sink had a refillable hand wash next to it and there were plenty of towels.  The tiled hallway led into a carpeted bedroom which contained a desk connected to some shelves along the barrier (the same barrier that had the sink on the other side) as well as a bed with two nightstands on either side.  Mounted on the wall in front of the bed was a TV and on the wall in the tiled hallway were coat hooks.  The bed was comfy and a decent size so provided a good nights sleep; there were also power outlets next to the bed and that was important.  There was a window alongside the other wall and there were nice blackout curtains which were very helpful to get a good nights rest; there was also a decent amount of space between the bed and the window so it did not feel too cramped.  Other amenities in the room included glasses for water, a coffee/tea maker set on the desk, a fridge with complimentary water bottles, as well as a safe.

While the hotel is not full-service, there were amenities provided that were either complimentary or required additional purchase.  Wifi was complimentary and the speeds were decent; water/tea/coffee in the lobby were offerd and they were complimentary all the time; complimentary water bottles were provided in the room; there was a restaurant on the ground floor that was open for breakfast only and there was a restaurant/bar on the 5th floor for drinks and food.  

Overall, it was a nice stay at the ibis Styles and it was centrally located and provided a nice and clean room with a decent bed and ensuite bathroom.  That is what I generally expect from ibis Styles and they delivered on that.

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! 

Stay Report: Meliá 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.