Ghosts knocking on the door? Intercontinental Park Lane

A Sleepless night in London

Visited April 2015

After the brief visit of Paris (which I hope is recovering well from the Friday 13th attacks), we found ourselves in London.

For non-Singaporeans, Singapore was under British rule previously until 1963 (to become part of Malaysia) and declared independence in 1965. She celebrates her 50th year of Independence this year!

The hotel is located near Hyde Park and the Buckingham Palace, which was great to watch the Changing The Guards Ceremony as the palace is just a short walk away.

What a $1300 per night resort in Bora Bora is like

Bora Bora

Visited in August 2015

A resort island often pictured in online travel blogs.

Recently, the island has been in the entertainment news as Jennifer Aniston went there for her honeymoon (a whopping16k SGD per night 3-bedroom villa!!!) and is also where Justin Bieber was photographed in his birthday suit. 

The classic postcard view shows the turquoise lagoon surrounding a green extinct volcano with over-water bungalows.

Not too bad for a novice isn't it?

The central volcano rises up to 2 peaks and the higher one seen in the above picture is Mount Otemanu.

Researching more on Bora Bora will reveal that it is located in the French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean (read: middle of nowhere) and perhaps the only populated place more isolated is the famed Easter Island (occupied by the seafaring Polynesians as well).

Once upon a time, I received an email from a travel company saying "cheap flights to BORABORA!", which got me really excited!

Intercontinental Bali, Indonesia - November 2014

 

Having been to Bali many times, I have been stayed in the different parts, including Jimbaran (at Le Meridien), Nusa Dua (St Regis Bali which I unfortunately lost the pictures!), Seminyak (W Bali) as well as Ubud (at the Purist Villas before the start of this blog)

Curiously, I have not stayed at the most popular part of Kuta.

The Intercontinental Bali is located at Jimbaran. 

Why choose this hotel?

The hotel is a very established resort in Bali and is known to be rather authentically Balinese.

The Management

Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG)

Getting to the Hotel

I would advise a short taxi or limousine from the airport. I was quoted 20 USD for a limousine ride during this visit.

ANA Intercontinental Tokyo

 I visited Tokyo as my birthday vacation in July this year and was warned the weather was hot.

Compared to Singapore, the temperature was rather mild, but there was a strange discomfort of feeling cold air while experiencing hot rays from the sun.

 We traveled by the red-eye flight via Singapore airlines and arrived at the hotel at 9am.

We were unable to check into a room as it was too early, but given access to the lounge to rest.

The lounge is one of the better ones in Tokyo according to my online research.

For Intercontinental Ambassadors, the gift (package) is shown below. I still don't know what it (left upper corner) is...

Why choose this hotel?

 The hotel is located centrally and very near the Tameikesanno metro station which is a hub for several lines.

The rooms are considered large for Japanese hotels.

 

The Management

 Intercontinental Group or IHG

Getting to the Hotel

We had plans to take the bus which stops at the hotel but it was an hour's wait so we decided to take a taxi instead.

Taxi fares are rather expensive in Tokyo and the trip was about $80 sgd ($60 usd).

We took the bus for the ride back to the airport and it was really convenient.

The Hotel

 

The hotel is really grand with a large lobby and a giant waterfall.

The front desk is readily visible from the entrance.

 

 The Rooms

We had a basic room which was definitely sufficient to rest for the nights here.
At 32 sqm, the room is considered rather big by Tokyo norms.

The toilet is on the smaller side and I don't really enjoy seeing into the toilet from the room.

A traditional teapot sits on the minibar but stayed unused for my stay.

The Food and Drinks (The lounge actually)

We had a great time at the lounge which offered nice views and a good range for breakfast and cocktails.

The lounge breakfast is the best I have had so far.
The range is so wide and almost like a full buffet breakfast in other hotels.

 There was a selection of fruit, including the famous (read expensive) Japanese Musk melon!

And a good selection of soft drinks and tea as well.

Ample seats around too. There was never a need to flight for space.

The lounge also had a quiet area, which was the place where we rested while we waited for a room on the first day.

At other times, you can have cookies and drinks at the lounge. Ice for the drinks came in balls and I wonder if they were made in the way as the video after the pictures.

Food at evening cocktails were similarly impressive. (Forgot to take pictures while munching!)

The Pool And Gym

No time to visit the pool or gym! Tokyo is a city to explore and experience.

The Service

I have to really compliment the staff, especially those at the lounge.

Everyone was warm and helpful, although check-in was slow because of inexperience (which didn't matter much since a room was not ready.)

The staff at the lounge always greeted us and even made a birthday cake with fruit decoration and sang me a birthday song! That really made my night and the entire stay great.

In Summary

Definitely the service  is top-notch! Location is great for city exploration via the metro and the rooms are large and comfortable for Tokyo.

The lounge is a must-do.
In fact, I witnessed men bringing their girlfriends to the lounge to impress them.

Happy travels!

Intercontinental Bangkok - February 2014

Bangkok is one of the most popular cities in the world!

Friendly people, affordable food, great massages, gorgeous hotels, I can go on and on!

The main problem could be the political situation and there will be a small section on that in this entry.

Why choose this hotel?

Well, the location is rather good, near to the BTS station and Central World shopping centre.

Not too strong a recommendation considering the many hotels in Bangkok!

The Management

 The (famous) IHG group of course!

Getting to the Hotel

Taxis are the way to go! Except in times of political unrest.
For the newbies, always request for the meter (and hope it's not a "fixed" one!)

Otherwise the airport link/express is quite ok, the Phaya Thai link being better as the connection to the Chidlom (alternatively spelt Chit Lom) BTS is smoother.

However, this trip we had to walk 200m to the hotel due to the protests. Not too pleasant to say the least.

The Hotel

This is a beautiful hotel! The huge chandeliers adorning the lobby, the grand staircase and the friendly staff!

The front desk is right in the centre of the lobby and cannot be missed!

The corridors are well lit and decorated.

The Rooms

We were put in a Club Room and it was spacious despite being a basic room. The usual Intercon decor was evident.

The TV set was one of the largest in a hotel room ever!
My carry-on bag was simply dwarfed in the same picture below.

Massive bathroom for a basic room noted.

The view from the room was not too great, but that's not important at all!

The Food and Drinks

 We had lounge access during our stay and Intercon lounges are really impressive!

Offerings at the lounge were definitely of high quality.

Breakfast at the lounge was excellent and you can order off a menu too.
However, I really do not recommend the steak.

The Pool And Gym

The pool is nice enough but unremarkable.

The gym is rather big but is open to external memberships. Thus it can be crowded in the day.

The Service

The service is very good to excellent, although not extraordinary. I do think it is very hard for the Bangkok to improve upon the excellent service. Until I stayed at the Grand Hyatt at Erawan (which is nearby!), but that would be another entry later.

For those in IHG rewards, I got a bear as a gift as an Intercon Ambassador.

 

The Bangkok Protests

We visited after the protests started and somewhat stabilized. My Thai friends were essential in assuring us everything was still under control, but to avoid crowds where possible.

Some of the streets were closed and there were tents on the road.

Central World was closed during our stay!

In Summary

The rates for this hotel is rather high considering the multitude of good hotels in Bangkok.
There is nothing too fanciful either.
The best part is possibly the lounge.
Nothing negative to comment, so that's great in a roundabout way.

Perhaps, my expectations have evolved with each hotel stay. 

Happy Travels to my readers!

Best Regards!