A tired Intercontinental Prague at the Edge of Old Town

With a Rolls-Royce Showroom, Poor Wifi

And Great Shopping!

Stayed Mar 2017

After the once-in-a-lifetime stay at the Gritti Palace, I found my way to Prague in the Czech Republic (Or Czechoslovakia for those stuck in a time machine) where the residents are supposedly unimaginably good-looking as I was told.

A quick fuss free ride from the airport put me in the hotel lobby in no time!

The check in was not that fast and as I want to get to my room to rest as fast as possible too, I think I wasn't too patient. I also opted for the breakfast the next morning as it was not included in my rate.

Having read previous reviews, one thing I noticed was that it was pretty old and another was the Rolls-Royce showroom.

From the lobby to my room, it was indeed obvious that the hotel is pretty old and it felt rather like the late 80s in the elevator.

The room looked rather worn as well but the toilet was rather fine, and the marbled walls reminded me of the incomparable bathroom in the Gritti Palace.

I believe I was upgraded to a bigger (corner) room but I wasn't paying attention at the front desk as I was really tired. On the table was a plate of snacks and 2 bottles of water with another bottle of wine, and I still have no idea what Qvijote means even after plugging it in Google Search.

One issue I had was the poor WIFI in the room. I endured it for a day and called the front desk the next day. A router was sent to my room and it solved the problem.

Breakfast was served at the restaurant to the side of the lobby and I felt it was not worth the price, although I was intrigued by the 'Chinese bowls' available.

Perhaps to cater to Chinese tourists??

The hotel is really at the edge of the Old Town and a quick 5 to 10 mins walk gets one to the Town Square and the famous Astronomical Clock.

"I'm loving the clear blue skies, Polarbear!" "And I'm loving the gorgeous Old Town of Prague!" 🐻🐻 #Prague #oldtown #oldtownprague #czechrepublic #cute #roundtheworld #singapore #igsg #sgig #travel #travelgram #instatravel #traveling #polarbear #grumpybear #letsgoeverywhere #wanderlust #lifeisgood #beautifulhotels #beautifuldestinations #bestvacations #luxurylife #luxurytravel #luxuryhotels #nofilter #iphoneonly #softtoy

A post shared by Polarbear And Grumpybear (@polargrumpybears) on Apr 22, 2017 at 8:40pm PDT

The Charles Bridge and Prague Castle were nearby too but in another direction.

There were many famous brand boutiques in the old houses near the hotel as well and fans would be delighted to find quite a number of items priced at 30-40% less, including LV and Tods.

A pair of Bally shoes bought at the store at the hotel went at 30% less as well.

My UOB credit card had a really good workout in the city.

Before leaving the hotel, I finally took a look at the Rolls-Royce showroom, followed by complimentary drinks at the lobby bar as part of my elite benefits.

I was so glad to see 'Singapore Sling' listed!

I didn't have a chance to use the gym and pool but merely took a look and photo.

Gathering my thoughts and opinions, I would say this is an excellent hotel if location is important, but otherwise I am not impressed with the hardware nor the service.

The price of 75 Euros per night was defnitely a mitigating factor.

And I didn't opt for breakfast on subsequent days too.

Happy and Healthy travels!

Intercontinental Lisbon, Out of Egg Tarts and No movie

Can't get enough (and of) Portuguese Egg Tarts

And I didn't get my free movie benefit

Stayed Feb 2017

Exterior of Hotel

I found myself in Lisbon in the attempt to escape the high hotel rates in Barcelona which was hosting some convention and the nightly rates was 2-3 times more than usual.

I figured the savings could pay for a ticket to another city to explore and one-way TAP Portugal flights to Lisbon were going for less than $100SGD!

In addition, I was looking for an opportunity to use my Ambassador Cert from the IHG (Intercontinental) Programme and Intercontinental Lisbon was a great opportunity to use it!

The first night on the (refundable) Ambassador rate was 165 Euros and I got the second night free with the cert. (Unfortunately the second night was going for 145 Euros so that meant less savings for me.)

The prepaid rate was about 140 Euros per night so it was about 115 Euros off the joining fee of the programme.

The hotel was near town and on the side nearer to the airport, and so it was prefect for my quick visit to the City of Seven Hills.

The ride from the airport was smooth as the driver was acquainted with the hotel and needed no help in directions.

Upon arrival, the staff helped me with my luggage spontaneously and the front desk was just at the entrance as well.

Lobby with the Front Desk on the left side of the picture

I was assisted by a new employee who was being guided by a senior and she was really quite slow. I didn't mind as I wasn't in a rush and in a forgiving mood.

All of us have been beginners at some point in time.

The walk from the hotel to town was generally downhill and quite easy and I would advise taking a taxi back to the hotel in view of this. Unless you really want to train those glutes.

My itinerary for Lisbon was quite sparse so I got convinced at the Front Desk to buy lounge access for my stay.

So after checking in and surrendering my Ambassador Cert, I was shown to the elevators and made my way to the way.

On my way to the room, the optical illusion of a full 4-legged table at the lift-landing caught my eye.

The room was a fair size and consistently with the Intercontinental feel.

The double basins were nice to have when traveling with a companion.

Welcome Fruit

I was rather curious about the extension pod on the desk which had USB ports as well as power points for Europe and UK (and Singapore) types of plugs.

The view from my room was towards downtown and gave me an outline of the route. The rooftop garden pictured is at the Four Seasons next to the Intercontinental.

I took a look at the minibar prices. Quite significant I say.

The lounge was located on the ground floor, in an extension from the lobby.

Entrance to Lounge

Hot food

Egg Tarts!

I was quite happy to see egg tarts in the lounge and took a few of them. Quite good I must say.

After finishing the first batch pictured above, I waited for the next serving.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

No more came.

And so we had a little Taittinger in disappointment about the egg tarts.

The gym was fair and empty as usual.

Well, the best egg tarts are still at Belem where the queues are long but still move rather fast.

Coupled with chocolate milk, they were simply heavenly!

The extremely delicious Portuguese custard egg tarts from Belem. The soft interior in a thin crispy pastry shell, best eaten at the shop warm and fresh. Located near the Jeronimos Monastery, one can continue to sightsee after a sweet treat! A must-eat in #Lisbon! ☕️ #portugal #roundtheworld #singapore #igsg #sgig #travel #travelgram #instatravel #traveling #letsgoeverywhere #wanderlust #lifeisgood #beautifulhotels #beautifuldestinations #bestvacations #luxurylife #luxurytravel #luxuryhotels #nofilter #eggtart

A post shared by Frederick Ee (@drfrederickee) on Feb 28, 2017 at 2:05am PST

For the night before I left Lisbon, I wanted to watch an in-room movie which is a benefit of the Ambassador programme.

I asked the Front Desk about that benefit before dinner and was told I was not entitled to it.

I tried again after dinner with another staff and was told the same answer.

And so, I just rested early for that night.

In the post-stay feedback, I typed this in and received a reply that I was indeed able to watch one free movie as part of my benefits.

As an apology, I was suppose to receive 1k points but I have just realized that I had never checked if I got it in the end.

Oh well, to me, it was just a good-to-have.

Overall, I was pleased with the hotel and the rates were indeed not bad!


Happy and Healthy Travels! (Egg tarts are not healthy btw.)

Hoi An and The Impeccable InterContinental Danang

The Impeccable InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

A Harmonious Blend of Natural and Man-made Elements

Stayed March 2016
Published August 2016

After a good stay at the Hyatt Regency Danang, I arrived via a taxi to the exclusive Intercontinental Danang.


The resort is situated on a small peninsula with a enclosed beach as seen in the first photo, and is the only hotel in that region.


I reckon the hotel is rather famous as I had no problems with the taxi ride despite the isolated location.


Security personnel stopped the taxi at the beginning of the private road leading to the resort, but a simple 'I am checking in' was enough to proceed without any written or digital proof.

Travel Hacking: Intercontinental New York Times Square, Only $160 per night by making good use of my Ambassador Cert

Intercontinental New York Times Square

Made me glad to have the Ambassador membership

Stayed Feb 2016
Published May 2016
  

After fulfilling my goal of seeing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland, it was time to go home.

Considering I would be almost on the other side of the globe (in terms of longitude), I was pondering if I should continue westwards through North America or back via Europe.

After looking at the flights and seeing Icelandair was offering a good deal at USD$215 (about SGD$300) on Economy to New York for a one-way, it was decided I would stop in NYC for a few days before heading home.

As a savvy traveler, I used my Ascend Card hotel voucher for a free first night at Millennium Broadway Hotel, which I also used at previously and got upgraded to a suite. This time, it was only a room but no less comfortable. Looking at my review then, it was really so dry.