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.

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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!

No review of Pyramids hotel, missing luggage and a stay at W Bangkok

W Bangkok

Impressed by the breakfast! And the great Thai service quality

 Visited October 2015 

Bangkok is definitely a popular destination for many Singaporeans as well as foreigners around the world.

Having been to Bangkok many times, and stayed in many different hotels, I have not typed a review for some of them.

Remarkably, W Bangkok has left a deep enough impression for a share.

I arrived in Bangkok after visiting the Pyramids in Egypt. There is no review of the Le Meridien Pyramids hotel on my blog because I hardly explored the place to take pictures.

This may have been a good thing as it is really unsafe in Egypt at the moment.

In fact, that very hotel was bombed a week after my stay.

St. Regis Beijing, You Will be Surprised by the Price!

St Regis Beijing

A Diplomat's Hotel

Visited July 2015

China is definitely one of the great places for hotel stays and I finally visited Beijing for my birthday.

The main objective of this trip was to see the Great Wall of China and 2 sections were close to Beijing, namely the Badaling and Mutianyu sections.

I decided on the Mutianyu section and it was breathtaking!

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.

Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok, Thailand - September 2014

Hotels are aplenty in Bangkok and I have a previous entry on the Intercontinental Bangkok which is actually in the same area.

The political situation seems stable for now, but still very guarded.

The stability of the Royal Family is crucial in Thailand.

Why choose this hotel?

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is one of the representative properties of the brand in Asia.
The hotel is next to the famous Erawan Shrine.
The property is simply gorgeous!
A direct link to the metro is available.

The Management

Hyatt, as stated in the name of the hotel.

Getting to the Hotel

Taxi is definitely the way to go in Bangkok most of the time.
If not, the hotel is at the Chit Lom BTS (metro) station with a connection from the sky-bridge through the mall.

The Hotel

Classic colonial grandeur is evident from the entrance!

Well, take a step back to look at the impressive driveway too!

The lobby is similarly just as breathtaking!

The front desk is at the other end of the lobby, but is easy to spot.

Small ponds filled with koi adorn the lobby. Maintenance must be very costly and labour-intensive.

 The corridors are brightly lit with many nice details such as a chair for sitting and flower bowls.

The basement which is linked to the Erawan Mall is decorated as well.

The Rooms

We had a complimentary upgrade to a Deluxe room upon request. The room was a rather spacious 40 sq m room.

The toilet also has an opening from the bathtub into the room. I wonder why this voyeuristic setup is becoming more prevalent. There is an adequate separate standing shower.

 The bathroom amenities were fine but not memorable.

The view from my room was not too great, blocked by the tall building on the other side of the road.

A special octagon table with an animal (Pardon my ignorance if this represents something divine). It actually holds the LAN wire.

There are some universal plugs in the room if one forgets to bring.

The Food and Drinks

There are quite a number of cafes, restaurants and other shops in the basement of the hotel.  I didn't take any meals here so I cannot comment on the quality and range.

 A restaurant is located at the lobby as well.

The Pool, The Gym, The Spa

I did not get to use any during this stay. Guess I would return someday...

The Service

This made this understand why this hotel is a truly remarkable representative of Hyatt. The room rates are very high for a hotel in Bangkok but I was blown away by the whole service experience.

Firstly, there was a pre-arrival email which arranged for a complimentary room upgrade.

Secondly, we were greeted by almost every staff from the moment we reached the entrance through to the front desk. This was the first time I felt like royalty on arrival to a hotel.

Thirdly, we were given free internet as well which was of good speed.

Lastly, there was even a personalized follow-up email after checkout.

In Summary

Beautiful and big hotel, good location with convenient access and, most importantly, with very impressive service. What more should I add?

Happy Travels!
fred