In March, I made a trip to Japan for Sakura season. It was pretty crazy, given it was the first post-Covid sakura season with tourists allowed into Japan. I planned most elements of the trip well in advance, locking in hotels as far back as July 2022. One element which was booked a little later…
Review: Hilton Singapore Orchard (King Corner Suite)
Introduction I first stayed at the then recently-opened Hilton Singapore Orchard in April 2022. A reflag of the Mandarin Orchard, the the Hilton Singapore Orchard opened in late February 2022 after an extensive renovation. This property is the largest Hilton hotel in Asia with 1,080 rooms, and replaced the dump that was the original Hilton…
Oldie but goodie: Review of Conrad Hong Kong
For my recent trip to Hong Kong, I opted to stay at the Conrad Hong Kong. It was a quick weekend getaway with the girlfriend, but of course any opportunity to revisit one of my favourite destinations pre-Covid and check out another Conrad, was always welcome. The trip itself was great and totally seamless, as…
Review: Conrad Los Angeles (Premium View King)
When I realised I would have to route through LAX, and potentially spend a couple of nights in LA, to get home on United Polaris from Seattle, I knew I should make it a priority to stay at the Conrad Los Angeles. After all, what better than to check out and review an almost brand…
Review: Sheraton Grand Los Angeles (King Guest Room)
Continuing with my long-delayed reviews from my September 2022 USA trip, my next stop after almost a week in Seattle/Bellevue was Los Angeles. I didn’t really have any specific reason to visit LA, but it was the only United Polaris routing I could get a redemption on. Since I was had never spent time in…
Good, not great, with some oddities: Review of The Apurva Kempinski Bali
When I first came across The Apurva Kempinski Bali around the time of Bali’s reopening, I wanted to stay there. The photos I’d seen of the property looked absolutely stunning. I’m also a sucker for rooms with private pools, so I was particularly intrigued by the Cliff Private Pool Junior Suites. This property shot to…
An Unexpected Delight: Review of Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach
For my girlfriend’s birthday, we decided to take a trip to Bali. Choosing Bali as the destination was easy: it’s nearby, we love the food, and a relaxing beach holiday was perfect for a birthday trip. Choosing the accommodation was the difficult part. Bali is chock full of international and local chain luxury resorts, not…
Review: Conrad Bali (King Ocean Front Suite)
In May 2022, my girlfriend and I took our first trip to Bali since Indonesia reopened its bordered. We spent a total of four nights in Bali, with the first three nights at the marvelous W Bali Seminyak. For my last night, we decided to stay at the Conrad Bali. This stay wasn’t really necessary,…
Review: W Bali Seminyak (Marvelous One Bedroom Pool Villa)
Since I’m heading to Bali again soon, I thought it’s time to finally get round to doing the reviews of my Bali trip in mid-2022. It’s been awhile since those stays, but I’ll do my best to recall all the details. For my 2022 Bali trip, I stayed in a couple of hotels. The first…
Review: InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay (King Bed Classic Riverview)
After my stay at the PARKROYAL on Beach Road, my next stop was the InterContinental Robertson Quay. I last stayed here in late March 2020, not long before everything locked down and hotels closed. The main takeaway from that stay had been the small rooms, though overall it had been a positive experience. I thought…