Review: Hyatt Place Phuket Patong 2016

Finding the place was quite a challenge, though that was due to a combination of factors including misleading (or misunderstood) directions from the bus, as well as the property being a newly opened one and hence not well-known to locals. Finally, we managed to get a tuk-tuk driver to send us to the hotel.

Check-in was quite straightforward and the front desk staff was friendly and helpful to provide information on shuttle bus timings and taxi fares in the Patong area. The staff also confirmed that we got a pool view room and was happy to comply when we requested for a twin room instead of a double.

Jul 26 2016 - Jul 29 2016 [3 nights]

As the norm in South East Asia, this hotel also has an open-aired lobby, complete with rattan chairs suspended from the ceiling.

One deviation from the norm in South East Asia is that no welcome drinks were offered, though that was probably not incoherent with its positioning.

Another thing that puzzles me is that the front desk staff requested a deposit of THB 1,500 to cover the stay. While it is not uncommon practice, this is the first time I have experienced it in Thailand. Furthermore, I would think it is the convention to place an earmark on the customer's credit card, rather than requesting a cash deposit.

Stepping out from the elevator, it was clear that the minimalist concept was consistently applied through the hotel.

The bathroom was located at the left of the entrance, with an enclosed shower area, complete with slip-proof mat, which is a nice touch.

It was also stocked with several useful amenities, including a hairdryer at the cabinet below the sink, as well as an iron and ironing board at the cabinet on the left of the entrance.

The toiletries provided were supplied by Portico, which is consistent with our experiences in Hyatt Regency properties in Thailand.

Once inside the room there is a small desk with an adjoining cupboard, which housed the minibar. 

While it might appear a little IKEA-ish, I felt really comfortable with the furnishing of this room, especially the sectional sofa at a corner of the room, where I ended up lounging for quite a fair bit of time.

I realised that the open-air closet, or rather simply a rack with matching hangers seems like a trendy thing, since I also saw it at the Sugar Marina in Kata. On one hand I thought it makes sense for a beach destination, since it would be better to keep wet laundry in the open-air, though I suppose you would still want a proper closet for other clothing.

On the cupboard was a coffee pot, as well as complimentary water and beverage mix. There is also an universal plug, among many others, which I have learnt to appreciate when travelling abroad, considering I once paid about ~SGD 12 for an adapter in Krabi.

The room had a nice view of the pool, which is nice. However, I probably would not want to pay the full premium to upgrade to a pool view room.

I did, however, went for a dip on the second day, and was rather unimpressed by the pool. While the design was aesthetically pleasing, the pool was a mere 0.8~1m deep. In addition, the water smells strong of chlorine or some other disinfectant. I choose to give it the benefit of the doubt that the pool be overdosed with disinfectants since it was a new property and probably under-utilised at the moment.

The is also a 24 hr gym available though this time we gave it a miss.

Coming back to the room itself, the mattresses were soft, and the bedding fluffy. 

In fact, I would think Hyatt could have easily given Westin a run for their money.

Similarly to the hotel in Kata, the Hyatt Place in Patong is also located within walking distance from the beach, although the entrance is somewhat secluded in a small alley by the more conspicuous Novotel Phuket Resort.

Breakfast was served at the restaurant beside the lobby. While the restaurant was airy and featured great lighting, the food offered was absolutely underwhelming.

To be fair the food didn't taste bad, in fact the sautéed mushrooms and sausages were actually quite flavourful. However, the choices available were extremely limited, to the extent that apart from the continental breakfast spread (bread, salad, fruit and dairy), the hot options are almost entirely represented by what I have on the plate.

The saving grace was the cappuccino machine, which I thought was a great feature in a contemporary themed property, as well as the omelette. The poached eggs however, was only mediocre, and I was rather disappointed that it was served without hollandaise sauce.

Service was however, a great highlight at this property. Not only did the staff always made it a point to greet guests whenever they return to the hotel or pass by the concierge, it was also done with genuine smiles and sincerity.

Also, I do find that the staff here do make it a point to proactively provide convenience to guests. On the final day, as we checked-out of the hotel, we did not realise that the join-bus we arranged for was actually waiting at the foot of the hill instead of at the lobby. The concierge staff offered to drive us down to meet the bus, a gesture which we really  appreciated, since I was having a rather funny stomach at that point.

Conclusion
The hotel is located within a stone throw from Patong beach, so represents a convenient location at a great value. In fact there are sea-view rooms available at fairly reasonable rates of ~SGD 100. The staff is friendly, though perhaps the property is still new, I could often sense some nervousness in the service rendered. I am nevertheless impressed by the proactive help and genuine hospitality of the staff.

I am still interested to find out how would a select service hotel that caters to a mix of business and leisure travellers fit into such a leisure-heavy destination like Phuket, though I would seriously consider staying at the property again.

Review: Sugar Marina Resort-Surf-Kata Beach 2016

We were the last passengers to be dropped off by the minivan and immediately find ourselves facing the hotel's façade. I was immediately drawn to the cascading waterfall over the doorway leading to the lobby.

Stepping into the lobby we were promptly greeted by the front desk staff who proceeded to assist with our check-in. In the meantime, we were offered cold drinks, albeit without a cold towel, which is fine with me since the weather was pretty cool around this time in Phuket.

We were escorted to our room by a friendly associate, who introduced in the details the facilities available in the hotel as well as the room features.

Unfortunately the surf-board was only for decorations and not intended for use, though the minibar is, and free-of-charge. While the offerings are far from extensive, considering the price charged and it being free, I think it's a nice touch to be appreciated.

The bedroom itself is actually pretty small, and with the twin beds side by side it leaves little room to manoeuvre. The furnishing was well-done though, as the surfing theme is extensively applied though out the decor.

The lack of space was, however, further exacerbated by the day-bed, not to mention it being rather out of place in the room.

The bathroom, however, was a pleasant surprise, with warm wood and marble surfaces, complete with warm lighting.

The shower area was located across the bathroom, away from the bathtub, and feature a rainforest shower in addition to a handheld one. The water pressure is really good, however the partition is less than ideal since only half of the shower area is shielded, and water tend to spray out into the changing area quite easily.

I am seldom a big fan of house-brand amenities, though this time round I found these shampoos and body soap to be reasonably good. In fact, I quite liked the peppermint scent of the shampoo.

After a quick rest in the room, we headed out towards the beach, passing the gym on the way out. The gym is fairly small, though the treadmill and equipment are all functional, so that's great for some workout.

There is also a pool across the lobby. While it is not Olympic-sized, the water is fairly clean and I had quite a few dips during my stay here. Apparently the ground floor rooms with pool access are fairly popular, since almost everyone of them appears occupied during our stay there.

Breakfast was served at the cafe on the ground floor, which had a fairly good ambience, from 6:30AM to 10:30AM. Based on the room rate we paid for, breakfast was included as part of the package. 

The buffet spread was good, in fact exceptional for a hotel in this price range. There was quite a range of confectionery products (this picture only captures about half of the offerings).

As well as reasonable selection of hot dishes, ranging from bacon and sausages to Asian fried rices and stirred fried dishes.

I had the Asian fried rice on the first day, and it was delicious, with succulent squid and other seafood. While the sausages are just okay, the bacon was actually crispy and tasty.

There is also a fairly good selection of fresh, cut fruits, which was also promptly replenished.

It appears that hot options are being rotated on a daily basis, since I was greeted with a whole new selection on the second day. While the rösti was cold by the time I took it, the pad thai was really good.

Location wise, Kata Beach is just 150m away and takes at most 5 minutes by foot, although one will have to cut through a small footpath beside the walls of Club Med Phuket. 

Check-out was also quite straightforward, although the staff did took a while to check through if the room was in order.

Conclusion
Granted, it was the lull season when we visited Phuket, though ~SGD 62 was still extremely value for money. In fact, I am impressed by the facilities and services offered by this property. Not only is the room well maintained, the facilities are adequate and the service is also warm and non-intrusive.

One potential drawback could be that the hotel does not really feature facilities for guests travelling with kids, although that was not really a concern for me on this trip.

Personally I would definitely want to re-visit this hotel when travelling to Phuket again.

Review: Hotel Prinz Eugen, Vienna 2015

As we had to catch an early train at 7:07AM to Prague on Wednesday morning, it was imperative to spend the second night at a property close to the train station. Although Vienna is a fairly small city and our previous hotel was only 20 minutes by tram, breakfast is only served from 6:30AM, and we will have to skip it or miss the train.

The hotel was diagonally opposite the Vienna Main Station, and only a 5 to 7 minutes brisk walk away.

The lobby was well furnished and had a really cosy feeling, though we did not use it.

Check-in was fast and wifi vouchers were given to us.

The staircase was also well decorated, with plenty of city guides at the counter, though most of them were in German, not English, perhaps indicative that the hotel generally caters to the domestic or regional travelers.

The room was really small, almost reminding me of hotels in Hong Kong. Given that we were only spending one night here it wasn't that much of an issue.The room was clean and the bed were comfortable, which was sufficient to recharge for the night before heading to Prague the next morning.

This time round, although the wifi was provided by the same telco Swisscom, the surfing speed was much faster than at the previous hotel and I managed to resend my assignment to my classmate.

The bath room was clean, the water pressure and temperature were also good.

We had a peaceful night's sleep.

The breakfast selection was far less extensive than at the previous hotel, though was sufficient for a quick bite before catching a train.

Conclusion

Review: Hotel De France, Vienna 2015

We knew that the hotel is located near to both the metro and tram station, though thanks to my stupidity we managed to head in the wrong direction. It took a few turns and 15 minutes before a sudden realisation that the hotel was only steps away.

The associate welcomed us at the reception. As we arrived from an overnight train and were hoping to grab some rest before exploring the city, we requested for an early check in at 10am. The associate checked the room availability and gave us an early check in, which we really appreciated. Wifi vouchers were also given to us at check-in.

The bellman delivered our luggage and escorted us to our room, which was on the second floor (or third floor in non-European lingo). 

Close to the entrance was the bathroom area, featuring a shower with two shower heads. The toilet was separately located opposite the bathroom.

The ceiling was really high, which coupled with the large windows provided ample natural lighting.

The beds were comfortable, though certainly not the standards at Marriott or Avista, which was reasonable given the price we paid.

Feeling refreshed after a quick nap, we left the hotel to explore Vienna. Location wise, the hotel is really located in the heart of Vienna, only a 5 minutes brisk walk to the Central Cafe and 10 minutes by foot to the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg Palace. Then again, Vienna is a really small city and most of the major attractions can be covered on foot.

It was a pain however, to access the Internet at the hotel. The connection was intermittent, and the surfing speed was really really slow. We were trying to search for the famous Viennese schnitzel and it took us nearly 20 minutes.

The breakfast selection was nothing compared to what you would have expected in Asia, but impressive for an European property.

The cold smoked salmon and cold cuts was also reasonably good, though the salmon was a little too salty than I would have liked it to be.

It's worth noting that sparkling wine was served at breakfast. In addition, they have a egg counter where you could order omelettes and sunny side ups, although the counter was not staffed for nearly half of the time (if not more) when we were in the restaurant. Again this was sub-par to an Asian hotel of similar price range, though given the much higher cost of labour in Europe perhaps we ought to give them credit for setting up such a counter in the first place.

We checked out of the hotel after breakfast and the associate at the reception proactively offered to deposit the luggage for us so that we can travel on a light load. While most hotels provide such service, it's really gracious for the associate to take the initiative and make the offer.

Overall, it was a reasonably good hotel and have generally delivered what would be expected of a property at this price range.

Review: Laguna Resort & Spa Nusa Dua, Bali 2015

After the massage in Ubud, we headed towards Nusa Dua for the final leg of trip to Bali. Thankfully this time round the driver had no problems locating the hotel.

Jan 17 2015 to Jan 18 2015 [1 night]

The entrance was rather interesting, featuring a traditional instrument, which the staff will strike to signal the arrival of a guest.

Welcome drinks were offered and the associate assisting with our check-in was friendly, offering a discounted breakfast after recognising my Starwood membership. However, on hindsight, I should have booked the hotel on its official website, which would come with complimentary breakfast and afternoon tea. 

The associate also offered to upgrade our room to one with direct pool access from a ground level patio, which I declined, given the minimal incremental benefit.

During check in, we noticed a performance outside the lobby, featuring flame throwing dancers, which we found rather interesting.

The room

Our room is on level 3, down a long corridor from the lobby, and we were escorted there by a friendly associate.  A plate of fruits was placed in the room as a welcome gift.

The room was fairly spacious, and included a balcony.

The couch at the corner was a comfortable place to laze for a afternoon nap.

Complimentary bottles of water were also offered, and the friendly associate escorting us to our rooms reminded us that complimentary coffee and tea will be served upon request.

Since we were still quite tired from waking up at 2am and the subsequent 5 hours trek up and down Mt Batur, we actually fell asleep at about 8:30PM, effectively missing a whole night of activities at the beach.

Review: Ayung Resort Ubud, Bali 2015

Coming out from Tanah Lot, we hired a car to take us to Ubud. Now, as this was a rather last minute trip, the itinerary was not planned to the level of detail as I would have liked it to be. The driver quoted us IDR400,000, which we haggled to IDR300,000, but was still expensive by Indonesian standards.

Again the driver had difficulty finding the hotel. Though it was easier this time round since it was in broad day light.

Jan 16 2015 to Jan 17 2015 [1 night]

Welcome drinks were served along with a glutinous rice candy, which tasted good. Thereafter we were escorted to our room by an associate, who also introduced the hotel's facilities and services.

After settling down in the room we went for afternoon tea. The associate welcomed us into lounge at the hotel's restaurant, which featured sofas, couches and a small dining area.

The table was made and drinks were served. I thought the associate greeting us was extremely friendly, without being intrusive in any way. A unique touch of Indonesian hospitality, I presume.

The platter was quickly served, and the presentation was beautiful.

Feeling a little sinful from the welcome snacks and the afternoon tea, as well as the upcoming dinner, we felt that a few rounds in the pool was the right thing to do.

We headed out for dinner after the swim. The hotel offers shuttle bus services heading to Ubud town and back, with 3 free services in the daytime and another service at evening, for which every passengers would be charged USD7.50.

We took the evening shuttle bus, which was actually a limousine van to head out for dinner. Before leaving the hotel, the driver introduced himself as Apel and struck up a conversation with us. Apart from perhaps a limited vocabulary, he spoke fluent English and even managed to pop a few Japanese phrases with the two Japanese ladies sitting in front of us.

Apel was very friendly and helpful, recommending restaurants to the Japanese ladies and offering to help us find a guide to take us to Mt Batur the next day.

When we returned after dinner, we found the room has been turned down for the night, with chocolate pralines served on a folded banana leaf with a handwritten goodnight wish.

Since we are leaving for Mt Batur in Kintamani early in the morning, we only slept for a few a hours before getting up to meet our driver at 2am and head down to the volcano to catch the sunrise, which turned out to be spectacular.

Coming back from the volcano, we were tired and famished, and so decided to grab a quick breakfast at the restaurant before getting some rest.

We were again welcomed by the same friendly associate (my sincere apologies for not noting down your name), who guided us upstairs to our seats.

A bread tray was served together tea and orange juice. They have quite an impressive selection of tea featuring, among others, Darjeeling and Early Grey.

Next came a selection of cheese and cold cuts.The smoked salmon was spectacular, and the ham was pretty good too. The cheddar was perfectly edible, though paled in comparison to the others.

For the mains we had ordered some egg dishes. First came the egg Benedict, which we really enjoyed. I especially liked the sauce, which really cleansed the palate as it was a little sour and quite refreshing. I thought it was a kiwi puree, though I later found out from the server that it was actually made with avocado.

This was followed by an egg white omelette, which was soft and well done. We were also constantly offered refills of juice and tea by the friendly servers.

We had a nap after breakfast and checked out of the hotel. Since the hotel was quite a distance from Ubud town, we asked the front desk if we might hitch a ride on the hotel shuttle bus, despite having checked out. The receptionist checked the availability and agreed, saving us the hassle of having to get our own transport.

Again the driver was friendly, introduced himself and struck up a conversation. This time round we kept quiet for most of the ride (since we were still recovering from the trek).

Conclusion
While the hardware of this hotel is good, it is the service that really set it apart and made the experience worthwhile. The hospitality was warm, yet never excessively intrusive. It is also amazing that the drivers consistently managed to strike up friendly conversations with patrons and to proactively make good recommendations for restaurants and tour services.