Review: American Airlines Business Class LAX - PVG Review: PVG Cathay Pacific Lounge Review: Dragonair Business Class PVG - HKG Review: Andaz Xintiandi Shanghai Review: Grand Hyatt Shanghai Review: Hyatt Regency Suzhou At this point, I've stayed at 3 out of the 4 Hyatt properties in Shanghai. I've only had a chance to review the Park Hyatt Shanghai so far, but I'm certain that the Andaz Shanghai has the best location of them all. Xiantiandi (新天地) is an affluent shopping district in Shanghai and the area directly around the Andaz is chock full of restaurants of all varieties, high-end shops, and tons of people. As opposed to the Park Hyatt, which is located in a high-rise in Shanghai's financial district (which has very little going on in the evening), the Andaz is the place to be. Andaz is Hyatt's hip boutique brand and in this case, they almost take "hip" to an extreme. You'll notice the Andaz from almost anywhere in Xiantiandi, which makes it easy to find your way back after a few cocktails. The building has a unique design with rounded rectangular windows punctuating the facade (although don't confuse it with the Langham, which is across the street and has a similar look). Upon arrival at the Andaz, you'll enter through gigantic wooden sliding doors and find yourself almost assaulted with the uniquely designed lobby (I unfortunately don't actually have a picture of the immediate view, but it's imposing). The lobby features a bar and seating area directly ahead, while check-in is to your right. To the immediate right is a patisserie where you can buy fresh juices, pastries and the like. At check-in, you'll be offered a refreshment, but I've never accepted one, so I'm not sure what you can choose from. The front desk area has beverages and cookies/fruit available throughout the day in case you need to stop by. Check-in is usually quick and efficient and you'll learn about the nightly happy hour from 6 PM to 8 PM which is free for all guests. Once you're checked in, you will proceed through the lobby and make a right to the elevators. The Andaz is full of interesting art and you'll pass a custom motorcycle and what looks like a giant wad of painted paper on your way. It's all very unique. The elevator area is decorated with a moving fish screen, which is kind of fun. The Andaz uses wood accents throughout and when you arrive on your floor and step out of the elevator, you'll see nothing but wood. I think it's tastefully done and it definitely gives the hotel a unique look. I've stayed at this hotel so many times and I've had a couple of different room types, so I'll cover both the Andaz Xintiandi View King and the Andaz Large King rooms.
Andaz Xintiandi View King If you couldn't tell, this room type faces Xintiandi, which gives you a view of the surrounding neighborhood and the Pudong skyscrapers in the distance. When you enter the room, you'll be in a hallway. To the right (usually) is the bathroom followed by a closet and then the room opens up to reveal the bed, a chair, a table with two chairs, and the TV and minibar. The quirky decor from downstairs continues upstairs and I think the designers did a good job of making the room a unique and interesting, but still keeping things pretty modern and minimal, which I like. The bed is very comfortable and the room views are excellent. In addition, you'll notice that the room has some "smart" features as well. Guest Reviewer: Chris An avid traveler and obsessive points and miles hound, Chris is my travel buddy extraordinaire. I love him for his enthusiasm, his sense of adventure, and his many lounge access credit cards. Hope you enjoy his perspective! Recently I took a weekend trip to Puerto Rico in order to earn some elite-qualifying miles with American Airlines (maintaining Executive Platinum status is hard work!). To book my hotel, I decided to use Hotel Tonight, which is an app that offers deals on last-minute hotel reservations. One of the hotel choices for my one-night stay was the Condado Vanderbilt, located about a 15-minute drive from the San Juan airport. It wasn’t the cheapest option at $269 including taxes, but it was listed as a 5-star hotel and was in the “Luxe” category of the app, so I figured I’d give it a shot. The Condado Vanderbilt was built by the Vanderbilt family in 1919 and was the first luxury hotel to open in Puerto Rico. Normally I’m not a fan of old hotels - while I appreciate their historic architecture and charm, I find that they usually have musty, cramped guest rooms. Fortunately, the Condado Vanderbilt went through extensive renovations a few years ago, so you get the best of both worlds. It’s located in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan, which is an area containing many restaurants, shops, and resorts. There was a lot more to do in the surrounding area than there was at the last hotel that Jen and I stayed at in Puerto Rico, the Ritz-Carlton San Juan. I arrived at the hotel around noon and was greeted by a doorman who showed me to the reception desk. He also offered me a glass of champagne, which I was more than happy to accept. As I was there a few hours before the official check-in time of 4pm, I wasn’t expecting a room to be ready, but the front desk lady said that they did have a room with a queen bed available. I’d originally booked a king, but as I was traveling alone, I was totally fine with taking a queen bed instead. As a consolation, she told me that the room was “a little bit bigger” than the one I’d booked, so I didn’t feel like I was getting shafted. She escorted me to the elevator, and I headed up to my room. In my past experiences with Hotel Tonight, the hotels have usually stuck me in the worst possible rooms. There was one memorable case in Portland where I’m pretty sure they put me in a converted janitor’s closet. Since you’re booking the most discounted rates, you end up at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to room assignments. So, as I was taking the elevator up, I had really low expectations for how the room would be. This time, however, things were different. When the front desk lady said the room would be a little bit bigger, what she forgot to mention is that they’d upgraded me to a suite instead. My room had two entrances, two foyers, a bedroom, a living room, and two bathrooms. Needless to say, it was way beyond what I was expecting. The room had a view of the city, and although some of the rooms in the hotel have balconies, this one didn’t. There was a complimentary minibar containing soft drinks, chips, and a Snickers bar (which I may have helped myself to). It also came with a coffee station featuring pre-ground beans, a kettle, and a French press. As someone who dabbles in coffee-making, I thought it was a pretty good setup, although if they’d included a grinder I would have been really impressed… The bathrooms weren’t large, but they were clad in white marble so still felt luxurious. One of them had a shower with a rain head, and the other had a shower-tub combo. The toiletries were C.O. Bigelow branded, and were pleasant enough. After changing into my swim trunks, I headed outside to explore the property. The hotel has two pool areas: the main tower has a large pool and an ocean-facing infinity edge pool, and the east tower has a smaller adult pool and hot tub. There’s also a small private beach (the main Condado beach is only a few minutes walk away, for those who prefer a larger beach). I stopped by the pool desk to pick up a towel, and the attendant accompanied me to set up a lounge chair of my choice. There were plenty of available chairs to choose from, and many were even in the shade, which I appreciated. The staff regularly stopped by to check if I needed anything, and I enjoyed a few beers while I lounged by the pool. All in all, it was an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. The hotel has five onsite restaurants, but I only dined at one of them during my stay: Ola, where I had breakfast. I was given the choice of indoor or outdoor seating, and opted to sit outside. The waitress soon came by with a glass of ice water, and I also ordered a cappuccino, which was delivered promptly. The were two buffet options to choose from: the continental buffet ($28) and the full buffet ($40), along with some a la carte options. I decided to go with the full buffet since I was feeling rather peckish. The buffet had enough to satisfy even the hungriest man’s cravings. There was an omelette station, some hot dishes (such as sausages, potatoes, and frittata), yogurt, fruit, cereal, bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and pastries. While the selection was good, the food was hit-or-miss: I really liked the pastries, but the hot dishes were a bit lackluster. Overall I really enjoyed my stay at the Condado Vanderbilt and wouldn’t hesitate to return, even though I doubt I’d be as lucky in getting a room upgrade the second time around. The hotel exceeded almost all my expectations, and I found it to offer amazing value for the price I paid - though it’s worth noting that rates are much higher during peak season. The service was impeccable, and I found my stay relaxing, even though I was only there for 24 hours.
Cheers! During a visit to Seattle earlier this year, we decided to stay at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in downtown Seattle. Olive 8 is a "Hyatt" branded hotel and is located at the corner of Olive Way and 8th Ave (how original). Funny enough, it's also located directly across the street from Hyatt's other primary Seattle property, the Grand Hyatt Seattle. The Olive 8 is a category 4 property, which requires 15,000 points per night if not paying with cash. We arrived fairly late after a Friday night flight up from San Francisco and received an upgrade to a Luxury King Suite thanks to an expiring suite upgrade. We made our way up to the 15th floor after an uneventful check-in process and found our room. The Luxury King Suite is the first level of suite offered at the Olive 8. It was a good sized room and honestly, as with pretty much all suites, really had more room than we ever would have needed. Upon entering, there was a small bench directly across from the door (in case you need a place to sit while taking shoes off), then after turning to the left, there was a desk, a small wet bar area, and the living room, with plenty of space for entertaining any guests who stop by. The wet bar had a couple of water bottles, but they were definitely not complimentary, which is something that kind of bothers me about US properties (they're always free outside the US). If the water isn't free, I'd rather it just not be there, but I digress. The bedroom had a king bed, a chair and side table, another television, and two matching closets on either side of the entrance to the bathroom. It was on the smaller side, but there was still plenty of room, especially because the living room area was quite large. The bathroom was quite large with a double vanity, a separate soaking tub and shower area to the right, and an enclosed toilet on the left. The toiletries were KenetMD, which is nothing special, but good enough. Overall, the room was well-appointed and had everything we would need. I find Hyatt branded Hyatts (so confusing) to be very minimal and modern, which is nice, but you'll not usually find anything particularly special about them either. The gym, spa and pool are located on the 3rd floor of the hotel. The upper part of the building housing the Olive 8 is a residential space, so the building residents share these amenities with hotel guests. You'll find a lap pool and hot tub as well as a pretty well-appointed gym with plenty of cardio equipment and free weights. The gym also offers dry and chilled towels and water bottles, which are always appreciated. As a Diamond guest, I had breakfast included Saturday and Sunday morning at the hotel's on-site restaurant, Urbane. Breakfast is served from 6:30 AM to 11:00 AM on weekdays and from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM on weekends, so there's no reason to miss breakfast even if you have to sleep in a bit, which I really liked. The brunch menu had a great selection of both breakfast and lunch dishes and had a lot of really tasty looking options. In the end, I opted for my usual breakfast dish: two eggs any style with toast, potatoes and a choice of bacon or sausage. Chris had the biscuits and gravy. After we ordered, about 15 minutes went by before our server came back to let us know that the kitchen was backed up, so our orders were going to take a while. He brought out a complimentary fruit bowl, which was nice, but it did end up taking about 40 minutes for us to get our food. Luckily, we weren't in a huge hurry, so it wasn't really an issue. Since it's hard to mess up eggs and toast, I was perfectly happy with my meal. Chris said the biscuits and gravy were a little dry, but overall, it was a good meal and as always, I was happy that it was included due to Diamond status. The Olive 8 is located pretty centrally in downtown Seattle, but it should be noted that it's still quite a hike from the main attractions of the downtown area, including Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and the sculpture park. We were fine with the location, but if you're looking to be right in the center of the action, the Olive 8 is probably not the best choice. Even though it's still downtown, the streets surrounding the hotel are pretty quiet, so that's something to keep in mind.
Overall, the Hyatt at Olive 8 is a solid choice when visiting Seattle. The rooms are modern and nice, the amenities are there if you need them and it's close enough to walk 15 or 20 minutes to most attractions in downtown Seattle, but far enough away that it won't be too noisy or crowded. Introduction Late last year, Chris and I lucked into some very cheap tickets to Maui as a result of Alaska Air's Black Friday sale. We knew without hesitation that we would book the Andaz Maui at Wailea since we were both anxious to check it out. It's no secret that the Andaz Maui is incredibly expensive ($700 per night and up) and unfortunately, there was no cash and points availability during the nights we would be staying. We didn't love he idea of booking a full points rate (the Andaz Maui is a Category 6 hotel, which requires 25,000 Hyatt points per night to book), so immediately after booking the tickets, Chris applied for the Chase Hyatt Visa, which offers two free nights at any Hyatt hotel once you complete the minimum spend. Once the two free nights posted, we used them to book two nights for our time in Maui. Cost of two nights in paradise: completely free. I shared my initial thoughts on the hotel here shortly after we returned home because I knew it would be a while before I got around to writing the full review, so feel free to check that out if you'd like a quicker read. Hotel The Andaz Maui is located in Wailea, which is on the southern coast of Maui and is quite far away from where most people stay when visiting Maui, Kapalua. Wailea is a 30-40 minute drive from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), so unless you've rented a car, you'll need to take a taxi or an Uber to the hotel. Unfortunately for us, there were no Ubers available when we landed, so we took a taxi from the airport and it ended up costing about $45, which was pretty steep, but we didn't have much of a choice. Upon arrival at the hotel, you'll be greeted by attendants happy to help you with your luggage and hand you the most gorgeous flower (or kukui nut if you're a guy) lei. To enter the lobby, you'll walk down a beautiful covered walkway lined with water on both sides. As soon as you begin walking, you'll be greeted by the most stunning view of the ocean, which you can see straight through the lobby. Once arriving in the lobby, we were promptly greeted by a staff member and she offered for us to take a seat anywhere in the lobby while we completed check-in. Would we like a complimentary lavender lemonade? Yes, of course we would! The lobby, much like the rest of the resort, is absolutely stunning. You'll be greeted by the most beautiful view of the ocean, which you can see straight through the open-air lobby. There's plenty of seating throughout the lobby, along with very high, elegant ceilings, and understated decor. The hotel staff each had iPads that they used to check us in and go through our preferences. We chose to accept the Diamond amenity of wine and cookies and were happily informed that we had been upgraded to a partial ocean view Andaz Suite. Getting upgraded when we hadn't even paid a dime for the room in the first place was absolutely unexpected and we were absolutely stoked. After finishing our lemonade, we nearly ran to check out our home for the next 48 hours. You'll find gorgeous wood accents all throughout the hotel and the hallways were no different. Room numbers lit up and the halls were open-air on the ends, which gave it a very island feel. We were assigned to room 418, which was at the very end of the hallway on the left-hand side of the resort. The room was a partial ocean view suite, which was partial because it was blocked by the villas located right in front of the room, but if you looked out over the pool, you could see the ocean, which was absolutely good enough for us! The room itself was also really incredible. Chris and I both love minimal, modern decor with wood accents, and the room was just our style. Immediately upon entering, there was a half-bath to the left and then the room opened up to the living and dining area. The room had a couch, chair and flat screen TV, along with a full dining table and armoire which held the bar. All Andaz properties offer free non-alcoholic beverages and free snacks, which are replenished daily and usually the offerings are hit or miss. At the Andaz Maui, they were a hit! The snacks included Maui-style potato chips and the absolute BEST local granola bars (I was so obsessed, I looked them up when I got home and was disappointed to find out that they are incredibly expensive). The drinks were also on point. You'll find a San Pellegrino Limonata, as well as craft cola and local root beer. We definitely fought over them. In addition to the bar, there's also a coffeepot for morning coffee. The room also had an iPad Mini available to use while you're visiting, which is a nice touch, although we didn't need it during our stay. Next to the iPad and the phone, you'll also find the controls for the shades in the room, which is something I always love finding in a hotel room - definitely something you won't have at home! The bedroom was simple and beautiful, with a door opening onto the patio, a king bed, a chair, and another flat screen TV. The bathroom was spacious and had a lot of character. There was a double vanity, a soaking tub, and the shower took up the entire back wall, with the ability to open up the screens running behind the bed so you could (in theory) shower with a view of the resort. The toilet was in a small room off the bathroom next to a fairly large closet. The toiletries were Malie branded and were absolutely amazing. Keeping with the very local theme of the hotel and amenities, Malie is a Hawaiian brand of all-natural luxury bath products. I loved the scent and would have taken home 50 bottles if I could. Once we finally pried ourselves out of our gorgeous room, we went for a walk around the hotel. The Andaz is considered a boutique hotel in Maui, especially compared to the mega-hotels you will find nearby, with only 297 guestrooms and suites. When we visited, the occupancy levels seemed to be perfect. We were always able to find a lounge chair by the pool and the pools themselves didn't feel overrun with other guests.
One of the most stunning aspects of the hotel is the four tiered infinity pools that descend down to the lawn and, eventually, the beach. Each level has lawn chairs and offers perfect views of the ocean beyond the pool. In addition to the tiered infinity pools, there is also an adults only pool off to the right hand side of the resort, with one of my favorite features - lounge chairs situated right in the pool. There are a couple of towel huts spread around near the pools and pool attendants will be happy to set up a lounge chair for you. One of the nice extra features of the hotel is the Andaz branded water bottle you will (usually) receive at check-in (we didn't receive it and had to ask for one later). In an effort to be more green, the hotel gives them out to use throughout your stay so that you can refill them at the water coolers located around the resort, rather than wasting paper or plastic cups. It's also a fun souvenir to take home and remember the trip by. Unfortunately, we found the service around the pools to be a bit lacking. Several times, we wanted to order drinks or lunch while sitting by the pool, but rarely saw any of the servers or bartenders who were supposedly attending to guests. This wasn't a huge deal, because there were bars on the top and bottom levels of the pool area, but at a five star hotel with such a high price tag, I would have expected excellent service. Review: Park Hyatt Shanghai City Guide: 5 Things to Do in Shanghai Review: Grand Hyatt Shenzhen Review: HKG Cathay Pacific “The Bridge” Lounge Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class HKG - SFO Last November, I spent several nights at the Grand Hyatt Shenzhen and I returned to spend two more nights there in March of this year. Shenzhen is a surprisingly beautiful city and it's full of high-end shops, beautiful manicured plant-lined streets, and fun architecture that becomes a neon lover's dream each night. The Grand Hyatt Shenzhen is located about 5-10 minutes by taxi from the border with Hong Kong, so it's pretty conveniently located if arriving from the Hong Kong (HKG) airport. The Shenzhen airport (SZX) is about 45 minutes away with no traffic. As with many hotels in China, the Grand Hyatt is attached to a mall (in this case, the MixC Shopping Center), which features all the luxury shopping you could ever want. The hotel is housed in a 38 story building and has 471 rooms and 8 restaurants, which offer a pretty good variety of foods. Somewhat oddly, the lobby is located on the 33rd floor of the hotel, which is above all of the guest rooms. So upon arrival, you will get into an elevator to the 33rd floor and then will need to transfer to another elevator once in the lobby that will take you down to your room. The lobby itself is quite dramatic, with extremely high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. Each time I arrived, my check in was processed quickly and my Diamond status was recognized. I always opt for the points rather than the amenity when traveling by myself as I spend most of the time in my room working or sleeping. During my first stay last November, I had leftover suite upgrades that would go unused, so for fun, I applied one to that stay and was upgraded to a Grand Suite King. For my second stay in March, I had a Standard King room and I actually preferred it to the suite. More on that later. The halls in the Grand Hyatt are extremely dark, which is something I honestly don't love when traveling alone, although the room numbers and doors are somewhat lit up. You will notice upon arrival that the entire hotel is accented with a reddish wood throughout, including the guest room doors, but the wood somehow lends an odd smell to the hotel hallways and rooms. It's nothing terrible, but it's noticeable and since the hotel is several years old now, it doesn't seem like it will be going away anytime soon. Standard King As I mentioned, I preferred the Standard King room over the suite that I had on my first stay, although the layout of the Standard rooms is extremely odd, to say the least. I have never encountered this before, but upon walking into the room, you'll find yourself in the bathroom. No kidding. Immediately, you will see the shower right in front of you, which is centered in the bathroom and surrounded by glass (imagine if you forgot to lock the door and a housekeeper walked in while you were in the shower! omg, the horror!), then the toilet has a separate compartment on the left, and on the right is a closet area and the sink and minibar. The entire bathroom is covered in what I consider to be a hideous sort of green material (marble?), but it's still quite nice regardless. Amenities are June Jacobs, which actually smell really nice. You'll proceed through the bathroom into the bedroom which is nicely appointed and looks like your standard hotel room (albeit a luxurious and modern one). There's a bed, a desk, and a chair with floor to ceiling windows and the room is nicely accented with wood and glass doors which can be closed all the way to separate the bathroom from the bedroom. As with many of the Hyatts in China, the window coverings are controlled by a switch next to the bed, which is always a nice touch.
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AboutJust a girl with a full-time job and a full-time obsession with traveling. It's best to LiveTraveled. Categories
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