Author: Prabhith Prabhakaran

Stayed with my family at ‘iCheck inn, Sukhumvit, Soi 2’ during March 2015.

I booked this hotel through my Country Club India membership.

Country Club has mixed type of properties, some are really good and some very bad. But this hotel at Bangkok was really a nice one.

(Special Note to country club, India members: I am quite sure that you might think twice before booking a country club property, may be due to some personal experience or due to some bad reviews read on Internet. But I can guarantee you that this is one of the good hotels, that you can book through country club. I have stayed here with my wife and kid for around 3 days)

Highlights:

– Situated near the Busy Sukhumvit street.
– Not a very big property but its clean and neat.
– Staff is friendly.
– They don’t have a full course of breakfast and have a limited menu. Food rates are on the higher side.
– They arrange Tuk-Tuk (regular) service from and to the main street.
– There is a metro station near by (you can take the Tuk-Tuk from the hotel).
– They have a good locker facility.
– Rate is very much affordable.
– Car parking seems to be limited, but not sure.
– Staff @ front office spoke English very well, which was very helpful.
– They arranged a private taxi for us to have a one day tour, It was quite safe and reasonable.
– There is a 7/11 shop , and a supermarket available at a walkable distance.

More details in : https://icheck-inn-sukhumvit-soi-2-bangkok.booked.net/

One Line Summary: Basic , Neat and affordable hotel in Sukhumvit street, Bangkok

I had stayed in ‘TM Land Hotel’ in March 2015.

There are 2 categories in the same campus : TM Land Hotel and TM Land Apartment.

TM Land Hotel has around 158 guest rooms.

TM Land Apartment offers service appartments on a monthly basis.

PROS:

• For one night stay, this would be a good option as rate is affordable.
• Breakfast was decent.
• Budget Stay; Value for money.
• The staff were extremely nice and friendly.
• Bathrooms are very clean.

CONS:

• I couldn’t find a single person in the Front office who understands English. We will find it very difficult to interact with them.
• Don’t have the basic gadgets like Pin connectors/adapters to charge the laptop and phone (for International tourists, it might be challenging).

More details in http://TM Land Serviced Hotel, Ayutthaya, Thailand

I stayed here at ‘Villa Cassandra’ with my family for a day in December 2016.

Pros:

• This Villa is a large house with 3 rooms located in a very quiet part of town.
• Very modern interior with top class fittings and much more comfortable than a traditional bungalow.
• The rooms were huge and neat and well maintained, we couldn’t think of any suggestions for improvement.
• Budget Stay; Value for money.
• The staff were extremely nice and friendly.
• Bathrooms were very clean.

Cons:

• The Location might initially confuse you a little, with lot of lefts and rights.
• Very limited menu for breakfast (western style).. Lunch and Dinner is not available.. but lot of dining options available nearby.

One Line Summary: Excellent and Calm place to stay within Nuwara Eliya and all the rooms are well maintained.

I have stayed here in Earl’s Regent hotel, with my family in December 2016.

Cons:

Little far from City Center

WiFi was slow

Our room was in the building which is on left side of the main reception.

That building didn’t have an escalator. During checkout, we had to use the steps to bring down the heavy luggage. So if you have any old people in the group, please request for a room in the new building.

More details on : https://www.aitkenspencehotels.com/regentkandy/

One Line Summary: Good and decent hotel within the outskirts of Kandy City Center.

“The journey not the arrival matters.”

T.S. Eliot

I stayed in Flora Parc Barcelona along with my Family in March 2019.

Key Points to Note:

This hotel is around 10-11 Kms from Airport.

You can take Bus L99 from Terminal 1. The bus journey will take around 30+ Minutes. Bus stop is opposite to this hotel.

Please note that there is an Airport Free Shuttle bus service between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at the El Prat Airport. So, you can use this service to travel between the terminals (as they are far from each other)

The First bus from this hotel side to Airport is only at 5 AM. So, if you have an early flight, you might have to spend around 30-35 Euros for a cab.

Positives:

We had an early morning flight and the person in the front office arranged a taxi, on request.

The bus stop is near to the hotel. So, you can easily use the public transportation.

Have not tried the restaurant food, but you have lot of street food options in a walk-able distance.

Decent price for a Barcelona hotel.

Wifi connectivity was available in the room.

Negatives:

Very basic hotel with small rooms.

Seems it is a little old hotel.

Basic stuff like Dental kit was not available in the room. When checked with the reception, even they didn’t have one.

We cannot consider this as a typical ‘transit/layover’ type of hotel, as it is little far from the El Prat airport.

Basic stuff like drinking water bottles was not available (not sure if it’s common in Barcelona hotels)

More details can be found at https://floraparc.com/en/

We stayed in this hotel for 2 nights in April 2019, during our trip to Barcelona.

Positives:

• It’s less than 500m away(5 Min Walk) from the Metro Station(L4 Route – Llacuna Stop). So commutation to city centre/tourist attractions becomes easy.
• Breakfast is provided.
• The Hotel had enough stock of Universal connectors, which was very helpful for charging electronic gadgets.
• Seems there is a Beach in 15-20 Minutes walking distance.
• There is a bakery in front of the hotel.
• Rooms are like a typical ‘Holiday inn express’ type. So no specific complaint about the rooms.
• The Staff are very friendly and helpful. They helped me a lot while making a sightseeing plan in Barcelona. Front office staff is well aware of the tourist destination/metro network.
• The Wifi was available.
• There is a Mall (Glories) with many shops (and food court) in a 1Km distance from this hotel.
• Barcelona Hotels are normally very costly. Considering that, this hotel gives you a good deal.
• The locality is nice and silent.
• There is a Bus stop in a 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel.
• Its near to Rambla de Pomlenou (250m/3 Minutes’ Walk).

Negatives:

• Breakfast gets busy in peak hours, so you will have to wait for your turn, but staff is doing everything to manage efficiently.
• The hotel doesn’t have a full-fledged kitchen. So, they don’t provide lunch and Dinner.
• If you have a very early flight, then the only option for reaching airport will be a taxi. So be prepared to give around 40+ Euros for the taxi.
• You need to take 2 different lifts to reach your room from the ground floor.
• There is no gym facility here. You will have to depend on the 3^rd party fitness centre which is located in the ground floor.
• If what you are looking for is a hotel where you can spend a substantial part of your holiday, this is not your hotel. This one can be best described as a fantastic base to do your sleeping and having breakfast, while spending most of your time out and about in the city.

Positives:

We stayed in this hotel for 2 nights in April 2019, during our trip to Madrid, Spain.

• The hotel is located in a area very close to the main headquarters of the most important companies situated in Tres Cantos: GlaxoSmithkline, IBM, Serono, Sener, Danone, Sogecable, BDF Nivea, BP Solar, EADS, Software AG, Siemens, Deimos, Crisa. The hotel is also next to some industrial and Financial areas. So it’s a good option for a Business Trip.
• Free Wifi was provided.
• Madrid hotels are very expensive. So people tend to stay in such hotels away from city centre, even though you have to spend around 30-45 minutes in train to reach the main city.

Negatives:

• Its very far from the city center. You will have to walk around 500 m+ from the hotel to the railway station and from here you will have take a 30 minutes Train to reach the city center.
• The breakfast provided was very basic (I understand that its Holiday inn Express type of hotel).
• You don’t find much restaurants nearby. So lunch and Dinner options becomes difficult.
• If what you are looking for is a hotel where you can spend a substantial part of your holiday, this is not your hotel. This one can be best described as a fantastic base to do your sleeping and having breakfast while spending most of your time out and about in the city.
• There is no facility like a Gym or a Swimming Pool (as it’s belongs to a IHG Express Category)

How to Reach from Airport:

Train (C1) from Airport Terminal T4 –> Chamartín Station –> Change Train –> Train (C4) from Chamartín to Trescantos –> Walk 500 m to Hotel (Total Trip will be around 1Hour 10 Min)

Train (8) from Airport Terminal T4 –> Nuevos Ministerios –> Change Train –> Train (C4) from Nuevos Ministerios to Trescantos -_> Walk 500 m to Hotel (Total Trip will be around 1Hour)

“I’m in love with cities I’ve never been to and people I’ve never met”

John Green

We stayed in this hotel for a day in April 2019 during our trip to Barcelona. This hotel is 3.1 miles (5 km) from the airport.

Please note that this is of ‘Budget’ category.

Positives:

Negatives:

Even though its only 5 Kms from Airport, taxi guys would easily charge around 25 Euros. And if you have an early or late flight, taxi will be the only option available for you. So, this cannot be considered as a typical Airport hotel.

Breakfast was very basic (Ya, it’s a budget hotel and expectations should be according to that).

The rooms are very small (again, it’s a Budget hotel, so keep a limit on your expectations).

You will have to pay for the water bottles.

Only limited free car parking is available. Rest of them comes with a 5 Euro charge.

If your plan is just an overnight stay (may be for catching an early morning flight), this hotel can be an option, but please keep in mind of an additional 25+ Euros for the taxi to the airport.

The hotel doesn’t serve Lunch/Dinner. But you have some restaurants nearby. We found a nice Chinese restaurant in a 10 Min walking distance.

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” Roy M. Goodman

As a part of a business trip, I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights in March 2018.

Pros:

• Seems the hotel was opened in 2018 January. Very clean and Tidy.
• Staff speaks good English.
• Have separate coffee shop and restaurant
• Easy access to city centre
• Lot of departmental shops nearby
• Free WIFI available in rooms
• They have a charging point available with 3 pins (helpful for travelers from India)
• Have bathtub in each room
• Free use of bicycles (available at this hotel)
• Restaurant is decent; Complimentary breakfast was available
• Room Size was decent
• Lot of TV channels
• Staffs were very helpful.
• Free valet parking
• Yangsan Tower is not very far from this hotel

Cons:

• Its around 17 Kms from Busan

“To Travel is to Live” – Hans Christian Andersen

As a part of business trip, I stayed here for 2 nights in March 2018.

Pros:

• Have some 7/11 stores near by
• Seems to have lot of bars and restaurants, nearby
• Have WIFI connectivity in rooms
• Staff speaks good English
• A restaurant is available with the hotel
• Breakfast seems to have a good spread
• Have Fitness Center
• Airport bus available, from nearby this hotel
• They have a charging point available with 3 pins (helpful for travelers from India)
• Bathroom Fittings seems to be of high standard
• Entire hotel is very clean and silent

Cons:

• Rooms seems to be slightly smaller for 2 people with Luggage, Pretty decent size for one guest
• Not in city centre, I believe
• Number of TV channels were very limited
• Train station seems to be little far
• The main reception is on the 2nd floor, something strange (Not a real nagativem though)
• Did not have complimentary breakfast

One line summary

Nice hotel with good views (In Gangnam)