It's a couple of years ago when I stayed at a serviced apartment rather than a hotel while visiting Thailand's capital Bangkok for a stopovers of several weeks. One must admit, serviced apartments offer a more residential feel while providing all the conveniences of a first class hotel. They don't rent out small rooms, but studios, 1 bedroom and even larger apartments for a fraction of the cost of a first class hotel. You can stay there by the day, week or month. Centrepoint Sukhumvit is one of the leading houses in Bangkok. They offer various locations around town including New Pethburi Road across from Panthip Plaza, Thonglor and Langsuan to mention just three of their prime locations. They recently added a new prestigious residence on top of Terminal 21 Mall on Asoke.

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Party hotel chain in Metro Manila. Victoria Court motel branches offers large rooms with kingsize beds, large mirrors on the walls and ceilings. Some suites feature whirlpools and sauna. It's neither a business hotel nor a family place. It's a hotel you book for a party with friends, for karaoke feasts and other things. Some people say it's an discreet motel geared towards unfaithful husbands who spend time with their girlfriends.

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Sometimes, it is painful to look for a Florida hotel near an international airport. Most places are very noisy and not so comfortable because location is all they offer. That's why I prefer to go a couple of Miles away and I picked the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Coral Gables during my last stay in Miami. (Note: this hotel has been rebranded as Indigo Hotel Miami Dadeland.) What a good choice this was. The Crown Plaza is located a couple of Miles south of MIA airport. It's very quiet with large rooms and beds providing a rather aristocratic feel. Actually, it's pretty much like a super luxury American motel because it's located on a vast area with direct parking close to your room. As I just stayed overnight to continue to Washington International I had no chance to sample their internet connection speed. However, I must say I liked this place much better than all other Miami hotels I have visited over the past years. I will certainly come back because it's not to far away from A1A and Kendall Drive with a plenty of great shopping. I recommend you have a rental car when visiting this part of South Miami as a tourist.

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New trip to Malaysia: time to try another first class hotel around KLCC with views of Petronas Towers: Sheraton Imperial. It's a little less modern than the Westin, but the old lady of luxury hotels offers superb service and very spacious club rooms. The gym is very nice with top shelf equipment, but the swimming pool is certainly a bit small compared to it's competing houses. It was fun staying here as the staff was very helpful. At one time when I had a technical issue in my room late at night they sent technicians up within minutes to replace a broken cable. Very attentive. Check-in and check-out were quick. It's hard to list all the good things about this place, so I just say: I had absolutely nothing to complain about in my KL Sheraton hotel room.

Spacious club room at the Sheraton Imperial in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This hotel is in Walking distance to KLCC and Petronas Towers.

It's been awhile since I first covered the Clarkton Hotel in Angeles City as my first hotel review. I have been visiting this hotel in the Philippines over and over again and there have been many changes to this establishment. First of all they have constructed a new 4-story annex with 30 spacious studio rooms. The new rooms are bigger than deluxe rooms inside the old building (and they are about twice as expensive). Older rooms were completely renovated in 2009 and 2010. An elevator for the annex was the newest addition in summer 2010. Overall, they do keep Clarkton Hotel in excellent shape. Most other houses show far more tear and wear.

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After being disappointed with small rooms in many other Buenos Aires hotels I decided to make reservations for club rooms at both Buenos Aires Sheraton Hotels by SPG. During the first days I spend at the Sheraton Libertator right in the middle of the city beside their famous shopping arcade around Libertador and Florida street crossing. After a long flight from Singapore to Buenos Aires via Frankfurt I was jet-lagged like an old dog and slept for at least 2 days. During this time I used their club lounge and room service very often and was very pleased. The lounge view from the club levels down to Puerto Madero and the river is awesome. Their food delicious. Well, you can't go wrong ordering meat dishes in Argentina, anyhow. Eeven McDonals burgers taste like a delicacy in over here.

My bedroom at Sheraton Libertador in Buenos Aires

The last 3 nights before my return flight, I booked into the Sheraton Park Tower and Convention Center across the street from their main railway station. Again, nice views from the club lounge. This place is more busy than the Libertator branch and I like it a bit more because hotel rooms are slightly bigger and brighter. It's much more comfortable than all the other hotels in Buenos Aires that I have previously stayed at. Unless I want to try out another place, I will come back to this Sheraton again.

My daytime schedules for this visit to the capital of the Visayas in the South of the Philippines was very busy. I was looking for a basic tourist hotel. Clean and cheap, but in central location on F. Ramos Street in downtown. A quick online search yielded various solutions and The Diplomat Hotel looked like a good choice. This hotel is very busy and frequented by individual tourists and large groups of travelers from Europe and Asia. For the low pricing there is not much luxury to be expected. It's simple and clean budget accommodation. The hotel is very guest friendly. Wifi internet coupons for 1 to 3 hours are available for a fee from friendly Cebuana receptionists. Considering price and locations, Diplomat Hotel can be called a good Cebu hotel deal.

Basic amenities with empty fridge (bring your own drinks). I booked a single, but received twin beds as the house was overbooked. F. Ramos Street is an excellent location close to Osmena Circle, Mango Square, Robinsons Shopping Mall and Volvo Thunderdome bars. Taxifare with Yellow Taxis from Cebu International airport costs around 350 Piso. When exiting airport arrival area follow signs to 'public taxi' up the stairs. It's a bit hard to find, but metered taxis are much cheaper than other transportation services offered by touts and baggage handlers.

It's been awhile since I stayed at Oxford Suites on Makati's nightstrip around Padre Burgos Street. Oxford Suites Hotel is in a very busy and noisy area, but I guess that's why most people want to stay there in the first place. It is located next to Royal Bellagio and Makati Palace Hotels, Bottoms Up and Billboard. The rooms are comfortable, but show a bit of tear and wear just like all other houses in this area that are in operation for a couple of years longer. Unfortunately, beds are just queen sized, a bit small for two people. Split type aircons keep the room cool.
Some units are rented out as part of a regular hotel operation, others are privaetly owned condominiums advertised by it's owners and agents for much cheaper rates in local print media and over internet advertising portals such as Craigslist.

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