Hotel Room Review Blog

A pretty good online source for discounted online hotel room reservations. Be adviced to book at least 3 days in advance as they require this time frame to accept any booking over the internet. I have used them several times and they are very helpful. Initially, they started out with Asian hotels in Thailand, but pretty fast they expanded to offer discounted hotel rooms from all over the World.

It's awhile ago that I stayed at the Makati Palace Hotel on Burgos Street. It's conveniently located in the nightlife district of Makati with many bars along P. Burgos Street. Upon exiting the hotel one can chose from establishments such as Bottoms Up, The Bronx, Mascara, Billboard and Rogues to mention just a few Burgos bars from the strip. The Makati Palace is more of a Condotel, some of the rooms are rented out by a hotel type operation while other rooms are advertised and rented by private owners over various ads in daily papers and online media. Therefore the quality of rooms varies a lot. Some are taken care of very well while others show a lot of tear and wear. If you decide to book this Makati hotel, it would be due to it's location on P. Burgos Street and it's nightlife.

A colorful bed cover for this Makati Palace hotel room bed

Mactan Island is a small Island fronting Cebu City, the main hub of the Visayan Islands in the South of the Philippines. Mactan Island is not one of those beautiful tropical islands of the Philippines, but it's close to Cebu City and it hosts Cebu's international and domestic airport. Don't expect any nice beaches! The beach in front of the hotel is not like the sandy white beach of Boracay at all. Watersports are limited to diving and jet ski. The large shaped hotel pool is the best place to take a swim. The restaurant serves tasty Asian seafood dishes and is mostly visited by tourist groups from Europe and East Asia. The hotel rooms are very basic, but offer a lot of space. Actually, they are a little bit to big for the small air conditioners that are build in. If you are a watersport freak who spends just little time in the hotel, it's a place to stay, but for the little comfort the Cebu Beach Club offers, it appears to be overpriced for my taste. I checked out some other resorts located next to it like the Maribago Blue Water Resort and liked it much better.

An outside view of the rooms entrance. The hotel building is shaped like an 'U' around the large swimming pool landscape. The rooms are aligned like a row of small houses, similar to American motels.

A quick trip from Buenos Aires to Uruguay's capital Montevideo. It's a very calm and sleepy city! Unfortunately, my hotel room inside the Montevideo Holiday Inn was not as quiet as I had hoped for. It was a very cold winter day in August and they needed to switch on their heating. Their heating is pumping liquid through pipes that lead along the inside of their aircons. Obviously those pipes contained air and they were causing loud and disturbing noises over night. I could hardly close my eyes and sleep. I guess it was an unfortunate technical issue they fixed later on, but it was not a pleasant experience. However, the staff was very friendly and I thought it was a very nice hotel. Of course, the internet access was very slow, but I heard internet speed is a big problem in Uruguay, not just inside this hotel. The location in the centre of the city can't be beat - it's perfect for a Montevideo hotel room! BTW: hotels in Montevideo are much cheaper than Buenos Aires hotel room rates.

Unfortunatelty, my camera's flash light was broken, so image quality is very poor this time :-( I was upgraded to a jr. suite with a separate living room. Pretty nice room with a comfortable bed.

Back in September 2008 I had to make a short 2 day trip to Kuala Lumpur. One of the best areas to stay in is surrounding the famous Petronas Towers and the KLCC park. Most brand name hotel chains have their hotels aligned around this belt. I stayed a couple of streets off at the Crown Plaza Kuala Lumpur. As usual I booked over the IHG website and secured a club room a day in advance. The room was very nice with ample space, open design with sliding dividers between the bathroom and the sleeping area. They offer wired internet access for a fee, but I did not check it this time as my laptop had no ethernet port and there was no wifi signal in my room. I was disappointed about the cleanliness of my Crown Plaza hotel room. The working desk and the furniture were covered with a fine layer of dust. As I was entitled to a late check out I was very disappointed that they had moved me out of my room during my absence ignoring the DND sign on my door and neglecting the late checkout privilege. They threw all my belongings into my suitcase. Not a nice way of treating a club room customer. The lady in the club lounge reception explained it with a glitch in the housekeeping system and said she was sorry, but it did not sound very convincing. It's a pitty. This hotel is in a great location and the hotel rooms are nicely equipped, but the attitude of staff and cleanliness leave a lot to be desired imho. I will try a different hotel when returning to Kuala Lumpur.

An outside view of the Kuala Lumpur Crown Plaza hotel on a sunny day.

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I got a good last minute deal over a website for a weekend trip to Singapore and booked The Orchard Hotel. It is situated right on the end of Singapore's most prominent shopping strip on Orchard Road. Unfortunately, they did not have the room available that I booked, so they 'upgraded' me to one of their signature rooms. Pretty tiny rooms that have great design and functionality, but they were small. The second night my more spacious club room in the other wing of the busy hotel was available and I liked it so much that I extended my stay for 6 days. Their internet connection is lightning fast. I clocked it at 3Mps. That's the fastest internet connection I have ever experienced in any hotel around the globe. My room charge included 2 pieces of free laundry a day. I left my laundry on the bed in the morning and had it back from the cleaners by late afternoon :-) That's great service. Guys who enjoy vibrant nightlife will enjoy the place because right next to it you find Orchard Towers. It's a shopping complex at daytime, but converts into 4 floors of bars and discos at night time with exotic people to watch and meet. It's a melting pot of cultures, but most of the ladies in Orchard Towers are Filipinas. A lot of fun for single male travelers who want to party all night and retreat in a first class hotel next door.

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This if one of the quieter apartment hotels in North Pattaya. It is situated between second and third Road close to the Amari Nova Suites that I have previously reviewed. Nova Park offers normal hotel rooms, one and two bedroom suites. All are equipped with a small kitchen, spacious bathrooms and large beds. To my delight it was possible to darken the room totally during the day. The thick curtains make it easy to sleep firmly into the day without being woken up by the bright sunlight. The main building shows some tear and wear to be honest, but it is maintained pretty well nevertheless as everything is functioning. A nice pool and always friendly reception staff make it a pleasure to stay for a couple of days. The massage parlor beside the main entrance offers a great Thai massage. You can either get the massage in the parlor or in the privacy of a hotel room. A pub is on the premise offering British food as well as Thai dishes. The food is decent for a quick snack, but I did prefer to dine outside most of the time.
Wifi internet is available, but as with most other Pattaya hotels, speed and reliability leave much to be desired. The prices are very moderate and the neigbourhood is pretty calm. A nice change from the hustle of South Pattaya. I would stay there again.

A comfortable Nova Park bed. Click on Read More to see additional hotel images.

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This fine Buenos Aires hotel is located in the suburb of Belgrano, a 20 to 30 minute cab drive from the central parts of the city like Palermo, Recoleta or Plaza San Martin. The 10 story building features very comfortable big rooms and is in a quiet location 2 blocks off of the main street Avenida de Cabildo and the corner of Monroe. The hotel rooms of Cristal Palace have ample space, large bath rooms and working desks with office chairs. Internet connectivity is provided over a network of WIFI routers on every other floor. The speed is excellent and during my 3 week lasting stay it was always up and running. The staff was always very friendly and helpful. Prices are negotiable for long term stays. Belgrano is not the most attractive part of the city if you are a tourist and want to be close to the seights, but it is significantly cheaper and more relaxed. Just 3 or 4 blocks away you can find the subway station Juramento. A ticket for one Peso will take you directly to downtown without the need of coping with cab drivers and traffic. All in all Cristal Palace is an pretty good choice to conduct business and get a good night sleep. It's not as luxurious as a Sheraton or Hilton, but considering the money not spend you get good value from this business hotel in Belgrano, specially on an extended stay.

Two queen sized beds and a large office desk offer a lot of space

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Amari is a well established chain of first class business and resort hotels in Thailand. I have stayed at houses of this chain in various Thai cities and always enjoyed it. About a year ago they invested into expansion in Pattaya, First they expanded theit beach resort with a new highrise and afterwards they errected a new lowrise suite hotel in a very quiet location in Central Pattaya: Pattaya Nova Suites. I stayed there 3 times over the past year. The one-bedroom suite was my choice. The house does not give you the feeling of being inside a hotel with people rushing in and out. It's more of a place for an extended stay. Since the pricing of the rooms is on a higher than average level for Pattaya it attracts a rather wealthy crowd. Stylish eople who enjoy comfort and peace. It's a perfect place for me as internet connectivity is pretty good for Pattaya where time outs and slow lines are always a problem. The interiour design is simple, stylish and functional. You have everything you need and ample of room to lean back and relax. Each unit has a small kitchen with all cooking utensils you ever need. The maids clean everyhting so there is no need to wash any dishes by yourself. There is a rooftop pool and a nicely equipped gym on the 11th floor. At night time they have 2 very nice bars in their basement. One is a bed club and the other one a cocktail club that is made out of ice. Yes ... and ice bar in sunny Pattaya to chill you down at night.
For me this is the perfect place in Pattaya. If I ever find enough time to get away from work for a longer time, I would stay there for weeks and months. Booking: Agoda Thailand

A look at the kingsized bed. There is a clothing and office area behind the wall before you enter the bathroom

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A great location right on Orchard Road, Singapore's most attractive shopping and banking mile was the most important reason for me to pick this hotel. Accommodation is expensive in Singapore just like anything else, but the LeMeridien is a bit cheaper than most other brand name hotels in this area. Maybe it is because the facilities are a bit aged and not as glossy as the the Sheraton or Marriott Hotel around the corner. It's still a pretty good deal for around 200 to 300 Dollars. As I hold a VIP SPG membership they were so kind to upgrade me to a junior suite, which was very nice. One thing that I like about Singapore hotels is that they keep the A/C running while you are outside of the hotel. When I come back to my room it is comfortably cool so I can switch off the aircon. It stays cool for a couple of hours. I don't like the noise that most A/C units cause and of course I always catch a cold from the heavy air circulation they cause. All together a pretty comfortable place to stay in a very central Singapore location. I would stay there again.

Connectivity was great via ethernet wire. They also offer WIFI, but I had no signal in my room.

As the name suggest, this is a budget place for longer stays. However, I used this Florida hotel for a transit stay of one night and it was just fine for that. It's location beside the highway is perfect for a quick drive to Tampa International airport. The rooms are very basic and clean. They do have internet, but during my stay it was not working for most of the time. I would assume it was an unlucky coincidence. The only thing that I really did not like was the positioning of the climate control. It was placed right beside the bed and would blow beside my head. It's not very comfortable at all to have a heater or aircon blow air into your ears, so I left the heater off, to make sure I could get s good nicht sleep. Actually it got a bit cold at night so I had to turn in on and off all night to feel comfy. You may want to ask if they have rooms available that don't have the climate unit right beside the bed. If interested in staying at this place: book online.

Two standard beds with a climate control in between

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This relatively new hotel is located right on P. Burgos Street in Makati, the financial business center of Metro Manila. Burgos Street is an eldorado for party people. The street is full of bars that are open all night. 2 bars are located with the basement of the Bellagio Hotel itself. If I remember correctly, one of the is called The Bronx and the other one is Bottoms UP. The famous 24-hour restaurant Filling Station is right next door.
They have 3 different type of rooms that are either standard, deluxe or themed. Pretty nice and well equiped, but the space they offer is rather limited. The bed are comfortable as long as you don't mind the noise from the street. It's no problem to bring guests into the house at any time, but security is very tight. All in all it is probably the best deal you can get for around 2000 Peso a night in and around Burgos Street. I did not try their internet connection as it was far overpriced. There are plenty of internet cafes around to take your laptop to and plug in an ethernet cable or use their wifi connection for less than half a Dollar per hour. You can book this Makati hotel over the Agoda website.

A deluxe bedroom in the Royal Bellagio Hotel on Makati's Burgos Street

What a nice place this Hampton Inn in Largo is. I was initially looking to book a hotel close to the beach, but due to the high season in January they were fully booked or totally overpriced. The Hampton Inn is a 15 minute drive away from Clearwater Beach so still close enough if you are a beach addict. The location is very central for the Tampa Bay area and the rooms are comfy. I had a great big kingsize bed with 5 different pillows, a huge bathroom with very hot water and all amenities you can imagine for a 3 day stay. A lot of parking space was available for my rental car. The only disappointment was the small gym, but hey, it's a comfortable transit hotel and not a luxury place like a Sheraton or Hilton. I will certainly stay again at the Hampton Inn in Largo when I travel back to the Tampa Bay area as I know my way from the International airport and just like this place.

A lot of space around the kingsize bed. It would be suitable for handicapped people.

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I had a quick 2 day trip to Pattaya over the weekend. Pattaya is a well known beach and nightlife destination about 2 hours by car from Thailand's capital Bangkok. Pattaya is primarily known for it's affordable prices on food and accommodations as it attracts a lot of European long term visitors who rather spend the cold season in the comfortable tropical temperatures of the Gulf of Thailand.
Naklua Road in the north of Pattaya is known to be the cheapest and less crowded part of the city. Plenty of hotels are hidden quietly in the side street to offer peace and perfect privacy just like View Talay Place. Unfortunately, I forgot to take my camera along to take photos of their rooms. The room I got was a deluxe room for around 1100 baht (less than 40 US$). It offered around 30 sqm with a king size bed, tiled floors, a bathroom with shower and a small balcony with a view of the nice pool. Their website is pretty accurate so you do get a solid impression. It's basic, but it is clean and very quiet unlike the hotels close to Walking street in the south of the town where you have to cope with high levels of noise day in day out as this is the place of the infamous and vibrant nightlife quarter and red-light district.
Internet is available via cable on all rooms, but it takes a small effort to setup. They will need to plug a cable into their control panel on the reception and provide you with a modem that you will need to plug into the telephone line on your room. There is a technician on duty during the daytime to assist you. Their connection is rather slow, but worked all of the time during my stay. Generally, internet connections in Pattaya are not as good as in Bangkok. All hotels and condominiums that I stayed in over the past 2 years always have had some sort of issues with their internet providers.
Online Booking: Agoda Thailand

The pool area in front of the building. Courtesy of View Talay Place website.

One of the web's leading hotel room reservation sites. Easy to navigate and secure to reserve a hotel worldwide. The amount of offers is huge and you can select from many different languages. Sometimes they run promos for certain hotel chains or destinations. It's definitely worth a look before you make a online booking because ion Hotels.com you can compare prices from different chains and independent houses at the same time.