What to do in Acapulco: dive and Dine at La Quebrada

The term "La Quebrada" is actually Spanish ravine or cliff and this place is known as a popular tourist attraction in the Mexico. Tourists go here for entertainment. They can watch the divers perform their acrobatics in the ravine. It is like watching a fantastic circus act and if you come here in the evening, the performance is even more elaborate, as divers leap with torches in hand.

The shows are short, about 20-25 minutes at a time, but they are well-worth the trip that you will see nothing it elsewhere. Performances take place in the morning and afternoon and sometimes in the evening (for special events).

These divers ask tender or advice after they perform, then don't be surprised if they distribute buckets. It will also have with you a photograph.

While enjoying the view, you and your loved ones - those who can eat at the restaurant outdoor called La Perla. Or, if you are on a budget, you can simply sitting in the stands, crushing beer and treats that you can buy from outside suppliers.

The area round are several souvenir shops where you can buy memorabilias as of t-shirts and trinkets, which would be perfect give friends and family at home.

Don't forget to come early if you want the best seats as it various. Even without the diving watch, it is always nice to visit this place just to enjoy the beauty of nature and the landscape. You can really see the dolphins and whales in the water, swimming and jumping happily. It is a great pleasure for children to see and make your stay truly memorable.

Where to stay in Acapulco: the Fairmont Acapulco Princess

The Fairmont Acapulco Princess is located along the coast of the Revolcadero Beach and is very close to the airport, and the proximity of downtown Acapulco. The site is surrounded by many Palm trees, which makes the place really cool, breezy and inviting.

The hotel operates under the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and was built in the 70's to look like an Aztec pyramid by William Rudolph and Leonids Guadarrama. For this hotel, it is almost an iconic structure in Acapulco and anyone who has ever been here knows what it is.

The hotel of today is a high place of range where available facilities are really first class with excellent service - golf, swimming pools, hotel complex spa, tennis court and a health club. You can also make arrangements for various activities of water sports, such as parascending or scuba diving, to complete your experience of the whole island.

In addition, there are approximately nine restaurants in this hotel, which means you'll never be at a loss for what food to sample. It is really great to eat and see, even when you are exploring just at this location.

The rooms of this hotel are all air conditioned with TV cable installed and guest area very clean dressing, safe and ironing board. There is approximately 1, 017 rooms in total... then, Yes, the place is large and surrounded by luscious green and beautiful landscapes. As I said, I do not think that you would need to get the Mexico to explore more, when everything that you can go a relaxing vacation and recreation is already here.

What is still grand, is that the rooms are with a spectacular view over the Pacific ocean. The hotel is perfect for families visiting Acapulco or same lovers share a sweet moment together.

A day in Acapulco: visit Taxco

Taxco is located within two hundred miles of the northside of Acapulco. It is a colonial town that was built on top of a mountain and it is famous for the production of silver. Tourists here come to Taxco to two things: buying cheap money for personal use or memories and to see and experience this picturesque city.

Most of the buildings and structures in Taxcco are a very impressive architecture and several houses were built in walls white stucco and red roofs. The streets of Taxco are exempt with pebbles and most of the buildings have wrought iron terraces, spilling of colourful flowers. It is such a view here.

There are organized tours every day and you can get around Taxco in a single day. Tour arrangements usually assume the following:

A visit to the city, highlighting the unique and beautiful structures which includes traditional houses.
A visit to the Cathedral of Santa Prisca.
A visit to the shops, where you can do your shopping.
Dinner in a traditional and authentic Mexican institution.

The arrangement of the tour includes hotel pick up and the fall of starting point and according to what tour you take, the price range is usually between $300-400 for a group. Make your reservations early so that you have confirmed seats for the tour.

Acapulco: Calinda Beach

Over the years, Acapulco has developed more than a resort. He aso a of shopping centres and dining establishments that offer choices for tourists visiting the city. But even with all these improvements, the beach remains one of the most attractive tourist sites. And at the Centre of all these businesses and restaurants in places is Calinda Beach.

Mexico City, Calinda Beach is far about four hours of driving. Located close to shopping centres, night or bar boxes, it is very accessible from anywhere where you want to go to party... because it is, after all, why you came to Acapulco, right? In this town, the nightlife is really alive.

Calinda Beach is a few feet of famous waters of Acapulco, but the hotel itself has cost pools as well. In fact, there are two. So if the beach is crowded, you can soak here instead.

The rooms are clean, quite large and comfortable. It comes with all the right amenities, but especially would be sufficient bed and the room is a great place to be if you are looking to move away from the noise and the part for a few minutes.

The hotel staff is friendly and accommodating. Most of them speak English, however, you must understand what they can do to still do things. In Acapulco, people do not like rush.

The hotel serves buffet restaurant in the House, which also has a wonderful view on the beach. If you do not like eatig at the hotel, however, is a problem as you can walk outside and choice of most of the other institutions it y.

Overall, this is a good place to stay when you want to enjoy and party in Acapulco. It should not disappoint.

Marriage to the Mexico room: Banyan Tree Cabo mark hotel

Located in Acapulco, Banyan Tree Cabo Márquez hotel is a destination site of first marriage for many couples. It is actually very known as of the most romantic wedding place in Acapulco. It is assumed that it is because the hotel is located in a very romantic place, with a spectacular view over the Pacific ocean. It is perched on a hill a few kilometres outside the city.

The Banyan Tree Hotel is built on a theme of Asian inspiration, and high on its popular list of guest is its full service spa, which is a great pleasure to engage in. The hotel is also an art gallery, with many arts and indigenous crafts on display.

For weddings, there is a banquet room that really built for lavish parties and special occasions. And the hotel has its own wedding packages. One of it includes a treatment in the beauty of the bride intimate at the nearby Chapel, as well as wedding ceremony. The hotel also offers fee and corsages, floral arrangements if necessary. Another package consist of a marriage in one of his villa, where couples can benefit from a monks blessing. The package also includes American breakfast for the newlyweds.

With regard to the past the rest of your time here, guests may engage in its private swimming pool or dine at Saffron, which also has a beautiful view on the ocean. Saffron is used in Thai cuisine, but the hotel has also a bar and a lounge. Guests can also arrange private dinners or parties, which can be held in the spacious cellar of the hotel. This is another option for couples who want a memorable but intimate wedding celebration.

Where to stay in Acapulco: Sirenas express Acapulco

The sirens Express Acapulco is a hotel three-star. The place offers a haven of comfort with its tasteful and pleasant decoration and its inviting atmosphere.

Upon entering the lobby, it would see the bar and restaurant where the food is palatable and on a busy night of tour around the city can be really relaxing. Also, the restaurant serves the breakfast buffet for its guests.

The place is ideal for meetings and gatherings of group as the hotel has spacious rooms and all the facilities you need for this, including a fast internet connection.

It has a fitness and spa centre, in the case where you need get some relaxation and really enjoy holiday where you have nothing to do but relax. The spa includes a jacuzzi bathtub, which seems to delight not only couples, but all members of the family. There is also a playground for children, just in case your children bored of the trip and wish to return to their routine.

The hotel has its own garden park, which provides the aesthetic and relaxing retreat. The rooms are especially clean and spacious, and what I like on it is that it comes with its own Office of security deposit, which I had really not expected for a budget hotel.

This site is a few minutes on foot from places such as the Kite Park and beach Condesa. It is conveniently located in the Centre of Acapulco full neighbourhood.

Acapulco: Palma Sola

Located in the North of the city, this archaeological site and nature reserve seems to be embracing this side of Acapulco.

You enter the Calle Independencia to get on the site. It is in fact about 25 minutes longer, if you come to the Centre of the city.

Palma Sola is located at the top of the hills and has several petroglyphs carved on the walls and rocks. Archaeologists believe that these marks are British-Colombia 200. What is equally dramatic to see that here is the amazing view of Acapulco beaches.

The site is very steep, so make sure you wear good hiking shoes if you plan to go here. It is also very hot and humid mid-day. You have to wear comfortable clothes and bring lots of water if you want to visit Palma Sola. There is a cave in that you can take refuge but it is especially a site in open air with little support.

It is really best to visit Palma Sola with a group of people, then go alone, of course. But there is a solo passenger who tried to do so on their own.

You can go by bus or taxi, or bring your own vehicle, there is ample parking at the entrance. You can also hire a guide to help you. There is a minimum fee of approximately $5 to $10.

The site is open from 8 in the morning to four in the afternoon. A climb to the hills will take approximately two to four hours.

Acapulco: The twin towers Acapulco

This beach property is perfect for families or groups travelling in Acapulco. Las Torres Gemelas name actually means "Twin Towers", which is a clear structure of the hotel. There is in fact two towers on each side of the property.

It is a hotel 3 stars superior class, it is not cheap, but then it is also not very expensive. However, the place may be worth the money you spend on it. It is clean and comes with all the facilities guests need to make the most of their vacation.

The rooms are really spacious, so, as mentioned earlier, small groups going on vacation can hole in one room, without feeling too cramped. It comes with a kitchen, so you can bring in food and Cook, if eating outside can put a dent in your budget. But if not, the hotel is located near several bars and restaurants, it is very convenient and you does not want to eat or relax at night. There is also a restaurant inside, where the food served is 100% natural.

Las Torress has its own private beach, you must not go nowhere else to take advantage of the water of Acapulco. And if you don't like to be in the salt water, there is also a large swimming pool on the premises of the hotel. In fact, there are three, which means there is plenty of room for all clients who want to bask in the Sun and soak in water.

The hotel offers activities for children, so that, if the parents or adults prefer to go shopping in the city, they can entrust their children and rely on them, have a good time, to the security of the staff of the hotel.

Security is sound, and everyone in the staff is attentive and friendly.

Where to stay in Acapulco: Boca Chica Acapulco hotel

Acapulco is known as a seaside resort, where most people visit and spend their holiday tropical, away from work and stress. The island is a paradise for Sun-seekers and Boca Chica is such that visitors can remain and have their apartment on a budget.

This hotel is the beach of Acapulco, old town. It is very close to Playa Hornos, Playa Condesa, Magico Mundo Marino and several other attractions in the region. The facade of the hotel is very elegant, it evokes the vintage outside. It is as if you are diving in another decade. However, inside, the place was refurburshed and not look anything like the 1950's. It is more sophisticated, chic and contemporary.

There are about 30 rooms of this hotel, each room with its own balcony where there is a hammock and outdoor living room. The place is pleasantly fresh, not to mention that there is a beautiful garden outside which offers the beauty of the tropics.

Each guest in this hotel receive products for the bath Dr. Bronner and have access to room service 24 hours a day and Internet wireless. The hotel has its own spa and a full featured gym, where they can engage in welfare and rehabilitation in the form. There is also a massage cabana for therapeutic pleasure of guests.

Outside, the hotel has a swimming pool by the terrace where guests can lounge or soak in the Sun. At night, have fun at the bar and disco, dance the night away or listen to music as you wine and dinner. The hotel also has its own shop and a restaurant where the specialty is the "Japanese" take outs was sushi, you have the pleasure to have cleaned in your hotel room.

Citadines – Soi 11, Sukhumvit, Bangkok

Citadines Sukhumvit 11 Bangkok
22/22 Soi 11
Sukhumvit Road
Klongtoey Nuea
Wattana
Bangkok 10110
(BTS: Nana)

On our latest visit to Bangkok we took the opportunity to check out a serviced apartment in Soi 11 – Citadines, just across the road from the venerable Federal Hotel. It’s quite a long trek into the soi – probably a good 500 metres from Sukhumvit Road, and 150 metres further in than the last serviced apartment we tried at the Grand President. They do offer a complimentary tuk-tuk to Nana BTS station between 0700 and 2000, though we never used it.

We booked a studio apartment, their smallest and cheapest offering (and cheaper still thanks to Agoda). Although it was their smallest, we reckoned it would be spacious enough – 30 square metres sounded reasonably generous.

Checking in was straightforward. We were in quite a hurry so nipped in to our apartment just long enough to dump our hand-luggage – we didn’t hang around to wait for the other bags to be delivered. Nevertheless, they arrived safely while we were out.

Our first impression was that, yes, the apartment was spacious enough for the price. Unfortunately, it was also immediately evident that the space wasn’t used as well as it might have been – something that became more and more difficult to ignore as our stay wore on.

The bed was described on Agoda as queen-sized. However, by modern standards it was far too small for two adults to sleep comfortably in (think of the tiny bed Eric and Ernie used to appear in on The Morecambe and Wise Show), although there was enough space in the sleeping area to accommodate a larger bed if they’d wanted to.

Ample space was given over to bathroom facilities. And yet there was a tiny, silly bath-with-shower, probably the smallest bathtub we’ve ever seen that didn’t have to be filled with hot water from a kettle. It had a good, powerful shower with a large head – almost large enough to be described as a rainshower – inside the bath. But it’s such a nuisance having to clamber in and out of a bath just to get a shower. The space would have been better used with a shower cubicle and a washbasin instead.

As it was, a large amount of space was devoted to a fancy washbasin outside of the WC/bath/shower room. On the other hand, there was no workspace to speak of in the kitchenette. A redesign could have provided a much more sensible use of the compact space.

The facilities were all clean and modern – as they should be, the Citadines properties are all new. There was a nice big wall-mounted flat screen TV and DVD player which could be run along tracks so you could watch from the sitting area or the bed.

There was supposed to be free WiFi throughout. Bizarrely, though, our room appeared to be in a black spot – we could make a connection in the lobby or the corridor on our floor, but lost it when we were in our room, so often had to fall back on the LAN cable. Even after the technician set up a WiFi repeater in our room, it would only work for a couple of hours or so before failing again – we had to keep deleting the connection and setting it up afresh.

All in all, it wasn’t bad for the price but the problems with the WiFi, the shower inside the bath, and the silly little bed put us off so it’s unlikely we would return. This would be an OK place for a businessperson, but not recommended for a couple on holiday.

Robertson Quay Hotel – Singapore

Despite several visits to South East Asia over the last two decades – and even living there at one stage – we realised a few months ago that we had been to Singapore only once in all that time, and that was for only two nights about 15 years ago. Our impression then had been that it was expensive and rather sterile.

A trawl of various hotel review websites revealed that it was still every bit as expensive as it had been relative to other countries in the region. Nevertheless, we found a hotel which looked as if it would be comfortable and well enough equipped for our needs, and reasonably close to the centre of things (an undeniable advantage of Singapore is that you’re never too far away from anywhere you want to be). So it was that we arrived at the Robertson Quay Hotel early one Thursday evening in mid-November, having booked – as always – through Agoda.

Check-in was handled mostly pleasantly and efficiently, although there was a little bit of head-scratching when we pointed out we’d asked for a double bed and a smoking room. But we got there in the end.

The room itself was pretty tiny, with a simple double-sized bed (we estimated it to be 1.5m wide) rather than a king-size or even queen-size. The bedside table (there was only one!) was on one side of the bed, the room’s light controls were on the other. With a room that size, the air conditioning was more than adequate – we kept it turned off most of the time.

There was space for only one chair and desk-cum-dressing-table, but as there was only one cable connection for the Internet that was OK. The connection’s available for what the RQH describes as a “nominal” fee; S$ 5 is certainly a good deal less than many hotels charge for a 24-hour connection.

There was, however, space for a mini fridge (not a mini bar – it was empty!) which was pretty much what you’d expect of it and well up to the job. Dave nipped over to the nearest 7-Eleven and stocked up for our first evening; on the second day we discovered a branch of the Cold Storage supermarket chain and did a more comprehensive shop there.

Although there were tea-making facilities (a kettle and the necessary crockery, with a couple of teabags and sachets) There was no drinking water in the room, which surprised us – but apparently the tap water in Singapore is drinkable.

The bathroom (which was a wet room) was, er, compact – enough room for the bog, a reasonably sized sink, and a small shower. The sliding door (more space-saving) was a bit difficult to manage, and had to be pushed quite firmly to the right, to the full extent of its travel, to enable the catch to engage.

The safe door was also a bit tricky, although the instructions were clear enough. One of the hinges was loose, so the door needed a bit of more or less forceful persuasion to get it into position.

As with far too many hotels, the internet connection software was a bit difficult to manage. Initially Kay couldn’t get logged in. Dave tried using his own machine and got on straight away; then tried again with Kay’s and was told he was already logged in. After a while he hit on the idea of logging out – but he had to guess the URL of the logout page because the instruction sheet provided by reception didn’t mention it. Once he’d done that, it worked OK.

Breakfast was included in our room rate but would have cost S$8 otherwise. We struggled bravely out of bed to try it on our first morning, but didn’t bother on the second – and we wouldn’t have chosen to pay for it if it hadn’t been included. The selection was pretty mediocre. (About the best that could be said for it was that the bananas were nice. And how hard is it to find a nice banana in South East Asia?)

The road is quiet; even in our room on the first floor we weren’t disturbed. And the view of the Singapore Repertory Theatre opposite was pleasant enough, enhanced by the greenery in the window box below our window. On our first evening we found a couple of places to eat and drink in the streets just round the corner from us, including a lot of Japanese and Korean restaurants. And then on our second evening we discovered a whole lot more places along Robertson Quay itself, some of them really good, and making us wish we’d booked longer than the two nights we’d allowed ourselves. Ah well…

Overall rating: 3½ out of 5
Despite the shortcomings, the RQH is really not a bad place to stay. Yes, it’s a small room, and not everything is as well maintained as it might be, but it’s a good deal cheaper than the more luxurious places we’d otherwise have considered staying in (Singapore is expensive!) and the location’s pretty good. We’d go back there – unless we found something in the area that was better value, which seems unlikely to happen.

FCC Angkor – Siem Reap

On our first visit to Siem Reap for over three years, we decided to treat ourselves to something a bit different and stay at the FCC Angkor Hotel, some distance away from the relative hubbub of the Old Market and Pub Street, as well as being in a rather higher price bracket.

The FCC’s website describes it as a “boutique hotel” offering “refined luxury, casual elegance”.

I’ve never been entirely sure what really defines a boutique hotel. Perhaps it’s more easily defined in terms of what it isn’t – not a chain, not uniform, not large, not cheap. On those counts, the FCC certainly qualifies. There are other FCCs, in Phnom Penh (the earliest – it was the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, hence the name) and Rangoon, but three properties hardly constitutes a chain, and they’re each distinctive. As for the size, there are just 31 rooms and suites; and the room rate is just over £110 a night. (However, we booked through Agoda, who were offering four nights for the price of three; and the room rate does include breakfast – of which more below.)

Arriving and checking in was straightforward – helped, of course, by the fact that even at the leisurely pace of Cambodian traffic the airport is only about a quarter of an hour’s drive from the town centre. After our welcome drink – a refreshing cold herbal brew – we were shown to the room.

The first impression we had of the room was how small it seemed. The total space available is 36 square metres, which is a reasonable size; but the bed seemed to fill most of the space, and the desk most of the rest of that. And there was only one chair, which meant that I had to sit on the bed over my netbook while Kay lorded it at the desk with her laptop. (WiFi is available throughout the FCC and is free.)

However, the bathroom is quite generously sized, and seems to serve as a dressing-room too (the wardrobes are in it, including the safe). The toiletries were good quality, too, although the shampoo and shower gel came in little pottery bottles that were refilled every day, rather than the small plastic bottles you can take home to decorate your own bathroom. On the downside, the shower (which was a rain shower) was in the ceiling above the bathtub rather than a separate cubicle. One curiosity was that the bath tap didn’t have a spout. Instead the water came out of a recess in the slate-tiled wall, just above the tub – at first glance, it looked like some kind of recessed soap dish, except that it sloped away from the wall. Strange!

We ate every meal at the FCC. (This was partly dictated by the fact that Kay had injured her ankle just a few hours after our arrival and was effectively confined to a wheelchair and thus to the hotel for the length of our stay – you can read more about this on our sister site, Can Do Can Go!.) Room service is available 24 hours a day and is no more expensive than ordering food at the restaurant, which is very reasonably priced itself. The quality of the food is generally very high.

Breakfast is included in the room rate and can be eaten either in your room from 04:30 to 10:30, or in the restaurant from 07:30 to 10:30. (The early start can be explained by the fact that many tourists choose to visit the Angkor complex at dawn to watch the sun rising over the temples.) The servings are generous to say the least; we were caught out by this on our first day as we’d ordered one toasted banana bread from the Continental options (for Kay) and one poached egg “Benedict” from the hot options (for me). They brought us two servings of each! Put it this way – we didn’t bother with lunch at all during our stay. Our only gripe would be that the poached eggs were sometimes too cold when delivered to the room – a great pity, as otherwise they looked as if they would have been delicious (and they certainly were when we ate them at the restaurant).

The staff were pleasant and very helpful. This proved invaluable when Kay injured her ankle – apart from kindly offering Tiger balm to try to help ease the pain (unnecessary; we’d already sourced some ice from a nearby petrol station shop), they also managed to locate a wheelchair somewhere in the city and arranged the hire for us. And when we asked for information about the organisation they’d hired it from, they immediately produced a leaflet from the NGO concerned for us to keep.

The bar and restaurant were pleasant enough places to sit and drink or eat at, with an ornamental pool separating the bar area from the restaurant’s ground floor. (I saw the upper floor briefly – it looked like a comfortable place to eat. But of course wheelchairs can’t go up stairs, and there was no lift.) Although the bar’s billed as staying open until midnight, there didn’t seem to be anything much doing after about ten o’clock, and the staff had virtually shut the place by eleven – a bit of a downer if you’re wandering in after an evening out and fancy sitting down for a pleasant drink outside.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5
It’s not particularly cheap, but it’s a nice quiet place to stay, with friendly staff and good food. We’re very likely to go back!

Dave left school at the age of 30 with the odd O-level (like Ancient Icelandic) and a doctorate in something so obscure even he can't remember what it's about. He then joined the FCO. Dave has travelled to most European countries (including several that don't exist any more, though he denies responsibility), as well as Bangladesh, Barbados, Thailand, St Vincent, UAE, Laos, and many more. Having managed to escape from London in 2001, Dave's now resorted to taking unpaid leave to stave off the evil day of his return.

President Palace Hotel, Bangkok

President Palace Hotel
18 Sukhumvit Road Soi 11
Bangkok 11010
(BTS: Nana)

On our most recent visit to our favourite soi in Bangkok, we tried yet another different hotel: the President Palace Hotel.

It’s owned by the same people that own the Grand President serviced apartments just a little bit further along the soi. But this is unambiguously a hotel and not an aparthotel – the rooms are just that and don’t have any kind of kitchenette or separate sleeping area.

The room we booked was a Superior room, at the bottom of the range. But it was clean and comfortable, with all the usual facilities you’d expect from a hotel in the PPH’s price range. The king-sized bed was just that, and was supportive without being unyielding. The little flexible reading lights were a nice touch, as were the independent lighting controls on either side of the bed for the bedside and room lamps (a single master control panel on one side only is rather annoying).

Joy of joys, we were each given our own login to the hotel’s free WiFi network without having to ask for the separate access, and they worked without any problems at all. That’s very unusual in our experience, so full marks to the President Palace for that. As usual, Kay bagged the desk, and was pleased to find that the office chair supplied was extremely comfortable – if a little hard to wheel around on the carpet.

One slight niggle about the room layout was that although there was a settee and coffee table, the television was plonked in front of the bed – just out of shot in the photo. This layout’s not uncommon in hotel rooms, but is rather annoying if you want to sit and watch telly with a drink and some nibbles.

The minibar fridge was a bit on the small side compared with the aparthotel fridges, but was within usual ranges for minibars. No freezer compartment, though, so there were no ice cubes. We could maybe have tried getting some from room service … except room service (supplied by the Champions Restaurant Bar on the ground floor – formerly the Manchester United Restaurant Bar) was a disappointment. All-day dining is billed as running from 1100 to 0500, but when we phoned to order a pizza at a quarter past midnight we were told that the vegetarian pizza we wanted wasn’t available and that they only had Hawaiian or ham and mushroom pizzas. (We went out to the Old German Beer House instead, which fortunately was still taking orders for meals even as late as that.)

The bathroom didn’t have a bath, although it was plenty large enough to accommodate one. We’d been well aware of this at the time of booking, though – in fact, we’d chosen the PPH on that basis. Instead of going down the all-too-common route of supplying a bath and forcing you to clamber in and out of that if you want a shower, the President Palace provides a shower cubicle, with fixed and flexible shower heads. A good strong flow of hot water, too, and pleasant-smelling toiletries. Hooray!

The breakfast buffet (again at Champions) was a pretty typical international breakfast buffet for hotels in South East Asia. Selections were somewhat limited on some stations (eg the fruit station consisted of just papaya and honeydew melon), but reasonable on most. Service was very friendly, although it amounted to welcoming the guests and bidding them farewell and keeping the supplies maintained. Not bad, and worth going if you’re up in time and feel hungry, although we wouldn’t make a special effort to be up in time for it.
(There’s a fuller review on our sister site, Not Delia.)

The staff were pretty good – friendly and cheerful. Check-in and check-out were dealt with courteously and efficiently. Our one niggle was that they phoned us up on our first two afternoons to check whether we wanted the room done, even though we’d turned on the “Do not disturb” light. (Quite a few places seem to do this, and it’s very annoying.)

Overall rating: 3½ out of 5
It’s not the cheapest place to stay in Soi 11 by any means, nor the best-appointed. But it’s reasonable value for money, and does offer some signal advantages over other places in the same price range. We’d happily stay here again.

California 2 Guesthouse, Phnom Penh

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

79 Sisowath Quay
Phnom Penh
+855-77-503-144

The California had changed location and moved north along Sisowath Quay since we last stayed there in 2008, but the friendly and helpful atmosphere was the same. This is the best place to hang out in Phnom Penh if you want to meet expats and travellers and, of course, benefit from the experience and wisdom of Jim, the proprietor.

Downstairs there is a large well-stocked bar and a free pool table. It’s a spacious place so even though it can get a little busy at peak times there’s plenty of room to relax. If you sit at the bar, you can be sure of meeting some interesting characters.

Whilst not billing itself as being accessible for disabled people, it would be possible for a wheelchair user to eat, drink and go to the toilet. (So many places let you eat and drink but have completely inaccessible toilets.) In the California, there’s a small ramp up to the WC cubicles and both have extra-wide doors.

Upstairs (no lifts) consists of 10 guestrooms, all beautifully clean and nicely furnished. It’s fair to say the standard rooms are “compact” but the space has been put to good use and we were very comfortable there. We had hoped to book a deluxe room but had left it a bit late and the deluxe rooms were already fully booked. Jim therefore put us in the best standard room, which we were very happy with.

I can’t imagine finding anything better for the price. ($27-$35 per room per night.) It’s in a great location, clean and comfortable, and the bar is a lot of fun. We were a little bit surprised when we received our bill at the end of our stay. The staff member asked if we were shocked because it was so much, but that wasn’t the case at all. Quite the opposite – we had expected it to be more, so that was a nice surprise.

There’s a good menu of breakfasts (served all day), Mexican food, some Western favourites and Khmer food. The food is very reasonably priced and tasty. We ate there several times.

There is free WiFi throughout, in the bar and in the rooms. Smoking is allowed.

To sum up, the California will be our first choice of where to stay when we next visit Phnom Penh. Highly recommended!

Find out more on their website:
http://www.cafecaliforniaphnompenh.com/

Kay has been an expat for over 20 years. She set up the British Expat website more than 12 years ago, whilst living in London and missing the expat life. These days she spends much of her time lugging computers and cameras around the world. (Dave gets to deal with all the really heavy stuff.)

Chateau Eza – an Eagle’s Nest Hotel

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

Full Moon and a view on St Jean Cap Ferrat

An excellent place for Super Yacht spotting, here the 90m Lauren L, built in 2002 in Germany

Last year we took a few days off from our hectic life as hoteliers to visit the south of France.

I was able to make a last minute reservation for one night in a suite of the magnificent Chateau Eza.

However, there are a couple of things to note:

Eza is the old name for Eze. It is a little picturesque medieval and hence car free village on a rock approximately 500m above sea level with a magnificent view of the Mediterranean. It is the first village west from Monaco and not far from Nice and Nice Airport. It is draped like an Eagle’s Nest on a steep hill. Hotel Chateau Eza is situated on top of the village, about 20 minutes walking on a steep uphill path, partly with stairs. It’s an excellent place for Yacht spotting.If you travel by car like we do, you should be aware that Eze village is a bit of a tourist trap with few parkings. On busy days it is hardly possible to park your car somewhere in the neighborhood of the entrance to the village. Many buses drop by. If you want to make a day trip by car to for instance Monaco or Nice, it takes about 1/2 hour before you reach your car and you have no guarantee you’ll find a parking spot when you return after your trip.Eze can be foggy, even if the rest of the Riviera is sun blazed. Just be aware of this, if you booked for the view as we did.They run an excellent restaurant, but they don’t give hotel guests a guaranteed seat for a session in the restaurant, what amazed me for a 10 rooms only hotel.Checking in into the hotel is a somewhat peculiar experience, as there is a little office for the concierge in the main street not far from the car park, approximately a mile downhill form the hotel entrance itself. The hotel site is not clear about this feature. It should be in my opinion. The confirmation of the reservation gives some directions, but are not very clear. The porter does a good job bringing your luggage to the hotel. All in all it took us 2 hours from arrival by car until we were checked in.Friends of us stayed somewhere in the not too distant neighborhood, and we would have liked them to meet us at the hotel for lunch, however when we were settled Eza had closed the kitchen, notwithstanding they advertise, even today, on their site: Tapas service and à la carte salads are served from 12h30 to 18h00. Moreover with a 5 stars rating you may expect 24/7 room service for tapas and salads. No flexibility at all and that annoyed me most.As a final observation: The neighborhood is rocky. On the night vision photo above you look West and see the light glow of Nice behind the hill and the traffic on the secondary road. It means if there is no wind, there is a lot of traffic noise amplified by the steep rocks around. Traffic goes on all night.

All in all it was quite an, but not so quiet, experience which I won’t repeat.

After a wonderful, but bit hazy, breakfast on the terrace we left for the Burgundy region.

No related posts.

Wow! Our Guests do Appreciate us!

We use Hoteliers.com, which is not a traditional OTA that charges commissions, but a site that offers what the traditional OTAs offer, but for a moderate annual service fee. If you make your reservation via the website of Haagsche Suites, it actually goes via their website. Together with maintaining availability in one place, it helps us tremendously to prevent overbooking.

Hoteliers.com has announced that they will be giving awards for the first time in 6 categories that their own guest reviews monitor:

Best Over all
1. In de Duinen, Callantsoog
2. B&B Fort Amsterdam, Amsterdam
3. Haagsche Suites, Den Haag
4. Misc Eatdrinksleep, Amsterdam
5. Parkhotel Horst, Horst

Beste Service
1. In de Duinen, Callantsoog
2. Misc Eatdrinksleep, Amsterdam
3. Asgard Hotel, Groningen
4. Haagsche Suites
5. B&B Fort Amsterdam

Best Location
1. Hotel Torenzicht, Amsterdam
2. Het Roode Lopen, Ermelo
3. The Dylan Amsterdam
4. Bilderberg Landgoed de Wilmersberg, de Lutte (Twente)
5. B&B Fort Amsterdam

Best value for money
1. B&B la Festa, Amsterdam
2. Holland Hotel liauckama State, Sexbierum (Friesland)
3. Hotel Manna, Nijmegen
4. Holland Hotel ?t Anker, Mierlo (Noord Brabant)
5. Misc Eatdrinksleep

Best comfort
1. Haagsche Suites
2. Texel Suites
3. B&B Fort Amsterdam
4. Misc Eatdrinksleep
5. Dorint Hotel Amsterdam Airport

Cleanest
1. B&B Fort Amsterdam
2. Haagsche Suites
3. B&B van Ostade, Amsterdam
4. Hotel Fita, Amsterdam
5. Herberg de Hondsrug, Eext (Drenthe)

It wasn’t until a fellow twittering hotel ( @CarltonTheHague thank you!) in the Hague congratulated us for the many nominations and reading about it on the Dutch Hospitality News site Horeca Entree who recently also decided to start with a Twitter presence as @HorecaEntree, until it finally registered in my mind.. busy as I was with guests..

Congratulations for all the fellow nominees, especially In de Duinen, Callantsoog and B&B Fort Amsterdam! I know what hard work goes with it!

I would like to thank all our guests for their support and taking the time to fill out the review forms. Also I would like to thank the very nice and always helpful people at Hoteliers.com for their continuous support and good work. Hm thinking about it, it is about time Hoteliers.com do establish their own Twitter presence:-)

Hotel Managers have to be Critical and see Everything

A proud hotel manager showed a couple of fellow hoteliers an me the finest rooms of the hotel. I noticed this curtain hanging loose and took this picture. I was utmost amazed that the hotel manager didn’t notice it and didn’t apologize with a: “Oops I’ll have to put maintenance on notice…” which I would have done.

I showed the photo to the hotel manager’s boss later.

The hotelier answered:

“Thank you! Thant is good to know! But you know, when I was younger and was managing housekeeping in a hotel, this is what always happened to me: Once a week I had to do the hotel tour, checking the hotel with my boss. I just had checked everything myself half an hour before I took the boss around and you know what? There would always be at least one light bulb that ceased functioning in the meantime and the boss would always spot it! Sigh”.

That is a wise answer.

My Dear Wife, mrs Happy Hotelier, has the keenest and sharpest eye for details, details and … for details: She nudges me every day: ” Seen that? Repair it! Make it work”. I’m learning every day.

It could have happened to me. Thank you Mrs Happy Hotelier for teaching me to have a keen eye: I wouldn’t have noticed this loose curtain prior to your lessons:-)

This is the main reason I always check our guests in personally.

Life of a hotelier is not easy….

I hope guests reading this could give hoteliers a little bit of leeway in the future…

Would you consider staying in a notel in stead of a hotel?

March 30, 2011 · 15 comments

in guest reviews, Hip Hotels, Hotel Design, Hotel Reviews, Hotels, Inspiration, Language, Notel, Pod Hotels, Trends, Unusual, Vacation Homes, Weekend Hotels, Zen

You might consider a notel after visiting a new site on the block: Hotel Haiku, curated by Garri Rayne.

Hotel Haiku has taken up the idea of describing Hotels and, more importantly notels in a real Zen way, with a Haiku:

I’m particularly attracted to the term notel, because when I started out as a hotelier and was developing our own unique 3 suites only “hotel” Haagsche Suites, I had for some time the idea of naming it Not a Hotel. Eventually I decided to name it “Haagsche Suites” (i.e. suites of The Hague), because Not A Hotel sounded a bit negative. Never thought of notel.

I congratulate Hotel Haiku with the invention of this term notel. As they describe it:

So notel is beyond Hotel, beyond Hip Hotel, beyond Boutique Hotel, beyond Design Hotel or beyond what hotel have you and at the same time it is below the usual hotel radar. Thank you Hotel Haiku!

First Hotel Haiku (@hotelhaiku) found me via Twitter and I noticed it without paying much attention. Then I found out more about the site via our friends over at Tnooz. I refer to their review of the Hotel Haiku site.

I’m set to explore the phenomenon further and created even a notel category, because I’ve featured some notels here on the blog already.

Josiah Mackenzie at BTO

It was a busy week on the travel and social media front. First I would like to share with you the keynote of my blogging friend Josiah McKenzie @Hmarketinghelp of Hotel Marketing Strategies. at the Buy Tourism Online (BTO) conference in Florence. It’s an instructive introduction for hoteliers why and how they should be involved in social media.

Originally I’d embedded a great video here, but that sadly disappeared. Hence I’ve embedded Josiah’s slideshow.

Last edited by GJE on March 13, 2012 at 12:57 pm