Radisson Blu Hotel - Simple and Elegant

 

During our reunion, my friends and I got to stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel.  It is situated at the Cebu reclamation area conveniently located as it is a stone's throw away from the SM mall and a few minutes to the city's center.  Its lobby is spacious and beautifully decorated.  Right at the center is a table where some plants with a few Birds of Paradise were tied and placed in large transparents vases.  It's nothing fancy but it is classy just the same.  It offered just the right atmosphere to hold a celebration of friendship.

 A few steps before reaching the front desk is a wide stairway that leads to a mezzanine.  Honestly, I didn't get to go to that part because we were so busy chatting.  Anyway, I took a pic of it to show you.  

 

 We stayed in a beautiful de luxe room.  There were two single beds and complete amenities.  As in other hotel rooms, its toilet and bath is by the door.  There, a huge well-lit mirror is at the center with the complimentary toiletries are placed which are replenished daily.  To its right is a glass enclosed shower. 


 Included in the rate is a buffet breakfast for 2.  This is the part I like.  There is a wide variety of food choices for the Filipino or foreign guests.  There were noodles, rice, meat, vegetables, fruits, cereals, yogurt, ice cream, etc etc etc.  I can't name them all as there was so much food some of which I liked while others were not really bad.  I so loved the cheese platter and the bread. 

One of the hotel's facility is a large irregularly shaped pool that has a small bridge that you can use to walk over from one side to the other and not have to go around.  It's a pity we didn't have time to use it.  I believe there are other facilities in the hotel but for lack of time we didn't get to see them.  We were so excited just to chat and be together.  After all, that is why we were there in the first place. 

Oakwood Bangkok - A Premier Residence

When my husband got an assignment in Bangkok, he stayed at the Oakwood the whole time. So did a majority of the members of his team. During the semestral break, we were fortunate enough to able to visit him there.

I loved his room. It was a 1 bedroom suite with a kitchen. It had a bathroom of about 15 square meters big, a bath tub, and was provided with the usual toiletries. It even had a hair dryer which I really liked. The room opened up to the living room. That's because the sala was positioned so that it had a view of the street and the raffles hotel. He was provided with a large tv, a dvd player, phone, kitchen utensils including dinnerware, silver and cookware. There was a ref of about 12 cubic feet, a microwave, toaster, oven range with rangehood, a dining table for 4. It had a centralized aircon each with its own switch and control. The bed is a queen size and he had a tv and a large closet. It even had a view too. There was a vacant lot where we found some elephants basking under the sun while giving themselves a soil bath. Nice. Being from the Phlippines, elephants are not a usual sight unless you're at the Manila zoo every single day. hehehe

Oakwood is a serviced apartment so a maid regularly came to clean his unit. The laundry was done there too except for those that needed to be dry cleaned. There's really nothing to worry about when staying there.

What I liked most is the short distance to the malls. It's close but not too close so it's not crowded in the area. It has its own shuttle service which is free for its customers to use. The Thais are hospitable people and Oakwood shows it in its service. Not to mention the fact that Bangkok is known for its splendid cuisine. The buffet at Oakwood has a good selection. I just love Bangkok... and Oakwood which is just a little less than home.

Bouncing Through Travel Sites

Hah! I've not been able to book my hotels for our Hong kong trip yet. Hong Kong has always fascinated me. I've come across so many stories- personal accounts from friends, historical accounts from books since one of our former presidents went on exile there, and from blogs and websites over the internet. It is a good thing that travel bookin sites such as www.cheaperthanhotels.com are now made availabe to us, the travellers.

I can't consider myself a seasoned traveller yet. Yes, I've been to 4 countries and a great deal of domestic sites but that doesn't make me a seasoned traveller. When we go to a place unknown to me (and most countries are in fact unfamiliar to me), I get hold of as much information as I can. www.cheaperthanhotels.com
,booking.com, hotels.com.ph, and other such travel agencies come in so handy. I get to compare prices, am able to obtain information about hotels, events, tourist attractions, budget... and all those pertinent data. It's so funny sometimes that our friends in those countries I've been to even ask why I know such and such exist! Technology is such a powerful tool to the traveller, whether neophyte or seasoned.

In case you're wondering though, I've come to the decision to book with www.cheaperthanhotels.com. I don't like taking too much risks and have asked friends and travel forums for travel sites that they could recommend. So far, from those that I've been give, www.cheaperthanhotels.com
have the best rates I could find over the internet. I can make this conclusion for myself because I've made a comparison table in excel listing down costs from booking.com, expedia, asiarooms, asiatravel, lonely planet... and a hundred more sites. www.cheaperthanhotels.com
beats them all.

Well, next time I hope I can go to the Scandinavia area. Why would I go to sandinavia? Well, for one, I do like driving and I like how I can drive and see the sites on a cool day with my family. Sounds interesting eh? what about having to spend a night or two in a rustic hotel, with a fireplace and some cheese and wine? Finland would be perfect. Alternatively, drive to Sweden and stay in one of its hotels. Or probably see the auroras? A good resource I've found for this travel would be www.visitfinland.com . The tourism www.cheaperthanhotels.com provides info for those who wish to drive the countryside of Scandinavia. Some of their tips include:

1. Cars are driven on the right side of the road all over Scandinavia.
2. Use of seatbelt is a must.
3. Driving under the influence of alcohol is prohibited.
4. There are different speed limits in the different scandinavian countries.

I've browsed the site and searched for pictures through the internet. Seems like they do have a beautiful scenery in those countries. The site has resources too for stockholm hotels, norway hotels and Oslo hotels with hotel rooms that cost as low as 550 SEK! Some rooms are breakfast inclusive. They do have great deals. Budget travellers can find great deals in these travel sites. It's like finding pearl in the deep blue sea.