Category Archives: Accommodations

5 Nights at the Haunted Grand Hyatt Taipei

30 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Hyatt, Taiwan

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This is the second of eleven posts on Taiwan. Check out our other posts here:

Since achieving Hyatt diamond status, I’ve tried to maximize our travel returns for international trips – booking high quality, low ranked Hyatt properties. We had amazing luck getting the Park Hyatt Istanbul, a category 4 property, for the cash & points rate back in February, so I was excited to see what other properties we could visit.

While Hyatt has a relatively small footprint in Europe (basically just London & Paris, with a few other locations on the continent), it has a HUGE footprint in North Asia. Surprisingly, this doesn’t extend to Taiwan.

While Japan, China, South Korea, and Hong Kong are loaded with Hyatts, Taiwan only has the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

Topping several haunted hotel websites, the Grand Hyatt Taipei is rumored by locals to be built on top of a WW2 prison camp, and is said to have wandering spirits.

With 15 hours of jetlag between us and home, a few restless spirits were not going to stop Mrs. Selfish and I from getting a good night’s rest as long as the hotel delivered!

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Hippo Serenade: Sleeping at the Lake Masek Tented Camp

01 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Africa

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This is the last of twelve posts on our safari in Tanzania. Check out our other posts here:

For our last night in Africa, Mrs. Selfish and I stayed at the Lake Masek Tented Camp, a group of permanent tents on the shores of Lake Masek.

Masek Tented Lodge 017

Unlike our accommodations at the Ndutu Under Canvas Safari Camp, the Lake Masek Tented Camp is a permanent lodge – where the “tents” are built on wooden platforms. The main lodge is pretty modern, with modern plumbing, wifi, and unlimited free booze.

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Glamping at Ndutu Under Canvas in the Serengeti

29 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Africa, Tanzania

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This is the ninth of twelve posts on our safari in Tanzania. Check out our other posts here:

Mr. Selfish and I stayed at the Ndutu Under Canvas campsite, which is a seasonal campsite in the Serengeti National Park from December until March.

Ndutu Under Canvas Camp 001

This campsite was the epitome of glamping (glamorous camping). I’ve never been too much of an outdoorsy kinda girl, so I was a little bit weary of this campsite. I didn’t have anything to worry about. Apparently, “[w]hen you’re glamping, there’s no tent to pitch, no sleeping bag to unroll, no fire to build.”

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2 Nights at the Kitela Lodge

26 Saturday Jul 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Africa

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This is the sixth of twelve posts on our safari in Tanzania. Check out our other posts here:

While Mrs. Selfish and I enjoy hiking, scuba diving, snorkeling, and other outdoor activities, we are city people at heart. So while I enjoyed our time at the various campsites we visited during our African safari (especially because of the proximity to wildlife), I was absolutely blown away by our two nights at the Kitela Lodge.

Kitela Lodge 001

The Kitela Lodge is the newest offerings from the Tanganyika Wilderness Camps group, the company that owned all of properties we stayed at during our Tanzanian safari.

I’m not entirely sure why it’s called a “lodge” as each guest stays in a private villa. The main building is pretty posh, and comes replete with indoor and outdoor dining, a pool, a spa, and a swanky fireplace area.

Kitela Lodge 002Kitela Lodge 003Kitela Lodge 004Kitela Lodge 005     Kitela Lodge 012Kitela Lodge 013

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Moving in to the Maramboi Tented Camp

23 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Africa, Tanzania

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This is the third of twelve posts on our safari in Tanzania. Check out our other posts here:

Mrs. Selfish and I arrived in Tanzania around midnight, on our direct flight from Istanbul. We were greeted, by Francis, our driver for our 7 day-safari, who took us to Arusha for our short overnight stay. The next morning we woke up early and drove to our first real accommodation, the Maramboi Tented Camp.

Mrambi Lodge 001

Located near the Tarangire National Park, the Maramboi Tented Camp is a group of 3 dozen or so permanent tents, located a short distance from Lake Manyara. As a result, there are tons of animals nearby.

Mrambi Lodge 026

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Triple the Jetlag to Taiwan and Greece!

23 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Europe, Greece, Hilton, Hyatt, Taiwan

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Over the last week we’ve been moving all the crap I never thought I’d see again out of a 16’ x 8’ x 8’ container into a space roughly 3/5 the size of our Orlando house. The amount of stuff we have has been so daunting, that we have to put our Tanzania trip report on a brief hiatus.

box o crap

Man, I hoped I’d never see this stuff again.

After living out of a suitcase for the last 20 months, it’s been a pretty draining experience. “Why do we have so much clothes? Why did we buy all of this stuff? Who bought this???”

So I’m really looking forward to our upcoming trip to Taiwan and Greece next week.

Yes, Taiwan & Greece. One trip. 2 continents. 3 bouts of jetlag.

We are literally flying around the world this time.

Triple the Jetlag for 120,000 miles!

Triple the insanity for 120,000 US Airways miles each!

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4 Nights at the Magnificent Park Hyatt Istanbul

13 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Europe, Hyatt

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This is the second of eleven posts on Istanbul. Check out our other posts here:

After a grueling 2 connections and 20 hours of flying, Mrs. Selfish and I finally arrived in Istanbul. A good 10 hours ahead of our home time zone, Mrs. Selfish and I were pretty beat, but there were places to go, things to see, food to eat.

Having recently attained diamond status through the Hyatt Diamond challenge, I was pretty excited to check out the Park Hyatt Istanbul. Mrs. Selfish and I have stayed at the Park Hyatt Zurich, Sydney, and Tokyo (where we pumped iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger), so I was looking forward to seeing whether or not the Park Hyatt Istanbul lives up to those other fabulous hotels.

Park Hyatt Istanbul 003

Short  answer: it does.

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Heading to Turkey and Tanzania!

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Africa, Europe, Hyatt, Travel Hacking

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Mrs. Selfish and I have been enjoying our time in San Francisco. We’ve seen the Golden Gate bridge from just about every possible angle. We’ve day-tripped to Sonoma, and Napa. We’ve even taken a few short weekend trips to Carmel, San Luis Obispo, Vancouver, and San Diego (trip reports coming soon!).

But with the pending United devaluation coming up, I decided it was time to burn through our United stash and slash a couple more items off our bucket list. So a few weeks ago I booked tickets to Istanbul, and Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

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120,000 UA miles in business to Europe and Africa!

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Pumping Iron at the Park Hyatt Tokyo

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Asia, Hyatt, Japan, Tokyo

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Mrs. Selfish and I were originally planning on skipping Tokyo altogether, having gone there twice before. Unfortunately, I had some difficulty finding a business award flight from Tokyo to San Francisco. Availability was limited at the time I booked our tickets, so I opted to book economy, with the hopes that 2 business class awards would open up closer to our travel date.

After checking back every day for two months, I finally found 2 business class awards. Unfortunately, they were 4 days after our connecting flight from Okinawa. Fortunately, we love Tokyo.

Having had a wonderful 5 night stay at the Park Hyatt Tokyo last May, I decided to book 3 nights at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. While I wasn’t surprised that the hotel was still amazing, I was surprised by who I ran into at the Park Hyatt’s gym – let me set the scene.

The Park Hyatt’s gym is small, especially the weight section, which can’t fit more than 6-8 people comfortably. Just check this puppy out:

tokyo-park-hyatt-022

So it didn’t take me very long to realize that the hulking man doing bicep curls to my left was none other than the Governator himself, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger. After a few awkward glances, I fell into my normal routine until the man left, without saying a word to him. After I told Mrs. Selfish what happened, she told me to wake up her up the following morning, should Arnold be at the gym a second time.

The second morning I woke up and bam!, there he was again. After a quick phone call, Mrs. Selfish arrived with camera in tow, so that we would have photographic evidence of our encounter with Mr. Schwarzenegger.

Behold!

Park Hyatt Tokyo 001

Mr. Schwarzenegger was in town promoting his new movie, Escape Plan, and was a guest at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Though he seemed like he had a packed day, he still took the time to pose for a picture with us, which was pretty cool. Though I never saw him outside of the gym itself, I did see his Japanese bodyguard on several more occasions.

Anyway, back to the hotel itself.

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Staying at the Luxurious Ritz-Carlton Okinawa

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Japan, Marriott, Okinawa

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After packing up the car, Mrs. Selfish and I drove an hour north from Naha to our next stay, the Ritz-Carlton Okinawa. This was our first Ritz-Carlton stay, so I was a little unsure what to expect.

Golden chandeliers? Martini-fueled Bentleys? Diamond-encrusted butlers?

Ritz Carlton Okinawa 009

While it didn’t have any of these things, the Ritz-Carlton Okinawa still managed to ooze luxury.

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Heading to Okinawa: 2 Nights at the Doubletree Naha

16 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Hilton, Japan, Okinawa

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After leaving Fukuoka, Mrs. Selfish and I boarded a Japan Airlines flight to Naha, Okinawa, Japan’s southern most prefecture. Okinawa is often called the Hawaii of Japan, and for good reason. The weather is warm and tropical, and the traditions and food are completely different from mainland Japan.

Up until the late 1800’s, Okinawa was known as the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and was a tributary of both China and Japan. As such, Okinawa has its own unique blend of Japanese and Chinese traditions and food that make it distinct from mainland Japan. Okinawan architecture is unique, and beautiful.

Naha 001

They also have a huge American military presence, which further adds to the flavor of Okinawa. Wandering across this small island, you’ll notice an American influence on all sorts of foods – from Okinawan ice cream, to taco dogs and taco rice. Continue reading →

Heading back to the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka

13 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Fukuoka, Hyatt, Japan

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During our selfish year abroad, Mrs. Selfish and I made a pit stop to Fukuoka, on our way to idyllic Kurokawa Onsen Town. As Japan’s 7th largest city, Fukuoka is often overlooked in favor of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Most visitors I’ve talked to aren’t even aware it exists!

Fukuoka is a thriving city with a unique food scene, and the birth place of gyoza and tonkatsu style (pork broth) ramen. Having only spent one half day in Fukuoka on our previous go-around, Mrs. Selfish and I decided to stay two days this time, in order to better explore the city (and it’s ramen scene!).

We decided to stay at Grand Hyatt Fukuoka once again, since we had enjoyed it so much our previous time around. On the previous visit, Mrs. Selfish was a diamond member, thanks to a diamond challenge, but this time we were lowly platinum members. Since we had enjoyed the GHF’s lounge so much on the previous go, however, we decided to pay in cash and use one of Mrs. Selfish’s diamond suite certificates!

Check-in and Room

Checking in in pretty much any Japanese hotel usually goes smoothly, in my experience, and the Grand Hyatt Fukuoka was no exception. After arriving in the lobby, we were escorted to the lounge to complete the check-in process. A few minutes later, we were in our suite.

Grand Hyatt Fukuoka 001

Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the size of the living room. While our previous stay had been pleasant, the standard room was a bit cramped by Western standards. The suite, on the other hand, was large and modern.

There was a thermostat in each room for individual temperature control, motion detector lights in the closet that lit up upon entry, and a classy wall-mounted CD player playing welcoming jazz music.

The living room also had a welcome amenity: a small bottle of wine, some grapes, and green tea flavored cookies.

Grand Hyatt Fukuoka 004Grand Hyatt Fukuoka 005

The room itself was modern and clean though a bit sparse, which I find to be quite typical in Japanese hotels.

Grand Hyatt Fukuoka 002

The bathroom came with a bathtub and separate shower and a glass sink – a feature I’m still obsessed with.

Grand Hyatt Fukuoka 003

Only a wide angle camera could capture the majesty of the glass sink.

While we didn’t snap any pictures of them, I should mention that the amenities kits in Japan tend to be pretty slick. Especially the shaving cream, which comes in a miniature can and foams up. Probably not that impressive to some of y’all out there, but typically hotel shaving creams come out of a little tube more like a lotion or cream – it’s always these little differences that I enjoy about traveling.

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Hilton Deathmatch: Conrad Rangali vs. Hilton Bora Bora vs. Conrad Koh Samui

11 Saturday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Hilton

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Mrs. Selfish and I recently completed a stay at the Conrad Rangali in the Maldives, back in November of last year. In the miles & points world, this was considered one of the most desirable Hilton properties in the world, up there with the Conrad Koh Samui and Hilton Bora Bora.

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Somehow we managed to stay at all three properties last year, so I thought I’d do a comparison post explaining their relative strengths and weaknesses.

While Mrs. Selfish and I like traveling in luxury, we’re actually tremendous cheapskates – so I’ll be rating each of the properties by what you get for your hard spent cash. Not necessarily who is the best, but who gives you the most bang for your buck.

Editor’s Note: If you’re deciding between the three properties it’s a decent read (or if you like pretty pictures of tropical locales), otherwise it is a loooong post.

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Our Brief Time in Malé, Maldives

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Food & Drinks, Hilton, The Maldives

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This is the last of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

Mr. Selfish was quite delighted that Cathay Pacific opened a new route between Hong Kong and Malé, which is the capital of the Maldives. However, there is only one flight in and one flight out of Malé per day. Due to the timing of these flights, we had to spend a little bit of time in Malé before arriving and after leaving the splendor that is the Conrad Rangali.

The Cathay flight from Hong Kong arrives in Malé at 9:20 pm. Mr. Selfish and I stayed the night at the Hotel Octave, which was clean and spacious. Plus, the hotel offers complimentary pick-up and drop-off to and from the airport, as well as free breakfast. If you’re on the Cathay flight and have a night to kill in Malé, I recommend the Hotel Octave.

Octave

The airport is on a separate island from Malé proper. You have to take a ferry that costs $1 USD per person and per way to travel between Malé and the airport.

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It’s a rather painless ferry ride, but the ferry doesn’t leave until it is full of passengers. The ride only takes between 15-20 minutes depending on whether you have the “fast” ferry or not.

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Trying to Eat Cheaply at the Conrad Rangali

09 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by in Accommodations, Food & Drinks, Hilton, The Maldives

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This is the fifth of six posts on the Maldives. Check out our other posts here:

When it comes to dining, Mrs. Selfish and I don’t really do expensive. If anything, we usually opt for street food over a 3-star Michelin restaurant. Unfortunately, the Conrad Rangali is a resort-style property, which means you are trapped on an island and can ONLY eat food on said property. Which means the food is expensive.

While the Conrad has many fabulous restaurants to choose from, we ended up eschewing the majority of those options for the cheapest, most Maldivian food we could find.

Breakfast at the Vilu Bar

Maldives Cheap Eats 002

As gold members, Mrs. Selfish and I ate complimentary breakfast at Vilu, which is located on the smaller of the two islands. Vilu is primarily a seafood restaurant in the evening, but in the morning they give you the choice of an entree and access to the continental buffet.

The location is spectacular. Since it’s on the quieter of the two islands, it’s mostly utilized by honeymooning couples and has a cozier, more intimate feel. The other breakfast option is at the Atoll Market on the other island, which we never made it to since Mrs. Selfish and I were far too lazy to cart ourselves over there in time for breakfast.

Maldives Cheap Eats 003

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