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Hotel review – Relais Hotel & Spa (now Clarion) Paris CDG

After my two comfortable flights with Eurowings and Lufthansa I had a two night layover in Paris before continuing to the UK and Egypt.

I chose the Relais Hotel & Spa near CDG airport (now reflagged as the Clarion Paris CDG), as I didn’t feel like dragging my luggage into the city.

I had stayed at this property some years before, when it was flagged as a Crowne Plaza, so I knew roughly what to expect.

The property, along with several others on the Allée du Verger, is an easy 10-minute shuttle ride from the airport.

I had booked a Studio Double, which was comfortable and well equipped with a small kitchenette, a refrigerator and a safe.

The bathroom was a good size, with a bathtub, a walk-in shower and separate lavatory.

The room was also equipped with a balcony, which although not exactly aesthetically pleasing, was very welcome for a committed smoker like myself, even in a cold and crisp Paris December.

The first of a couple of annoyances came when I found the promised pool and spa closed.

Having promised myself a relaxing swim, I decided to head out to the municipal pool in the nearby village of Roissy-en-France. This proved to be a somewhat surreal experience, as I had forgotten the unique rules at municipal swimming pools in France. My swimming shorts were immediately frowned upon and I was wordlessly issued a bright red swimming cap and Speedos, both of which were rather ill fitting.

I will spare readers any pictures of this particular spectacle, but suffice to say I have now made a mental note to check for any pool closures at hotels, particularly in France.

Since I was in the village and having been well fed on the flights, I decided to skip the hotel restaurant and pick up some snacks to eat in my room, before an excellent night’s sleep.

Breakfast was a very relaxed and civilised affair and I stayed in the restaurant for around two hours, enjoying the full hot and cold buffet and some excellent coffee.

The hotel is located conveniently enough that I could head into the city by train for the intervening day. I have been to Paris a number of times, so I just took a short stroll along the Seine to reacquaint myself with some of the iconic landmarks.

The next annoyance came that night. Having settled down early before a morning flight to the UK, I was abruptly awoken at 1:30am by a fire alarm. After around half an hour of being kept standing in the car park, I must admit that this produced some rather ripe French from the author, suggesting that I would not be best pleased if there was no fire.

Despite the annoyances, I can say that this is in fact a good hotel. The rooms are very comfortable, the breakfast was excellent, the pool and spa are now refurbished and fully open, and I am sure that the fire alarm was an isolated event. Along with the balcony and the convenient location, it ticks all my boxes.

I look forward to returning to this property to experience it under it’s new Clarion banner.

Flight review – Lufthansa Business Class, Frankfurt – Paris, with Senator Lounge Frankfurt

Following a pleasant flight from Punta Cana back to Europe, I had a short connection to make from Frankfurt to Paris CDG.

After 9 hours on board that flight, my first port of call was the Camel smoking lounge, conveniently located airside.

With my nicotine craving satisfied, I headed off to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge, which can be accessed by American Express Platinum card holders travelling in Lufthansa Business Class.

The first thing I wanted was a shower. However, there was a waiting list and I had to pick up a pager to notify me when a shower was available.

In the meantime, I decided to grab a quick coffee.

After a few minutes, my pager bleeped and it was time to check out the shower suites, which were well appointed, spotlessly clean and very welcome after an overnight flight.

The lounge itself was quiet and pleasant with a reasonable breakfast selection and an impressive array of refreshments.

Having already eaten breakfast on my inbound flight and looking forward to lunch on my way to Paris, I contented myself with some rather overcooked sausages, Spanish tortilla and a cheeky Rum & Coke.

On arrival at the gate, I noticed that the flight had been delayed for 30 minutes and there wasn’t actually an aircraft at the gate.

This was soon rectified.

Once on board, I settled into seat 2C, which is a bulkhead aisle seat and probably the best seat in Lufthansa’s short-haul configuration. Although it is the usual intra-European business class standard of economy seating with a blocked middle, it offered extra legroom and was perfectly acceptable for this very short flight.

Shortly after take-off, I was served a light lunch of salmon and a glass of German Riesling.

The salmon was tasty and wonderfully fresh and the Riesling, although sweeter than my usual choice of whites, paired well with it.

Very soon after I finished lunch, we were on final descent to CDG and the flight was over in the blink of an eye, a pleasant way to round off a 6-week trip.

Flight review – Eurowings Discover Business Class, Punta Cana – Frankfurt

Following a delightful trip to the Dominican Republic and the USA it was time to return briefly to Europe.

This was done using Eurowings Discover’s long-haul business class, purchased as the return half of a round trip from Paris, which included a superb outbound flight on Air Canada.

My flight was scheduled from Punta Cana at 19:10, landing at 09:30 in Frankfurt. I found this to be more or less an optimal timing for an eastbound overnighter, as it allowed me a couple of hours after take-off to enjoy dinner and a few drinks before settling down for a decent few hours of sleep.

My evening started at the VIP Lounge Terminal A, which is a basic, catch-all contract lounge used by a number of airlines as well as Priority Pass. Although the lounge was nothing special, it was a perfectly decent place to wait and enjoy a couple of pre-flight beers.

Once on board, I took my seat in the centre pair of the 2-2-2 configured business class cabin. In this configuration, I always prefer the centre pair of seats, as it offers direct aisle access to both passengers and avoids the annoying “climbover factor”. As it happened, I was pleasantly surprised not to have a seat neighbour, which proved advantageous later.

Nuts and aperitifs were served shortly after take-off. I opted for a glass of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, which was served nicely chilled.

Dinner followed soon after with a choice of courses and a reasonable wine and cocktail list.

I chose the serrano ham to start, which was decently presented and fresh, served with another glass of the Sauvignon Blanc.

The beef tenderloin was my choice for the main, accompanied by the Argentinian Malbec. Beef is often not a good choice on flights, as it is nearly always overcooked. Whilst this was no exception, it was still tender and tasty.

I rounded off the meal with the cheese platter and some more of the Malbec.

After a few cognacs, I reclined the seat into flatbed mode and settled down to sleep.

Although it felt rather narrow, the bed was comfortable enough to sleep reasonably. The one thing I noticed was the foot space was rather small and angled toward the neighbouring seat.

As the seat next to me was unoccupied, I was easily able to slide one of my size 12s over to the other side of the divider, but the configuration could have been awkward if both seats had been occupied.

I managed around 4 hours of decent sleep and awoke around an hour and a half before landing, ready for breakfast.

Breakfast was a Spanish tortilla, served with bread, cheese and fruit, along with orange juice and coffee.

We landed a little ahead of schedule in Frankfurt, with more than enough time to catch my connecting flight to Paris, which will be the subject of my next review.

This Eurowings Discover flight exceeded my expectations. While the hard product is decidedly mid-table in business class terms, the service was friendly and attentive. I had a comfortable flight with a decent meal and a good few hours of sleep. I arrived in Frankfurt ready for the day ahead. For a little over £1,000 ($1,300) for a transatlantic round trip, I couldn’t ask for more than that.

Hotel review – Four Points by Sheraton, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

24 March 2024
by thebouncer

In between my flights from Paris via Montreal and to the USA I spent a total of four nights at the Four Points by Sheraton, near to Punta Cana Airport.

Although the hotel is rather overpriced by local standards, with rates often hovering around the $200/£160 mark, I chose it for the convenience of its location near the airport. I was also able to mitigate the expense by using the last of my Marriott points for two of the nights.

The hotel is reached in around 10 minutes by a free shuttle, which can be ordered via a free telephone located just after customs clearance.

The rooms are functional, comfortable and reasonably well appointed.

The hotel also offers a buffet breakfast at a cost of $23 (£18) per person.

The hotel also has a small swimming pool, which in Punta Cana’s tropical climate is rather inviting.

Whilst this was a perfectly comfortable hotel to while away a couple of layovers, one thing did leave a rather sour taste. On checking in for my third stay, I noticed a mysterious $40 additional charge on my folio, which was not brought to my attention.

Upon enquiry, this was vaguely and variously described as a resort fee and later as a tourist tax.

After a discussion with a member of management, this amount was offered to me as a restaurant and bar credit and covered a steak sandwich and a few beers on the pool terrace.

In conclusion, this hotel is a reasonable option for a short layover, if convenience for the airport is a major factor. However, be sure to check your bill and obtain a satisfactory explanation for any additional charges.

Destination guide – Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona

19 March 2024
by thebouncer

After flying to the USA from the Dominican Republic last Autumn, a good friend of mine and I took to the road to visit the Grand Canyon.

As we only had a few days to view this magnificent landmark, we decided to visit only the South Rim.

The South Rim is generally considered to be the best option to visit, in order to gain an overview of this spectacular natural feature.

As we visited during the late Autumn, we had to be a little patient and wait for the right conditions, but we were eventually rewarded.

As you can see, Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to appreciate this stunning vista.

On our last day, my friend ventured out in the early hours to capture the panorama in the dawn’s auroral glow.

We spent two days appreciating this captivating landscape and we could very happily have spent much longer.

The South Rim offers dozens of viewpoints, each of which offers a unique perspective on the topography.

Due to the distances between these viewpoints, it is highly advisable to travel by car, although many of the points are served by relatively frequent buses from the Grand Canyon Village and lodges.

If time is a precious commodity, as it was for us, I would suggest staying in the village lodges. We chose the Maswik Lodge, which I will review in the coming days.

All of the photographs featured in this article were taken by my good friend, Stefan Mundt of Eagle Studios in Racine, Wisconsin.

Flight review – United Domestic First Class and Regional Business Class

Late last year, I took three flights in United’s Regional Business Class and Domestic First Class.

I flew the following routes:

Punta Cana (PUJ) – Chicago (ORD)

Phoenix (PHX) – Washington Dulles (IAD)

Washington Dulles – Punta Cana (PUJ)

I have consolidated these into one article, as the products are essentially identical.

The on-board hard product was reasonably consistent across the three flights, the standard US Domestic First 2-2 configuration on narrow-body jets.

Unfortunately one of the seats was so badly worn, the I could feel parts of the fittings through the seat cushion. As the flight was full, the only option was to use a blanket as additional padding.

Fortunately for me, I was asked to move after take-off to accommodate a couple with a pet, erroneously seated in a bulkhead row. Obviously I readily acquiesced to this!

After this flight, I received a credit to my United MileagePlus account of 2,500 miles, labelled “Inflight Compensation Miles”.

This was not discussed on board, and I am not sure whether this was for the worn seat or being asked to move.

Either way, I considered it a fair and reasonable gesture.

Seat pitch was a uniform 38″, providing decent legroom.

I sampled a variety of the on-board catering, including both the omelette and shakshuka breakfast options, as well as a lasagne lunch dish.

Whilst the presentation of the lasagne left a little to be desired, it certainly tasted a lot better than it looked.

All of the dishes were tasty and filling and the on-board service was much more proactive than that on Air Canada Rouge’s Business Class product, of which I was rather critical in my recent review.

Overall, I was happy with the product and service, which was quite consistent across all three flights.

The upgrades from the standard economy product worked out at around $150 or £120 for each of the 4-5 hour sectors, which considering that baggage fees were included, I considered pretty good value and would be more than happy to pay again on a future flight.

Destination Guide – Dallas, Texas

1 February 2024
by thebouncer

The Texan city of Dallas is one which I have been keen to visit for some time now, and I had the chance during a recent road trip in the USA.

Dallas is best known as the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, so my first stop was Dealey Plaza, where this infamous event in history took place.

The Texas School Book Depository, from where the fatal shots were fired, is open to the public. Visitors can view the sixth floor box room and the road from the viewpoint of the assassin.

My afternoon and evening were spent viewing the city from the observation deck of the Reunion Tower, which offers a 360° panaroma from a height of 470 feet (143 metres).

My next stop was the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which at the time of my visit was decorated for Christmas.

After this, there was time to fit in a visit to the Dallas World Aquarium, which as well as marine life houses a wide varierty of exotic birds and is a very pleasant place to while away a few hours.

The few days I spent in Dallas provided only a taste of what this iconic city has to offer. It is definitely a city I would look forward to visiting again.

Destination review – One day in Santo Domingo

On my way back from the Dominican Republic’s northern coast to Punta Cana, I stopped by Santo Domingo to see what the nation’s capital had to offer.

The main attraction of Santo Domingo is the Zona Colonial – the old Spanish quarter, which allows a multitude of possibilities simply to wander and immerse oneself in Latin America’s rich colonial history.

I started my walk at the Catedral Primada de América. Dating from the 16th Century, this is the oldest cathedral in the Americas.

I continued to the Parque Colón, followed by a slow meander along the Calle las Damas towards to Fortaleza Ozama, finishing with a coffee at the Plaza España.

From there, there was time to appreciate the Parque Independencia, commemorating the independence of the Dominican Republic in 1856 following a 12 year war.

It is important to remember that while Santo Domingo is a coastal city, it is not a beach destination.

Although there are beaches along the Malecon seaside walk, they are in a pretty sad state and unsuitable for use.

If you are looking for pleasant beaches, you need to travel at least an hour west of the city.

Santo Domingo’s charm lies not in its beach life, but in the depth of colonial heritage to be found in the historical quarter.

If you have the chance to spend some time in Santo Domingo, I definitely recommend taking a day to explore the Zona Colonial.

Destination review – Cabarete Caves, Dominican Republic

As part of my three week stay on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, I headed slightly inland for a day to visit the 5 million year old limestone caves near Cabarete.

This natural phenomenon is carved by natural cold water rivers and range from tight, narrow passages to wide open caverns.

Safety precautions are rudimentary, but our group’s tour passed without incident.

The caves are full of intricately formed stalactites and stalagmites, formed over the course of millions of years.

The Cabarete Caves are easily accessible from the main destinations on the Dominican Republic’s northern coast, around a 10 minute drive from Cabarete, 30 minutes from Sosua and one hour from Puerto Plata.

My visit was arranged by the language school, where I was studying Spanish, but travel can easily be independently arranged by private or shared taxi, or in the ubiquitous fixed route minibuses known as guaguas.

If you have a spare day in this region, it is well worth stopping by Cabarete to visit the caves.

Hotel review – Piergiorgio Palace, Sosua, Dominican Republic

I spent three weeks at the Piergiorgio Palace Hotel whilst learning Spanish in Sosua, Dominican Republic.

Piergiorgio is one of the best known hotels in Sosua and is situated in a residential area around a 10-minute walk from the centre of the town.

For this reason, it proved to be a good choice as it was much quieter than anywhere in the town itself.

The check-in process was very smooth and I was in my room within around 5 minutes of arriving.

The room was clean, comfortable and already pleasantly air-conditioned.

There was also pleasant sea view from my balcony.

Breakfast was included in my rate and there was variety of options.

I tried a couple of dinners, but I preferred to eat out on most evenings because the restaurant tended to play loud and annoying music in the evenings, which fortunately was not audible from my room.

The hotel also has two outdoor swimming pools, of which I made good use during my stay.

Overall, Piergiorgio was the right choice for a three-week stay and reasonably priced at around $72 (£59) per night.

I would happily return to this hotel if I were staying in the area again.

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