Category: Travel experiences

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

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.

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Destination guide – Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona

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.

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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.

 

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Destination Guide – Dallas, Texas

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Flight review – Air Canada Rouge Business Class, Montreal – Punta Cana

Following on from my transatlantic flight and my layover in Montreal it was time for the last leg of my journey to the Dominican Republic, a flight on Air Canada Rouge to Punta Cana.

This flight had originally been booked in Economy Class, but I was able to place an online bid for an upgrade.

My bid of 225USD (£179) was rejected, but during the online check-in process, I was offered a price for a cleared upgrade of 241EUR (£206).

I tried to pay for this online but two credit cards were rejected by the Air Canada website. The payment was eventually processed at the check-in desk at CDG.

On the day of the flight itself, check in and bag drop at Montreal was a breeze and I was through and into the lounge in minutes.

The lounge was pleasant and quiet, with a small selection of food and drinks. As I had already eaten a decent breakfast at the Holiday Inn I contented myself with a couple of beers.

The priority boarding was smooth and I was installed in seat 1F very quickly.

I am normally an aisle seat man, but with the amount of room in the bulkhead seat, the window seat was no hardship.

Although this was obviously nowhere near the comfort level I experienced on my flight from Paris I found it perfectly acceptable for 4 hour flight down to Punta Cana.

Around an hour after take-off a drinks service was offered and I chose a Canadian beer.

Lunch service followed shortly afterwards. I chose the chicken tagine main, which was served with the salad and dessert on the main tray.

After the meal service was finished, the cabin crew retired to the galley and were more or less not seen again for the rest of the flight, although I did manage to get a drink after going up to the galley myself.

Overall I have to say that I was not particularly impressed with Air Canada Rouge’s Business Class product.

Compared with Air Canada’s long-haul Signature Business Class the difference is night and day.

Seating was identical to US domestic First Class and the conspicuously absent service fell below even that benchmark.

Some time ago I wrote an article on whether business class was worth paying for. My

While this was a pleasant enough way to spend a few hours, I’m not convinced it was worth £50 per hour.

In all honesty, were I to fly this route again I would select an aisle seat down the back and keep my credit card in my wallet.

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Hotel review – Holiday Inn Montreal Airport

After a superb transatlantic flight with Air Canada, I had a one-night layover in Montreal.

I chose to spend the night at the Holiday Inn close to the airport, using my IHG points.

Shortly before my arrival, I received an e-mail informing me that my booking had been upgraded to a one bedroom suite with a balcony.

The hotel was a short and very easy ride with the hotel’s shuttle, which was sent to collect me after a phone call to the front desk.

My suite was comfortable and well appointed, with a king size bed, living area and kitchen.

There was also a balcony, which I found convenient despite the rather cold weather.

Breakfast, which was included in my booking, was pretty reasonable and included cereals, fruit, yoghurt, juice and coffee, as well as a hot selection of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, potatoes and baked beans.

The hotel also has an indoor pool and hot tub, which I was not able to photograph as it was in use for most of the evening.

Photographs can be found on the hotel website.

The water in the larger pool was a little too cold for my personal preference, so I stuck to the hot tub, which was very pleasant.

Overall, this was a convenient, comfortable and good value option at 22,100 IHG points, booked during a 15% off redemptions sale.

This is a hotel I would happily stay at again.

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Flight review – Air Canada Business Class, Paris – Montreal

After my flight to Paris and a short stopover it was time for the first long haul flight of my 5-month travel season.

A fortuitous deal meant that this would be in Air Canada’s Signature Business Class.

As my flight was leaving from Terminal 2, I started my travel day in the Extime contract lounge rather than the Star Alliance Lounge in Terminal 1.

The lounge was located after security but before passport control and offered a reasonable selection of food and drink.

After around an hour in the lounge I boarded the flight and settled in.

This flight was operated by a 777-300ER with business class seating in a 1-2-1 configuration. All business class seats on this aircraft offer a fully flat bed and direct aisle access.

I was given a small amenity kit and a pre-departure glass of champagne.

The dinner service began shortly after take-off with nuts and another glass of champagne.

The menu and choice of drinks offered an impressive array of options.

The appetiser was tasty and the salad was fresh.

For the main course, I was informed that the beef cheeks were not available. This was not an issue for me, as I had already chosen the chicken curry.

The curry was tasty and unusually for an airline meal, had a nice spicy kick.

I chose the Côtes du Rhône white wine to accompany the main course and this was generously poured and regularly topped up.

I finished off the meal with the cheese platter, a glass or two of port and a couple of brandies.

By this stage there were only around four hours left of the flight, so I decided to put my seat into flat-bed mode for a short nap.

I had a nice two-hour sleep before a light pre-arrival meal of Arabic mezze with fruit and coffee was served, along with a couple of tasty little chocolates.

After this, we began our descent to Montreal, where I had a one-night layover before continuing to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Air Canada’s Signature Class was a very relaxing experience and a thoroughly civilised way to begin my long-haul travels.

I can recommend this product as a very solid option for a trans-Atlantic flight.

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