By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA Arrival at London Heathrow Our flight landed at London-Heathrow at 6:45 AM and after taxing we deplaned and headed towards immigration. London Heathrow is one of the most confusing airports I have ever been to. The signage in the airport left us confused about where we needed to go to exit and we stood for quite a while in the line for EU passengers until we realized there was a much shorter line for non-EU citizens. The immigration lines at London-Heathrow were very long and once we cleared immigration we searched for a way to our hotel. Once we were able to find the signs for shared rides we headed up an elevator then waited in a long line at another bank of elevators in a parking garage and eventually grew so frustrated by the line that we dragged our bags up several flights of stairs. Once we were finally able to locate the pick-up spot we waited and waited for the Uber to arrive in the terrible traffic. Finally, about 1 hour after deplaning we hopped in an Uber headed to our hotel. I think in the future I will try the Heathrow Express because the process for using Uber at London-Heathrow is a mess. Unfortunately, we waited too long to search for the Heathrow Express tickets and in that time the prices went from £5.50 to £25.00 so we decided to use Uber instead. Location The London Marriott Regent's Park is located in Northwest London about a 40 minute drive from London-Heathrow. The hotel is a six minute walk from the Swiss Cottage Tube station on the Jubilee Line and an easy connection to all the sites in Central London. Also, as the name implies the hotel is walking distance from Regent's Park and nearby the London Zoo. The location is ideal because you can enjoy easy access to the sites in central London in a quiet setting. Check In and Dining The check-in time for the hotel was 3 pm but we arrived around 9 am. As soon as we walked into the hotel we were greeted by friendly agent who offered to take our bags. Despite the dated exterior the hotel had a modern lobby. At the check-in counter we were informed by a friendly check-in agent that our room was not ready yet. The concierge offered to hold our bags while we waited. We agreed and because we were both hungry headed to the hotel's restaurant Carluccio's. Carluccio's is open 7am-11 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 6:30 am-11:00 pm Monday-Friday. The restaurant was very busy but after a short wait we were able to get a seat. The restaurant offered both a buffet and an a la carte breakfast. We decided to order off of the a la carte menu and it did not disappoint. Christina ordered a poached egg with spinach on Italian bread and I ordered a salmon and egg on Italian bread and we were both impressed. The bread was perfectly toasted and the eggs were full and flavor and delicious. Because I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep on our redeye flight I ordered tea and a friendly waitress insisted that I have it with milk which I assumed was the British way to drink tea. However, I found the tea to be too bitter for my taste. Overall, I was very impressed by this meal and it was definitely one of the best breakfasts I have had at a hotel. Room After our meal our room was ready and we headed up to third floor. The hallways of the hotel seemed very dated and in need of renovation. My first impression of the room was positive. The room was small, my understanding is that is normal for European hotel rooms, but the the room had a modern feel. Our room was the smallest room type in the hotel the Deluxe King room and as you enter the room there was a closet, mini-refridgarator, and a safe. Next to the safe was a coffee maker, mugs, glasses, and an ice bucket. At the center of the room was a king bed with a headboard. On either side of the bed were tables each of which had USB chargers! I was excited by the plethora of the USB chargers because this meant we did not need to go out and buy converters (Though this would be an issue in Barcelona). I found the bed too hard but was still able to get two good nights of sleep. One of my favorite features of room was the smart TV. This allowed us to easily connect our Apple devices to the TV to stream music and videos. Another great feature of the room was that it offered a balcony. We did not use the balcony since it was a cold but I could see this being a great feature on warmer days. The bathroom in this hotel room was small and had basic bath amenities. I really enjoyed the strong water pressure from the shower. Amenities The hotel had a fitness club which was complimentary to hotel guests but also offered memberships as part of the Marriott Fitness Club. The Fitness Club featured an indoor pool and a gym. We worked out one morning in the gym and it was nearly empty and had a large selection of cardio equipment and weights. The machines offered access to several television channels on the TV screens at the front of the gym. I also appreciated the view from the gym of the hotel grounds. We did not get a chance to use the pool but I thought it was fairly large indoor pool. Service
The service at the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park was excellent. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted by friendly staff who seemed eager to help. This attitude continued throughout our stay from the very early check-in that was accommodated by the hotel staff to friendly concierge who sent us off with free bottles of water at check-out. The staff at this hotel seemed to really care about service. Take Away The exterior of the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park is not impressive but once you step inside the hotel offers modern touches, a good restaurant, great service, and a convenient location. All of these factors paired with a great price for London ($151 a night) was a perfect match for our stay. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again on our next trip to London.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Winter in New Orleans Trip Report Winter in New Orleans Trip Overview AA E175 Main Cabin Extra DCA-MSY Review AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon/French Quarter Review Active in New Orleans Location MSY airport is located about 15 miles outside of the city of New Orleans and you should expect to pay about $30-35 for the approximately 20 minute Uber/Lyft drive to the city. The AC New Orleans was the first AC Hotel to open in the United States and has 220 rooms across 8 floors. The hotel opened in November 2014 and occupies the historic Cotton Exchange building in New Orleans. The AC brand is a Spanish/Catalan Brand with a large presence in Europe, however, Marriott continues to expand the brand in the United States and this was my first stay at an AC Hotel. The hotel has a great location just a block west of Canal and Bourbon street. We found the location to be ideal because it was in walking distance to many of the major New Orleans attractions and offered access to the nightlife on Bourbon Street/French Quarter without the crowds and noise. Check-In We arrived at our hotel around 2 pm about an hour before the standard check-in time and the front desk attendant informed us that the hotel had limited rooms available. He gave us a choice between two of the worse rooms available at the hotel, an interior room with no windows or a room with a view of a parking garage. Because we wanted to rest before heading out to explore the city we chose the interior room instead of the room with the view of the parking garage or waiting for a better room. As we waited in the lobby we had two sets of bachelorette parties come downstairs into the lobby and the front-desk attendant informed us that hotel was hosting four different bachelorette parties that weekend. However, we were never bothered by any noise during our stay, though I am unsure how much that was a factor of having an interior room. The room was a standard Guest Room with no windows. I was initially impressed with the sleek and modern design of the room which featured modern finishes and recess lighting. On each side of the bed were two standard and two USB plugs which I thought was one of the best features of the room because it allowed us to charge multiple devices at once. This is a feature that I wish more hotels had as a standard offering. The bed was large, soft, and very comfortable. The bathroom featured AC Hotel unbranded toiletries. The bathroom had a glass shower and no tub. The best feature of the bathroom was that it had both a handheld and rainforest shower head both with good water pressure. The room had a mini-fridge which contained two bottles of water that were not complimentary. However, I appreciated the fact that the hotel provided crafts for water next to the ice machines. The biggest problem I had with the room, other than having no windows, was that it lacked a real closet. The “closet’ did not have a door and significant space was taken up by the presence of a safe and a coffee maker. The room also lacked an all off/on switch for the lights and the placement of the light switch on the interior of the bathroom meant that every time you entered the bathroom it was dark and the light streamed into the dark room. Another design feature which could have been improved was the placement of an ottoman below the television. While I appreciated the ability to use the ottoman to put on or take off shoes its placement meant that most times using it you would block a portion of the television.
Service The service at the AC Hotel New Orleans was good and most of the staff were friendly. When we had a leak from the shower the staff sent up a maintenance worker quickly to resolve the issue and when we let the front desk know that our coffee maker wasn’t working they offered Christina a free cup of coffee from the AC Kitchen, though they never replaced the coffee maker. Take Away Overall I enjoyed our stay at the AC Hotel New Orleans. The hotel offers a good location at an affordable price with a friendly staff. However, if I had to stay in New Orleans again I think I would try out another hotel, such as the Q&C Hotel, which I believe offers better standard rooms and amenities at a similar price. We are planning to stay at another AC Hotel in Barcelona, Spain during our upcoming trip in February and it will be interesting to compare the experience of the AC Hotel brand in its home region of Catalonia, Spain. |
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