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Tags: Amazing Race / Hotel Packages / St Lucia Hotels / → All Tags
An Adventure a la 'The Amazing Race' at The Landings St. Lucia
Surely you've been following Season 14 of "The Amazing Race." But if your Sunday evenings are spent watching or doing other things, then surely you've been following Jaunted's extensive, detailed and on-the-money coverage of the series, right?
Surely. Then you know that the “pit stop prize” that (spoiler alert!) Margie and Luke snagged on last night's episode of the 'round-the-world competition was a five night vacay at the swanky Landings at St. Lucia.
Lucky them. But you don't have to be an Amazing Race contestant to get the same sort of experience: today, the hotel has introduced the "One Amazing Adventure" package to coincide with the airing of last night's eppy, which offers major savings and cool activities during your stay.
Tags: Macau Hotel Reviews / Amazing Race / → All Tags
Amazing Race Hotel Update: Mandarin Oriental Macau
The Amazing Racers took a trip over to the Las Vegas of the Far East--Macau. As usual, Jaunted has the in-depth wrap-up while we focus on hotels.
Naturally, the big hotel pick for Macau would be the Wynn but we wanted to take a look at what else is going on over there. Surprisingly, there's a lot to choose from--Hyatt, Westin, and even a Holiday Inn. Unfortunately, we've heard a bit of complaints about Macau in general. Namely, that the air is extremely dirty and that it's got a long way to go if it wants to live up Las Vegas standards.
Take for instance the Mandarin Oriental Macau. A few reviewers say it's not the best Mandarin Oriental experience out there but for Macau, it's pretty good.
For the people who expect best of the best service from Mandarin Oriental, they may be disappointed. But for the people who know the average quality of service in Macau hotel, you'd be impressed.
This is my fourth times to stay there for couple days. In-room decoration is very "Mandarin Oriental" style in old days. Size is spacious. The most impressive I found is the cleanness of room. I did not find any stains, smoking smell at the room. Also, it has very good air-cond system. I did not need to adjust it in the mid-night.
I did not find any large groups of tourist at the lobby, it was quite, clean and not crowded.
The downsides seem to be that it's far away from downtown and the taxis are impossible to get. And depending on whether you like to shop or not the hotel's lobby is filled with shops. On the bright side you can probably snag a room here for about $200 USD a night.
[Photo: JuieandNick]
Related Stories:
· Mandarin Oriental Macau reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Amazing Race All-Stars: The Tyrant Makes Charla Jump [Jaunted]
Tags: Malaysia Hotel Reviews / Amazing Race / Hotel WiFi / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags
Amazing Race Hotel Update: Free Internet at the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur
Once again, we check in on the Amazing Racers' latest pit stop. As usual, we leave every detail and ever pregnant pause of Phil's up to our sibling Jaunted while we take a look at which hotel we would choose to stay in at each pit stop.
This week, the crew landed in Malaysia where they could gobble cookies or "apply batik to fabric". We, on the other hand, would rather stop in at the Ritz-Carlton in Kuala Lumpur, mainly because it's a Ritz we can afford. Rooms average about $183 a night and are extremely spacious. You also can order your butler around, relax in the hotel spa, or around the pool, shop at the luxury mall next door and get this, according to one guest surf the internet with the hotel's free broadband internet. We never thought we'd see the day....
Related Stories:
· Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
Tags: Amazing Race / Warsaw Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 11 Hotel Update: Warsaw
Click Here To Go Straight To Chasing Racers Map
Last night's Amazing Race All-Star episode was a two-hour spectacular that we didn't have to sit through. Luckily, our sibling Jaunted did and wrote down everything that happened. (Unfortch, we still have to sit through Tori and Dean's ridiculous reality show)
In the first challenge, the Racers landed in Warsaw, Poland where they had to choose between either "tuning pianos or hauling and x-raying mannequins." (i.e. running out of challenge ideas.)
The hipppest place to stay is probably the Hotel Rialto which is the city's first boutique hotel. But if you're looking for a more mainstream stop to relax (hauling mannequins gets tiring) and a place that has ironing boards, the Westin Warsaw in the city's business district is a reasonable stop.
You'll be able to use your SPG points here, as well as expect all the comforts of a Westin Hotel and you'll even learn about Polish pierogies as part of the hotel's unwind program.
Room rates average around $175 and gets pretty kickass reviews. The one thing it might not be good for is an "amazing honeymoon." Then again, who would go to Warsaw for a honeymoon?
Related Stories:
· Westin Warsaw reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
Tags: Amazing Race / Amazing Race 10 / Barcelona Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: Trying To Liven' Up The Final
As always, Jaunted has the episode recap while we search out a place for our weary Racers to lay their heads.
Usually, as you no doubt know, we skip the hostel thing. Even when a hostel touts itself as a "design" hostel as Hostal Gat Raval in Barcelona does.
However, this season's Amazing Race cast has been a real bore. Seriously, ever since they got rid of the amputee and her creepy boyfriend there has been something missing from Amazing Race 10--excitement.
So we say, throw the remaining three teams in a stripped down "design hostel" in the Raval neighborhood of Barcelona before their final race leg. Why? C'mon, at the end of the day if you strip away the slick website and the artsy front, Hostal Gat Raval is nothing more than a hostel. Which the hot water may be out, the crowd will be on the edge of shady, and after 24 hours at this place the teams could be full of some much needed tension.
Imagine: The 'Bama girls having to mingle in a Barcelona neighborhood that reminds many of Manhattan's East Village. Or Rob and Kim having to function with only a cold shower under their belt. Oh, and finally, don't you think a Bohemian neighborhood like Raval might test the sobriety of Tyler and James. C'mon, you have to admit, making the teams spend a night at a "design hostel" sure would liven' up the final leg.
[Photo: gogoboogiepop]
Tags: Amazing Race / Morocco Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: Rock the Kasbah Ait Ben Moro
So our beloved Amazing Racers left the prostitutes in Kiev, Ukraine for the movie sets of Ouarzazate, Morocco. As always, Jaunted has the episode recap while we search out a place for our weary Racers to lay their heads.
We probably would have picked this hotel based on its name, Kasbah Ait Ben Moro, but its also #1 on TripAdvisor and was written up by Travel + Leisure. Granted, there's only two reviews listed but that's probably good for this part of Morocco.
The room was basic, but spotless, with an extremely comfortable bed and spacious shower/toilet room. Also, contrary to expectation, the electricity was available for 24hrs....The owner and his wife were a lovely couple, pretty sophisticated but extremely welcoming and friendly.
Wow, electricity all day long. How we take that for granted. However, the other review warns you to have an open-mind when visiting this place as its an ancient kasbah with only 16 rooms, basic amenities and no added luxuries. (About $100 gets you both rooms and breakfast and dinner.) And unless you're doing reality show challenges on the Atlas Studios lot, there's not a whole lot to do nearby.
[Photo: Giles1]
Related Stories:
· Kasbah Ait Ben Moro reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
Tags: Amazing Race / Kiev Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: The Patriotic War Memorial and Prostitutes in Kiev
The latest news in this never-ending season, aside from Rosie O'Donnell gifting ousted competitors Dave and Mary a new house and car, is that the competitors finally got out of Finland and headed on to the Patriotic War Memorial in Kiev, Ukraine.
As always, our partner-in-crime Jaunted has the episode recap while we merely pick out a possible hotel to check-out. And on that note, if Rosie were to be so nice to all the Racers, then maybe they could afford to stay in the Premier Palace Hotel which seems to be the premier place to stay in Kiev. A five-star hotel, for the Ukraine that is, the hotel has 289 "contemporary-styled" guest rooms and is located right in the heart of the city.
The hotel surprisingly has some modern amenities including WiFi access, satellite TV (one guest reports there are BBC channels), an electronic lock and lighting system and randomly, but good-to-know, the hotel's 6th floor is specially designed for non-smokers and allergy sufferers. The hotel also has a Fan Fest Sports Bar, open 24 hours a day with four plasma TV screens that show either Ukrainian and UEFA Champions League soccer, boxing, tennis, basketball, hockey and Formula-1 racing.
A more civilized way to take in the city sights? Dining at the hotel's 8th floor Empire restaurant, which has panoramic views of the city.
The only problem with this place to be seems the fact that single women better beware of crashing another lady's "game":
Warning for female business travellers - I was glad to be with a male colleague, but even then it was clear that I was perceived by the "ladies" and their pimp to be invading and having poached a potential punter, notwithstanding my wearing normal business clothing/far more than them. Unsavoury. Would not have wanted to be there alone. But for the prostitution, a lovely hotel, but then everything is relative and I'm not sure you can escape how blatant that is in Kiev.
This sounds just like the Mandalay Bay's prostitution counterpart except a little more vicious. We're guessing the Fan Fest Sports Bar and the hotel's Premier Casino is where they hang the most so females better avoid these places.
[Photo: isukig98]
Related Stories:
· Premier Palace Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
Tags: Amazing Race / Amazing Race 10 / Helsinki Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: Washing Off The Finnish Dirt
What you hear about those Scandinavians is true--they are much larger in person, well, at least their hotel rooms are. Hotel Kämp in the middle of Helsinki has some of the most spacious rooms in the city.
Since the remaining Amazing Race teams spent the day getting dirty in Finland, we think the CBS suits should have put them up for the night at Hotel Kämp, a swank Helsinki hotel. Not only is this hotel in the center of everything, but the hotel also offers a laundry service for in house guests. Very nice.
As far as we know Phil and CBS made the teams continue racing without a night to catch their breath, however, if we were in charge of this little race around the globe, we would let these dirty kids wash up at a five star hotel in the middle of Helsinki. Oh, and the photo you see above? Yes, Hotel Kamp is known to hand out these ducks to guests to use in the bath tub. The monkey mounting the duck in this particular photo is not included with your room, just the duck, as far as we know.
[Photo: acshepard]
Related Stories
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
· Hotel Kamp Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Amazing Race / Hotel Hell / Madagascar Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: The Hilton Madagascar
This week the Amazing Race contestants were sent to Antananarivo, Madagascar. We know what you are thinking cuz we're thinking it too--Isn't that where are all those cute fuzzy animals that were trapped in the Central Park Zoo took a trip to?
But the show wasn't all about traveling to the land of fuzzy cartoon characters. Jaunted has the scoop on the new "Intersection" challenge twist that the producers introduced as a way to spice up a completely boring season. So skip on over there for the episode recap while we detail our hotel pick.
Since those cartoon characters were faced with some shady characters when they arrived in Madagascar (yeah, we watched the movie and yeah, we're lame), we decided we would play it safe and stay at the Hilton Madagascar...or so we thought.
Locataed in Antananarivo, the Hilton was completely refurbished back in 1998 (which is just eight years ago!) and offers 171 rooms to stay in. The place seems like a pretty standard Hilton and the reviews are so-so. Well, actually there's only three reviews but if you got Hilton Honors points to burn (about 20,000), you may as well do it here. Just watch out for the bugs:
Hotel is in a dated skyscarper in dowtown. we stayed on top floor in a superficially looking nice room with king bed. However, as soon as we turned lights on we had roaches crawl over fruit plate that was left for us. The furniture was very dates as well as the interior of entire hotel. The room next to ours had a kicked in door panel. We stayed here with Hilton Honor's Points and cannot imagine paying $200 per night for this place. I was really grossed out. I also felt badly that hotel did not help us negotiate taxi fare with hotel taxis and we were ripped off by taxi driver. the whole atmosphere was just somewhat unsafe and unclean.
Related Stories
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
· Hilton Madagascar reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Amazing Race / Mauritius Hotel Reviws / → All Tags
Amazing Race 10 Hotel Update: Mauritius Pit Stop
Last night the Amazing Racers left the surprisingly hotel-populated Kuwait City for Mauritius where they participate in a bunch of water activities.
After almost everyone picks the Sea challenge which was a treasure hunt by sailing to a nearby island(the other choice Salt involved finding a salt pile on a beach for a clue), the racers head for their pitstop at the Chateau bel Ombre, a former sugar estate.
We'll let Jaunted take care of the nitty-gritty episode details, while we focus on hotel.
As part of The Chateau bel Ombre, the Le Telfair is a luxurious golf, spa and oceanfront resort.
The 158 rooms and suites are accommodated in villas of 6 or 8 rooms. Ideally located between sea and nature, between the golf course and the lagoon, amidst the splendour of tropical gardens, each room offers peace and tranquillity in abundance.
Aside from golf and water activities, this seems like the perfect place to just chill and do nothing. Which is good for the Racers since last night's episode happened to be a non-elimation week (again!) But on the other hand, the rates for this place are about $500 a night--way out of their budget.
Related Stories
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
· Le Telfair reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Amazing Race / Kuwait City Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Amazing Race Hotel Update: Kuwait City
Another Amazing Race episode, another hotel that the racers don't get to stay in.
Last night's show had the group racing from Chennai, India to Kuwait City in Kuwait. The challenges there involve a special type of wall-climbing that serves as a fast-forward, meaning whoever wins it gets to go straight to the final pit stop.
This is won by Dave and Mary who go straight to first place and get to skip the next challenge, loading camel feed or racing a camel with a robotic jockey. We know. This show is totally running out of good challenge ideas.
In the end, Peter the scary Joe Simpson look alike and his girlfriend Sarah are eliminated. Also eliminated? Their relationship which they realize is better as a friendship. See? There can be some good to going on reality TV show.
Anyhow, we checked in on Kuwait City and while it's no Dubai we did find a pretty broad selection of hotels from a Crowne Plaza to a Luxury Collection and Four Points by Starwood to a JW Marriott. There's even two Holiday Inns in Kuwait City.
What's voted the most popular on TripAdvisor is the Courtyard Kuwait, a business traveler's hotel, where rooms are on average above $200 but the place has central location, clean rooms, helpful staff and a four-star rating.
Sometimes, it actually pays to watch reality TV. Otherwise, we may never haved looked at Kuwait City hotels. Now, if only "The Bachelor" were more educational....
Get the full episode recap and the amazing Amazing Racers map at Jaunted.
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· Courtyard Kuwait reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Chasing Racers: The TAR map [Jaunted]
Tags: Amazing Race / India Hotel Reviews / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
Amazing Race Hotel Update: Chilling in Chennai
So far this season on Amazing Race, the racers haven't had much time to rest or to luxuriate in any hotels in Asia. Or at least not on-camera.
Last night, the troupe left Vietnam and took off for Chennai, India where their challenge is either to copy a pattern with colored powder made from rice or wrangling a crocodile with the help of some locals.
As usual with these challenges, one is extremely harder than the other but it ain't the croc wresling.The episode ends a little anti-climatically when host Phil tells last-place couple Dave and Mary that this wasn't an elimination round. This just means they will probably get eliminated in the next round.
But onto the hotel scene. We're not even sure we know where Chennai is in India but they do have a Hilton. In fact, the Trident Hilton Chennai is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor as most popular hotel. There's only six reviews but this place has some of the best reviews we've seen about a Hilton practically ever.
Room seemed freshly renovated, with blonde Pergo flooring and newer furniture. Bathroom was older style, but well maintained and with a good supply of large towels. Bed was very comfortable, offering soft sheets and lots of pillows. TV offered several channels (including: CNN, HBO, BBC et al). Most importantly, air conditioning and hot water supply is in perfect working order.
That last bit is some good news because don't you want a hot shower after you hot date with the croc?
For you SPGers, there's also the ITC Hotel Park Sheraton and Towers in town.
Skip on over to Jaunted for the full episode recap.
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· Trident Hilton reviews [TripAdvisor]
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