QF009 travels the world on a blast from the past: my first DONE4

[Commuter]

The hotel looks very nice and service sounds good. I take it that it's part of the Starwood Preferred Guest scheme?

 

[Keith009]

I take it that it's part of the Starwood Preferred Guest scheme?

It is indeed - under the Royal Meridien flag which is a Starwood brand. I'm presuming Royal Meridien is simply a more upscale sub-brand of Le Meridien.

 

[Commuter]

Thanks for the confirmation QF009. I'd better join the SPG in that case... I have just agreed on a lux trip (just read 'no LCCs involved on this trip, yipee!', not 'first class/business class only, yipee!') to Rome so I am planning on staying at the Royal Meridien.

 

[Keith009]

Rome!!

No amount of words could adequately describe my visit to Rome. Magical would be a severe understatement. The whole place was just literally political history and Shakespeare coming alive all at once.

Alas the coffee and the shopping were disappointing, the former in particular was overrated for me and I still reckon Melbourne coffee is heaps better. The way coffee is done in Rome is a tad too strong for my liking - not nearly enough depth or texture. And no soy nor chai lattes either!!

The nightlife exceeded expectations on the other hand, after all the doom and gloom I'd heard from friends. Parties enjoyed good attendance even on weekdays, even though clubs have a tendency to close as early as 4. And Italians seem pretty upfront about frotting against complete strangers...

Rome was also rather easy to navigate and I'd literally gone everywhere on foot. I'd also become so familiar with the neighbourhood I was staying in that I was giving directions to quite a few tourists by the tail end of my visit.

The Vatican - ok strictly speaking it's in a different political jurisdiction but I'm incorporating it into Rome for simplicity

Fake designer bags being peddled outside the Vatican

 

[Keith009]

St Peter's Basilica
[NB - this is NOT an invitation to commence a debate about the validity of religious beliefs and practices]
Besides politics, my faith is probably the other important aspect of my life. The sense of awe when I walked into the Basilica was so all-consuming, that I could hardly speak. I couldn't help but drop my knees in prayer at the altar of Madonna. I didn't take many pictures in the actual Basilica as it felt so sacred that it'd seem too wrong to do otherwise.

 

[Keith009]

Sistine Chapel
It must be because I don't appreciate art - it all looks the same to me, and so this was more 'Ok that was pretty - what's next?' instead of mind-blowing. I got rather bored quickly and it seemed like there was no end to the passageways and I was actually quite relieved when I found the exit. Still good for the 'been there, done that' factor. The optimum time to visit is a few minutes before the place closes at 6pm, that way you avoid the crowds.

The Pantheon

 

[Keith009]

The Colosseum
The fact that it's still standing today is just totally remarkable!

 

[Keith009]

 

[Keith009]

Palatine Hill/Roman Forum etc
Not that impressive I'm afraid - just a series of ruins. Was pretty cool to see some of the stuff depicted by Shakespeare though and to imagine what it looked like in the good old days, but at the end of the day it really is just a whole lot of messy ruins that I didn't even bother feigning wonderment. I was assured that I was at one point standing on the Chapel St of ancient Rome!

Part of the toilets of an ancient palace

The Forum

Parliament House

 

[Keith009]

Trevi Fountain

You have to throw in a coin into the fountain for good measure to ensure your return to Rome! I donated 20 Australian cents.

 

[Keith009]

Via Veneto

Pretty street with nice coffee shops.

The cute neighbourhood around my hotel

And of course the obligatory Italian pizza...

Next: BA2541/8119 FCO-xLGW-AMS whY (!); Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, a Luxury Collection hotel

 

[serfty]

I think that was "Chicken Biryani".

 

[Keith009]

I think that was "Chicken Biryani".

Awesome - thanks mate!

TR currently on a hiatus until I get my laptop online again; am finding it difficult to use this Spanish keyboard!

 

[Keith009]

Sector – FCO-LGW
Flight number – BA2541
Class – Economy
Seat – 9C
Aircraft – B737-400

Sector – LGW-AMS
Flight number – BA8119
Class – Economy
Seat – 9C
Aircraft B737-400

I had to purchase a few flights separately from the DONE4 as there is only a limit as to the number of segments I have on the DONE4. BA via LGW worked out to be cheapest. It probably was not the most convenient option but still better than the alternatives as it meant I got my AAdvantage miles, as well as lounge access.

I’d performed OLCI and tried printing my BPs before realizing that I do not actually have access to a printer as the hotel one is down. But the system still recognised me as having printed my BPs. As a consequence I was only able to get my FCO-LGW bp issued at FCO, and had to go to the transfer desk at LGW to obtain my LGW-AMS one.

The lounge at FCO offered some nibbles, and a nice selection of wines. Alas they didn’t have free internet terminals so I had to buy a BT openzone voucher to use the wifi.

The flights were your standard intra-Europe flights in Economy. It was all pretty unmemorable, which meant nothing untoward happened. Both flights weren’t full which meant we got empty middle seats. We had a nice sandwich on FCO-LGW, and birdseed on LGW-AMS. BA is serving a very delicious NZ Sauvignon Blanc on its European hops – which I had too much of on both flights, and do highly recommend everyone to check it out onboard their next BA intra-European hop!

Sandwich on FCO-LGW

Birdseed and Sauv Blanc on LGW-AMS

I also found LGW to be a much more pleasant airport to transfer through than LHR. It doesn’t seem as crowded – I was pretty much the only person at flight connections, and so long as you’re flying BA the whole way through there isn’t a need to change terminals as BA is housed entirely in one terminal. There also seemed to be less walking from gate to flight connections, unlike the rabbit warren you have to negotiate at certain LHR terminals. The lounge at LGW also seemed a whole lot quieter.

 

[Keith009]

Hotel Pulitzer Amsterdam, a Luxury Collection hotel
Prinsengracht 315-331

Platinum recognition was quite good at this hotel. I could see that my reservation was upgraded to an ‘executive room’ the night before, which turned out to be a 2 floor mini suite. I was also asked if I wanted late check out without prompting. Went for the 500 points for my Plat amenity again.

The décor of this hotel was pretty strange. I came to Amsterdam to visit the Anne Frank Huis, but I didn’t expect to sleep in its replica. The hotel had pretty quaint looking furniture throughout, and there were odd corridors you had to negotiate to get to your room. As much as I don’t mind looking at museums and theme parks at times, I don’t think I want to stay in them. At least the Hotel Eden felt like a proper luxury hotel.

I got a canal-view room. As mentioned my room was split into 2 floors, with the bed on the upper floor. This was cute at first but after the novelty wore off it got tiresome climbing stairs just to get to bed, which was an especially difficult task after I got home from a rave one morning! I’d considered sleeping on the sofa as I didn’t want to risk falling off the stairs, but didn’t want to wake up with an even worse hangover.

The bed was superb, one of the best I’ve ever slept on and possibly even nicer than some Heavenly and Wonderful Beds! The mattress was SO soft, and the duvet sumptuous. The rest of the furniture was comfy but looked pretty cheap and worn.

There was also a rather cramped bathroom, filled with some pretty coughpy bath amenities. They all smelt odd, and the conditioner was rather watery. I resorted to using my own stuff which I’d brought for emergencies like this.

I had a stropwaffle and a complimentary bottle of water in my room daily. And a card containing info about the next day’s weather and some ‘this day in history’ trivia (seemed like something significant happened historically each day of my stay!), as well as some cough-shaped chocolates (no other way to describe this!!) during turndown.

What was supposed to be an image of the phallic chocolates – see photobucket agrees with me!

The service was pretty good at this hotel. The concierge got me a table at some pretty good restaurants with very little notice. Staff were all extremely efficient and only too eager to help. The hotel also owns a boat (named The Tourist), and organizes private boat tours on it for hotel guests. The tour leaves daily at 1700 and lasts for approximately an hour and 15 minutes – there were only 3 pax on mine (a couple and myself) and so we were able to get a very personalized tour from our excellent guide.

The location of the hotel is very central and within walking distance to everything – the shopping, restaurants, coffee, nightlife, Anne Frank Huis, the red light district etc.

On the whole this hotel’s strengths are its staff, location and that very comfy bed. However the quirky décor, cheap furnishings in general, and poor bath amenities make it feel more like a B+B, and I do not see how it’s a 5 star hotel, let alone ‘luxury.’

Next: Amsterdam; BA8116/2490 AMS-xLGW-BCN whY; Le Meridien Barcelona

 

[Keith009]

Amsterdam!!

Small in size but massive in character, quaint in facade but peppered with chic and trendy establishments, Amsterdam is a city of contrasts. It is picturesque, and a lovely city to walk around in - it just begs to be walked!

The nightlife was fun, a little bit dirty but fun nonetheless. Raves really do go off early and end only when the sun's up.

One of the main highlights for me was the Anne Frank Huis. It was extremely depressing and forced me to cease taking my freedom for granted, but also very inspirational.

Be prepared to bargain a little with taxi drivers here. A fair few do not use meters and simply come up with an extortionate figure.

 

[Keith009]

Private boat cruise organised by the Hotel Pulitzer

Next: BA8116/2490 AMS-xLGW-BCN; Le Meridien Barcelona

 

[Keith009]

Sector - AMS-LGW
Flight number - BA8116
Class - Economy
Seat - 16C
Aircraft - B737-500

Sector - LGW-BCN
Flight number - BA2490
Class - Economy
Seat - 6C
Aircraft - B737-400

I had pretty interesting seat mates for both these flights, which made for pretty stimulating discussions. On AMS-LGW, I was initially unhappy due to being kicked out of my pre-assigned seat by an EQP CHG, but ended up sitting next to a Virgin Atlantic FSM who was flying to London for his safety exams. I had a newfound respect for cabin crew after going cross-eyed over the litany of safety rules they have to familiarise themselves with. On LGW-BCN, I was sitting in front of FTer Baracus; not that he had those loud yellow tags or anything - his knowledge of FF programs, airline tips and tricks, lounges etc simply had FT written all over and I couldn't help but ask whether he knew of FT - turns out he's a member.

Other than that the flights were simply fine - we departed and arrived within 5 minutes of schedule each time. I was glad that I wasn't flying via LHR as virtually all LHR flights from AMS were cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

I was also expecting the worst from the LGW BA mainline crew having had some pretty awful ones in the past and the numerous negative threads on various forums - but the ones I had were friendly, attentive and more than happy to serve extra Sauvignon Blanc when requested. They even had time for 'just one more' on the short AMS-LGW sector. Kudos!

 

[Keith009]

Le Meridien Barcelona
La Rambla 111

This hotel is pretty well-located on La Rambla, a vibrant avenue of shops and restaurants with the beach at one end and lots more shopping at the other. It is within walking distance to some pretty good restaurants, clubs, and one of the major stops for the hop-on/off bus. Taxis are also quite affordable in Barcelona, relative to other European cities - and it only cost me EUR25 for a taxi between the airport and the hotel.

The hotel was in the midst of a refurbishment to turn itself into one of those sexy Art+Tech properties. The lobby was closed for renovation works when I was there, and they had a temporary lobby set up in the restaurant area. I was looking forward to my stay in a trendy hotel room, going by the pics on websites. Unfortunately I failed to get one of those renovated rooms and instead got one with traditional decor - lots of dark wood. As a Platinum I was upgraded to a Prestige Suite on the 6th floor. Unfortunately the hotel was full that day and hence I couldn't switch myself to a renovated room - I seriously would've accepted a downgrade otherwise as the new rooms look so groovy!

The Le Meridien bear (apologising for the renovation works) - whom I meant to adopt but completely forgot about in the midst of packing... oops

I found the furniture most uncomfortable. It was difficult to find a comfy position on the sofa. The bed was also too hard to have a comfy sleep on and I had many a restless night. It didn't help that I'd injured my back earlier in the trip trying to lift my heavy suitcase. I tried asking the front desk whether it's possible to make the bed softer (eg by placing additional coverings on it or anything) but I had quizzical looks - they claimed that it was only possible to make the bed harder, not softer. Eh? Any harder and I might as well be sleeping on the floor!

 

[Keith009]

The bathroom was spacious, with separate bath and showers. The bathroom amenities were the standard Le Meridien ones, which are my favourite (especially the Lime and Basil shower gel thingy!) out of the standard Starwood hotel amenities apart from the W Bliss Lemon and Sage range. Additionally there were some nice Hermes soaps and cologne. Unfortunately it was more style than substance - I had an extremely weak shower which changes temperature drastically without warning.

Service here was generally decent. The concierge was nowhere to be found for the duration of my stay which meant the front desk also doubled up as a concierge. The front desk staff were all very knowledgeable, and mostly friendly even though a particular staff member was just a little bit curt.

Free internet access was provided at the 24/7 business center - something all hotels should do!

The uncomfortable furniture and poor showers were really the main sticking point for me. I think I would've enjoyed my stay more were it not for those negatives. If I do come back to this hotel I think I'd have to phone ahead to make sure I get a renovated room - they seem to have more sumptous beds and great showers according to other reviews I've read.

Next: Barcelona; My European hoppla LX BCN-xZRH-FCO whY, BA FCO-LHR J