Introduction: A Wandering Seoul
SkyTeam Lounge Hong Kong
Korean Air 747-8 Business Class Hong Kong To Seoul (First Class Seat)
Park Hyatt Seoul Park Suite Twin
Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (East)
Korean Air Business Class Lounge Seoul Incheon Terminal 2 (West)
Korean Air 777 Business Class Seoul to Hong Kong

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As I mentioned in my introductory post, I’ve wanted to stay at the Park Hyatt Seoul for years. The last time we came to Seoul we stayed at the Westin Chosun, as the Park Hyatt was quite pricey back at the time. As luck would have it, this time the Park Hyatt was offering suites that were cheaper than booking two standard rooms at another chain hotel. While the hotel website wouldn’t allow us to book a Park Suite for all four of us, upon emailing them they were happy to accommodate, and even said that a rollaway would be free of charge. Sold!

The Park Hyatt Seoul is located in the Gangnam district, which is the financial district of Seoul. While a lot of people work around here, the biggest issue is that none of the city’s busiest areas are around the hotel. Myeongdong, Dongdaemun, Jongno, etc. are where you want to be if you want crazy nightlife, good street food, and lots of cheap, local shopping (they’re famous for a reason), and the area, as the CBD, doesn’t have a lot of that. While the Samseong metro station is right next to the hotel’s entrance, it’s still a 12-14 stop ride away from most of Seoul’s biggest attractions. In terms of shopping malls, a quick walk through Samseong station will bring you to Seoul’s gigantic COEX mall, but it’s more of a high-class, imported-goods mall than a popping local joint. That’s something that’s at least noteworthy, in my opinion.

The hotel has a modern, glass exterior quite fitting with the adjacent office buildings.

Park Hyatt Seoul Exterior

Continue reading “Review: Park Hyatt Seoul Park Suite Twin” →

Introduction: Flying The Nordic Shortcut to Europe
Cathay Pacific 777 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Oriental Residence Bangkok
Finnair A350 Business Class Bangkok to Helsinki
Hilton Helsinki Airport
Finnair A321 Business Class Helsinki to Amsterdam
Hotel Des Indes The Hague
Hotel Le Royal Luxembourg
Sofitel Brussels Le Louise
Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
British Airways Lounge Amsterdam
British Airways A321 Economy Class Amsterdam to London
My Bloomsbury London
Finnair A350 Business Class London to Helsinki
Finnair A350 Business Class Helsinki to Hong Kong

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It took a bit of time to find the Andaz once we arrived in Amsterdam because of some construction that blocked the most direct path to the hotel. The hotel was easily distinguishable by the large Andaz flag outside of it. The hotel is located right next to the Prinsengracht Canal, hence the name.

Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht Entrance 

The hotel is decently located. While it’s a little out of the way and not smack dab in the middle of the Centrum area, Amsterdam is an extremely walkable city and it took us 20 minutes by foot to reach most major tourist attractions from the hotel. The local area also has quite a few excellent restaurants and shops.

Continue reading “Review: Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht” →

Introduction: To Bangkok For The Weekend
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Business Class Lounge Hong Kong
Thai Airways A330 Business Class Hong Kong to Bangkok
Park Hyatt Bangkok
Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Bangkok BKK Concourse D
Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Bangkok
Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Bangkok BKK Concourse E
EVA Air Lounge Bangkok
Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Bangkok BKK Concourse C East
Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge Bangkok BKK Concourse C West
Thai Airways 747 Business Class Bangkok to Hong Kong

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I was so excited to be staying at the Park Hyatt Bangkok. The Park Hyatt Bangkok was originally slated to open in 2014, though their opening was pushed back a couple of years, so they only officially opened in mid-May 2017. I was able to see a couple of photos of the hotel when it first opened, which only added to my excitement of staying at the hotel.

After our Thai Airways flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok, we had arranged our own private transport to the Park Hyatt. The Park Hyatt is located above Central Embassy, one of the newest malls in Bangkok. The mall is big, beautiful and contains everything you would possibly want (from a plethora of shops to many great Thai restaurant options), though everything is quite expensive as well. Nonetheless, the hotel looks beautiful from the outside.

Park Hyatt Bangkok Exterior

Continue reading “Review: Park Hyatt Bangkok Park Twin” →

Introduction
Dragonair 804 A330-300 Hong Kong to Shanghai Pudong Economy Class
Hyatt on the Bund Shanghai
Exploring Shanghai
Dragonair 891 A330-300 Shanghai Pudong to Hong Kong Economy Class

Ranking: Location 5/5 Service 3/5 Modernity 4/5 Little things 3/5 Meals 4/5 Overall 5/5

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Out of our package list, I decided to choose the Hyatt on the Bund. I felt the need to acquaint with the Hyatt brand, both the Grand and the Park Hyatt prices were ridiculous, and the Andaz was sold out.

The Hyatt on the Bund is  a Category 4 property, which means that a standard twin room costs 15,000 Gold Passport points.

Hyatt on the Bund Twin Room Details

With a daily rate of ~HK$1560, obviously cash is the better option, but we were on a package rate anyway, which made the value exceptional.

My stay at the Hyatt on the Bund

While the exterior of most hotels out on the Bund (including the Fairmont and the Waldorf Astoria) are old and classic, the Hyatt on the Bund building is slightly out of the action, and the hotel is housed into two tall, ellipsical, modern buildings, which I was fine with. It’s less than a three minute walk from the hotel to the Bund, so in terms of location I was a happy camper. 🙂

Hyatt on the Bund Shanghai exterior

Continue reading “Review: To Shanghai for Books, Parks and the New Economy – Hyatt on the Bund Shanghai” →