Posted by Nick on March 22, 2010
Later this week I leave for 11 nights in Hawaii. I am going to be island hopping, which means changing hotels. Here are the hotels I will be staying at:
- Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa (Oahu)
- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa (Kauai)
- Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (Oahu)
- Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa (Big Island)
Today, I called each of the hotels above to ask some questions before my arrival. From my first impression today, the people at the Marriotts are much nicer that the people at the Hyatts.
The nicest and most competent person I spoke to was at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa on the Big Island. The most incompetent was at the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa. I’m really hoping that the Kauai hotel thing was just a fluke as I am really looking forward to my stay there.
Right now, the Marriott hotels are winning the Hyatt vs Marriott competition. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for updates and reviews on the Hawaii hotels.
Posted by Nick on October 25, 2009
Yesterday I had the pleasure of driving across the border from Toronto, Canada back into the USA. And when I say “pleasure” what I mean is annoyance. Dealing with US Customs and Borders is always a sour way to end a fun international trip, at least in my opinion.
If you have never driven across the border, here is what you can expect.
As you pull up to present your passport you are photographed from the front and your car is photographed from the back as you drive up. You hand over your passport and they ask questions after they walk to the back of the vehicle to check out your license plate. Yesterday I was asked:
“Citizenship?”
“Where are you coming from?”
“Who’s vehicle is this?”
“Where are you coming from?” (yes, twice)
“What were you doing there?” (my answer: a concert)
“What was the concert?”
“Where are you going?”
I admit I was a bit perplexed by the citizenship question since I had already handed over my American passport. Last time I checked you had to be American to get an American passport. And is it really so hard from the Customs agent to be friendly or even polite! I would definitely settle for polite.
Posted by Nick on October 23, 2009
As a frequent traveler I am always checking rates for a hotel on multiple sites trying to scope out the best possible deal. Today I was interested in booking a room at the Radisson Hotel New London in New London, CT. Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz all had the room priced at $127 and the Radisson site has it at $143. When I pulled up the rates on the Radisson site there was a big image and info about their online rate guarantee. I clicked on it and read how they will match any rate.
So, I made my reservation on the Radisson.com website and then went to file my claim for the lower price match. But guess what - I can’t! Instead, I got a disappointing message:
Please note that you will not be able to submit a claim for reservations that are within 48 hours prior to arrival.
Argh. It would have been nice to have known that from the start. I feel as if I was tricked since the best rate guarantee info was on the rate selection page for a date that is less than 48 hours before arrival. If this sort of trickery is the standard operating procedure for the Radisson hotel chain then this will be my last stay with them as they are not worthy of my money, in my opinion.
Posted by Nick on October 4, 2009
*The following is an opinion-based review*
French toast is not supposed to smell like yellow cake. And Mrs. Butterworth’s is NOT maple syrup !?!
On 10/3/09 I had the misfortune of eating at the Starlite Diner & Lounge in Allentown, PA. In my opinion, horseshit would have been a better meal. The diner has a website at starlitedinerandlounge.com with a menu that I have uploaded myself in the event that they take it down. If you notice on the Breakfast page of the menu you will see “100% Maple Syrup Bottle” listed as an item. Also note that the “Desserts” section states “Baking Done On Premises.”
When I ordered iced tea and discovered it was Nestea from the fountain I should have known what the rest of the meal would be like….
The French Toast came out with Mrs. Butterworth’s. Due to food allergies, I requested the pure maple and was told that Mrs. Butterworth’s was real maple as it is thick syrup. Note: Mrs. Butterworth’s is not maple syrup and does not even have maple syrup or maple flavor listed as an ingredient. The French Toast itself looked nothing like French Toast and smelled like yellow cake. My dining partner and I both took one bite of it as that was all we could stomach. It seems that it may have been made using Egg Beaters, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense since eggs are cheaper than Egg Beaters. Regardless, it was not edible.
A burger was the other menu item that was ordered. It did not resemble the burger on the menu in any way but was edible at least. The fries were a disgrace though. They appeared to have come from one of those $1.00 bags of Wal-Mart brand fries that you get when pay day is too far away. You all know that ones that I am talking about. They taste like shite.
Now, I was not expecting fine dining from this 24 hour diner. I went there expecting an average diner experience. And diners generally do two things well - burgers and breakfast items.
When I got up to the cash register to pay I noticed the desserts behind that case. Remember, these are supposed to be baked on premises. Apparently, “Baking Done On Premises” is diner speak for “Bought at Sam’s or Costco.” In my opinion, it was painfully obvious that the cakes and pies were store bought.
If you are traveling down I-78 East and want to stop at a 24 hour diner, skip the Starlite Diner & Lounge in Allentown, PA and keep driving down I-78 until you get to Clinton, NJ and eat at the Clinton Station Diner at exit #13. You will thank me later.
Posted by Nick on July 22, 2009
R Landry's New Orleans Cafe by Brian P.
If you happen to be hungry in the Fort Smith, Arkansas area you should try R Landry’s New Orleans Cafe. As you can tell from the name, R Landry’s serves up Cajun food. And if you can’t get to New Orleans then this is THE place to go. Their menu is inexpensive, especially when you see the size of the entrees.
When I ate at R Landry’s I had the Creole Chicken, which covered the entire plate. And it came with a salad! I have a healthy appetite but could not finish my meal and took about half of it home with me. I was also saving room for their “world famous” bread pudding. I’m not sure if it’s really world famous or not, but it definitely should be! This is hands-down the BEST dessert I have EVER eaten. And I don’t say that lightly.
They have a tiny stage up at the front of the restaurant and have live music performances. The night I was there no one was performing so I cannot give any opinion on the acoustics.
You can check out some reviews of R Landry’s on Yelp. Or check out their website for menu information and their location.
