greenfrog86
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2009
- Posts
- 680
Ok, so here is my first proper trip report on my recent trip to the US.
I want to keep this short and plan to cover the following
To start with my flights were (MEL-SYD-SFO) (ORD-LGA JFK-SFO) (SFO-LAX-MEL) flying QF over there and AA domestically.
I really must say that this is the first time I have had domestic flights to start my trip which I would really recommend for people without lounge membership as it means you only have to arrive at the airport with enough time for the domestic portion (~1 hour) rather than international (~2/3 hours).
Flight over was good and I have noticed that being a Qantas Club member with no FF status does have some benefits - I tend to notice that I'm given reasonably good seats. On the SYD-SFO flight I had two seats between my seat and the next person.
Hotel in San Francisco
Hotel Diva - was located on Geary St which is near Union Sq and I was very happy with this location.
Last time I was in SF I stayed in one of their sister hotels (part of the Personality Hotels chain) and these are reasonably priced hotels that usually don't have much in the way of lobbies or services such as fitness centres however they have quite good rooms.
Would recommend this as a well priced hotel in a good location - its a bit cheeky with its theming (ie they put the diva theme throughout which included cheeky room guides and printed window blinds).
Alcatraz Tour
Buy tickets early!! No chance whatsoever of buying on the day - best to buy a couple of days in advance online.
Tour was ok - If you're into prisons and the like then you'll find it interesting, otherwise you might get bored rather quickly. I can say that the views back towards SF are quite amazing so it could be worthwhile if you have a partner who is interested when you are not...
AA Flight SFO-ORD-LGA
This is where being a Qantas Club member is useful... Members of this forum have called them the AAngels and this is definitely true - I had a seat on an MD80 between the engine and the toilet. Hardly a worse seat in the plane. The woman at the desk just said 'let me check your flights' without me asking and promptly moved me forward 15 rows and put me on the aisle. I feel sorry for the person who got my old seat near the engine... Who am I kidding, I really don't
New York
Hotel 1 - The Pod Hotel
As I haven't been working for that long, am 24 (had my birthday in New York - more on that later) and intended to spend no time at my hotel I wanted a reasonably priced place to store my stuff and grab a few zzz.
This hotel was perfect for that - around 140 per night for a single room that was much like a Dorm room with a shared bathroom.
Perfectly adequate for one person - small desk, TV, wardrobe, sink in the room, AC/Heating...
Across the road from this place is a private park for public use which has lots of trees etc and a man-made waterfall with small tables and chairs. Very relaxing place to escape the sun and enjoy a bagel from the amazing place around the corner (Esser-bagel or something close to this).
Subway station nearby, good location from a 'late night walking alone' perspective, fairly decent french restaurant downstairs and some good Thai places nearby also.
Next hotel was a Kimpton hotel called Ink48 which was in Hell's Kitchen.
Anyone familiar with Kimpton hotels has probably heard good things and I would definitely support this - this hotel was a fantastic way to spend my birthday weekend.
This place is in the middle of nowhere - as far as Manhatten goes it is pretty hard to feel like you are away from the hustle and bustle but you can in this hotel because it is surrounded by car dealerships and industrial areas.
Despite this it is still a pretty good location - you can get great views across the river and a short walk will take you over to 9th Ave where all your conveniences can be found.
The hotel itself has well sized rooms and friendly but not smothering staff. The views from my room were great and the rooftop bar that it is well known for was also nice.
Hotel has a nice restaurant that executes things well without feeling like a hotel restaurant - as a rule I do not eat at hotels as I hate that 'hotel food' feeling.
It should be said that I was in New York to have a good time so was happy that clubs were not too far from my hotel and there were some great food places and small bars nearby also which were perfect for me.
I'm happy to walk when I'm in a city, however if that's not you be warned that the subway is a good four or so blocks away which can be quite a walk if the weather isn't great.
Last Night in San Francisco
As the flight back to Australia from New York is terrible I chose to go back to SF and have my return flight leave there a day later...
Therefore I booked a room at the Intercontinental which was conveniently located and all I wanted at the end of my trip was to relax mostly in my hotel room.
I liked how after booking my room the website asked me if I wanted to upgrade my room on check-in should one be available. I chose yes and ended up in a Junior Suite for an extra $26 on top of my nightly rate.
Room was amazing, staff were great and nothing at all was too much trouble.
Was very happy that this place didn't have the usual 'businessman' feel about it - whilst it was geared for that too it was a very pleasant stay as a vacationer.
Summary
Hope some people might find some recommendations etc useful - I always like to know that people have stayed in a hotel I'm looking at and to see what they like/dislike about places.
Its also been great learning about QF and AA on these forums which has helped me with my travels over this and past trips.
Happy travels everyone!
I want to keep this short and plan to cover the following
- Reviews of the hotels I stayed at
- Review of Alcatraz Tour
- Using an iPhone overseas with a local SIM
- QF Flight and being a Qantas Club member
To start with my flights were (MEL-SYD-SFO) (ORD-LGA JFK-SFO) (SFO-LAX-MEL) flying QF over there and AA domestically.
I really must say that this is the first time I have had domestic flights to start my trip which I would really recommend for people without lounge membership as it means you only have to arrive at the airport with enough time for the domestic portion (~1 hour) rather than international (~2/3 hours).
Flight over was good and I have noticed that being a Qantas Club member with no FF status does have some benefits - I tend to notice that I'm given reasonably good seats. On the SYD-SFO flight I had two seats between my seat and the next person.
Hotel in San Francisco
Hotel Diva - was located on Geary St which is near Union Sq and I was very happy with this location.
Last time I was in SF I stayed in one of their sister hotels (part of the Personality Hotels chain) and these are reasonably priced hotels that usually don't have much in the way of lobbies or services such as fitness centres however they have quite good rooms.
Would recommend this as a well priced hotel in a good location - its a bit cheeky with its theming (ie they put the diva theme throughout which included cheeky room guides and printed window blinds).
Alcatraz Tour
Buy tickets early!! No chance whatsoever of buying on the day - best to buy a couple of days in advance online.
Tour was ok - If you're into prisons and the like then you'll find it interesting, otherwise you might get bored rather quickly. I can say that the views back towards SF are quite amazing so it could be worthwhile if you have a partner who is interested when you are not...
AA Flight SFO-ORD-LGA
This is where being a Qantas Club member is useful... Members of this forum have called them the AAngels and this is definitely true - I had a seat on an MD80 between the engine and the toilet. Hardly a worse seat in the plane. The woman at the desk just said 'let me check your flights' without me asking and promptly moved me forward 15 rows and put me on the aisle. I feel sorry for the person who got my old seat near the engine... Who am I kidding, I really don't
New York
Hotel 1 - The Pod Hotel
As I haven't been working for that long, am 24 (had my birthday in New York - more on that later) and intended to spend no time at my hotel I wanted a reasonably priced place to store my stuff and grab a few zzz.
This hotel was perfect for that - around 140 per night for a single room that was much like a Dorm room with a shared bathroom.
Perfectly adequate for one person - small desk, TV, wardrobe, sink in the room, AC/Heating...
Across the road from this place is a private park for public use which has lots of trees etc and a man-made waterfall with small tables and chairs. Very relaxing place to escape the sun and enjoy a bagel from the amazing place around the corner (Esser-bagel or something close to this).
Subway station nearby, good location from a 'late night walking alone' perspective, fairly decent french restaurant downstairs and some good Thai places nearby also.
Next hotel was a Kimpton hotel called Ink48 which was in Hell's Kitchen.
Anyone familiar with Kimpton hotels has probably heard good things and I would definitely support this - this hotel was a fantastic way to spend my birthday weekend.
This place is in the middle of nowhere - as far as Manhatten goes it is pretty hard to feel like you are away from the hustle and bustle but you can in this hotel because it is surrounded by car dealerships and industrial areas.
Despite this it is still a pretty good location - you can get great views across the river and a short walk will take you over to 9th Ave where all your conveniences can be found.
The hotel itself has well sized rooms and friendly but not smothering staff. The views from my room were great and the rooftop bar that it is well known for was also nice.
Hotel has a nice restaurant that executes things well without feeling like a hotel restaurant - as a rule I do not eat at hotels as I hate that 'hotel food' feeling.
It should be said that I was in New York to have a good time so was happy that clubs were not too far from my hotel and there were some great food places and small bars nearby also which were perfect for me.
I'm happy to walk when I'm in a city, however if that's not you be warned that the subway is a good four or so blocks away which can be quite a walk if the weather isn't great.
Last Night in San Francisco
As the flight back to Australia from New York is terrible I chose to go back to SF and have my return flight leave there a day later...
Therefore I booked a room at the Intercontinental which was conveniently located and all I wanted at the end of my trip was to relax mostly in my hotel room.
I liked how after booking my room the website asked me if I wanted to upgrade my room on check-in should one be available. I chose yes and ended up in a Junior Suite for an extra $26 on top of my nightly rate.
Room was amazing, staff were great and nothing at all was too much trouble.
Was very happy that this place didn't have the usual 'businessman' feel about it - whilst it was geared for that too it was a very pleasant stay as a vacationer.
Summary
Hope some people might find some recommendations etc useful - I always like to know that people have stayed in a hotel I'm looking at and to see what they like/dislike about places.
Its also been great learning about QF and AA on these forums which has helped me with my travels over this and past trips.
Happy travels everyone!
