Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bratislava

DoubleTree by Hilton Bratislava reception

Date of stay: September 3-4, 2017
Address: 27/A Trnavská cesta, Bratislava, 831 04, Slovakia
Nightly Rate: 10,000 Hilton Honors Points
Room: Twin Deluxe Room
Highest floor: 8th floor
Number of Rooms: 120 rooms
How to get here: From the city center, you can take bus 39 or if you prefer to take a taxi, it's about 7 Euros

Top Attractions in Slovenia

Tourists and locals alike enjoying the stand-up paddle boarding 😍

First visit: August 2017
Photography: Arthur Jeciel & Michael Pannagel

Last month, Mike and I were in Vienna for two weeks and decided we'd make a side trip to Ljubljana. We stayed one night at the centrally located Best Western Premier Hotel Slon and needless to say, we enjoyed our time here. I didn't expect much from this trip but surprisingly (or maybe not) it turned out as one of the best short trips Mike and I have done. The city, eventhough small was full of life: with lots of al fresco restaurants, shops, things to do and see, etc. In case you are planning to visit Ljubljana in the future, here are some of my travel tips.

Review: Best Western Premier Hotel Slon

Best Western Premier Hotel Slon lobby

Date of stay: August 29-30, 2017
Address: Slovenska Cesta 34, Ljubljana, Osrednjeslovenska, 1000 Slovenia
Nightly Rate: € 156.75 with breakfast
Room: Comfort Room, Two Single Beds
Room Area: 25 sq. m.
Highest floor: 6th floor
Number of rooms: 170 rooms
How to get here: The hotel is only a few minutes walk from the bus station.

Taking Advantage of Free City Tours During Your Layover

Over the years, I've taken advantage of free city tours in cities like Singapore, Seoul and Istanbul during my layover. Instead of waiting inside the airport, I'd rather go out and have a tour of the city I'm transitting in, which is definitely more fun especially when I'm traveling alone. Qatar Airways used to offer this as well a few years ago (for their passengers transitting in Doha) although I was not able to take advantage of it. In case you are transitting in one of these airports and your layover is long enough, I'd recommend taking advantage of these tours: they are free and enjoyable 😍

City Sights Tour
Changi Airport, Singapore

Merlion and the Marina Bay Sands

Review: Air China B777 First Class, Beijing to London

Air China Boeing 777 first class cabin

Originally posted: April 6, 2014

Flight: CA 937
Departure time in Beijing (PEK): 12:55
Arrival time in London (LHR): 15:55
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300
Seat: 1L
Duration: 11h
Date of flight: March 14, 2014
*This is an award travel, First Class flight #16

Top Attractions in Hong Kong

Me with Bruce Lee at the Avenue of Stars in 2013

First visit: January 2009

Photography: Arthur Jeciel & Michael Pannagel

In 2009, I visited Hong Kong for the first time and although it was with the Singelresor group (where we visited Victoria Peak and Golden Bauhinia Square among others) I felt I needed to come back and rediscover it once more, this time without any guide. And so in May 2013, Mike and I were back to this bustling city rich with Asian culture and western influence.

Top Attractions in Turkey

Selfie with the Dolmahbace Mosque in 2016

First Visit: November 2013
Photography: Arthur Jeciel

In November 2013, I was able to visit Istanbul for the first time thus making Turkey my thirty-eighth visited country 😉 It was a very short visit to the beautiful city of Istanbul together with the Singelresor group but nonetheless very fruitful as we were able to make the most of our stay. In case you are visiting Istanbul in the future, here are some of my travel tips:

Top Attractions in Taiwan

Me visiting TAIPEI 101 

First visit: March 2014
Photography: Arthur Jeciel & Michael Pannagel