Niramaya Villa, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia

August 2014

The Niramaya Villas are located about 4 km along four mile beach from Port Douglas town.

The luxury villas are spacious and very private. 

With a fully equipped kitchen, its perfect to buy some supplies and just chill by the pool.

The bonus is the pool is heated in the winter months, making a late evening dip very comfortable.

The villas were stunning, well set up with everything you need. But they were out of town if you wanted to be near the action.

Hotels of Sydney

I've been able to stay in some of Sydney's great hotels, so which were my favourites?

Shangri-la, Sydney
My all time favourite, if you get a room with the right view. Located in The Rocks region of Sydney with stunning harbour views.

QT, Sydney
A funky hotel, based in the old Gowings Department store, located opposite Myer and above the State theater.

The Darling, Star, Sydney
Located in the Star Casio, across the harbour from Darling Harbour, its a bit out of the way.

Hilton, Sydney
Located across the road from the Queen Victoria Building and Town Hall Station, the Hilton is a convenient location for staying in Sydney for business or pleasure.

Blue, Woolloomolloo, Sydney
Located in a renovated Wool and Cargo facility on the "quieter" side of Sydney harbour, its a popular place for spotting famous Australians while they lunch.

Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Zimbabwe

October 2013

The Victorian Falls Safari Lodge  is 4 km from the magnificent Victoria Falls, just out of the main town (with free minibus services or a quick cab ride).

The rooms, while older, have been well maintained.

We were lucky to get a room with a balcony with views of the waterhole.

The pool was refreshing after being out and about during the heat of the day and once again had great views of the waterhole.

Each day the vultures came in for feeding and it was quite a sight to see these large birds of prey up close.

Chobe Safari Lodge, Botswana

October 2013

Chobe Safari Lodge is located on the banks of the Chobe River and borders the Chobe National Park. The Lodge is old and overrun by pushy tourists. Having come from Pom Poms which is under the same management we were extremely disappointed. The Lodge comes at a high end price, without being high end.

The rooms are old and tired. The beds were lumpy.

All food is via buffet and repeats itself. The food was poor, but the service friendly.

The pool is located right near the dining area and bar, with great views of the Chobe river and a good place to cool down and watch the sunset.

I would not recommend staying here, you could get much cheaper options, of the same or better quality.

Tlopi Tented Camp, Marakele, South Africa

October 2013

Located in Marakele Nature Reserve in South Africa, Tlopi Tented Camp is a great place to sit back and enjoy it all.

The tents all have self catering facilities, including a BBQ, fridge and table.

The tent has a great balcony with a great view over a waterhole and the mountains.

The beds, while not spectacular are comfortable and better than your standard camp option of sleeping on the floor.

 As mentioned the tents have a great balcony, with great views, the perfect spot to watch animals come down to the waterhole for an evening or morning drink.

Africa On Foot, Greater Kruger, South Africa

October 2013

We selected Africa on Foot purely to have a safari experience out of the truck, and on foot.

Located in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve in the Great Kruger region, Africa on Foot is located within easy flying or driving distance from Johannesburg (we caught a mini-bus).

The "huts" are spacious, with an outdoor shower, which I can see being problematic in winter.

The game walks take place each morning, followed by free time and then an afternoon drive, there is a small pool which we didn't get to use due to cool weather, but would be great in the hot summers.

The common areas are spacious, with lots of room to hang out, and charge stations for your cameras and other electronics.

Meals are also served together, with brunch, a light lunch and dinner being the main attractions.

If you've been on a few safaris and want to do something a bit different, this was a good option. Just be aware that due to weather conditions a walk might be cancelled (wind usually being the issue), but a game drive is then substituted in.

Sheraton On the Park, Sydney, Australia

March 2014

We were lucky to stay here for a work event, and its one of the five star Sydney hotels that we haven't had a chance to stay at.

Sheraton on the Park across from Hyde Park, near the Botanical Gardens, but also has the advantage of being on the doorsteps to the local shopping precinct.

While the bed wasn't as comfortable as I would have liked, the bathrooms were huge with full bath.

W Washington DC

December 2013

We choose the W Washington DC mainly on the location (across the road from the White House and within a short hop to the Mall).

The rooms are nicely set, but tiny. The bathroom is so small the sink is in the main room which is small enough in itself, but redeems itself with the large comfy bed.

The day we arrived was wet and rainy and we were offered hot apple cider, and the lobby area is a nice place to reset, but not what I would call relaxing.

The rooftop bar is raved about online, but I found it over rated. Perhaps in the summer when it's open the view might be better, but everything just looked so small.

Overall this place was great in terms of location and this alone would be enough for me to come back. The service in the hotel was friendly but poor in the roof bar. The rooms were tiny, but tasteful and comfortable and I was glad we got a good rate.

NYLO, Upper West Side, NYC

December 2013/January 2014

We booked the NYLO due to its location to Central Park and our plans for NYE. However once we booked and the more we researched the area the happier we were with our decision.

Located in New York's Upper West Side, NYLO is within walking distance to three subway stations (we found the red #1 on 78th street the most convenient and the closest walk), within close distance to a huge selection of places to eat and stores to window shop in (unfortunately I didn't build more shopping into our schedule).

While we never spent any time in the bar or lobby, it was always busy with people catching up for drinks or relaxing after a day of sightseeing.

We stayed in the the NYLO Superior for 8 nights all up (two lots of 4). Most people seem to complain about the size of the rooms but we found it more than adequate, my only complaint would be the bed was raised off the floor and might be difficult to get into if your short (I'm 5'7 or 170 cm).

Overall we enjoyed our stay here and it was perfect for our needs.

Serengeti Wilderness Camp

October 2013

The Serengeti Wilderness Camp was truly the highlight for us in terms of accommodation in Tanzania. It was small, friendly, with great food and great service.

The tents were comfortable, with each person given 20L of hot water each day for showers.

There was a common area for looking at books or maps as well as having a drink.

 All meals were had in the communal dining tent (lunch could be a boxed lunch and we did one of each during our stay) and we loved that we were able to have dinner with our guide each night.

The food was tasty and we tried to figure out how vegetables could be so fresh being flown in each day.

One of the funniest things on our trip was watching these two each morning looking at the pretty birds in the mirror....