Hyatt House Cypress/Anaheim

The Hyatt House Cypress/Anaheim is a converted Summerfield Suites Hotel.  Compared to the only other Hyatt House that I have been to (in Scottsdale) this is actually a hotel, rather than a motel set-up.

The hotel is on the smaller side, and upon entering the hotel the lobby feels very small and cramped.  While at the front desk, merely turning around gets you to the elevator doors.

Check-in was quick and efficient.  The front desk agent was friendly and cheerful, and clearly explained all Diamond benefits including the welcome amenity, of which I took the extra 500 bonus points, and the breakfast hours.

I was given a room overlooking the courtyard, which I didn’t think was all that great when I first entered the room as I could hear kids screaming down by the pool.  Thankfully this didn’t last too long.

Upon entering the room, the space is open yet welcoming.

Sofa with burnt out light bulb in lamp

Sitting Area

To the right is a sofa, chair and table with flat screen TV.

Kitchenette

Refrigerator

Toaster

Dishes

Dishes

Straight ahead is a kitchenette of sorts with a coffee maker, microwave and small refrigerator.  There are plates and dishes for four people.

Dining Room Table

There is a small dining room table that would have to double as a desk if on a work trip.

One of the lamps had a burnt out light bulb, so the room was rather dark.  Even if working, the entire room was rather dimly lit.

There is a set of double doors that separates the living room from the bedroom which is a great feature for privacy and noise issues.

Bedroom

The bedroom is fairly spacious, although it does feel a bit cramped on the side next to the balcony.  The bed is comfortable, what you would expect at a Hyatt property.

Dresser/TV

There is a small dresser with flat screen TV in the bedroom.

 

Sink

The sink is separated from the rest of the bathroom and offers very little counter space.

Shower/Tub Combo

Toilet

The bathroom itself is somewhat small with a large shower/tub combo, but little room to maneuver otherwise.

Balcony

There is a balcony that runs along the entire length of the room which can be accessed by either the bedroom or living room.  There are two tables, a chair and an ottoman.

Courtyard/Pool

The courtyard overlooks the small swimming pool.

The air conditioning in the room is not that strong which left the room somewhat stuffy throughout the stay.

Breakfast and wifi are complimentary at all Hyatt House properties.  The wifi was fairly quick and reliable.

Breakfast is a madhouse.  The breakfast room is rather small with very limited seating.  There must have been 75 people when I went down there.  There was nowhere to sit and many guests were taking their breakfast back to their room.

Food also ran out quickly but was replaced promptly.  There were scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, congee, fruit, yogurt, cereal, bread, muffins and oatmeal.

Every employee I encountered was friendly.  I would definitely stay here again if the need arose.  There are many restaurant options in the near vicinity, some of which are within a few minutes walk.

Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel, Aliso Viejo, CA

Sitting amid a sprawling business park in south Orange County, the RenaissanceClubSport Aliso Viejo Hotel is quite unusual.  While most hotels have a gym, this is a gym that happens to have a hotel attached to it.

Upon entering the hotel, the lobby is bright and open.  The gym is located to the left, while the hotel is on the right.  There is a restaurant in the middle of the lobby towards the back.

The front desk is located to the right.  There is one small front desk area and if there weren’t a “HOTEL” sign posted one could easily walk right past it.

Upon check-in my Ritz Carlton Platinum Elite status was recognized.  I was given the choice between bonus points or a $10 food/beverage credit and took the points.

I was told that there were no King bed rooms available despite me booking one.  I was asked if it was okay if I would be okay if I was given a double room.  I asked about a possible upgrade to a suite to ensure a king bed was told that the suites were all booked.

Without much choice, I acquiesced with the double room, however when checking the website after getting settled into the room, I noticed that both Junior Suites and Executive Suites were available despite the front desk agent telling me that all of the suites had been booked.

I am not sure why Marriott does not guarantee room type for their Gold and Platinum members like Hyatt does.  These are people staying a minimum of 50 nights per year with the chain and should be rewarded for their loyalty.  Hyatt does guarantee bed type for their Diamond members or an additional 5,000 points are awarded.

Hallway

 Upon exiting the elevator, the hallway is brightly lit and has a nautical type feel.

Welcome Amenity?

Upon entering the room, there is a small shelf holding an apple in a metal tray.  I am not sure what the apple signifies.  Is it meant to be a welcome amenity?  If so, this is a poor showing of the hotel as it was bruised, aging and starting to wrinkle, and well on its way to becoming a shrunken apple head.

The bathroom is located to the left which is quite spacious.

Sink

There is a single sink with adequate counter space.

Aveda Products

There are Aveda bath products.

Towels

There is an open “cabinet” of sort which holds towels, the ice bucket and glasses.

Black Marks on Towels

Housekeeping did not do a good job of looking over the towels before putting it in guest rooms as one of the bath towels had several black streaks on it.

Shower/Tub Combo

There is a shower/tub combo which is on the large side.  Water temperature was great while water pressure left something to be desired.

Closet

There is a fairly small closet that holds 2 bathrobes, an iron and ironing board, and an extra pillow.

Dresser/TV

Entering the bedroom, there is a set of drawers with a flat screen TV.  The style of the dresser reminds me of being in a dorm room however.

Desk

There is the Marriott signature split level desk which I am not a big fan.  Although it theoretically doubles the size of the work space, each desk space is not very wide.

Beds

The beds are very soft and comfortable but appear a bit shorter than your normal bed.  Anybody over 6 feet tall would probably have a hard time lying in bed without their feet hanging over the side.

Chair

There is an oddly placed chair by one of the bed with not much space for sitting.

Hotel guests have access to the 75,000 square foot ClubSport gym.

Gym "Lobby"

Aerobics Room

Upon entering there is a large lobby type area with an aerobics/exercise room, full court basketball court and men’s and women’s locker rooms.

Going upstairs there is a small women’s gym/weight room to the left.  In the main gym area, there is a plethora of cardio machines including treadmills, exercise bikes, elliptical machines and stair climbers.

Gym

Gym

Gym

There are a variety of different weight machines, free weights and plate loaded machines.

Guests also have access to the sauna and there is an outdoor swimming pool. 

Citrus Fresh Grill

Breakfast is served in the Citrus Fresh Grill.

Upon entering the restaurant area there were no employees to be found.  After waiting for several minutes still no employees were in sight.  I went over to the bar area and asked the worker there if somebody was working and he said that it was self-seating.

We sat ourselves and waited, and waited, and waited with no employee to be found.  Several employees finally were seen but they did not acknowledge us, and were walking past our table too quickly in order to try and track them down.

Buffet

Buffet

Frustrated with the situation, we decided to help ourselves with the buffet which was pretty meager.  Hot options include scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and oatmeal.  There is an omelet station as well.

Cold options include cereal, fruit, muffins, bagels and bread, along with yogurt.

After getting our food and starting to eat, several more minutes passed before an employee asked us if we had been helped and if he could get us something to drink.

This had to be one of the worst service experiences I’ve ever had at a Marriott property.

Self-parking is $10 which is sort of inexplicable since there is a huge parking structure right next to the hotel which sits empty during the weekend, and valet is $20.

Given the poor service, and housekeeping oversights I doubt I would come back to this hotel unless absolutely necessary.

The Skyview Bar - Burj Al Arab - Dubai

Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab was the first of the many iconic hotels in Dubai.  With its signature sail like shape and self-imposed “7 Star Hotel” many visitors clamor not only to get into the hotel but to take pictures of it as well.

The only way to get into the hotel is to have a reservation of some sort.  The minimum spend is 260AED per person which is not hard to do since most drinks start at 100 AED.

Let’s make no mistake, this place is outright ridiculously over the top and gaudy.  I mean all staying guests get use of a 24K Gold iPad.

Upon approaching the hotel, a security guard checks his list more closely than Santa Claus during Christmas to make sure you have a reservation.

Maybach

Rolls Royce

Rolls Royce

Rolls Royce & Lamborghini

Lamborghini

Rolls Royce

There is a short driveway from the guard gate to the front of the hotel which was lined with 4 Rolls Royce’s, 2 Lamborghini’s and a Maybach.

Fountain

Fountain

Ceiling

Upon entering the lobby, you feel like you just stepped into the Nutcracker on crack.  Bright, vivid colors are splashed about the entirety of the hotel made more glaring against the stark white background.  There is a dancing fountain that climbs to about 30 feet high.

Taking the escalator to the next floor leads to a small shopping gallery where if you have to ask, “How much?”  you will be scorned at.  People without the AMEX Centurion card need not apply.

There is an isolated elevator to take you up to the Skyview Bar, after checking in with yet another security guard disguised as a hostess.  The elevator whisks you up to the 27^th floor in no time.

Sky View Bar

Palm Jumeirah

The World Islands

Jumeirah Beach Hotel

The Skyview Bar is surrounded in big glass windows to give fantastic views of the Persian Gulf.

Dates with Almonds

Afternoon tea starts with a date with Marcona almonds.  I am not a particular fan of dates so I did not really care for this.

Louis Roederer Champagne

Next comes a glass of Louis Roederer champagne.  It would have been even more special if they poured a glass of LouisRoederer Cristal, sadly this was not the case.

Berry Tart

Next comes a berry tart, which was good albeit a little small.  Along with the champagne, the two acted as a good aperitif.

Roasted Beef with Mashed Potatoes

The next course is roasted beef with mashed potatoes.  The beef was excellent, however the portion size was less than an ounce.  Sorry, no seconds on this course.

Sandwiches

Sail Shaped Serving Plate

Next came a variety of finger sandwiches, including tuna, salmon, a chicken wrap and the classic cream cheese and cucumber.  If you are able to polish off all of these the servers will come around and give you as much as you would like.

Caramel Iced Coffee

At this point, tea orders are taken.  There is also an extensive coffee menu from which to order.  I had the Caramel Iced Coffee and I must say that this is one of the best coffee drinks I’ve had in my life.  In fact, I ended up having three of these.

Pastries

Scones - with and without currants

Pastries

Pastries

Next came some pastries including scones, scones with currants, crème brulee, carrot cake, a brownie, something resembling german chocolate cake, a cream puff on top of a brownie, a chocolate tart and a coffee type pastry. 

Clotted Cream & Preserves

The scones are served with clotted cream, strawberry preserves, apricot preserves and a date preserve.  As with the sandwiches, I am sure they would offer you more pastries if so desired.

Lychee Sorbet

The tea ends with a lychee sorbet with sugared rose petal.

Petit Fours

Each guest is presented with a box of petit fours as a reminder of how much money you’ve spent.

Service was somewhat slow throughout the tea service as every table by the window was taken, as were a number of tables with less desirable views.

Having the opportunity to set foot into the Burj Al Arab is a do it once in your lifetime kind of thing, I don’t see the need to come back again.  I am glad I did experience this once in my life, but unless I hit the lottery I really see no need to come back.