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The Mystery Traveler
Musings on Travel and Dining
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Park Hyatt Aviara
Entrance |
The
Park Hyatt Aviara located in the northern San Diego town of Carlsbad originally
opened as a Four Seasons Resort. The
hotel got re-branded into a Park Hyatt in 2010.
Although
parts of Carlsbad are on the beach, the Park Hyatt Aviara is located inland in
a residential neighborhood.
A long
driveway leads to the hotel itself.
Lobby |
As you
enter the lobby, which is expansive, the front desk is located to the
left. I arrived at the hotel about 30
minutes before official check-in time and was notified that my room was not
quite ready at that point. Once the
front desk agent had gone over the benefits as a Hyatt Diamond Gold Passport
member I was notified that the room was ready.
Upon
entering the room, the bathroom is located to the right.
Sink |
Le Labo Amenities |
There
is a set of double sinks in reddish marble with ample counter space. Le Labo Bergamote 22 amenities are provided.
Tub |
Shower |
There
is a deep tub, and a separate shower which is on the smaller side.
Toilet |
The
toilet has its own enclosure.
illy Coffee Maker |
In the
hallway, there is an illy coffee maker.
TV |
There is a dresser with a TV.
Bed |
The
décor of the room is sort of outdated, and has a semi-nautical feel to it.
Charging Station |
The
bed is comfortable with plenty of room to maneuver within the room. A standard room is spacious at 540 square
feet.
Desk |
There
is a fairly large glass top desk with two chairs.
Sofa |
There
is a large sofa with coffee table and plenty of magazines.
Closet |
The
closet is spacious and contains robes and slippers.
Lagoon |
Lagoon |
The
property sits on 200 acres with a golf course.
The back of the property overlooks a lagoon.
Hotel Grounds |
Artwork |
Artwork |
Artwork |
There
is also some interesting artwork throughout the grounds of the hotel.
Breakfast
is served in the California Bistro.
There is complimentary coffee and tea in the reception area which is a
nice touch if waiting for a table, or having a cup of coffee to go.
As a
Hyatt Diamond Member access to the breakfast buffet is permitted.
The
buffet is on the smaller side, but the ingredients are fresh and items are of
high quality.
Breakfast Buffet |
Breakfast Buffet |
There
is a cooked to order egg station, eggs benedict, scrambled eggs, potatoes,
cinnamon rolls, bacon, sausage patties and links, and oatmeal as hot options.
Breakfast Buffet |
Breakfast Buffet |
Breakfast Buffet |
Cold
options include fresh fruit, salmon, yogurt, cereal, bread, pastries, meats and
cheeses.
Valet
parking is rather steep at $35, and there are no self-parking options.
I got
a great Elite Rate of $150. If the elite
rate was not available, I probably would have used a Virtuoso agent as the room
would also come with an upgrade, late 4:00 PM check-out, breakfast for two and
a $100 resort credit.
The
Park Hyatt Aviara is nice, but could use an update. As the hotel is somewhat isolated, I would
prefer to stay at some of Hyatt’s other properties in San Diego such as the
Andaz or the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
United Airlines Domestic First Class Food
I
recently had the opportunity to fly four segments in United Airlines Domestic
First Class in my quest to obtain Star Alliance Gold Status via Aegean
Airlines.
Currently,
this status can be achieved in one round trip flight, but that will change
after November 1, 2014 due to the recent changes in the Aegean Miles &
Bonus program.
The
flights I took were Seattle to Houston; Houston to LaGuardia, New York; LaGuardia
to Chicago O’Hare; and Chicago O’Hare to Seattle.
This post
will only focus on the food served in first class.
Pre-Flight Berverage |
Service
on flights began with pre-flight beverage service. I usually order a Diet Coke and water.
The
Seattle to Houston flight was a morning flight which included breakfast
service.
There
was a Greek style yogurt, bowl of fruit, a cinnamon roll and I chose the “cheese”
omelet with sausage.
Breakfast |
Cinnamon Roll |
The
yogurt was good, the fruit fresh although some of the cantaloupe pieces were
under ripe and crunchy. The omelet did
not taste like cheese, the “sausage” patty tasted like Jimmy Dean microwave
sausage, the side dish was a mystery to me.
It contained vegetables, cheese and something gummy and barely edible
held the whole thing together. The
cinnamon roll was warm but tasted undercooked and somewhat raw.
Warm Mixed Nuts |
On the
Houston to LaGuardia flight, which was an afternoon flight and arrived at
night, service started with a small ramekin of warm mixed nuts which was very
good.
Chicken Lunch |
Lunch
came with a salad which was fresh, very wilted canned green beans, a roll,
chicken which wasn’t bone dry but severely lacking in flavor, and ratatouille
that was akin to chunky tomato soup.
Oatmeal Cookie |
Dessert
included a warm oatmeal raisin cookie which was very good.
On the
LaGuardia to Chicago O’Hare flight, this was another morning flight that
included breakfast.
Breakfast Sandwich |
Once
again, there was a cup of Greek yogurt and a bowl of fruit. There was an Egg McMuffin type sandwich whose
cheese had congealed into a small ball on the side of the sandwich. Needless to say the sandwich was barely
edibile.
The
Chicago O’Hare to Seattle flight was an afternoon flight that included lunch.
Steak Sandwich |
There
was a mushroom bisque which was somewhat lacking in flavor, a roll, a steak
sandwich which was tolerable, and a white chocolate cranberry chip cookie.
The
food served in domestic first class is pretty poor in general. I would rate the main courses slightly worse
than what you would get at a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s, Burger King
or Carl’s Jr.
At
least alcohol is complimentary and drinks were refilled fairly often.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center
The
Hilton Seattle Airport and Conference Center provides a free shuttle to the
hotel, which is located approximately 5 minutes away from the airport.
Upon
entering the hotel, there is a large open lobby with a bar and restaurant to
the right.
The
front desk is located to the left.
Complimentary Water |
I was
quickly checked-in and given 2 bottles of water, which is a nice touch.
Lobby |
The
hotel lobby is large and open with a bar and restaurant to the right. The décor is somewhat modern, but that all
begins to change once you start walking to your room.
The
hallways look like a cruise ship from hell.
Everything is rather dated.
Room 2219 |
Upon
entering the room, the bathroom is located to the right.
Sink |
There
is a single sink with limited counter space.
Acrobatic Toilet |
The
toilet is so close to the wall, that one must consider chopping off their leg or be a member of Cirque du Soleil
in order to use it, or sit sideways.
Shower/Tub COmbo |
There
is a shower/tub combo with fairly decent water pressure and excellent
temperature control.
Coffee Maker |
There
is a small dresser that hold the coffee maker.
TV |
There
is another dresser that holds the TV.
Desk |
The
desk is small but functional. More
importantly are the well placed outlets.
Sitting Area |
There
are a pair of sitting chairs with an ottoman that take up quite a bit of space.
Bed |
The
bed is somewhat uncomfortable, but they do provide a plethora of pillows.
Dresser |
The
night stand between the beds also contain outlets, making it easy to charge
your phone, iPad or other gadget.
Since
I was here for a quick overnight stay, the hotel did the job. The hotel is conveniently located next to the
airport, and the shuttle service is prompt.
If
needing to stay close to the airport this is an okay choice, but I’d rather
stay in town if I had the time.
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