To our great delight, King 13 B&B turned out to be a lovely surprise. We were more than satisfied with our stay there.

The building itself is an odd shape, but the rooms and dining area are tastefully decorated, and the effort that has gone into making the exterior beautiful did not go unnoticed. We really liked the multi-frame windows and the beautiful fish pond outside the B&B. The dining area is very inviting and was softly lit in the evening with music and a house barista/bartender on call. Several guests were seated downstairs enjoying the free wi-fi when we walked in.

Our rooms were located on the top floor and to get to them we had to ride a two-man elevator that was slower than the hills. Seriously, I was able to walk up five flights of stairs before the elevator arrived and I did it without breaking a sweat. And I don’t do stairs! Still, the elevator and charm lent a certain charm to the experience and we didn’t mind the walk-up.

Elevator aside, once we got in our rooms I think we were all happy to close the doors and relax. John and I had the VIP Queen Room on the top floor, which included a soft, comfortable bed, a red velvet couch, French wall paper, a full bathroom and a giant TV with English movie channels. Simply put, it was a great room! My parents had the room next to us and they had just as much space with a bathroom half the size of ours.

Breakfast was a simple affair: toast, fruit, corn soup and coffee in the dining area on the first floor. The swank little night time chill out zone that we had walked through the night before had been transformed into a sunny front parlor with long, velvet curtains, a beautiful little chandelier and some truly terrific pop culture memorabilia to give the room a kitschy feel to it.

Staying at King B&B was a really nice experience and it has moved to the top of my list for Hualien hotels. Book it on Agoda, and you can nab a comfty room for yourself for between $52 and $65USD per night.

King 13 B&B, Hualien, Taiwan

Hualien Hotels – King 13 B&B, Hualien, Taiwan is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

The public pools at Calla Hot Spring Resort

Calla Young Garden Resort on Yangming Mountain in Linkou, Taipei County offers a healing sanctuary  and an opportunity to connect with nature in its beautiful outdoor hot springs. Set amongst lush mountain scenery, this is the perfect place to relax and bask in the heated, healing waters of Yangming Mountain.

Calla Young Garden Resort offers stunning private hot spring rooms, as well as public outdoor bathing pools. Private rooms run from NT$3500 to NT$13,000, and range in size from tastefully designed single rooms for two to luxurious rooms for families. All of the rooms have a hot spring tub situated in front of a giant glass window for guests to enjoy the beautiful view of the mountain scenery.

You also have the option of spending a day resting in the public bathing pools for NT$800. That prices includes a tasty spread of Taiwanese dishes after your soak is through.

• No 33-3, Ling-Kou, Chung-Ho Village, Jin Shan, Taipei, Taiwan
• 02-24080001
• Good For: Walk-ins, local cuisine and outdoor seating

Calla Young Garden Resort, Northern Taiwan is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

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Goldfish Flickr Photo by thephantomlio

Imagine checking in at the airport and handing over your pet goldfish for safekeeping to the check-in clerk. The world’s first goldfish hotel at the Amsterdam Schiphol airport is raising eyebrows and garnering awards for being one of the most unusual pet hotels in the world. Travelers who worry about where to take their pets when they go on holiday can now rest assured that their fishy friends will be well looked after in the world’s first goldfish hotel. The hotel, which houses 80 permanent residents, is a large aquarium including a tennis court  and a pool with a slide. Passengers will be able to view the hotels 80 residents while in transit through Schiphol Airport.

The fish-sitting service, which was opened by Olympic long-distance swimming champion Maarten van der Weijden, is part of an advertising campaign for a Dutch travel agent called “D-Travel”. Passengers who booked their trip through them can put their fish up in the hotel for free. Each goldfish receives it’s own private suite so that it doesn’t get mixed up with other guests. Furthermore, the hotel will provide another fish to take home if a pet fish happens to pass away while the owners are away.

The Goldfish Hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

My husband and I booked our room at the Seoul COEX Intercontinental Hotel, South Korea on points that we accumulated on a recent trip to China. I have mixed feelings about the Intercontinental. If you’re looking for a swanky hotel that will cater to your every need in style and include all the modern conveniences you could ever need, than the Seoul COEX Intercontinental is your hotel.

The COEX is part of the World Trade Center Seoul, so you can expect well appointed rooms, impeccable groundskeeping and a polished interior. The lobby is decorated in rich brown and purple tones with giant velvet art-deco sofas in and giant bowed hanging lamps that cast a luminous light on each little nook; it’s an inviting space that naturally welcomes a person to sit and relax. I tested it out one evening when I nabbed one of those sofas to myself and curled up with Kindle, and it was just as relaxing as I thought it would be. A short walk away, guests have access to the COEX Mall, which boasts more than 200 shops, dozens of eateries, an aquarium, and a 16-screen theatre. You could spend an entire weekend completely entertained at the COEX Intercontinental and never find an excuse to leave if you so choose.

On the other hand, there were a number of things that came up during our stay there that were rather surprising to us, especially since the Seoul COEX Intercontinental Hotel, South Korea is supposed to be one of the top hotels in Seoul.

For one, there was a lot of drilling going on in our section of the hotel as well. The noise was certainly noticeable, and neither my husband or I could stand the idea of paying a couple hundred dollars a night for a room and being expected to deal with construction noise. Had I been a paying customer, I would’ve been furious.

Our room was much smaller than we expected, but then again, we live in Asia and we should know that a large hotel room is somewhat of a rarity in cities like Taipei, Japan and Seoul. The hotel bathroom products also weren’t anything special, and I hate to admit that this is something that I take into consideration when I’m staying at a fancy hotel. I tend to remember the hotels that offer nice bath products like L’Occitane and Aveda, especially if I get to take home samples!

We thought the food in the executive lounge lacked flavor and variety, and we were not the only guests who noticed this. The couple sitting next to us one evening complained about the tough, chewy bread that had been served to us. Management dealt with the complaints effectively and brought in fresh bread, but the fact that they had served stale food certainly was a real let-down.

What really upset me about the COEX, however, was their policy on covering tattoos within the gym and pool facilities. No exceptions were made for anyone with a tattoo, although the hotel does provide a cover-up sticker. We weren’t given this information at the time of our booking, nor did we see it on anywhere on the website or on our hotel documentation. I’ve never even stayed at a hotel that requires guests to cover their tattoos, and at first I thought it was some weird Korean law, but I looked and it isn’t. It’s a private rule enforced by the hotel, but to what end, I have no idea. What I do know is that had we known this before we booked our room, we wouldn’t have opted to stay there as John and I are both big fans of hotel spa facilities.

So, we’re back to a rating again, and I’m going to give the COEX a 6 out of 10 for a luxury hotel. It loses big points for being overly expensive. I didn’t feel like the hotel lived up to its price tag and I wouldn’t stay there again.

Seoul COEX Intercontinental Hotel, South Korea is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

I recently had the opportunity to travel Sandbanks, a small piece of land that projects out into the English Channel at Poole in Dorset, England. Dubbed as Britain’s “Palm Beach”, this beautiful piece of land is ranked fourth in the world for having the highest land value. The area has some of the most exclusive homesteads in England, while its waters are widely used for water sports, yachting and sailing.

Sandbanks has three hotels, one of which is the Haven Hotel, constructed in 1887. The Haven was built on the site of another hotel called the North Haven Inn. It was the first hotel to be built in the Sandbanks in 1838. It is historically important for being the first hotel to have a wireless transmitter in 1899. Guglielmo Marconi carried out some of his first wireless telegraphy experiments from the Haven, and today, the hotel pays homage to Marconi with its Marconi Lounge, in which photographs and information on these experiments is on display. The Haven was purchased in 1976 by the hotel chain FJB Hotels.

The hotel reminded me of an old-style resort hotel with beautiful furnishings and decor. I thought the history behind the hotel lent it a certain ambience that could not be missed, but having stayed there once, I wouldn’t recommend staying there again.

The room price far exceeds the services that we received there. We had booked a room with two twin beds and when we arrived, we realized that we would have to move the furniture around on our own. The shower in our room didn’t work properly and despite our complaints, it was never fixed and we had cold showers for most of the weekend. The hotel obviously uses its name and place in history to charge outrageous sums of money for meals and snacks. I was quite surprised to see that La Roche restaurant is a critically acclaimed restaurant with two AA red Rosettesa for the sixteenth year in succession. I think the restaurant depends a bit too much on those awards speaking for themselves, as I found the food overpriced and not particularly tasty. Nevertheless, the location is stunning and the beautiful daytime and evening views certainly helped to take the edge off of my disappointment over the quality of the food.

All in all, I would not stay here again. At $160GBP ($252USD) per night, I would rather spend my money elsewhere.

The Haven Hotel, Sandbanks at Poole in Dorset, England is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

In 2004, the Hotelstars Union, which was established in Europe,  took a step forward in revolutionizing the way hotels are classified throughout Europe and the surrounding area. Today, over a dozen countries in Europe have standardized their criteria for hotel ratings and by mid-2012, the concept will be applied in countries all over Europe.

The following info graphic was developed to show you all of the facilities and services that hotels must provide based on their star rating. Viewers can use this tool to help make decisions about the hotel choices.

How the Hotel Stars Ratings Works by Easytobook.com

How Do Hotel Star Ratings Work? is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

The Cargese Resort

Located on the west coast of Corsica, the Cargese Resort of France offers stunning views Gulf of Sagone and of Chiumi beach. This resort offers bungalow styled accommodations that are spread over the resort’s 32 acres. Cargese is a nature lover’s dream as the grounds are teeming with wildlife, and offers a variety of outdoor activities that can be great for both children and adults. The resort’s close proximity to the Mediterranean also allows for it to deliver a great selection of seafood daily.

Club Med Village of Beldi

The Beldi Resort of Turkey is located along the Mediterranean coastline just south of the Taurus Mountains which are inundated with various ancient ruins. The resort is also a part of the Turkish Riviera, an area in which both history and mythology are fused as one. At the Beldi resort, guests can either choose to stroll through one of the hotel’s many parks, groves, and gardens, or choose to embark on an adventure to the markets of ancient ruins.

The Resort of Napitia

Located just outside of the hustle and bustle normally associated with Italy’s cities is the resort Napitia. Napitia is located in the south of Italy, and the Club Med resort is situated on a clabria beach which produces the calming smells of eucalyptus and pine. This resort is a particularly good choice for families as it allows them access to some of Italy’s best historic destinations while also providing all the comforts and activities normally associated with a all-inclusive resort.

If you are looking to book a vacation in Europe this year, but want all of the comforts and ease of an all-inclusive resort, consider booking your vacation at one of the resorts listed above. Europe is a great place to visit, but many find the tight rooms and noisy cities to be too much. With an all-inclusive resort you are able to enjoy both large and spacious accommodations while also frequenting any point of interest the country you are staying in has to offer.

Incredible All-Inclusive Resorts in Europe is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

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Galactic Suite Space Resort, Barcelona, Spain

Claramunt expects other space hotels to follow. As such, he has established the world’s largest chain of space resorts, Galactic Suite Limited (GSL). The cost for a three-night stay at Galactic Suite is steep at €3 million per person. Despite the cost, the hotel has seen a total of 38 bookings made since January 2008, with the majority of reservations coming from the United States. The three-bedroom suite will comprise of four modules that connect to a central enclosed area. Each module will have a window that slides back for a view of Earth. Each room is 7 meters in length and 4 meters in height, with protuberances that will allow guests to attach themselves when they are eating, viewing or sleeping. Specialized Velcro suits are provided to guests to allow them to stick to the walls to avoid the feeling of weightlessness.

The world’s first outer space spa will also be introduced at Galactic Suite, featuring a zero gravity spherical container with a water bubble of 201. Guests can ‘play’ with the water bubble, dividing it into an infinite number of separate bubbles in a weightless environment.

The project, in addition to its orbiting hotel, will also include a spaceport on an island in the Caribbean. The facility be provide astronaut training to passengers lasting 18 weeks. During training, guests will be allowed to bring their families to the spaceport to relax in the lush tropical accommodations in the days leading up to departure.

Unusual Hotels: Galactic Suite Space Resort in Barcelona, Spain is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

It’s 9am and there are men hanging on ropes outside our bedroom window peering in at us while we sleep. They’re just window washers, but it would’ve been nice if someone from the Novotel Hotel in Kota Kinabalu had let us know they were dropping by. I would’ve put on my pretty nightgown or gotten dressed at least!

John and I are all about backpacking, but we also enjoy staying at nice hotels when we can afford it. This trip to Kota Kinabalu was a short trip, so we decided to live it up a little and stay somewhere nice for a day or two before we set off on our sea and jungle adventures. With that said, we were still looking to save a little money and that is why we chose to stay at the Novotel. It was one of the few nice hotels in Kota Kinabalu that didn’t have construction going on (or so we were told), they offered a free tour, free breakfast, free Internet and an additional free night. We had never stayed at a Novotel before, but after our first night in Kota Kinabalu, we are pretty sure that we won’t ever stay at a Novotel property ever again.

Here are a few other things that left us feeling cold about our stay at the Novotel:

*No one told us that there would be people hanging outside our windows at 9am in the morning.

*No one told us there was construction going on near the swimming pool.

*Our bathtub was streaked in grime and didn’t drain properly. I ended standing in eight inches of water for my shower.

*The food was terrible. The hotel buffet breakfast was cold: sausages, potatoes, and eggs were all slick with cold congealed grease. When John asked the chef for a fresh omelet, the chef pointed to a lone congealed omelet on a plate and said, “Help yourself!”

*No one could be bothered to give us any information on car rental agencies in the area. We stopped by three times to speak with someone and were finally told that we should just book online. What’s the point of having a concierge if you’re going to tell your guests to do it themselves? (At Le Meridien, someone helped us rent a car within ten minutes of our arrival.)

*One of the perks of this package was supposed to be a wildlife tour. We were picked up at the airport by the hotel tour guide, and he seemed really nice and resourceful. He handed us a brochure and told us to pick our tour. We started getting a little excited to see our choices, and I commented that the tour more than made up for the price of a $80 USD room. Alas, when we got to the hotel, we were told that we would be picked up the following day at 9:20am. We asked where we were going and they told us our tour was a trip to the zoo! We asked the clerk to take us off the tour list as we weren’t interested in going to the zoo. It wasn’t a big deal and we weren’t disappointed until we received several phone calls the next morning urging us to hurry up and get downstairs as the bus was going to leave without us! That’s when we noticed the men washing our windows and having a good old gander at me in my undies. Lovely.

Workmen's Ropes Outside our Window

After our first night there, John and I talked about staying on for the additional three nights. We decided we wanted to cut our losses and move on. We explained our disappointment about the room and the services, and told them that we didn’t want an upgrade, we just wanted a refund on our credit card so that we could move on.

The management asked us to stay for an extra half hour while they investigated the problems. We ended up going back twice to find out if they could refund our credit card for the remainder of our stay. That half hour stretched into an hour, and by that time, we were absolutely furious that we had already wasted half of day of our vacation dealing with hotel issues. The manager offered us a room upgrade and we figured we could spend the rest of the afternoon having a few drinks and lazing around by the pool for a few hours. That idea went kaputch when we got to the swimming pool and found out that not only is it under construction, but a family that was having lunch in the shade had also reserved all the sunbeds. There was nowhere for us to sit, the pool staff told us we should have reserved two seats, and that’s when we decided to cut our losses and get the hell out of Dodge, so to speak.

We both found it really ironic that Novotel is in the same price range as Le Meridien and the Hyatt. The attention to detail and the level of service that we received at Le Meridien (our next destination) doesn’t even compare to the Novotel. In fact, if I had to compare the two, then I say that Novotel had no guest service to speak of.

Despite how awful our first night was at the Novotel, we still ended up paying full price for our first night there. The way we were treated at Novotel made me angry enough to write to their headquarters. When we heard back from them, they literally had an excuse for every complaint we had.

Well, they say first impressions make a lasting impression. I can say with 100% certainty that we will never ever stay at the Novotel ever again.

Novotel, Kota Kinabalu, Borneo Malaysia is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here

We have no complaints with our stay at the Sunshine Inn. We were in Smithers for a wedding and stayed at the Sunshine Inn for three days. When we first booked with the Inn, we thought the $120 price per night was really expensive for what we got. We still feel that we overpaid, but the truth is that all hotel and motel options in Western Canada are ridiculously overpriced.

Despite the price, we were quite happy with our room. It was clean and comfortable, with every convenience thoughtfully included. We enjoyed a free Continental breakfast each morning, we had a stunning view of the mountain, free high-speed Internet, free parking, and complimentary tickets to the town community center that included full gym services and a swimming pool.

The thing we liked best about the hotel, though, is the third-floor observatory deck. We ended up saving money by purchasing food at the local grocery store and grilling every evening, and since all the guests in the hotel were there for the wedding, we had two terrific evenings drinking beer on the deck and chatting the night away.  The management staff were super nice. They even dragged out some patio lights for us as the night closed in.

The terrific service, friendly staff, and attention to detail more than made up for the price. We definitely recommend staying at the Sunshine Inn, and we give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10.

Sunshine Inn, Smithers, British Columbia is a post from: Lay Your Head Here

© 2009-2010 Lay Your Head Here