czhang

IMO, none of the above. he's prob still on a leg of the trip...

czhang

okay, its been two months...I think you do have a point there. Wheres the rest?

saracen

Many apologies, I had every intention of finishing this in a few days but then my computer decided to take a vacation of it's own and just stopped working. Anyway bear with me I hope to finish the rest of the trip report this week.

saracen

Shangri-La, Singapore - Deluxe Room, Valley Wing
Mon 12th Feb

A five minute drive and we were pulling up to the front of the Shangri-La Valley Wing. I have heard many good things about this hotel, not least from 77W and was expecting big things. I must say the hotel did not disappoint. A porter opened the doors to the taxi, removed our luggage and led us into the beautiful entrance hall to the reception desk. Check-in was a breeze, and during check-in the receptionist gave us an overview of the facilities available to us. An escort then appeared to take us to our room, again she explained the lobby and location of the breakfast room, pool and where the free wireless internet access was available. She led us to the eighth floor where our room was located and began to give us a tour. The room was beautiful, large bed, not sure of the size but it was bigger than a super kingsize bed. There was also a sofa, chair, desk for writing, this desk also contained personalised stationary and personal business cards and also a fax machine. TV, hi-fi, mini-bar with fridge, wardrobe containing an iron and two bathrobes. The room had tea and coffe making facilites including a china teapot, very elegant affair. Bathroom with two sinks, huge bath with TV screen at one end, and then a toilet and bidet in a further room. There was also a separate shower which was a joy to use. Fresh flowers were also in the bathroom. The view from our eighth floor bedroom was superb, you could see the pool, and the green surrounding hills in the distance. You can also see the other wings, Tower and Garden.

The room also had electric curtains and we took great delight in opening and closing them!!

A call to reception to ask how to connect my iPod to the room stereo resulted in an employee arriving in less than two minutes to provide assistance.

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE - During a chat with one of the butlers on our first night, the subject got on to George Bush's stay there. He mentioned he stayed in the Presidential Suite and that if no-one was staying there the next day we might be able to have a view of it. The next day I enquired whether the Suite was occuppied and asked if it would be possible to have a tour. The receptionist checked and confirmed it was empty today and that she would organise for someone to show me round. Five minutes later the Head Butler (whose name escapes me) came to the lobby to give me a guided tour.

To enter the Presidential suite you need to leave via the main doors as the Suite has it's own entrance. Once in the entrance a swipe of the keycard takes you to the seventeenth floor and the suite. It is truly an amazing space and takes over the whole floor, I can't believe I forget my camera as I didn't think I would get the chance to have a look round, otherwise I would have included some pictures. The suite has a kitchen, huge bedroom, sauna - which has a glass window over the resort but with the touch of a switch the glass becomes smoked for privacy. A living room/dining rooms space, gym, guest bedroom. If you ever visit the hotel ask for a tour. I was told that some residents had redecorated the suite prior to their stay and one even bought their own bed! Another had asked for the gym to be converted into a dressing room. I was told that almost no request is refused for guests in the Presidential Suite.

Now the big question is which is better, Raffles or the Shangri-La? Hmm well the service in Raffles was faultless but the Shangri-La was just better. Maybe it was the free champagne talking... Or the free canapes! Plus due to the location there are a lot of areas in Raffles that have a large number of tourists milling about.


Tuesday 13th Feb
The next day we payed a visit to the Swisshotel Stanford (amazing view over Singapore) in the evening mainly because it has amazing views over the city. While there we bumped into the driver who dropped us off at Raffles, Ron. We told him that we had not been called by the car company and could he give us a number so that we could get in touch with them. We needn't have bothered when we got back to the Shangri-La there was a message waiting for us from the limo company arranging a pickup at 7.05 to take us to the airport. I rang them back and amended the time to 6pm as we wanted to spend a little time in the lounge ^.


Wednesday 14th Feb

At 12pm the limo company rang to reconfirm my 7.05pm booking as they had left a message for me the previous day. I said that I had returned the call and that I would like the pickup to be at 6pm.

At 5.30pm the car arrived, a Mercedes E200 Elegance and the car was the latest model, leather seats, wood panelling - nice. The driver explained that he was early but that there was rush hour traffic and we might want to leave a little earlier. We asked him to wait 15 minutes while we finished our champagne , collected our things and said goodbye to some new found friends who had arrived that day. We were thankful for the drivers thinking as there was an accident on the way to the airport and the traffic was very slow moving most of the way. We arrived shortly after 6.30 and were met at the entrance to the terminal by two Emirates employees, one who greeted us and led us to the First Class Desk and the other who carried our luggage to the terminal, and waited while each was placed on the luggage belt. The escort left us in the capable hands of the agent who was very prompt in checking us in. She gave us lounge invites that contained a map to the lounge and additionally told us how to find it.

Immigration was a breeze and took no time at all. We had a brief look round the terminal which was immaculate and spacious. I can see why this airport wins so many awards, however we personally did not find the shopping very inspiring so decided to head to the lounge.


The Emirates Lounge - SIN

I have been led to believe that this lounge is brand new and it shows. There were a number of signs in the terminal leading to it. And the automatic doors gently glided open to a desk where three dragons (again they were nothing like dragons) greeted us. They explained they would call us when it was time to board the plane but did not give us a tour (). I noticed that later they did give people a tour of the lounge.

The lounge is HUGE and for the most part very empty when we arrived. A case of more staff than passengers but as our departure time approached a few more people started to appear but the lounge was definitely not used to capacity. The lounge I would say was comparable in size to the Heathrow lounge again with a water feature near the entrace, though this was not functioning. A number of plasma screens dotted around and more screens with flight information. The spotless male toilets had two shower cublicles with Molton Brown toiletries, although I noticed no towels but I think that you could ask the staff for these. In fact one of the staff did ask when I enquired about the location of the toilets if I wanted to use the shower facilities. Two drinks stations with permiums spirits and champagne. And one hot food counter and an island that housed salad and deserts. Very nice and very peaceful.

There is a business centre with eight workstations and a printer should you need it.

TOH and I decided to have a little snack and some champagne while waiting for the flight.

To be contined...

smithym

Thanks for the update, been following this since the start. Very inspiring

saracen

EK432 777 SIN-BNE F 2J and 2K
2105 Wed 14th Feb

TOH was getting jittery about missing the flight as the departure infromation was showing Last Call and the dragon had not called us yet, this is despite her earlier assurances that she would call us. Anyway 30 mins before the flight was due to take off we headed for the gate. We had to go through security, which took a matter of seconds, with no removal of shoes! ^ However we then had a wait by the gate with all the other passengers! We managed to find a seat and a few minutes later an announcement was made that boarding would be starting shortly and would proceed by class. They announced that First and Business passengers would start the boarding. First had to board through door A ^ and Business through door B.

First was practically full with only one spare seat but this time I did not do my tour of the plane so cannot comment on the other classes but from the number of people in the lounge I would say there were close to full to. It did not take long before the doors were closed and we were on our way. I looked at my watch and we did not leave dead on time but around 9.15pm. As soon as I sat in my seat I started to fall asleep and TOH woke me to find out if I wanted a preflight drink. I had a glass of champagne (which when I enquired as to the brand was told it was Moet) and started to drift off again. TOH woke me again when the meal service started. I had a few courses and asked for my table to be cleared as I was falling asleep again. For some reason I was very tired and took no pictures of the plane or the food. I guess we'd had a very hectic day in Singapore.


I had the mushroom puffs, prawn yakatori and lamb samosa for my canapes, although I requested orange juice rather than a cocktail. The Smoked Chicken Mousse as my appetizer. I chose the Indo Mie (shrimps, noodles,dried shallots and red chillies in Oriental flavoured chicken broth) for my soup and this proved to be very nice. I asked for one glass of Dom to accompany my main which was the Parpardelle with Porcini Mushroom. When I finished this I asked for my table to be cleared.

Once I had finished I started to drift off and I slept for most of the flight and only woke just in time for the breakfast service. I did not use the AV system so cannot comment but noted a few passengers filling in cards for films.

Points to note on this flight: I was referred to by name for most of the flight although I was not shown to my seat. The food I had was exceptional, again it was served silver service style from a trolley. My glass would have been kept topped up but I said that I only wanted one glass (Dom - and I was shown the bottle before it was poured), my water was topped up a number of times. I noticed during the evening meal a passenger had spilt red wine on his table (not sure if it was his fault or the stewerdess) but two stewerdesses cleared the whole table, and relaid with a new table cloth in a very efficient manner - good service ^.

Now the bad points: The 777 range is very dated, the IFE consists of the old style pop up screens and the seat was not fully lie flat, although I did have a very good sleep, waking just in time for the breakfast service and our decent into Brisbane. Also it is quite apparent that Emirates only have one style of First service materials because the tables clothes were designed for the larger tray tables and the stewardess did apologise for this. On a plus note I understand all these 777 are in the process of being updated.


I simply had some juice, croissants and a muffin. At that time in the morning I did not feel like anything else. Very well presented and good service.

Upon arrival into Brisbane the air bridge was placed at door B so we were not first off board, I don't think the crew were expecting this either as they had to reshuffle past passengers to get to the door. Business class and First left the plane together.

For some reason I always expect that I will get some hassle at immigration but to be honest it was a breeze and the officer was bordering on being friendly. A friend suggested this was because we flew into Brisbane rather than Sydney, although I am not sure how true this would be. Bags were one of the first off, but we had about a five minute wait for the belt to start up. We left arrivals and headed to the car hire place so from leaving the plane took probably less than 30 minutes, which is good given that we had to deal with both quarantine and immigration. We did not arrange a chauffeur transfer in Brisbane as we had hired a car but there were a number of drivers there holding up Emirates cards with passengers name on them. They all looked very smart.

I should mention that during our time in Singapore we also visited the Oriental Hotal (formally the Mandarin Oriental) which has the most amazing atrium, with glass elevators. While there we had a few drinks and the service was faultless. A visit to the Fullerton, great building we had the same great service. It is amazing that these hotels in SIN can give such great service, not sure of the reason why but it is great all the same.

The naked truth

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2005
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2005

2007 and they are still serving a 2005 NZ Sauvignon Blanc???!!!!!!

saracen

Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa, Noosa Heads - One Bedroom Suite
Thursday 15th Feb

After arranging the car hire we left the terminal and headed to the car park to collect our car. Soon we were on a way for the few hours drive to Noosa. On the way we had arranged to visit Australia Zoo, home of Steve Irwin, but the weather was not good, with very bad rain so we decided to carry on to Noosa and visit another day.

On arrival at the hotel we tried to enter the car park, which is beneath the hotel and entered via an automatic shutter. Despite pressing the bell nothing happened and it wasn't until we saw an employee who explained we would need to check-in first. We drove to reception where we were met by a porter and valet driver. They both welcomed us to the Sheraton Noosa and proceeded to remove our bags from the car and direct us to reception. At reception we were told that we were early for checking-in (we arrived around 12pm) and the room we had booked was not available yet as it was still being cleaned. We were given the option of waiting a few hours or paying AUD$50 per night and upgrading to a suite which was available now. The exchange rate is very favourable for us at the moment so we chose to upgrade. The rest of check-in happened smoothly and we were directed to the lift and told how to get to our room.

We are glad we upgraded as the room was very large. By the entry door was a separate w/c and sink. This led to a living room with sofa bed, plasma screen and dining table for six. Within the living room was a small kitchenette space containing fridge, sink, microwave, coffe maker, cutlery, plates and glasses. This kitchen area was screened off from the rest of the living room by shuttered doors. Two walls of this room were covered in floor to ceiling windows. There was also a patio door leading to a large terrace that had a table and chairs, with umbrella and two sun loungers.

Leading off from the living room was the bedroom featuring King size bed and another door to the terrace. This room also had two walls made up of floor to ceiling windows. All in all the suite let in a lot of light. Leading off the bedroom was a small dressing area, with a walk-in wardrobe on one side, containing two bathrobes and a vanity stand with large mirror and chair on the other side. Through this dressing area was located the master bathroom, with w/c, jacuzzi bath, separate shower and twin sinks. The decor was perfectly nice but certainly not a patch on the Shangri-La.

We stayed in Noosa for two nights exploring the local area. It really is a beautiful place with plenty to see and do and some fabulous restaurants. But it was time to move on and we were not even halfway through our trip - next stop the amazing Palazzo Versace.

hoyateach

Enjoying this immensely. Keep it coming!^

Rejuvenated

Great Report! ^

saracen

Palazzo Versace, Main Beach, Gold Coast - Deluxe Suite
Saturday 17th Feb

I was looking forward to the Palazzo Versace (Versace Palace) but I had seen somewhere that it had been described as a beautiful hotel for the beautiful people and that the staff were very aloof. According to a number of sources it is also the most expensive hotel in Australia. As we pulled up in our Toyota Yaris (!) I didn't know what to expect.

OK firstly it is a beautful hotel, wherever you look you see either the Versace Medusa head motif or the Versace scroll or both! And Versace is everywhere. The scroll is on the front courtyard, a huge Medusa head features in the lobby below a stunning chandelier, which was purchased by Gianni Versace from the State Library in Milan. The logos feature on lamps, bedding, cutlery, glasses, bins, pictures, light fittings, ice buckets, note paper, cups... I think that you get the picture. Even the staff are all clothed in Versace. And while I mention the staff they are all extremely good looking - so at least we know where the beautiful people are. Even the housekeeping staff were dressed in Versace (a nice take on the French maids outfit!).

So as we pulled up to the hotel we were greeted by a handsome man in tight black Versace t-shirt, black trousers and Versace belt who welcomed us to the hotel and asked if we were residents. We confirmed this and he offered to park the car (valet parking is complimentary for guests), he popped the boot and started to remove our bags. A second similary dressed man appeared who directed us to the Reception Desk. There was no queue at reception and we were seen by an attractive lady who carried out the formalities with a minimum of fuss and then directed us to our room. On the way she explained various aspects of the hotel, such as the restaurants, gym and pool. Once on our floor I noticed the corridor leading to our room was covered in pictures of famous models, all wearing various Versace designs. We had Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell near our door.

The door of the room opened onto a short hallway, on one side was a door leading to a guest bathroom, on the other side a closet. The hallway led to living room containing a sofa, dining table with four chairs, desk, TV cabinet, coffee table and drinks stand containing a number of miniture drinks, sweets and glasses - the Versace equivalent of a mini-bar. The living room also had a balcony over looking the front of the hotel. Double doors led to a bedroom with king size bed, wardrobe, luggage stand, another TV cabinet and another set of doors leading to a second balcony overlooking the front of the hotel. A further set of double doors opened onto to a bathroom containing a sink, jacuzzi bath, w/c and separate shower. There were some nice toiletries and a free gift of Versace perfume.

Everything carried the Versace logo. In fact I was tempted to "acquire" a few items but there were notices in all three rooms about how the room was furnished with items specially designed for the Palazzo and if customers were interested in any product they were available from the Versace shop within the hotel. Any items missing from the hotel room would be charged to the customer. All the fixtures and fittings were of a very high quality.

After the tour, the receptionist enquired if we would be dining at the hotel, she recommended the seafood buffet and said she would check availability but that it shouldn't be a problem. She would call us in the room as soon as she had received a response. As she was about to leave our luggage arrived and about two minutes later she rang the room and said that a table was available at 8.30pm and would she like us to book it. We confirmed we would.

The buffet was very good and we got talking to our waiter who was very friendly and recommended a few places we might want to spend the night at. So much for the staff being aloof...

The hotel was very nice and the staff we dealt with were all perfectly friendly but I can't help thinking it is a case of style over substance. The glass shower door with Versace logo was nice but did not stop water from entering the bathroom! The toilet door in the main bathroom was smoked glass but see through which might put some people off! The bed was made up with Versace cushions and bolster- impossible to sleep on, they had regular (Versace) pillows in the wardrobe (and a card saying they had eight other types of pillow available!) but why not have those on the bed in the first place. I wasn't disappointed and at least I can say I stayed there. By the way, on checking out we had been charged for drycleaning an article which we had not done, this was removed straight way.

I was also suprised by a lot of the guests who seemed just regular folks on holiday, there were some snooty types but these were definitely in the minority.

As a hotel it is very good, and as a testament to the Versace brand it is amazing, it is definitely a once in a lifetime place. In a nutshell - bling bling!

Next stop Brisbane...

voop

As a proud owner of a Toyota Yaris, I take exception to your use of ampersand in the above -- but am sure that since you arrived in such a wonderful vehicle showing the driver to have excellent taste that you were well treated....

"Because of", you know, not "despite of"

Sounds like a wonderful trip, and as always an entertaining trip-report...looking forward to next installment.