quitecontrary

We're half way through an 8 week trip in Brazil and Argentina and really haven't had any issues travelling although we only had one domestic flight in Brazil and we're not US citizens - we did find that English isn't widely spoken but we've managed to get by even though we only know a couple of words of Portuguese or Spanish - most places on the beaten track will have someone who speaks English and here in Argentina - they are usually very fluent.

We only had 2 days in Buenos Aires so far so haven't encountered any strikes or demonstrations - nothing in Patagonia or so far in Mendoza.

And we've opted for the Alvear Palace at the end of our stay here in Argentina before going back to Brazil - it does look a little ornate I agree but I'm hoping the rooms and the service will be good.

Aventine

Pack nausea and upset stomach meds. Other than that - absolutely stunning.

CezaraW

My next item on the wishlist is Venice but for such a small place, I'm having trouble choosing the best location. JW Marriott with its little island oasis looks really tempting but I can't judge how tricky/annoying would it be to take so many boat rides back and forth. Gritti Palace would be another option, as it got quite a few great recommendations. Decisions, decisions.

Zephyrous

We had a wonderful visit there recently (albeit to only 3 of the 5 lodges). Will definitely visit again in the future (funnily enough we also combined it with the Pen in Bangkok).

And to add to the poster above we didn't experience any nausea or upset stomach, and even though I usually steer away from spicy food - I did try the cheese & chilly and "local" wine.

Pausanias

On Sunday I'm off to Havana and the Saratoga Hotel for three nights. Cuba is one of the great missing countries on my list and I figure it's time to get there before things change . . . i.e., before there's a Starbucks on every corner.

bhrubin

I'll be at the Gritti (using SPG points, and SNA for suite upgrade hopefully) in October. Since it will be my first time, convenience to the historic sites in Venice is critical...but having a true luxury respite inside the hotel will be critical, as well. The Gritti meets those as well as the Aman for me...but for free on points.

I suspect it will depend on what you want. The Gritti is among the 2-3 most luxurious and historic hotel properties in Venice, and is within east 5-10 minutes walk from the historic center of the city--with prices to match. The JW Marriott is a very nice property but a good 20 minute boat ride away from the main city, and while very nice is not nearly as historic nor as luxurious and is much less expensive!

FlyerEC

That ' s wonderful trip - 8 weeks ! - you seemed to have planned .
With so many weeks , you possibly could have made it to PDE , Uruguay & Chile !
BA / Argentina is ok with English , it ' s the other places with the exception of the Falkland Islands , where English is an issue & having to locate someone with more than a smattering of understanding .

As for the strikes in BA , they are often localized & " contained " peaceful ��
Hope Alvear Palace works for you , it was ok walking through but not stay for us , no Aman .

At " Kila " now & moving to " Nusa " - Amanusa later .
Popped by Dari yesterday . For those wondering , the view is still ' fine ' .
RC isn ' t smack in front . Lower down opposite towards the river & off to the right from the Dari pool . Sort of melts into the landscape .. No garrish colours or architecture seen .

landing

February: Grand Zermatterhof (already back)
March: Trisara

Zephyrous

The end of 2015/beginning of 2016 found us in Amankora, SS Yao Noi and Pen BKK. Ever since then our travels have been limited to weekend European trips (Conservatorium in AMS this past weekend).

So far our only bookings that we have made/are in the process of making:
- Six Senses Douro Valley over Easter (which, unless my search function is not working properly, has not been covered in this forum ever since SS took over);
- Soho Farmhouse in late Spring;
- Belvedere Mykonos in late May;
- Amanzoe in August.

Trying to find some decent Tel Aviv properties for sometime this spring also and looking at ideas for our next long-haul holidays in November, December and February of next year.

Londonjetsetter

Curious as to how you found SS Yao Noi. I loved the views, but otherwise hated it.

ABG

If you won't stay up in Herzliya, I'd suggest you look at The Norman

CezaraW

That's a good point, I think in the end it will come down to how long I can extend my stay. I don't necessarily need a historic property but a more central location would definitely be more practical for a few days only. I'll have a look at Aman too, thanks!

Enjoy your holiday!

Zephyrous

I feel exactly the same way about it. The views were truly majestic but otherwise I did not like it (and I think my partner blacklisted it).

Whilst overall I would say that I had a nice holiday there, I found their service standards to be more at par with 3*/4*. We were there during the busy period and the hotel seemed that it just could not cope. There was a bit of war in the morning over the beach/hilltop loungers. Likewise for reservations at the hilltop restaurant. The beach was nothing to write home about and the rooms were a bit too rustic to be functional. Food mediocre.

Then we encountered a variety of service mishaps.

What was most surprising, and something that I've never encountered before, was ordering their advertised drink at the bar (an SS version of a Moscow Mule) only to be told that they cannot do it as they've run out of ingredients for it (!!!). Even if I were to accept that a 5* hotel's bar has run out of something by 7pm, shouldn't you just remove the advert or write something else on the blackboard.

We also booked one of their speedboat island visits which included a pic-nic lunch basket. They were 20 minutes late to pick us up and our order was completely wrong (e.g. ordered 2 diet cokes and 2 bottles of water, received just 1 regular coke). I would have at least expected a part of the trip to be struck off the bill - it wasn't.

I *really* wanted to like SS Yao Noi before we went there. I guess I always viewed it as the third most interesting property in the Phuket area after Puri and Trisara. Thinking back to our stay in Zighy Bay (where service was also very patchy), and reading about SS Samui, I wonder whether our experience at Yao Noi was not an aberration but rather what Six Senses are truly like.

Zephyrous

Thank you ABG - the Norman is definitely on my radar.

trickless

March: FS Punta Mita
September: FS Gresham Palace, Budapest
September: RC Vienna