6 amazing weeks of ANA Round-The-World (RTW) travel: Part 2

Part 2: Accommodations

With such a long trip with so many destinations, it was important to us for the RTW accommodations to be comfortable, conveniently located, and of course, the best perceived use of our cash/points.

• You’ll notice that Cologne, Germany and Sydney, Australia are absent from the above list. We were fortunate enough to have family to stay with for those destinations, which means more points to spend elsewhere :).

That’s the short of the accommodations for our trip! The links above navigate you to the reviews of the respective properties for your convenience (some of which may have affiliate links), but know that the reviews are my own.

Methodology

Let’s get into how these accommodations were selected. With so many options between Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and BnB properties, how do I choose where to stay to get the most bang for my buck?

Now this may not be for everyone, but for those who vaguely care about what they want to do at a particular destination with their limited vacation time and funds (most people, I think :)), I would recommend throwing together a Google Sheets and creating a “My Maps” under Google Maps for points of interest. An additional handy feature is the ability to change the pin icon according to its importance as lodging, dining, a bar, a scenic point, and more!

Once all those pins are set up, I use a combination of searches through Google maps and the hotel chains’ built in property maps to locate potential accommodations. Priorities again are that they are conveniently located to easily get to our points of interest and a “good” use of points and/or annual award nights.

What’s considered a “good” redemption? In this game of numbers, it’s handy to have a numerical threshold at which it makes sense to use points instead of cash, or to use an annual free night instead of cash. For the annual free nights, it’s rather simple – the free night redemption makes sense if the hotel night would otherwise cost you more than you paid for the annual fee on your hotel credit card. For points, this threshold is determined by the average value in cents you get per point redeemed. If there’s interest in a separate post for a deeper dive into how I go about this, feel free to comment below or let me know.

Washington, DC – Courtyard Marriott

This was our first and somewhat impromptu stop at our nation’s capitol. Standard rooms were going at $150-200 per night so it was a no-brainer to put our annual award night certificates ($95-99 annual fee) to use. It was very conveniently located RIGHT next to the NoMa – Gallaudet U Metro station (you can even see it in the picture above), bus stop, and a Trader Joe’s!

Marrakech, Morocco – Riad Imilchil

Riads are traditional Moroccan homes consisting of a central courtyard or garden and are primarily the form of lodging you’ll find in Marrakech. Rooftop terraces and beautifully intricate tiling are practically a given. Riad Imilchil was no exception, and the hosts/managers Mohamed and Hamid were extremely warm to boot. They were meticulous about their recommendations and generous with their tips on how to stay safe and unscammed during our stay. Its location is convenient near the center of Marrakech, just a 15-20 minute walk through the winding alleyways to the grand medina. A simple daily breakfast consisting of various breads and spreads was included, but probably gets old for most people after three to four days. But hey, free sustenance to get us to our next food stop! Finally, one thing to be aware of is that with the old world beauty comes some old world infrastructure (read: sewage)

Vienna, Austria – IHG Hotel Indigo Naschmarkt

When booking, I was concerned that we’d be staying too far from the Innere Stadt, the center of Vienna. However, this hotel turned out to be quite the gem. It’s within a 10 minute walk of the Naschmarkt, an eclectic market with over 100 stands and restaurants. The Schönbrunn Palace, Innere Stadt, and Belvedere Palace are all within 15-20 minutes away by public transportation. It’s a brand new hotel with modern fixtures and designs, a bar, a restaurant, gym, and inner courtyard decorated with lush greenery.

Prague, Czech Republic – The Emblem Prague Hotel

This IHG property in the Mr. and Mrs. Smith collection is again quite conveniently centrally located near the Old Town Square of Prague. Are you seeing a pattern here? There is also a reliable laundromat within a 10-15 minute walking distance, for those who need it. Otherwise, service and the accommodations themselves were mediocre. Our room happened to be a bit musty, and the sink design was frustrating to no end. Turning the faucet on to anything beyond a trickle would result in a ridiculous splash zone. We were able to redeem two Chase IHG free nights from our legacy Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Cards (this card is no longer available to apply for) for our stay here though, essentially paying $49 per night. A decent deal, I’d say, and a main reason why we haven’t canceled or upgraded away from this card yet.

Lyon, France – IHG Crowne Plaza Cite Internationale

This accommodation isn’t particularly central to the city, but it has its own bus stop just outside the hotel. It’s also within 20 minutes from the Lyon Part Dieu station by public transportation. The hotel itself is clean, quiet, has amenities including a gym and bar, and overlooks the Rhône River. The best part about it though is that right after crossing the street, you’re plunged into a lush oasis that is Parc de la Tête d’Or, an expansive flower-filled park in the middle of the city. It’s a great place for a morning run or just to have some respite from the bustle of the city during your stay.

London, UK – Airbnb Westbourne

This Airbnb is less than a 10 minute walk from the Paddington station, well positioned for travel around the city and getting to the Harry Potter Studio Tours. The room has basic necessities and is clean, though as a note for backpackers and others who pack light – there’s a washer but no dryer. The host is also fairly responsive.

Covent Garden and Soho were also areas we wanted to stay in to be more centrally located, but with the influx of people pouring in to pay their respects to the Queen, the pricing was outrageous.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Grand Hyatt

This property was just…grand. To place their lobby on their top floor is a bit extra, but it was just another one of those things that made it feel more exclusive. Guests have to ride one set of elevators all the way up to the lobby, then take a second set of elevators down to their room. Thankfully, the elevators are fast! All the amenities appeared well-cared for, the rooms were spacious and comfortable, and the gym had all the equipment and mirrors I imagine a bodybuilder would need.

The exit of the hotel is just a few steps away from a covered walkway that dumps you right into Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, an upscale shopping mall. If you get the chance, there’s a bomb yuzu kombucha drink at the award-winning The Coffee Academics. It just reaally hits the spot when you’re sweating it out in the SE Asia tropics. Back to our regularly scheduled programming – I really enjoyed our stay at this property and would stay again. We paid $126/night (incl. taxes/fees), which I felt was great value from a U.S. perspective, though I’m sure you can get decent lodging for much less in KL if you’re not looking to splurge.

Saigon, Vietnam – Park Hyatt Saigon

The Park Hyatt brand is an embodiment of luxury, and the Park Hyatt Saigon is no exception. Live singing and music welcomed us whenever we entered the lobby area. Fresh dragon fruit sat waiting in our room (and they replenished it the next day when they saw we had finished it!). The common areas were intricately decorated and the whole space had an Old World/colonial feel to it, as you can see in the above photo. Not really my vibe as I prefer more modern decor, but they’ve got all the modern basic amenities. Still, it was super interesting to see the European influences on their respective colonies having just come from Europe.

There’s no shortage of nice hotels on the same block as the Park Hyatt and the Opera House, so I don’t think you’d go wrong booking anywhere else in the area. Our friend really liked his stay at the Caravelle across the street. That being said, the draw for me was the points redemption – 15,000 Hyatt points per night on rooms costing $270 and up (that’s not including the taxes and fees!). That works out to at least a 1.8 cents/point value and a great value in my book!

Side note: for those needing laundry done at this stop, F5 Laundry does pick up/delivery and can be arranged via Whatsapp. At the time of our stay, it was 30,000 dong/kg (wash, dry, fold) and an additional 60,000 dong for the pick up and delivery. We left our bags of clothing with the concierge desk and picked them up when they were ready. It worked out to less than $8 for a 24 hour turnaround for us.

Bangkok, Thailand – St. Regis Bangkok

This probably comes as no surprise – the St. Regis Bangkok was my favorite of all the hotels we stayed at. It checked all the boxes: clean, modern, thoughtfully decorated, and the staff were warm and attentive. There’s even an included butler service! Now, having never had a butler before, we really didn’t know what to do with the service. Apparently they can assist with errands, fetching items, etc., but isn’t that what room service is for? In the end – and partially just for the sake of trying the service – I had one of my shirts ironed, which was a fine job.

Ah, and convenience. From the second floor you can walk straight out into a skybridge and almost immediately land yourself at the Ratchadamri skytrain station. Among other things, the skytrain can take you to the expansive centralwOrld mall, but you can also just as easily walk there from the hotel in 10 minutes.

As a Platinum member, we were able to enjoy their hot breakfast buffet with no additional fee. Alas, we were only able to eat there one of the two mornings we spent in Bangkok. It killed my minmaxing self to miss the free breakfast, but there was just too much food to try out in the city and too little time. The kicker? Three accumulated (from COVID-19 years) annual award nights at ~$99/year redeemed for over $330/night NOT including taxes/fees, so $1000+ in value.

New Zealand – Parnell Hotel, Kauri Lodge Karapiro, Four Points by Sheraton Auckland

We booked all of these NZ lodgings during our globetrotting since we hadn’t quite locked down our exact itinerary for this country until the very end. While we did have a list of points of interest, there was really just one priority (Hobbiton) – and we were okay with that! Everything else could just sort of fall into place.

The Parnell Hotel is located in the city of Auckland and is fairly conveniently location. I booked it primarily for its free parking and presence of WiFi. The amenities were fine, but it felt more like a motel. Thankfully, it was just to crash for the night after a late night arrival. They allowed us to hold our luggage there while we explored Auckland for the day and until we headed down to Hobbiton.

We got into the Hobbiton area when it was rather dark, which I would recommend avoiding as it’s a rural area with no street lights and tiny driveways hidden amidst the tall grass. The Kauri Lodge Karapiro is a BnB type of place hosted by a kindly old lady and her son (cue Psycho theme). Rest assured, the most dangerous things you’ll find there are the spiders that naturally find their way into this rural property. There were items in the pantry for basic breakfast (think bread, spreads, cereal, instant noodles). It’s a super convenient location for Hobbiton visitors (12 minute drive), and the hosts let you hold your luggage there until the afternoon on the day of checkout. Hobbiton’s really the only reason anyone would be way out there anyway so they’re aware and flexible about the checkout. Both the Parnell Hotel and the Kauri Lodge Karapiro were booked via Booking.com.

Finally, back at the Four Points by Sheraton in the heart of Auckland. Pretty much your standard business hotel with continental breakfast included for Platinum members. We were upgraded with one of our Suite Night Awards and got a spacious suite with the above view of the city. It was super comfortable and a nice way to end our trip. There are many diverse restaurant options in the area as well. Forego the cramped on-site parking ($50 NZD/day) and opt for the covered Civic Car Park for $24 NZD/day.

And that was our lodging round-up! It wasn’t meant to be an exhaustively thorough review of each accommodation, but hopefully it gave you some ideas for how you’d like to plan out your next aspirational trip! Speaking of, I’ve already moved on to plan our next trip(s) and will talk about how I booked in the next post(s)…