Author Topic: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold  (Read 125688 times)

Offline mochjas

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #300 on: January 03, 2018, 10:26:57 AM »


Bringing frozen meals for PEK.
Transit visa (free) for China (staying in PEK for 70h, but as of this week, could actually do 6d transit).

Why are you bringing frozen food for PEK? Chabad there is supposed to be excellent?

Offline zow

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #301 on: January 07, 2018, 08:22:32 PM »
Why are you bringing frozen food for PEK? Chabad there is supposed to be excellent?
Hi, sorry I must have missed this. Dini ‘s is the chabad restaurant and, as far as I can tell, is under renovations.   Seems like it may have  been under renovations  for years? We are staying at the Fairmont with breakfast included. I asked them for kosher breakfast and they said they contacted Dini’s and Dini’s can’t accommodate.   So, I will just have fruit and cereal and will get shelf-stable milk for breakfast.   

@yehoshuah reported on dinner at Dini’s and, if I’m recalling correctly, said it was fine but nothing special.  Do you remember who said the food is supposed to be excellent?

Offline mochjas

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #302 on: January 07, 2018, 09:25:42 PM »
I can't find it. I guess I was mistaken I thought that I read that it was excellent. My bad sorry about that.

Offline zow

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #303 on: January 07, 2018, 09:35:56 PM »
I can't find it. I guess I was mistaken I thought that I read that it was excellent. My bad sorry about that.
No worries. I hope to be proven wrong and will happily shlep back the frozen meals if Dini's is open and delicious! Report to follow, B'N.

Offline EJB

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What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #304 on: January 08, 2018, 12:37:31 AM »
Not an award, but booked the new 30 Bencoolen in Singapore, which is a building over from the shul, for 1/26. Anyone know how to build a ~10ft long eruv so we can push a stroller??!

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #305 on: January 08, 2018, 03:37:06 AM »
Not an award, but booked the new 30 Bencoolen in Singapore, which is a building over from the shul, for 1/26. Anyone know how to build a ~10ft long eruv so we can push a stroller??!
Many people come to shul with Nannies so you can ask them to help.
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline EJB

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #306 on: January 08, 2018, 06:20:52 AM »
Many people come to shul with Nannies so you can ask them to help.
That’s my other option. But heed to coordinate before. Not chancing getting stuck.

Offline DTM

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #307 on: January 08, 2018, 02:21:09 PM »
Hi, sorry I must have missed this. Dini ‘s is the chabad restaurant and, as far as I can tell, is under renovations.   Seems like it may have  been under renovations  for years? We are staying at the Fairmont with breakfast included. I asked them for kosher breakfast and they said they contacted Dini’s and Dini’s can’t accommodate.   So, I will just have fruit and cereal and will get shelf-stable milk for breakfast.   

@yehoshuah reported on dinner at Dini’s and, if I’m recalling correctly, said it was fine but nothing special.  Do you remember who said the food is supposed to be excellent?
We were there in May 2017. They were not under renovations at all, and have a very nice building, which houses the Chabad shul, Dini's Restaurant and I believe a Gan for children. The food was good. The Shabbos meals were excellent; weekday dinners were fine, maybe like Yun Kee or Wok Tov in NY. We made arrangements directly, rather than through the hotel, and our hotel was sufficiently close by that the delivery man came via bicycle. I met him in the lobby. My wife and I called and spoke with Rebitzen Dini from home in advance (using Google Voice App) and then picked up on WeChat. By the way, everybody in China seems to use WeChat, it's similar to WhatsApp here.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 02:24:25 PM by DTM »

Offline DTM

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #308 on: January 08, 2018, 02:33:10 PM »
Thanks!  We're really looking forward to it. We leave next week. I'm planning to write it up, but here's a preview:
BOS-YYZ
YYZ-PEK
PEK-HKG
HKG-PEK
PEK-YYZ
YYZ-BOS

The long-haul flights are in Y from the AC August glitch, $205 pp RT.
PEK-HKG and HKG-PEK were Avios, 20K pp RT, IIRC.

Four nights at the IC HKG: one with Chase anniversary and three with 60k IHG.
Three nights at the Fairmont Beijing: using President's Club third night free and suite upgrade certificates.

Shabbat at Kehillat Zion in TST.
Two days of touring with China Highlights in PEK.

Bringing frozen meals for PEK.
Transit visa (free) for China (staying in PEK for 70h, but as of this week, could actually do 6d transit).

Eight days alone with DW.  :)
You and especially the DW might like this idea: When in Hong Kong on the last leg of our May 2017 trip, at the Kehillat Tzion Rabbi's helpful recommendation, we used our Visa for Mainland China to take a 45 minute subway ride from KZ to the Shenzhen Luohu Shopping Center back in Mainland China, which was very worthwhile, really beats the local markets in HK .  Avoiding rush hour. we left at 10 am returned 3 pm. The subways are modern, clean and efficient; compared to the NY subways it feels like we are the third world country. Have a great trip!
« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 02:36:14 PM by DTM »

Offline zow

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #309 on: January 08, 2018, 08:53:42 PM »
You and especially the DW might like this idea: When in Hong Kong on the last leg of our May 2017 trip, at the Kehillat Tzion Rabbi's helpful recommendation, we used our Visa for Mainland China to take a 45 minute subway ride from KZ to the Shenzhen Luohu Shopping Center back in Mainland China, which was very worthwhile, really beats the local markets in HK .  Avoiding rush hour. we left at 10 am returned 3 pm. The subways are modern, clean and efficient; compared to the NY subways it feels like we are the third world country. Have a great trip!
We were there in May 2017. They were not under renovations at all, and have a very nice building, which houses the Chabad shul, Dini's Restaurant and I believe a Gan for children. The food was good. The Shabbos meals were excellent; weekday dinners were fine, maybe like Yun Kee or Wok Tov in NY. We made arrangements directly, rather than through the hotel, and our hotel was sufficiently close by that the delivery man came via bicycle. I met him in the lobby. My wife and I called and spoke with Rebitzen Dini from home in advance (using Google Voice App) and then picked up on WeChat. By the way, everybody in China seems to use WeChat, it's similar to WhatsApp here.

Thanks, @DTM , very much.  We'll think about the trip to Shenzhen, and especially appreciate the info about Dini, Chabd and WeChat.  I've been in touch with them by email but maybe we should call. :)

Offline shmebeble

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #310 on: January 09, 2018, 07:01:06 PM »
booked Conrad Maldives 5 nights- 10% chance I book flights. 5% chance we actually go.

Offline Denverite

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #311 on: January 11, 2018, 11:10:10 PM »
Many people come to shul with Nannies so you can ask them to help.

Yeah, just booked Shabbat dinner there and they even have a special nanny price for dinner!

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #312 on: January 16, 2018, 12:57:45 AM »
Hilton Capitol DC, Presidential suite- 14k UR for one night. It's refundable so I may end up canceling it, we'll see.
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline Denverite

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #313 on: January 16, 2018, 10:42:47 AM »
Hilton Capitol DC, Presidential suite- 14k UR for one night. It's refundable so I may end up canceling it, we'll see.

Nice!

Offline DTM

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #314 on: January 24, 2018, 03:46:19 PM »
No worries. I hope to be proven wrong and will happily shlep back the frozen meals if Dini's is open and delicious! Report to follow, B'N.
Curious to hear how the China trip turned out, looking forward  :)

Offline elya

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #315 on: January 24, 2018, 03:58:46 PM »
Turnberry Isle Resort Aventura, One Bedroom Suite. Used Marriott 5 night cert.

Offline DTM

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #316 on: March 06, 2018, 04:42:30 PM »
No worries. I hope to be proven wrong and will happily shlep back the frozen meals if Dini's is open and delicious! Report to follow, B'N.
Looking forward iy"H  :)

Offline zow

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #317 on: March 06, 2018, 04:45:09 PM »
Looking forward iy"H  :)
Dini’s was open, alive and well.
Lots more to report in a TR, but I will say that we very much enjoyed the one meal we ate there.   They also have a cute little store for milk and other kosher items.   

Offline Denverite

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #318 on: March 07, 2018, 11:03:21 PM »
Grand Walilea WA in Maui, 5 nights over Chanukah for 380k HHonors...first time I’ve ever found a standard redemption so I’m super excited.

Offline 12HRS

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Re: What Hotel Award Reservation Did You Just Book/Hold
« Reply #319 on: March 07, 2018, 11:04:22 PM »
Grand Walilea WA in Maui, 5 nights over Chanukah for 380k HHonors...first time I’ve ever found a standard redemption so I’m super excited.

all this traveling it may be time to change your username