Lobby view of the beach.

One of two restaurants in the hotel, but this is where breakfast is served in the mornings.

My friend testing out the king size bed in his room.  Our rooms were actually connected so it was nice to open the connecting doors and double our space.

Didn’t put the patio to much good use because there were too many mosquitoes.

The room had these towel elephants on the bed, very creative.

Complimentary food in the room.

One of the outdoor swimming pools.

On the Jetty where people have had their weddings.

At the edge of the Jetty were people can swim.

Cheap, comfortable, convenient, and modern are the words I’d use to describe my first night stay in Thailand at the Somerset Residence.  This is a new location referred to by a friend who lives in Bangkok, and he made one terrific recommendation.

You’ll notice how this is a serviced residence meaning it’s meant to make you feel at home.

With three of us in this room, I volunteered to sleep on the couch while my buddies each took the two twins.

Some of the in-room amenities included a washer/dryer, wi-fi internet, lcd TV, iPod dock connection to the home entertainment system, and a balcony.

A look at the view from the balcony.

Looking straight down is the outdoor swimming pool.  I had to try it out.

Down at the pool is a restaurant

and weight room.  Think we were the first ones to use the weights as the room was opened just the previous day.

Infinity pools seem to be the standard at all hotels now.

At about 3000 Baht (~$92USD) a night split amongst three people, it almost didn’t feel right staying here and using all their services and facilities. Guilt won’t be enough to stop me from booking this spot the next time I visit though. Location and info below.

Somerset Sukhumvit Thonglor Residence
No 115 Sukhumvit 55 (Thonglor)
Sukhumvit Road Klongton Nua
Wattana Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 365 7999

Today you get a short tour of 1 of 3 different kind of suites you can stay in at the Venetian Macau.

What stands out most about the royale suite is its sunken living room. It’s the perfect area to relax or do work at the desk with high speed internet, printer, copier, and fax.

The view outside the window is of Venetian’s miniature putting course.

Looking straight is the new City Of Dreams.

Back inside we have the all marble bathroom.

Separate shower and bath to the left.

The right takes you out of the bathroom and to the front door. This suite is best if you want to enjoy a little luxury all by yourself or with a special someone. Check the Venetian website for packages and rates.

Website: Venetian Hotel

Asked one Japanese friend advice for a convenient district to stay in Tokyo. He recommended Shibuya, so I went online in search for Shibuya hotels and landed the Cerulean Tower just minutes away from the busy Shibuya train station.

When I arrived and told my friends where I was staying their jaws dropped. This was apparently the best hotel in Shibuya.

I felt a bit out of place wearing t-shirt and jeans while everyone else were in suits and had business meetings in the lounge area.

My room was on the 22nd floor although the highest guest room is on the 37th.

There were three things in particular I liked about the bathroom.

One was the marble flooring and walls.

Second was the all in one toilet and bidet which is nothing new for the people in Japan. Third (not pictured) was the built in speaker in the ceiling above the toilet that broadcasted the audio from the room TV. That way you don’t miss a thing while you’re busy handling your business.

Beds were comfortable, but I’ve slept on better at other hotels.

The daytime view from the window looking straight at Shibuya station.

Loved the night view. Found myself staring out the window a lot around this time. The only complaint I have about the hotel is the non-free internet. The cost for internet a day is 1,065 yen and resets everyday at 11:59am. That means if you purchase the internet at 11:58am you’ll only have a minute to use it. The cost for my 5 day stay was about 180,000 yen for two people. And because I know you’re lazy, that amounts to about $180 USD a day per person.

Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8512 Japan
Tel: (+81)3-3476-3000

If you don’t already have a place in to stay when visiting Hong Kong and don’t mind splurging a little, I’d have to recommend the W Hotel in Kowloon. I had heard great reviews for this place, and I finally got my chance to indulge in their amenities for two days straight.

The W must stand for “Wow” because every step was not short of luxury. Elevators that take you to the 6/F lobby greet you with a message as you walk in.

Contemporary artwork is all over the place. Getting off the elevator I see this stallion. No, I didn’t go check to see if it was really a male horse.

Behind the lobby counters is a LCD screen with a flowery screen saver.

Took a set of elevators to the 73/F to check out the fitness center.

From free weights, treadmills, to even punching bags, everything you could want to get a maximum workout is here.

When I say everything, I mean everything. Spectacular view from the windows. Here you see a tunnel that goes under Victoria Harbour to connect the Kowloon and Hong Kong sides.

The mens locker room didn’t feel like one. I thought I entered a spa facility. The counter near the door provides you with a hair drier, hair gel, hand lotion, and cotton swabs to look your best before you leave.

Each locker has a keypad where you enter a four digit code of your choice to activate.

Right behind are an endless supply of towels (room temp or cold), bottled water, and apples.

A view of nearby apartment buildings from the seat by the window.

Making your way around the corner are sinks to brush your teeth, shave, use mouth wash, and of course wash your hands.

Still inside the locker room, a glass door takes you to the hot tub, steam room, sauna, and showers. I guess it is like a spa.

The hot tub seats three and you get another skyline view of Hong Kong. Jets could be turned on with a push of a button.

I admit it took me a while to leave the locker room. Finally made my way up the the 76/F where one of the world’s highest rooftop swimming pools is located. Highest in Hong Kong for sure.

Getting situated, a few people were already in the pool at 10am.

A view from the other end.

Look from the pool outward.

Behind us was a Jacuzzi with the same view as the fitness center. Here you could spot the TurboJets going to Macau.

Go get your tan on.

Or your chess game on.

After a few hours of relaxation, I went to check out what the W calls it’s “Fabulous Room-g+a”. Every room has a book that flips in replacement of the standard door knob tags. The black circle is the doorbell.

Keep in mind people have been living in this room so it may be a bit messy. Making my way in, the bathroom is to the immediate right. The bathtub is equipped with a 15″ LCD monitor.

Shower was a bit small, so this is all I could get. Feels like you’re about to operate a spacecraft with those knobs.

The room was unbelievably cozy.

The entire bed is draped with goose.

42″ LCD HDTV hooked to 5.1 surround sound.

Snacks for a small fee.

Control station near the bed. Even the blinds can be automatically opened/shut here.

Spot light for your reading pleasure.

So enough talk. It’s back to the pool for me.

W Hong Kong
1 Austin Road West
Kowloon Station, Kowloon
852.3717.2222