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Tagged With "Galle Face Hotel"

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Re: Iceland: 'No we're not Disneyland'

DrFumblefinger ·
Iceland is a great destination, but it has limited tourist facilities. The population of the entire island is about 300,000 and there aren't all that many hotel or B&B choices in smaller places. I think the lack of infrastructure is the main problem. They certainly have the space and ability to handle more tourists, but need to develop services for them outside Reykjavik.
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Re: Tips to help with packing no matter where you are going

HistoryDigger ·
I have packing cubes too. Makes things so much easier to find when you are shifting from hotel to hotel or apartment to apartment. I still over pack. I just need to remember how much I love my jeans and t-shirts when I'm on the go. I never bring jewelry except cheap earrings. Simple style feels best on a trip.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 17, 2015: Mdina Gates, Malta

PortMoresby ·
Mdina is one of the few places I've been that's, in my experience, unlike any other. I thought it so beautiful on my first visit that I booked a room in the closest hotel just outside this gate and spent several days exploring it and the adjacent town of Rabat. Lunch at the restaurant of, I believe, the only hotel in Mdina, the Xara Palace , was memorable, wonderful service and food and a small compensation for not staying in the 5 star hotel. Thanks for the memory, IslandMan.
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Re: Motel 6 freshens its rooms...and its image

DrFumblefinger ·
I used to stay at Motel 6 when I was a poor starving medical student. But I abandoned the chain because of how inconsistent the different sites were. Some a offered a decent room. Others were dives. Hopefully along with the face lift there will be an greater effort to standardize their properties. For example, when I'm I stay at a Courtyard, I know exactly what to expect and am never disappointed.
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Re: Marriott buys Starwood for $12.2 billion...what's in it for loyalists?

Ron B. ·
Received this e-mail this morning. Today we're excited to share the news that Starwood Hotels & Resorts will join together with Marriott International to create the world's largest hotel company. For our Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG® members, this will mean even more choices in even more places, giving you access to 1.1 million rooms across 5,500 hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries. We will work to bring you the very best of SPG and Marriott Rewards®, two of the most...
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Re: Istanbul: From Ottoman palace to grand hotel

Ron B. ·
In August 1995, after my brother, a friend and I sailed the Aegean for 2 weeks, traveled to Istanbul and stayed at the Ciragan Palace for a week. In addition to seeing the city, we spent time at the pool and watched ships sail pass. We ate 3 dinners in the hotel. I had never seen so much caviar loaded on my plate at one sitting. Here are some photos from the stay. View from the room, poolside, and a lobby photo. Forgot to mention, there were fireworks every night.
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Re: Bangkok still #1, but most-visited list shifts

Paul Heymont ·
It’s all in the methodology: these figures are based, as stated, on overnight hotel stays. A quick look tells me that a very different measure is used for the figures that place Orlando at 72 million last year, with 62.8 million in NYC and 42.2 in Las Vegas. Once again, the question is ‘what’s being measured,’ and I’d love to see an expert explain the choices made in the two calculations!
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Re: Aug. 31, 2018: Automatic Pancakes

Jonathan L ·
I saw one of these at my hotel in Hamberg (I think).
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Re: Belfast: An Uneasy City

GarryRF ·
Human conflicts always go deeper than face value. To make sense of each case it's necessary to "Follow the Dollar". Religious Freedom motivates the masses. Financing conflicts produces great wealth for the few.
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Re: What do you miss on vacation ?

Paul Heymont ·
Neat device...but just be careful about taking it along to the Hotel California...
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Re: See Them While You Can: 10 Wins for Historic Preservation

PortMoresby ·
Note that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private organization. I think that's key in this era of government cutbacks and a congress unable to accomplish anything to speak of. If the National Park Service is unable to maintain it's infrastructure then one can only imagine how little care might go into preserving bits of our cultural heritage lacking big names, such as those on the list above. Commercial interests also have a place in accomplishing what government and...
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Re: "Mind Your Manners!" VisitBritain Warns Hoteliers

Paul Heymont ·
No, no one is hacking them...and the "advice" was picked up by all the major British papers...usually with an air of slight derision. You won't find it on the public website, which is devoted to getting us to visit; it was distributed as guidance to hotel operators, and as a press release. Originally Posted by TatToo: It is not the author's list. The cited articles and various others on the Internet state that the list was originally published on VisitBritain's website. However, I am not...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0

DrFumblefinger ·
So far we've only had one stab at the solution, by member Andredeya ( Florida- Miami Design Preservation League- Beach Patrol Headquarters Building). Appreciate the effort, Andredeya, but that is not the correct solution. So I'm offering up two additional clues today: This is a view of the interior of the hotel, again with strong nautical influence And this is the view south from the hotel's pool. The next piece of real estate to the south is Antarctica. So, where in the world is Gumbo?
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0

PortMoresby ·
I suspected it might be a hotel, 2nd floor rooms, center left. And the crockery at the entrance. Now...where.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0

Former Member ·
So it's a hotel but i don't know which one in Miami....
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 21.0

DrFumblefinger ·
The mystery and waiting are over. The puzzle has been solved by PortMoresby. Here is her answer: " Tangalla Bay Hotel, Tangalle, Sri Lanka." I'll post the discussion for this on Tuesday. Another travel puzzle will be up very soon.
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Re: Delta Hangs Up on Inflight Calling

PortMoresby ·
Times change and along the way, behavior once deemed unacceptable, often becomes the norm. I've noticed this principle at work especially where phones are concerned. I'm so pleased to see a CEO take a stand for simple courtesy, even when it seems to fly in the face of popular notions of what's acceptable. I hope now other airlines' managements have the gumption to follow Delta's lead.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 2, 2014

GarryRF ·
And I forgot to mention - the complete "All Inclusive" deal costs around $1000 US. Flights from the UK - hotel - boats - entertainment - mini bar stocked daily - 24hr food and drink. For 2 weeks. How do the US companies come up with $3900 for 1 week. I smell a rip off. It does look good for December DrF. Its still too hot in the afternoon though ! To have that same view you would have to "Take my blanket from my cold dead hands" I wont even share with Mrs F !! Next door is nearly as good...
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1a) Colombo

Mac ·
Ah Galle Face Green! Many a delightful stroll taken with my folks on a Sunday afternoon in the 1960s, then home for tea at 42 Galle Face Court, the flats opposite the hotel. Ah sweet memories Ouch that seems a long time ago.....
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1a) Colombo

Travel Rob ·
DrFumblefinger your photos are amazing. I can see why you love the country so much.
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 1a) Colombo

DrFumblefinger ·
Originally Posted by Mac: Ah Galle Face Green! Many a delightful stroll taken with my folks on a Sunday afternoon in the 1960s, then home for tea at 42 Galle Face Court, the flats opposite the hotel. Ah sweet memories Ouch that seems a long time ago..... I was told the Galle Face Green was actually green until the pope showed up and a massive crowd destroyed the grass. After that it became the Galle Face Brown. The green is slowly trying to make a comeback, though. I actually visited someone...
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Re: Happy Thanksgiving, from all of us at TravelGumbo!

GarryRF ·
Yes DrF.... Those Ozzies have some strange habits ! First time in Coogee Bay Hotel Sydney I ordered Steak and Chips (Fries) Guy showed me a Tupperware Picnic Box full of raw steak. You choose, then he puts it on a plate for you. You take it outside to the "Barbee" (BBQ). You cook it how you like it. Then come back in for your Chips and salad ! I stopped at a Restaurant in Bondi Beach and the waiter asked me if I would like a bottle of wine with the meal. "Yes please" I said. "Well git ya...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool

Travel Rob ·
Thanks Red Rover. My last trip I was supposed to go to Edinburgh ,but went to Liverpool instead . I guess I remembered The Tune Hotel from the untaken trip .
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Re: The Tulou of Fujian Province

PortMoresby ·
HistoryDigger, I'll explain. At the end of the first day of tulou visits, the large tour bus rendezvoused with a small van and it was indicated that I should bring my things and come with a young man. Since no one could explain, I had to simply trust and go along, an interesting sensation. I later realized that I was the only one who had opted for the second day. The young man drove me to a very basic village of mostly new buildings built, I suspect but of course don't know, for...
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Re: Capital of Culture Series: Liverpool

Travel Rob ·
Hank ,I'd check the Tune Hotel for rates. Maybe Garryrf can weigh in on cheap accomodations too.I didn't stay in any hostels while there.
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?

JohnT ·
I just don't know what to think. Does every question to a front office staff or concierge deserve a tip? How many envelopes do I need to carry for three weeks for housekeeping? If you are fortunate enough to get twice daily service do you tip both times? On my last trip because it was low season, we spoiled ourselves with a very nice hotel.... I admit more times than one desperately searching my pockets for change or (gulp) even a five Euro note... I understand that hotel staff does not make...
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?

DrFumblefinger ·
Remember these recommendations were in essence from the hotel owners. They are trying to have the consumer subsidize the poor salaries many of them pay. I'm a reasonably generous person, and I realize that most hotel employees are not wealthy, but I don't tip at those levels. I usually leave a few bucks for the maid if a good job is done, and for an excellent bit of advice or help will as well. But if I ask the concierge where the nearest bus stop is, that's his job and not worth the five...
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Re: Do you Like these Hotel Tipping Tips ?

Former Member ·
also keeps you from being called unflattering names behind your back. No worries - I find that people don't mind calling me unflattering news to my face Dave B. has given this issue a lot of good thought. My policy in the US is to tip 15 percent for adequate service. I add and subtract 5 percent from there, depending. According to the guidebooks, many servers outside of the US are paid professional wages. In that case, we do not tip, but simply round up the bill. Hope that this is not wrong.
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Re: World's most expensive city

PortMoresby ·
I just happened on that story too, and I'm not surprised. Try looking for a decent budget hotel and you'll know first-hand.
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Re: World's most expensive city

DrFumblefinger ·
Those times I've traveled there I've used hotel points for a "free room". A decent way to use these things.
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Re: When Debit and Credit Cards aren't your best traveling choices

DrFumblefinger ·
When you go to Sri Lanka, take cash along as well. The larger establishments will definitely take credit cards, but smaller business and restaurants won't. And ATM cards have been slow to find their way into the country, especially in remote locations. The currency there is more stable, but still you won't get the kind of spread we did in Argentina. Best to exchange it at a bank, or ask your hotel people how many US $$ things are.
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Re: Shipping Container as Your Next Hotel Room or Apartment ?!

PortMoresby ·
I'm a big fan of the industrial esthetic in design. I'm trying to get a handle on the "sleeping around" part, the hotel. It sounds as if, although I can't find exact wording to that effect, they move the rooms from one location to another periodically, calling it "pop-up". If that's the case, I'm not sure I see a purpose unless they can't afford to produce more and are encouraging guests to think of it as a benefit. The website also says they're taking a break so maybe that, too, is a...
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Re: Shipping Container as Your Next Hotel Room or Apartment ?!

Travel Rob ·
I loved the design of the South African Student Housing.It was pretty cool. I hope someone can post their own photos of them on TG. As for the hotel, I'm guessing that would go good in places were there is only a seasonal demand . I imagine local laws might get in the way. I'd try it though if the price is right
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Re: 20-year anniversary for 'Stolpersteine' memorials

DrFumblefinger ·
I found them very thoughtful and moving memorials. By placing them in the pavement, people keep polishing them with their feet. As I've said before, there's no people I know that have faced the crimes of their past generations the way today's Germans face their Nazi infamy.
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Re: Aug 4. 2016: Delaware City. Delaware.

GarryRF ·
Delaware City has only one set of traffic lights - how's that for small ! I only get crab when visiting the family in the US. Not here in the UK. I've had crab from Delaware - Chesapeake - Rehoboth Beach (Hooters) down to Ocean City Maryland. All gorgeous and worth waiting for. I've learned to say "These are the best ever" because that's what the locals say. Best Pizza - Best Crab-cakes - Best Chilli Fries. When my son was working his way through University he worked the late shift in a...
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Re: Jama Masjid, Delhi (Where Gumbo was #256)

Professorabe ·
Delhi has a lot to offer in terms of interesting sites. HOWEVER, the air pollution is appalling, particularly in the winter. We will be in Delhi in March - when things should start to get a little better - but we have cut our stay there to a mere 24 hours. We would have liked to re-visit some places like Humayun's Tomb or the Jama Mosque, but in the end decided that we could not face the atrocious smog again. We will now leave on the earliest convenient train south.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Aug. 2, 2015: Uncertain times

HistoryDigger ·
My family and I love this section of Berlin. Great pictures. You were there on a beautiful day. And by the way, this is where Reiner (of the Finding Reiner series) drank a beer in Zum Nussbaum, the oldest bar in Berlin (or so he said), before he was doomed to face the Russian Front.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#128)

PortMoresby ·
Had no idea who John Portman was and now discover that I stayed in his first atrium hotel, the Atlanta Hyatt Regency, within a year of it's opening '67 or '68. Then at the one at Chicago O'Hare, which I assume was his too, in 1971. I sat in front of a window in our room in one of the silos, which looked out over the runways, amusing myself counting the planes back to infinity as they lined up to land, while I cared for my infant son. Thanks for the memories, John.
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Re: Spotted on the Road, Winnipeg, Canada

Jonathan L ·
When i lived in Canmore Alberta for a year, it didn't pay to install a block heater on my car. The house we were living in had a heated garage, and The car was never going to be out in the cold for that many hours. BUT it change one aspect - making hotel reservations. Out first question throughout the winter was- "Do you have indoor parking?"
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Re: Banksy Opens up a Bemusement Park in England

PortMoresby ·
"Disney has refused to comment on notorious street artist Banksy's latest work of art - a seaside theme park called 'Dismaland' that skewers the Happiest Place on Earth...The silence from Disney is strange, considering the company's history of fiercely defending it's copyright of Mickey's image. In 2012, the company filed a complaint against the EDM artist Deadmau5, who performs wearing a Mickey-esque face mask." More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...Mouse-like-ears.html
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Re: Wolves or Cheese: France must decide

DrFumblefinger ·
I love wolves. They are beautiful, but they are also smart and efficient predators. An easy food source like sheep is something they'll go back to again and again once tried, especially if they develop a taste for mutton. Much easier than bringing down a deer, for example, or chasing rabbits. Cattle ranchers in the north central US plains and Canada face a similar problem, where wolves can develop a taste for calves. And that is much more costly to ranchers than the loss of a sheep.
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Re: Airline fees hit new $7 billion record

GarryRF ·
I can get 2 weeks in an all inclusive Hotel in the Caribbean including flights for less than my Trans Atlantic flight UK - NY. Of course the US Traveler is getting ripped-off. The rest of the world is enjoying the benefits of cheap-fuel flights. The sooner Ryanair make inroads into the US the better. Maybe Mr O'Leary is guilty of copying the ideas mentioned above for adding on fees !
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Re: Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, France

PortMoresby ·
Another walk down memory lane. I visited Fontevraud after a long walk from chateau to chateau that ended in Chinon and stayed in the recently opened hotel within the abbey. I knew about it from a personal association but don't believe it's generally well-known and maybe, in part, what makes it as lovely a place to spend some time as it is. Thanks, DrF.
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Re: Is it time to regulate airplane seats? Chris Elliott thinks so!

GarryRF ·
This debate seems to accept that the profit margins of Trans-Atlantic Flights are squeezed by costs outside the carriers control. The only solution they have is squeeze more seats in to control income. Last month I paid £759 ($1245) for 1 seat UK to Philadelphia - Return - with an American Airline. 7 hours in the sky. Each way. My £759 will also get me a flight to the Caribbean from the UK. 10 hours in the sky. 14 nights in a hotel. Food and drink included. And flight back. The Caribbean...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#67)

Roderick Simpson ·
I think Dr. Fumblefinger is on to something, as the tree in the foreground is a copper beech. We need a geologist to help us with the appearance of the rock face, but it does remind me on Mainland Greece. I am looking forward to another clue or perhaps someone else solving this.
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Re: Notre Dame: Everlasting, yet Ever-Changing

Travel Rob ·
Thank you for such a wonderful piece on Notre Dame. It is spectacular and I learned a lot! A few years ago I stayed at Hotel Hospitel Dieu across from Notre Dame. Notre Dame is so peaceful in the early morning before the crowds have assembled and hearing the church bells ring.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #86

PortMoresby ·
Here's a longer excerpt: "They perform a function, taking rainwater and snow melt and spouting it away so it doesn’t run down the face of a building, eroding walls and foundations. If it doesn’t spout water, it isn’t a gargoyle, it’s a grotesque." http://www.where-we-live.org/2...s-vs-grotesques.html
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo, #60

Lynn Millar ·
Aha! This one had me because it looked so familiar, but I couldn't place. Yosemite, Sequoia, King National Parks? The fountain must have been turned off the day I was there 3 years ago, because I didn't notice it. Busy sipping tea in the lobby and on the verandah, watching children Easter egg hunt? And yes there is a tennis court on the property along with a swimming pool. It's in the circle in front of the Wawona Hotel south of Yosemite. After a stop there, I had a nice walk in the meadow...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo, #60

DrFumblefinger ·
After a busy day at the Vail Jazz Festival yesterday, I was surprised this morning to log on and see that this puzzle is already solved. Lynn Millar, you are correct, this is the fountain in front of the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite National Park. I'll have a discussion of the Wawona tomorrow. PHeymont will have a new puzzle for you tomorrow as well!
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Re: A Visit to Saudi Arabia: Part II

DrFumblefinger ·
Excellent post, Lester, thanks! Two questions: 1) Is that black form in the photos your lovely wife? If so, I have to let the audience know this form of dress should be banned or, minimally, optional. 2) How many hotel staff did it take to drag you from that Presidential suite?
 
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