Has the Captain Ever Held the Ship for You?

Has the captain ever held the ship for you? That's a question I thought I might have to answer on Saturday morning when I made my first major travel blunder. Leonard and I have traveled all over the world from Siberia to South Africa to Indonesia to French Polynesia with nary an incident…no missed flights, no missing luggage, not even any major delays. 

Over the years we've been lucky (partly because things have just gone our way and partly because I'm obsessed with details and generally have checklists to guide us through each part of our journey).

With luck being on our side this long, I guess it was time for a travel hiccup and this one was major. After spending a few relaxing days in Rome, we headed for Civitavecchia to join the beautiful Wind Surf from Windstar Cruises. As we sped away from Rome I realized that I'd left our passports at the InterContinental. Oy! We had to backtrack all the way to the hotel and then race to Civitavecchia. (We arrived at 3:30pm for a 4pm all aboard and a sail-away after 5pm.) Phew!

We have to thank our driver from Rome Cabs and owner Stefano Costantini for making sure we got where we had to go…on time! If you ever need transfers in Rome, I highly recommend Rome Cabs. They also offer guided tours from StefanoRomeTours.com.

Things could have been much worse and I'm so glad we swerved around this potential disaster. The thing is, I almost knew that I was going to forget the passports. I never leave them in the room safe but for some unknown reason, I did this time. Never again.

The silver lining of the incident was that it reaffirmed to me why I married Leonard. He's such a calm person and goes with the flow. He could have been angry or at least aggravated when I told him we'd need to go back to the hotel, but he wasn't. He was calm and comforting and said, "Hey, we'll get the passports and hope we get to the ship in time. If not, we'll find a ferry and meet the ship tomorrow. No worries." Not many men would have been so  cool-headed about the whole thing!

I'll tell you though,we were both ready for a drink once we finally did board Wind Surf!

Last night was a bit windy as we sailed out of port so dining outdoors at Le Marche and Candles was cancelled. Instead, we had a lovely meal at Degrees. (I'll post some photos shortly.)

Today we're at docked Portoferraia and it's a lovely, crowd-free port. Leonard and I walked to Fort Stella and one of Napoleon's residences. While there are some steep inclines (streets and stairs), it's totally do-able on foot if you take your time. We worked up an appetite and enjoyed lunch at a local trattoria.

Now it's time to relax a bit and get reacquainted with Wind Surf. We haven't been on the ship in four years and we want to look around to see what's the same and what's different.

You can expect more photos as soon as we've had some time to download our chips.

Tonight we'll dine at Le Marche (weather permitting) and tomorrow we anchor off Porto Rotondo on Sardinia. Stay tuned for additional Wind Surf updates.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

InterContinental de la Ville Roma: A Few Photos

Our first day in Rome was absolutely perfect. It's sunny and in the high 70s with very little humidity so we were able to walk all over the city without exhausting ourselves. I'll write more about what we've seen in Rome later.

Right now, I wanted to share some photos of our deluxe-category room at the InterContinental de la Ville Roma. This is a very solid home base when visiting Rome. The Spanish Steps (pictured) are--literally--just a few steps away and it's an easy 10-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain. We've been using some of Rick Steves' suggested walking tours and so many of them can be customized to start or end right here at the Spanish Steps.

The welcome amenity for InterContinental Ambassadors. We were also offered a free pay-per-view movie and late check-out, which we unfortunately can't take advantage of since we'll need to get to the port at Civitavecchia on Saturday.

A small sitting area across from the foyer.

A comfortable queen-size bed.

The work area. (Internet is lightning fast here, unlike a lot of hotels we've been to. You can actually get work done and not tear your hair out because of slow download or upload times.)

The bathroom. It's very pretty to look at but the bathtub is built-up on a pedestal...not the easiest entry for this five-foot Italian!

Before we left home I had a plan for our first evening in Rome...jump-start the vacation with drinks at the Emperor Terrace on the sixth floor of the InterContinental and that's exactly what we did. Here's the view from the terrace.

This was a fun way to work off the jetlag and take in the sights of Rome.

Complimentary appetizers that come with your drink order on the terrace.

So far, we're really enjoying our stay at the InterContinental de la Ville Roma. I'll post a full review upon our return home once I've had some time to write up my notes.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos © Andrea M. Rotondo

On the Way to Rome, The Eternal City

Tonight we head to Rome, where we'll stay at the InterContinental de la Ville Roma for a few days before joining Windstar Cruises' 312-passenger Wind Surf motor-sail-yacht in Civitavecchia on Saturday. This seven sail, five mast ship is one of our favorites and we are truly looking forward to traveling with her again!

We're flying a British Airways 777 in Club World to London and hope to sleep a few hours on the overnight flight. Once we land at Heathrow, we have a short layover before connecting on to Italy's capital city.

We flew Delta and Virgin for our last few trips to Europe, so it will be interesting to see how British Airways compares.

I only have two gripes with British Airways so far...

1. I'm not crazy about the fact that you must pay a per person fee to secure seat assignments in advance. If you don't wish to pay this fee, you must wait until online check-in 24 hours prior to your flight and hope that you're happy with the seat selection that's left. It's $90 per seat on the New York to London and London to New York legs and $30 per seat on the London to Rome segment.



2. I'm also a bit worried about the seat layout in Club World on the 777. The cabin layout is pictured below. As you can see, seats E/F in the middle of the aircraft look good for a couple traveling together, but you're actually facing backward. That doesn't seem to be much of an issue but on a night flight it looks like you would have to climb over the legs of travelers seated in the D or G seats. The other option is a pair of facing seats (A/B or J/K). We opted for a facing pair to get a little more space between us and our fellow passengers.

If all goes well, Leonard and I will check into the InterContinental in the early evening and head to hotel's Emperor Terrace for cocktails. (The bar has amazing views of the city, including Saint Peter's Square, Piazza Venezia, and the Pantheon.)

If you use Twitter, be sure to follow me this week (@luxcruisebible) since I'll be tweeting messages and photos as often as I can. And, of course, I'll blog from Rome and from Windstar Wind Surf as we sail the Italian Riviera and the Cote d'Azur.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Island Paradise: InterContinental Bali Resort Review

The world is a beautiful place... a very big, beautiful place and it can be difficult figuring out which destinations should top your "must-visit soon" list. I had always wanted to visit Indonesia, but I was more focused on Komodo Island (to catch a glimpse of a real-life dragon) than on Bali. But, when I sat down to plan a special birthday trip for my husband, a game plan to visit Bali and Hong Kong fell perfectly into place. I will admit that it's quite a trek from New York City to Jimbaran Bay, Bali, but it was worth every single mile!

Bali is blessed with many options when it comes to luxury villas, resorts, and guest houses. For this particular trip, we selected the InterContinental Bali Resort in Jimbaran Bay. We'd had an excellent experience with the InterContinental chain in French Polynesia in May. I also had my heart set on staying at the InterContinental Hong Kong on the way home from Bali so we thought, "Why not make it a trifecta!"

The resort is ideal for first-time visitors to the island as it's just a 10-minute drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport and is nestled between Nusa Dua and Kuta. While some travelers feel that Jimbaran Bay is too close to the airport, we liked being within walking distance of the various fish restaurants lining the beach.

See below for some photos and additional trip details. You can also read my comprehensive InterContinental Bali Resort review at LuxuryCruiseBible.com

The Balinese Pool at the InterContinental Bali
There are six swimming pools here, including the Main Pool, private Club InterContinental Pool, and the Balinese Bath Pool (pictured above).

Spa Uluwatu—Treatments Overlooking the Beach at Jimbaran Bay
The lovely on-property Spa Uluwatu also offers massages in bales at the beach's edge.

Mermaids Hold Court at the Main Pool
Several mermaid fountains hold court at the main pool at the InterContinental Bali.

The InterContinental Bali Resort Complex
Spread over nearly 35 acres, the InterContinental Bali offers three levels of accommodation: Resort Classic, Singaraja, and Club International (which also encompasses suites). With 418 rooms and suites, it's one of the larger resorts in Bali.

Unique Flora and Fauna
There's a huge lily pond that attracts birds throughout the day who are hoping to catch a meal.

Dragon Statues Adorn the Property

Beautiful Fountains and Wading Pools are a Highlight of the InterContinental Bali

Club InterContinental Pool
This pool, with a bar and several bales, is for the exclusive use of Club guests. The resort suggests that families with small children use the Main Pool or Balinese Pool instead.

Complimentary Breakfast for Club Guests
Club guests are entitled to complimentary breakfast at five different venues throughout the resort: the Club InterContinental Pool (pictured above), Club InterContinental Lounge, Taman Gita Terrace, Bella Singaraja restaurant, and in-room dining.

The Entrance to the Club InterContinental Pool
A private oasis for Club guests.

The Club Lounge
Club guests check in to the resort right here in the Club Lounge. It's also one of the venues available to them for complimentary breakfast. Drinks and snacks are available throughout the day: 6:30am–noon = breakfast; 11am–3pm = selection of juices, soft drinks, tea/coffee, and a snack menu; 3–5pm = English afternoon tea; 5–8pm = evening cocktails, wines, sparkling wines, and canapes; 8pm and onwards = late-night snacks.

Club Duplex Suite Vanity and Bathtub

Club Duplex Suite Upstairs Bedroom

Club Duplex Suite—Downstairs Living Room and Dining Room

The Club Duplex Suite with Balcony

Club Duplex Suite with a Daybed in the Downstairs Living Room

The Balinese Bath Pool is a Favorite Spot to Cool Off

The Bales at the Balinese Pool

Perfect Spot to Enjoy the Pool

We highly recommend the InterContinental Bali. The staff is friendly and accommodating, the grounds are well-kept, and the restaurants serve consistently delicious meals. This would be a perfect pre- or post-cruise home away from home and we hope to visit Bali and this resort again soon.

For more information about the InterContinental Bali Resort, talk with your travel agent or contact the resort directly at +62 361 701888.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos © Leonard Hospidor

Review of Cathay Pacific First Class Service (YYZ to DPS)

We're back from a fantastic trip to Bali, Indonesia and Hong Kong and we have a new favorite airline for long-haul trips to Asia: Cathay Pacific. I loved the excellent service, from super-fast check-in to comfortable airport lounges to caring stewardesses in the air—I'd rank the experience a solid A.

We weren't able to get first class award seats on the JFK to Hong Kong flight on the day we wanted, so we flew out of Toronto instead. Since we had a layover of a few hours, we booked a day room at the Sheraton Gateway Toronto that's attached to Terminal 3 of Pearson International Airport. It was so nice to be on-site, get a few hours sleep, grab drinks in the Club Lounge, and then check-in for our Cathay flight, which was taking off at 1:30am.

Cathay doesn't have its own lounge at the Toronto airport, but first class passengers do have access to the KLM lounge. The lounge is fine; nothing special. The staff seemed quite tired. When I asked for the wi-fi password, the receptionist handed me the tiniest slip of paper with a code on one side. She didn't say a word; just slid the paper (blank side up) across the desk to me. Odd.



Upon boarding Cathay's 777, we were pleasantly surprised by the six spacious first class suites. It was just us and one other passenger. We knew we'd be comfortable for the 15-hour flight. We also decided to try transition to Hong Kong time, so we stayed up and enjoyed a lovely meal.

The list of complimentary beverages was extensive:

Champagne
Krug Grand Cuvee Champagne

White Wines
Hardy's Heritage Reserve Bin Chardonnay 2008
Bouchard Pere & Fils Meusault Les Clous 2006

Red Wines
D'Arenberg The Galvo Garage Cabernet Blend 2008
Sebastiani Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Chateau Lynch Bages 2003

Port
Ramos Pinto Quinta da Ervamoira 10-Year-Old Tawny Port

Aperitifs and Cocktails
Campari • Martini Rosso • Martini Extra Dry • Tio Pepe Sherry • Harveys Bristol Cream Sweet Sherry • Gordons Dry Gin • Bacardi Rum • Absolut Vodka • Bloody Mary • Screwdriver

Whiskies
Chivas Regal 12 Years Old • Johnnie Walker Blue Label • Canadian Club • Gentleman Jack Bourbon • Glenfiddich Ancient Reserve Single Malt Whisky

Cognac
Tesseron Lot 76 XO Tradition

Liqueurs
Cointreau • Drambuie • Kahlua • Bailey's Irish Cream

Beer
International selection

CX Signature Drinks
Oriental Breeze—A sour-plum tea and cranberry juice based non-alcoholic drink with honey and fresh lemon juice and a hint of rose water.

Cloud Nine—A refreshing combination of vodka, Cointreau, and Sprite with a refreshing touch of lemon flavor.

Dinner itself was very good as well.

A couple can comfortably dine together in Cathay Pacific's 777 first class suites.

We skipped the first course of caviar and Balik salmon and the soup course (roasted red pepper) and instead began with a smoked duck breast over salad and...

...grilled prawns over salad.

The main entree, pan-fried U.S. beef tenderloin, was quite tasty.

The in-flight cheese course was surprisingly good...

...but dessert could have been better. The ice cream was rock solid and the chocolate lava cake was also colder than I would have wished. Perhaps Cathay should stick with something that's a bit easier to prepare at 30,000 feet?

Once dinner was over, I got comfortable in the lie-flat bed and watched a few DVDs on my laptop before drifting off to sleep.


We arrived in Hong Kong at about 5 o'clock in the morning and were still groggy. We went directly to The Wing, Cathay's first class lounge, and headed for the showers. Once we felt a bit more human, we checked e-mail, made a few calls, had a traditional Chinese breakfast, and then boarded our next flight to Bali.

I was dead tired at this point and pretty much slept through the entire five-hour flight. When the flight attendants roused me for landing, I was feeling pretty punk. We had flown from New York to Toronto to Hong Kong and were finally nearing our destination of Jimbaran Bay, Bali. I don't know how anyone could make this trip in economy. I loved having the additional space to stretch out in first class and the priority access to the lounges and aircraft itself made a huge difference.

I had heard horror stories about DPS, but we sailed right through the airport...first getting our visitor's visa and then going through passport control.

Upon exiting the airport, our driver from the InterContinental Bali Resort was waiting for us with cold drinks and a nicely appointed—and air-conditioned—Mercedes. The transfer to the hotel took less than 20 minutes. As we drove up to the InterContinental Bali and past a gorgeous lily pond holding court in front of the hotel, we knew we had made the right decision about which accommodations to book. We were ushered to the Club Lounge, where we checked in and enjoyed a refreshing drink or two.

We were in our room, a Club Duplex, within minutes. Our plan had been to stay up late in order to get our bodies on Bali time. We threw that plan right out the window since we were both so tired. We enjoyed a few more cocktails in the Club Lounge, along with some snacks and then headed back to our room where we fell into a wonderful night's sleep.

Stay tuned for the next blog post about our stay at the InterContinental Bali Resort on Jimbaran Bay.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos © Leonard Hospidor

InterContinental Bali—A Preview

Later this week we'll arrive at the InterContinental Bali on Jimbaran Bay for a one-week stay. We'll be posting tons of photographs to this blog while we're in Southeast Asia. In the meantime, take a look at these images courtesy of the IC Bali.

One of the six pools at the InterContinental Bali.

A Resort Classic Room, one of the 418 accommodations at the InterContinental Bali.

Jimbaran Bay is located on the southern coastline of the island and is home to many beachfront resorts like the InterContinental Bali. The Rip Curl School of Surf offers sea kayaking and surfing right from the beach here.

InterContinental Bali.

InterContinental Bali pool area at dusk.

I look forward to arriving at the InterContinental Bali and will be sharing more photos and videos of the public areas, accommodations, beach and pool, special "resort within a resort" Club lounge and pool, and restaurants.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photos courtesy of InterContinental Bali

The Countdown to Bali

It's been a busy summer packed with projects for magazine and book publishers and movie studios. I just finished another guidebook project for Thomas Cook Publishing and Leonard has been recording music for a major motion picture. We're ready for a break!

So as the season winds down, we find ourselves gearing up for our next adventure. This week we head to Bali, Indonesia in Southeast Asia with a (very) short stopover in Hong Kong.

Over 17,000 islands comprise Indonesia with Bali being one of the best-known. You'll find stunning vistas as diverse as terraced rice paddies, white sand beaches, ornate temples, volcanoes (some active), and tropical rain forests. The culture is equally enticing and visitors often attend traditional Balinese ceremonies and dance performances.

For more information about Bali, visit these resources:
Bali Tourism Board
Indonesia—CIA World Factbook
Bali Forum at TripAdvisor.com
Bali Guide
Bali Eats

We're celebrating a special occasion and wanted to go somewhere to both explore and relax. Bali certainly fits the bill. While sailing aboard Silversea's Silver Spirit earlier this summer we met many crew members from Indonesia and they all told us that Bali should be on our "must visit soon" list. Call us convinced!

The Game Plan

• First class flight from the East Coast to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific
  
  
• Connecting business class flight on Cathay to Bali
  
  
• A week at the InterContinental Bali in Jimbaran Bay on Bali's southern coast
  
  
• A one-night stay at the InterContinental Hong Kong on our way home

Flying Cathay Pacific
I'm particularly looking forward to flying first class on Cathay Pacific. The gourmet meals, lie-flat bed, and excellent entertainment system will certainly make the 15-hour flight more bearable. (Read Tuesday's blog post for more information about Cathay Pacific's first class product.)

What's even better is that I was able to book these flights using my American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer miles (135k per ticket). It took two phone calls but the second agent was able to book me on the exact flights I wanted on my preferred travel dates. Of course, I spent quite a bit of time searching availability on Cathay's AsiaMiles website and British Airways partner award availability calendar before calling the AAdvantage desk. I booked these tickets about two months ago.

Jimbaran Bay
I spent far too much time reviewing hotel possibilities for Bali. There are some amazing properties to consider on the luxury end of the market. There are three Aman resorts—Amanusa in Nusa Dua, Amandari in Ubud, and Amankila in East Bali. There are also two Four Seasons (one in Jimbaran Bay and another in Ubud). All of those resorts look gorgeous and we plan to visit them to get a reference point for future stays.

In the end though, we decided to book the InterContinental Bali in Jimbaran Bay for several reasons. We're InterContinental/Priority Club fans and enjoy the upgrade perks we generally enjoy at IC properties. Also, Club level accommodations were priced right and we just felt it would be an ideal home base for our first trip to Bali. (Read Monday's blog post for more information about the InterContinental Bali.)

Putu Sudiana, Private Driver
To get the most out of our days on the island, we've hired private driver/guide Putu Sudiana of YourBaliDriver.com. His rates are incredibly reasonable (400,000 rupiah, or $40USD, for a 10-hour day). He came highly recommended by travelers who frequent TripAdvisor.com's Bali forum.

A Few Hours in Hong Kong
Finally, at the end of our trip we'll spend just one night at the InterContinental Hong Kong at Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon. We booked a junior suite with harbor views. I wish we could stay at this hotel for a few additional nights! It looks beautiful!

Stay tuned as we blog from Asia starting later this week.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com