Best restaurant!

Hello! My first impressin were great - i loved the deor in the foyer, staff were helpful and dheck in easy. 
And the location is great and rooms large enough considering the locatn but overall I was disappointed with the hotel.

So, I cannot believe that you are charged for wifi and not only once it is per device.....this can only be a money makinjgventure. You can'tturn the computer in the room off and the whirring sound was not congenial for sleep, I had to call twice to have it deactivated. My room had a musty smell each time I returned and I was particularly surprised that there is no turn down service of an evening.

And the restaurant staff were pleasant and helpful and service good.

The hotel was very busy for the four nights I stayed on enquiry I discovered it is s base hotel for the many cruise ships that leave from th area.

But overall I believe there are thugs the hotel can do to make it a better place to stay.

 I enjoyed my stay there, the highlights are the big windows with gorgeous views. the rooms are nice, clean and well decorated, but to be honest I would expect more from an intercontinental hotel. the wifi charge is a joke, come on people get with the times, and I did not like the computers in the room, kind of ruin the decor.
location is magnificent and i love the rain shower, but I do think for the price they could offer a bit more.
 My husband and I stayed here prior to our cruise out of NYC. We were so pleased with everything and everyone that we encountered. The bellmen were so courteous and helpful. Our check in service was pleasant also. Our room was very clean, small but that's a NYC given. The location is convenient, between Hell's Kitchen and Times Square. I would definitely recommend it, and will stay there again on our next trip.

 The hotel is in good condition. The room on 5th floor was not very large, but it was nicely decorated and pleasant enough. The bed was comfy. Large HD tv. Front desk, bellboys, housekeeping all offered correct service. Location is close to Times Square. Subway stop on 7th avenue is actually under the building. It was all fine, reliable, but nothing truly special. 
Stayed September 2012, travelled on business.
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About Travel Agents

About Travel Agents Travel agents coordinate every aspect of travel, from choosing a destination to booking a flight, from making arrangements for hotel accommodations and car rentals to arranging tours. Many travel agents work closely with cruise lines, as well as with resorts, spas, and special-interest travel groups. Travel agents are expected to know the ins and outs of the destinations they recommend, including tourist attractions, restaurants and entertainment, local customs, as well as any hazards or issues to be aware of.

Education requirements for travel agents include a high school diploma, but many travel agencies prefer their travel agents to have bachelor's degrees or specialized training in the travel field from vocational schools, online programs, adult education programs, or community colleges. Several colleges in the United States offer degree programs in travel and tourism. In addition, travel agents who are experienced travelers are highly sought after. In addition to being travel savvy, travel agents must have excellent listening and communication skills, must work well with people, must have excellent research skills, and must be well organized. Good sales ability is also a plus. Travel agents spend a large portion of their time in offices behind desks, using the computer, talking with clients on the telephone, arranging reservations and itineraries, and filling out paperwork. They may also spend some portion of their time traveling to resorts, hotels, motels, restaurants, and attractions to assess cleanliness and convenience, and to better make recommendations.

The job outlook for travel agents increases as people travel. During a slow economy, people tend to travel less, while during a robust economy, travel picks up. Travel agents who specialize in particular destinations, as well as those who handle certain special interest groups, tend to have the best job prospects.

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“Don't go here! They will try to cheat you!”

They came top in three out of four categories, including not ... How low can anyone sink when you try and cheat small cafe owners and taxi..

I would not recommend you to come this place. The surprise will come once you got the bill. We had things which we don't order and the quantities where wrong. At the end we couldn't do anything other than pay it.
Be careful, the prices are for 100g, not the whole dish!
London, United Kingdom

This was my first restaurant in Romania. All I had were American dollars, and after some discussion between the staff, it was agreed that they would accept my money. That was nice, I guess, but the service after that was a little less than mediocre. The desserts were best skipped, but I judge a restaurant on main courses, and pastry shops on desserts. We were seated at a small table next to a lot of foot traffic, so I always felt like we were in the way, or being observed from above by many patrons and staff. The place had lots of little nooks and crannies where we might have had more intimacy, but we didn't get reservations, so we got what we got.

The food was very good, and my first realization that Romanian "crap" has nothing to do with poop, but rather how they spell "carp". Unlike many Romanian restaurants that possess interesting ambience, the food here was better than mediocre.

“When they try to cheat tourists...”

We only went to this place to have a coffee at the bar and paid it 2.50 € each (other coffees in Paris costed 0.95 - 1.20 €). They said it's the price written in the carte but we didn't see it, and anyway they made us pay as we had table service but we didn't! I think it's not honest from them and I'm happy we didn't have dinner there.

The worst part was not that they added 13,50€ to the bill of a lunch for 2, but how terribly they treated us when we complained about it. We ordered a dish of calamaris to share, spaghetti with clams and risotto with seafood. When we asked for the bill, we saw that the price of each of the main dishes had been increased in 2€ and that there were 2 dishes of calamaris instead of the single starter we had ordered, so double of the price indicated in the menu. The waiter accepted without apologising that the price of the main dishes was incorrect but refused to let us pay just the starter we had ordered because we had already eaten it. This after having tried to convince us, with no success, that in fact they had already discounted one of the portions because the whole price of the calamaris would have been 36€. The menu clearly indicated "calamari fritti 9.50." No comments. Then the waiter invited me to go to the hall to meet "il direttore" if I still was not happy with the amount to pay. It was later when I understood how this allowed the director to shout at me and insult me without disturbing the rest of the clients. However, I'm sure everybody heard how he called me "stronza maleducata" while he yelled "when I travel in Spain, I pay what they ask me to" (I'm Spanish.) I decided then to ask for the complaints book. This only made things even worse, with the director holding one of my arms, his other hand raised and shouting at me if I was trying to eat for free. The waiter was also extremely disrespectful to us, saying lovely things as "who do you think you are to complain" and "if you don't have enough money to pay just leave." The funny thing is that before we could even imagine the terrible scene we would have to suffer, we had already regretted having chosen this place for lunch as the food was too salty to be enjoyed and the decoration really tacky, with pictures of old fashion landscapes and plastic flowers among other beautiful details.

My worst experience so far in a restaurant and the only bad incident I had in my, apart from this disturbing episode, wonderful holidays in Sardinia.

Peru cruise: eating up the Amazon

Peru cruise: eating up the Amazon

In the observation deck of the M/V Aria, the most opulently-appointed cruise ship on the Amazon, there is less appetite than usual for the communal Jacuzzi. Passengers would normally be immersing themselves in the cool, clear water to soak away the heat and humidity of this spot, close to the equator, where the Marañon and Ucayali rivers meet. Today they have formed a huddle round the tub, but no one has ventured in and, on closer inspection, I can see why.

Not only is it filled with muddy river water that smells faintly of methane, but the surface is broken every few minutes by a gargantuan fish. "It's a paiche," says Victor Coelho, one of four naturalist guides on board, leaping into the Jacuzzi in his shorts to wrestle with the prehistoric leviathan and to present it for a photo opportunity. "The paiche is at the top of the food chain and has a bony tongue to rake in smaller fish. Like a mammal, it has to surface every five or 10 minutes for oxygen. A large fish could feed a family for a week."

On the 147ft-long Aria and its sister ship the Aqua, both operated by Aqua Expeditions, gastronomy is high on the agenda. Last September the Aria hosted Ferran Adrià, of El Bulli fame, with Gastón Acurio – the chef who, seven years ago, took Peruvian cuisine to new heights and has promoted it worldwide in his 33 restaurants. Both were in Lima for Mistura, South America's biggest food festival, along with René Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen.

This one will feed 32 passengers at a dinner showcasing the talents of five top chefs, among them Nobu Matsuhisa – owner of more than 30 restaurants worldwide, including two in London with a Michelin star each – and Yoshihiro Murata, arguably the most influential chef in Japan. His Kikunoi restaurant in Kyoto has three Michelin stars while Roan Kikunoi (also in Kyoto) and Akasaka Kikunoi (in Tokyo) have two stars each. In Peru for a conference, they have been invited to cook on board by Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, the Aria's executive chef, himself dubbed "South America's Heston Blumenthal" for his use of esoteric ingredients both here and at Malabar, his acclaimed restaurant in Lima.

One day they might release baby turtles back into the wild, the next they might visit a sanctuary for manatees, seal-like river mammals. They arrive back in time for a rain shower in their air-conditioned, Italian-styled suite, followed by a pisco sour (grape brandy, lime juice, sugar, egg white), elegantly mixed by Robinson the bartender, and a sumptuous Peruvian feast.
In the mornings and afternoons, passengers set out on motorised skiffs with the Aria's naturalist guides – all local – to fish for piranhas and spot pink river-dolphins, caimans, iguanas, monkeys, bats, sloths and a bewildering variety of birds in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve west of Iquitos, the main city in the Peruvian rainforest.

Edinburgh city break guide

Edinburgh city break guide:
The joy of Edinburgh is that you never need an excuse to visit. There is always something going on, something different to experience, something new to catch your eye. If you only think about the city at Festival time or Hogmanay, boy, are you missing out. You can get high just gazing at the architecture, from the craggy Castle to the mysteries of its Old Town medieval closes, from the Georgian splendour of the New Town to the contemporary tang of Leith. Then weather there’s the clutch of galleries – all nicely do-able in size – and fanfare of museums and attractions, offering a tantalising choice for even the pickiest family.

In truth, you don’t need to do the “arts-culture-history” thing to get a zing out of Edinburgh. Mosey around the streets – particularly just off-centre, say in Stockbridge or around Grassmarket – and you’ll chance on a quirky shop, artisan deli or laidback café. This is a city perfect for browsing, sitting back, or just doing nothing but blessing your cleverness for finding this little place. There are five Michelin-starred restaurants alone, while drinking options range from whisky-fuddled pubs to designer bars.And did we mention food?

Yes, it can get busy; yes, it can rain. But this city pushes so many buttons, you’d have to be a frigid Philistine to visit and remain unmoved.
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