Well I have to say that I am very pleased with the standard of the Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport Hotel and thoroughly recommend this hotel when you have a stop over in Sydney.

It is simply minutes from the airport and there is a shuttle provided to and from both the domestic and international terminals for $6.00 per person.

I booked this hotel through HotelClub.com and it was self rated at 5 stars. I would say it is probably in keeping with a 4 star hotel.

The check in service is quick and the staff friendly and efficient.

The room is large, with a comfortable king sized bed, tv, tv cabinet, writing desk and chair,  comfortable armchair and pouffe, lots of mirrors in the room and bathroom, plenty of hanging space, ironing board and iron, reasonably sized safe and hairdryer.  Broadband internet is available although I cannot tell you how much it would cost as I didn’t have to use  it as I am using a prepaid wireless USB device which connects almost anywhere.

One thing I did notice was that it was missing a clock radio so I had to turn on my o2 pocket pc to check the time. I can’t remember having stayed in a hotel without a clock before.

We went down to a buffet breakfast which is available from 6:00am to 10.00am. The early morning breakfast is ideal for those who have an early flight. Our breakfast cost $17.00 per person which I consider to be very reasonable for a buffet breakfast…at least for Australia.

The breakfast room has a nice ambiance and the waiting staff are efficient and unobtrusive. The chefs are very helpful if you have special requests or requirements. We  don’t have any special needs but there were some people who were asking for special dietary items which the chef was more than happy to oblige with.

On offer were boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, thinly sliced bacon, grilled tomatoes, hash browns, an assortment of cereals, bread and toppings – Vegemite, honey, jam, pancakes, juices- orange, apple and pineapple, yogurt, an assortment of teas and coffee and fresh fruit.  Everything was plentiful and very tasty.

King sized bed with comfortable pillows

Comfortable Arm Chair and Pouffe

Bedroom – Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport

Tv Cabinet Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport

Bathroom

Our Rating of the Stamford Plaza Hotel Sydney Airport:

Checking in and out 5/5
Room 4/5
Position 5/5
Price 5/5 (Based on our HotelClub deal)
Cleanliness 4/5

Eating in Las Vegas is a great experience. Not only is the food of excellent quality but you can feed yourself for a very reasonable price, especially, if you eat at one of the many buffets in the casinos.

We have eaten at quite a few buffets in Las Vegas and found that even the cheapest of them provide delicious food. The difference between the more expensive buffets and the cheaper ones seems to relate more to the amount of choice rather than in the quality of the dishes.

Here are some of the buffets we ate at and our views on each.

1. Sahara Hotel & Casino
Breakfast: Mon-Fri – 7-10.30am – $9.99
Lunch: Mon-Fri – 10.30am-4pm – $12.99
Dinner: Mon-Sun – 4-10pm – $12.99
Champagne Brunch: Sat & Sun – 7am-4pm – $13.99

We had dinner at the Sahara buffet. The cost was $12.99 but we noticed a sign that mentioned dinner for $6.99 for Club Sahara members so we went and joined. Membership is free and provides lots of other bonuses and even though we are from Australia we were still able to join.

So with our new membership card in hand we headed up to the Sahara Buffet.

It was still only about 5.30pm when we got to the dining room entrance but even so there was already a queue of about 30 people in front of us. The queue moved quite quickly and it didn’t take too long before we were in our seats. We did notice on our way out that the queue was quite a bit longer so it looks as though this is a popular buffet.

Unlike most of the buffets we have been to where we were directed to a specific table, with this one we were told to find any available table and we were given a card to place on our table with the word ‘Reserved’ on it so we could both leave the table  at the same time without the problem of someone else taking our seats while we were gone.

Some of the dishes at the Sahara included fried chicken, a range of pastas and pizzas, rice and noodle dishes, fish, soups and sliced roast meats. There are also a number of different salads and fruits.

I had crumbed shrimp, chicken breast, a fish dish of some sort, carrots, peas and corn, mashed potatoes and a bowl of wonton soup. I also managed to fit in a slice of pepperoni pizza.

By this time I was already way too full but as we all know, there is always room for dessert, so off I went to see what was available.

The range was quite nice with delicate little desserts which looked just the right size after having just stuffed myself silly.

I chose a mini cheesecake topped with red jelly and fresh cream and an apple turnover. I should have stopped at the cheesecake but the apple turnover looked too good to resist.

The cheesecake was delicious but by the time that was finished there was definitely no room left for anything else.

Drinks are provided free with the cost of the buffet and include sodas, iced tea, hot tea and coffee.

The range is not as extensive as some of the other buffets we have been to. It looked big at first glance but when I scanned the dishes they had put the same dishes in different locations around the room. Even so, this is a buffet we would go back to at the $6.99 rate. If we had to pay the non-member rate of $12.99 we would probably give it a miss.

2. Luxor – More The Buffet
Breakfast: Mon-Fri – 7-11am – $11.99
Lunch: Mon-Fri – 11.00am-3pm – $19.99
Dinner: Mon-Fri – 3-10pm $19.99
Sat & Sun Champagne Brunch: 7am-3pm – $17.99

The Luxor was the first buffet we ate at. We had been silly enough to take the long walk from Caesar’s Palace to Excalibur where we relented and caught the monorail to Mandalay Bay and transferred to another monorail to get back to the Luxor. We wanted to take in the experience of the Egyptian theme and after becoming totally exhausted and hungry we went to the buffet for dinner.

We were really impressed with the price. You can’t find a good buffet this cheap in Australia.

The range of food is excellent with prawns, mussels, fish, an assortment of fish, pasta dishes. Drinks are included in the cost.

3. Gold Coast Hotel & Casino – Ports o’ Call Buffet

Breakfast – Min-Fri – 7-10am – $6.95
Lunch – Mon-Fri – 11am-3pm – $8.45
Dinner – Sat-Thu – 4-9pm – $12.95
Seafood Buffet – Fri – $17.95
Brunch – Sat-Sun – 8am-3pm – $12.95

For the majority of our time in Las Vegas we stayed at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino so we had a number of meals at the Ports o’ Call buffet during that time.

The dinner buffet is one of the cheaper buffets in Las Vegas at only $12.95 for members and $14.95 for non-members.

The range of food at dinner is quite extensive with fresh shrimp, sushi, roast meats, soups, pastas, pizza, chicken dishes, rice, noodles, fried chicken, vegetables and salads. There are also have a nice range of Mexican and Chinese dishes.

There are also plenty of desserts to choose from including pies, cheesecake, cream puffs, cookies, cake, eclairs, donuts and much more. And if sweets aren’t to your liking then you can select from the range of sliced or whole fruits.

The lunch menu was very similar with only minor variations.

We enjoyed eating at this buffet. The food was delicious, fresh and well presented and we went back numerous times and not just because we were staying in the hotel.

Like most people, I just love to travel and spend as much time as I can on the road or in the air.

Finding cheap flights online is the easy part; it’s finding a hotel at a reasonable cost, in the right location with the right facilities that can sometimes be a challenge.

Fortunately there are some excellent sites available to help you to choose the right hotel at the right price.

In October we are planning to travel to Auckland in New Zealand and then driving down to Queenstown in the South Island.

I intend to book only accommodation in both places and book as we go once we are there for the rest of the journey.

This is how Paula and I traveled around the West Coast of America just recently and found booking as we went to be a huge success as we weren’t locked into leaving an area if we wanted to stay on longer to enjoy the sights. Traveling like this also allowed us to take advantage of specials, such as the great deal we found to San Fransico through Priceline

And it is so easy nowadays to book online, I had a laptop so it was only a matter of going to Expedia.com or Hotels.com to check out the availability and costs of the various hotels. And I have now found another excellent website, Hotels Combined.com that allows me to check the prices of my chosen hotel with a number of travel websites, all at the same time. So that also saves me some time.

I am a bit of a fan of Holiday Inn Hotels as they are always comfortable, generally have free internet, complimentary breakfast and a laundry, which I find necessary when traveling light.

So the first step in planning my trip is to decide what I want to see. Well Auckland will be mainly spent visiting relatives, but I am also taking my granddaughter and as I want to show her around the many attraction in Auckland, I want to stay somewhere central.

I have previously stayed in the CityLife Hotel , because of its great location right in the heart of Auckland. It is close to the shopping in Queens Street, the Skywalk Tower, Kelly Tarltons Aquarium, the Casino, Museum, a great selection of restaurants on The Quay and the hotel itself is very comfortable with large rooms and all the facilities to make your stay enjoyable.

The rates  varied  from $150-$190 per night, quite a difference really. I actually found that going through Hotels Combined.com I  I could get a cheaper rate than going directly to some of the other travel sites. So keep that in mind when you are looking and be sure to check out all your options.

So now I am going to look for a hotel in Queenstown using the same process of checking each of my favorite travel websites plus my new found search partner, Hotels Combined.

Well I have finished my search on Expedia, Hotels Combined and Hotels.com and have decided on the Comfort Inn Melbourne Mtr Ldge as apart from being close to restaurants, shops and activities it is also reasonably priced at around $103 per night. It has all the amenities I am looking for and the reviews are positive.  Always make sure you read the reviews from people who have stayed in a hotel previously. But keep an open mind as some people are hard to please and find fault with any little thing. So read reviews objectively.

So there you are. I am all set with my accommodation and it took no time at all.