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Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva, Fiji – A Review of the “Grand Old Lady”

For our first nights in Fiji, we needed to stay in a place near the Pacific Harbour where I was doing my shark dive. Though there were several places closer to the harbor, we decided to stay at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva, which was about 40 minutes away from Nausori Airport and an hour away from Pacific Harbour. It’s also a very short distance away from downtown Suva. Though we didn’t get to stay too long, we definitely had a Grand Old time at the resort hotel.

Rear View of Grand Pacific Hotel

When we first arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with “BULA!” (Hello!) by the very friendly staff, who gave us glasses of juice and coconut water. As we waited to check-in, we browsed around in the lobby/main area of the hotel to admire its lovely architectural design and the outside view before being taken to our room. We loved how bright and airy it looked with all of the natural light but also how the hotel kept much of its historic design and features. Affectionately nicknamed “The Grand Old Lady,” the hotel was built in 1914 and went through several ownership changes before being renovated and reopened in 2014. One of its most famous visitors was Queen Elizabeth II and the room that she stayed in was named in her honor. The staff was kind enough to give a tour of the Queen Elizabeth Suite and its biggest room, The Royal Suite 1.

Since it was our honeymoon, I did splurge a bit and used some credit card points to book us the Grand Pacific Club Suite, the largest room available that’s not in main building. With 54 sq m (or 580 sq ft), it was easily more than enough space for the two of us. We had a firm but very comfortable king size bed with soft linens and pillows; we definitely slept very well on this bed. There was a large workspace area if we needed to any work. The bathroom was very modern with sleek tiles and open shower. There was no tub, however, which seemed like a slight oversight with so much space not being utilized in the bathroom. The bathroom was all glass, and although not completely see-through, privacy could be an issue for some guests. The best part of the room was the large balcony where we could munch on the fresh fruit bowl given to us and enjoy the completely unobstructed views of the entire harbor.

There are a couple amenities available at the hotel. There’s a gym with pretty nice equipment, available to guests for free. There’s also the “Bliss Spa” for any treatment that you may need; we didn’t use any of the spa’s services but we really liked the bars of soap they had and bought a few (one of our highlight purchases in Fiji). The outdoor pool is free for anyone to use until the evening, though being a small pool, I’d imagine it could get crowded quickly.

There’s also a nice selection of bars and restaurants within the hotel to dine from, with some having happy hours. The only menu item we actually got to try was their fish and sticks from the Levuka Restaurant, where you can dine outside as well. Though it was the cheapest thing on the menu, it was pretty good. We would’ve loved to dine at the Prince Albert Restaurant with their renowned chef in the kitchen, but we cheapened out and went with some alternative dining options.

Booking the Grand Pacific Club Suite also allowed us to have free access to the Victoria Lounge from 5-7 pm, where we enjoyed unlimited canapés (or hors d’oeuvres) and unlimited cocktails and beverages. Not going to lie, but this may have been my favorite part during our stay, as we definitely went to town with the canapés for our dinner. I had a couple cold ones while Mat had some mostly alcohol-less cocktails and fresh juice. From the lounge, you can relax on the balcony and enjoy the beautiful view out towards the ocean.

Last but not least, we wouldn’t have had a great time without the its amazing Fijian hospitality of the staff! Everyone was very nice to us and extremely accommodating to our requests. There were a few times when we had to grab their attention but otherwise, they took good care of us. We also had a spectacular personalized dinner from one of their chefs, which we will write about in our next post. They really made us feel at home and they were a very fun group to have around. We hope to see them again if we’re ever back at the Grand Pacific Hotel!

Here is our rating breakdown of the hotel:

Design: 5/5

Location: 5/5

Cleanliness: 5/5

Food/drink (Limited experience): 4.5/5

Room: 4.5/5

Amenities: 4.5/5

Staff: 4.5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

 

So if you happen to be staying in Suva, take a look at the Grand Pacific Hotel. Even if you’re not staying there, you can still visit the hotel; many visitors during the day are locals who like to enjoy the amenities or dining there. If this is a place you’d consider staying in Suva, give us a Pin and let us know what your favorite feature of the hotel is.

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9 Things To Do During Your Edinburgh Visit

What I really enjoyed about visiting Edinburgh, Scotland was how charming the city was in just about everywhere we went. We would walk down any street or around every corner and we would find something interesting, whether it was the architecture, Scottish shops, small restaurants/cafes, whisky bars, or a unique attraction. With so many things to do and see, it’s easy to get lost and fall in love with the city.

Unfortunately for us, we were only able to spend two days in Edinburgh and probably left with many things unseen. But even for such a short time, we still had an amazing visit and felt like we saw a lot and got to do a lot. So, we’ve listed out 9 things that you should definitely do during your visit to Edinburgh:

1. Climb to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park

At 251 meters, Arthur’s Seat is the highest point in Edinburgh. It’s about a 30-45 minute hike to the top depending on your speed but is totally worth it for the amazing breathtaking views of the city. You can also explore the rest of the park, including St. Anthony’s Chapel and Salisbury Crags, massive cliffs that oversee the city. Click here to see more of the views.

2. Edinburgh Castle

The Edinburgh Castle is an obvious choice, as it is the nationally recognized symbol of Scotland and one of the top attractions in the country. The castle sits atop Castle Rock and offers vast views of the city. See more of the castle here.

3. Scotch Whisky Experience

Scotch whisky is the pride and soul of the country so if you want to understand what goes into this craft or simply love whisky, then you have to do the Scotch Whisky Experience. There is an interactive ride, you’ll get to do some tasting, and see the largest scotch whisky collection in the world. For more of this tour, you can read here.

Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh, Scotland

 

4. The National Museum of Scotland

The National Museum of Scotland is actually the most visited attraction in the whole country and the best part is that it’s completely free to visit. Not only can you admire the architecture but the museum houses a number of really cool exhibits from biology, technology, fashion, Scottish history, astrology and much more. To see more of the other exhibits, you can find more photos here.

5. Stroll down George Street for some shopping

George Street is well-known for being the best place in the city to do some serious shopping. We weren’t planning to do much shopping when we started walking but there were some many interesting shops that we ended up buying quite a bit of stuff. If you are able to resist the temptation to shop, the street does offer some beautiful sites and architecture that you can enjoy.

Statue of William Pitt, George Street, Edinburgh

6. Eat at ANY restaurant/cafe

Many times when we go out to eat, we tend to use an app like Yelp or Tripadvisor to find the best spots. In Edinburgh, you really don’t have to worry about that (unless you’re looking for something specifically). Just about any restaurant or cafe you pass by is probably a great place to eat. We just walked around and picked places near our hotel and each of those places just had amazing food, such as the Magnum Restaurant & Bar, which is where I had the best burger that I’ve ever had (or at least it was really darn good). We also loved The Square, where they had delicious breakfast items and sandwiches.

Maybe the best burger I’ve ever had at the Magnum Restaurant and Bar

7. See the Colorful Buildings on Victoria Street

Located in Old Town, Edinburgh and close to the Edinburgh Castle is Victoria Street, where you can find some very colorful buildings mixed with the old architecture. Within this street are many small stores, cafes, bars and restaurants, a perfect little place for your shopping, eating, and drinking needs.

8. For Harry Potter Fans, Visit the Elephant House

From the outside, the Elephant House looks like an ordinary coffee house. But if you look at the signs carefully, you’ll see it says “The Birthplace of Harry Potter.” This coffee house is where JK Rowling would be writing “Harry Potter” on their napkins in the back room with views of the Edinburgh Castle. Just don’t expect anything wizarding decor or magical themes; it still looks and operates as an ordinary coffee house serving ordinary (but good) coffee and food. There’s also a Harry Potter “grave” nearby, where you can visit the graves of all of the deceased characters.

9. Celebrate the Holidays in Edinburgh

Obviously, this depends on when you decide to visit Edinburgh, but if you happen to be visiting around November or December, you can delve into the festivities the city has to offer. There are many holiday-themed events and shows throughout Edinburgh, as well as various Christmas markets where you can spend plenty of time shopping, eating, and enjoying a family outing.

Here are also a few things didn’t do but you can add to your list:

  1. Holyrood Palace

  2. Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

  3. Calton Hill
  4. Climb to the top of Scott Monument

What other activities would you recommend in Edinburgh? Let us know in the comments and if you like this post, give us a pin below!

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Night at the Museum: The National Museum of Scotland

Scotland is best known for many things, such as beautiful landscapes, castles, and producing the finest scotch whisky. But if you had to guess what was Scotland’s most visited attraction, what would you guess? Maybe the country’s stunning landscapes? Perhaps one of the country’s spectacular castles? Or possibly Loch Ness where “Nessie,” the infamous Loch Ness Monster, was allegedly sighted? Actually, it’s none of those answers; many would be surprised that the most visited attraction in Scotland is really the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

There are several reasons why the museum is the most visited attraction. For one thing (and maybe the biggest thing) is the museum is completely free! Yes, you read that right, FREE!! It’s funded through the lottery and donations, thus no charge is required. Any free activity is a good activity in my book!

Be sure to check out the second most visited attraction in Scotland: The Edinburgh Castle

Aside from being free of charge for admission, the National Museum of Scotland also houses an impressive collection of exhibits of numerous major subject matters, including biology, geology, astrology, fashion, technology, architecture, aviation, world history, arts, Scottish history, and much more! Even the museum itself has architectural and historical significance being over 230 years old! For all the museums I’ve visited, I don’t remember any of them covering such a broad range of topics so I am amazed at content the museum provides.

We visited the museum during the late afternoon, which was already getting dark by then, and the first exhibit we went into was the animal world exhibit, which was easily my favorite since I love animals. If anyone has seen the movie series, “Night at the Museum,” you may remember that there’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton, named “Rexy,” that comes to life and acts like a dog. Well, when we walked into the exhibit, the first thing we came upon was a huge T-Rex skeleton. And for a moment I was hoping it’d come to life so I could play fetch with it (though there was that possibility of a not-so-fuzzy outcome either with a giant dinosaur skeleton with sharp teeth and claws).

Beyond the T-Rex were other dinosaur skeletons before it moves onto animals in more modern times. The exhibit covers many animals groups, from mammals to reptiles, herbivores to carnivores, land animals to marine animals, and just about everything in between. You can also find the famous sheep, “Dolly,” which was the first ever cloned mammal (though in another exhibit). If you like animals, this is the place to check out!

Like many large museums, you would need several visits to adequately go through all of the different exhibits. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that kind of time so we only spent a little over two hours until closing time. We mostly just walked through the museum to see what other exhibits had but didn’t stay too long in each one.

The only other exhibits we spent a bit more time were the technology and the Scotland history exhibits. The technology exhibit is really fun with many interactive pieces and displays ranging from planes, automobiles, locomotives, computers/phones, and other technological advances. I also liked the Scotland exhibits which go through the country’s history and has many historical artifacts on display, such as giant ceremonial swords and the “Maiden,” which is a guillotine used during executions.

So, if you’re looking for a fun and free activity to do in Scotland, be sure to make a visit to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Just don’t expect things to come to life like in the movies! Let us know what exhibit you would be excited to check out in the museum and be sure to visit their website for more information: http://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/

Like visiting museums? Give this one a pin!

National Museum of Scotland

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Edinburgh, Scotland from above – Arthur’s Seat & Edinburgh Castle

When my brother and I first arrived at the airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, we honestly didn’t have much of an idea of what we were going to do there. All I really knew about Scotland were beautiful landscapes (maybe Loch Ness?) and castles while my brother was on the search for Scottish whiskey. Either way, we were pretty much exploring on the fly with our Google searches of what to do in Edinburgh for the two days we were there.

We actually did explore quite a bit for our first day in the city and the highlights for me was climbing up to Arthur’s Seat and visiting Edinburgh Castle. Why? Because not only are they two historic places but they are two of the highest points in Edinburgh where you can get breathtaking views of the landscape, castle, and the surrounding city.

Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park

From the airport, the very first thing we decided to do was head to Holyrood Park since it was described to be famous within the city with lovely landscapes. What we didn’t really read over was there were these huge hills and cliffs that overlook the city that you had to hike to the top. Well, since we were already there on limited time, we decided that we might as well climb to the top to Arthur’s Seat. It was maybe a slightly poor decision to do this first given that I was sleepy from a red-eye flight and haven’t had any food in the early morning yet but in the end, it proved to be totally worth it.

Still, I didn’t really have any idea what kind of hike this would be and I wasn’t really prepared for a hike. It wasn’t an overly grueling hike but it did make me sweat and my legs were burning. The first part was mostly steps and there were a lot of them. We were going at a pretty good pace without much stopping, though we’d pause to admire the sweeping views of the city.

When you’re getting close to the top towards the end of the hike, the steps disappear and turn into a dirt trail and is a little more even level. It was a bit easier on the legs but the gusts of wind were furiously blowing at us, threatening to take any sweater or jacket if we didn’t secure them properly.

After about 45 minutes, we finally reached the top of Arthur’s Seat. You definitely feel like a bit of a king being on top of Edinburgh, especially when Arthur’s Seat is actually the tallest point in the entire city at 251 meters (823 feet) since there are no tall buildings. From here, you have 360° panoramic vision of the whole city and out to the ocean. The views are simply spectacular and breathtaking.

Arthur’s Seat
Top of Arthur’s Seat

We spent about 15 minutes on Arthur’s Seat before making our descent. While walking back down, we were getting a great view of a cliff-like landscape named Salisbury Crags. It really showed how massive this rock was and you can also climb towards the edge of this rock as well.

Salisbury Crags

Hiking to Arthur’s Seat is definitely a must-do activity during an Edinburgh visit, even if you’re sleepy and hungry to start the day. Once we eventually got our fill of food in us, we checked out the other high point in the city at Edinburgh Castle.

Edinburgh Castle

Being only a mile away from Holyrood Park, you can see Edinburgh Castle pretty clearly from Arthur’s Seat. After all, the castle stands above just about everything else atop the Castle Rock. However, it’s nothing compared to seeing the castle up close instead of viewing it from afar.

There’s a reason why the Edinburgh Castle is the most recognized landmark in Scotland. The historic castle is truly massive, very much looking like a gigantic fortress and imposing its authority over the city. This makes the castle practically its national symbol and one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions with over 1.5 million visitors annually.

Normally, to enter the castle, it costs £16.50 for and adult and it’s a little less for concession (60+ years or unemployed) and kids. Luckily for us, we arrived in Scotland during the St. Andrew’s Day holiday (November 30th) and entry was free for us! For being hundreds of years old, the castle is incredibly well-maintained, although, throughout the years, various structures were built at different times. And if you plan your visit right, you may be able to see the castle fire off its cannon, which they do at 1:00 PM every day except Sundays.

Beyond the incredible interior is also getting to see the views of Edinburgh from the castle. Standing atop the Castle Rock at 130 meters (430 ft), you get a great vantage point of seeing the city and the cool architecture around the city. Even from the entrance is a beautiful view towards Old Town, Edinburgh, which is the oldest part of Edinburgh along with the castle.

So, if you want to check out two of the highest points (literally and figuratively), take a hike up to Arthur’s Seat and visit the Edinburgh Castle. Not only are they two of the biggest attractions in Edinburgh but they’re also two of the best places where you can enjoy some amazing views of the entire city. If you’ve been to Edinburgh, let us know what are some of your favorite viewing points!

Edinburgh, Scotland from above - Arthur's Seat & Edinburgh Castle

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Winter Wonders and Christmas Markets in Brussels, Belgium

Writer’s Note: Although the holiday season is a time for celebration in many parts of the world, we must also recognize and be aware that circumstances around us made some of these areas potentially dangerous targets. Most recently, the Berlin Christmas Markets was marred by an attack that left people dead and many more injured. We hope everyone stays safe and enjoy the season wherever you may be. 

Ever wonder how some other places celebrate Christmas and the holiday season? Ever wonder if you’ve been missing out on the fun? Mat has told me stories of how glorious the Christmas celebrations are in her home country of the Philippines, and Europe is known to have some of the most elaborate decorations and very high-spirited activities. So it was time to check out how some of these places celebrated the holiday season!

Brussels, Belgium – Winter Wonders and Christmas Markets 2016

Let’s start with Brussels, Belgium because, “MAN! THIS CITY REALLY KNOWS HOW TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS!” For me, it may be an understatement because I’ve never been part of a holiday event of this scale!

Brussels holds its annual holiday celebration at the Grand Place, also known as the Grote Markt, which is the central square of the city. A World Heritage Site named by UNESCO, it is highlighted with structures such as the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), Maison du roi (King’s House), and elaborate guildhalls.

“But enough with the history, WE WANT TO SEE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AND STUFF!” Yes, well, let’s get onto that.

Brussels kicks off its “Winter Wonders” celebration starting November 25 and runs all the way to January 1. The event is held at the heart of the city with a multitude of attractions. This includes a huge Christmas Market, which has over 200 shops for food, souvenirs, more food, clothing/accessories, and lots more food! Needless to say, I stuffed myself silly with a lot of food and hot chocolate *insert food coma happy face*. And this market is absolutely packed with people wanting to get in on all the action.

Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium

What also makes the Christmas Market beautiful is the multitude of light displays in the streets and on many buildings. There is also a beautiful light show called “Origami Lights”, which is mapped on Saint-Catherine’s Church, depicting and celebrating Japanese culture.

Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium

Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium

Saint Catherine Church, Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium
Saint Catherine Church
Saint Catherine Church, Winter Wonders, Brussels, Belgium
“Origami Lights” Show, Saint Catherine Church
But maybe the best part the Winter Wonder celebration is the electrifying light show that is displayed in the Grand Place. With the use of video mapping and coordinating with various soundtracks, the Grand Place is turned into one of the most dazzling shows you’ll ever see! You’ll have to watch the video below for this one:

Grand Place, Brussels Belgium Grand Place, Brussels Belgium

Although the holiday spirit is very high, Belgium still remains on high alert from the terrorist attacks of 2015 (which subdued the celebration considerably at the end of the year) and 2016, with police and the military constantly patrolling the streets. Despite this, it hasn’t stopped the citizens and tourists for coming out in full force and enjoying the festivities.

belgium-2016_4021-2

Happy Holidays! We will have another upcoming post for the holiday celebrations, including Edinburgh and Paris. Let us know what your favorite places are to celebrate the holidays!

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