Montcalm Nikko, London

Advantages: The whole kaboodle
Disadvantages: none that I can think of

...I flew JAL from Sydney to London and it was the best flight I ever experienced. To start it all of the price was only beaten by Garuda - but then I'd rather do the journey by rowing boat than to fly with them! Since JAL did not have a direct flight to London we got a free nights accomodation at their own Tokyo Nikko hotel (4-star) including breakfast. The planes (both legs of the flight) were clean, the staff were very friendly and (since I am a smoker) I was particularly happy that they offer a smoking area in the plane. Mind you - my wife does not smoke and still she had no probs with the plane being overly smokey. There were personal TV's with some great movies to watch (they even had 4! newly released blockbusters eg. "As good as it gets", which came out just shortly before our flight). The food was pretty much the best airline... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fantastic spec, high class hotel with excellent service
Disadvantages: Ever so slightly out of the way

...The Hotel Nikko was one of the best I have visited in the US. We relocated to the Nikko, because our original hotel was right next to a tramline on a busy street and they were very unhelpful when we asked to move room. The contrast when we moved to the Nikko couldn't have been greater. It was like an oasis of calm in the middle of frenetic San Francisco. The staff were friendly and courteous and we spent a few very enjoyable days in and around San Francisco in the knowledge that we were coming back to a sanctuary every evening. Our room was excellent. It was beautifully decorated with an oriental touch. I think the hotel is Japanese owned, which would explain the decor. In addition, our room had great views over the city, even though the location is quite low down on the skyline. The only tiny drawback was that the location... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: An amazing, fascinating city. Great food.
Disadvantages: Too much concrete.

...at your table) and, of course, sushi and sashimi. Sushi here is about 1000 times better than the rubbish they serve in London restaurants and even if you can’t stand the idea of raw seafood – should be tried. Just don’t chew it too much. If this doesn’t take your fancy there are always the hundreds of familiar hamburger, coffee, pizza fast food places where the American tourists hang out. As for shopping – Akihabara (2 stops from Tokyo on the clean/fast/reliable subway system) is one of the essential Tokyo experiences. Electronic goods are previewed here up to 18 months before release in the UK. From recordable DVD players to playstation 2 – this is where you will see these things first. Sightseers should avoid Ueno zoo – for anyone who hasn’t worked in a vivisection laboratory this will be an intensely depressing experience. Still, you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful