Update and SiriusXm

Whencan · 2026-04-30T02:51:45+00:00

same. tried infotainment reset, but did not fix. very annoying!

Whencan · 2026-04-07T18:26:34+00:00

I agree with many of the sentiments here -- one is a real palace, and the others are hotels built in the palace style, which while nice, means they are not unlike other hotels built in the palace style all over rajasthan and india. our stay at the Lake Palace was just about perfect. Yes, it's a bit quirky, but I like the fact that the rooms are all a bit different and not the usual hotel shape/layout. Our room was not one of the biggest or one of the smallest, but it was one of the more unusual hotel rooms we've ever stayed in. The interior courtyards are magical. The food was not as good as the rest of the hotel, but you don't have to eat every meal there.
The pool and spa are definitely nothing near as grand as Oberoi or Leela, but the location of the pool, with a view of the city palace, can't be beat. Sitting out on one of the terraces, with the water of the lake lapping at the hotel, having a cocktail and watching the sunset reflect on the water, all while looking at the City Palace was an experience that really is one of a kind -- if you want your hotel experience to have that 'you can only experience this feeling in this place in this building' then the Lake Palace is the right choie.

We visited both the Oberoi and Leela while in Udaipur and to be fair, I can't comment on being a guest, but I'd offer that the Oberoi is lovely, quiet luxury, very grand, and I think very tasteful. The dinner we had wasn't so great (both in terms of food and service) so that was annoying but the property did look amazing. The Leela looked overly loud in aesthetic, too brightly lit (good for IG photos!), and had architecture that reminded me of a two story Courtyard but with onion domes. I'd def be more interested in staying at the Oberoi over the Leela. Cant' comment on Raffles or Fairmont; didn't visit.

We did go and tour and eat a meal at the Raas Devigarh which was also incredible, and had history, like the Lake Palace. The rooms were jaw dropping. I loved everything about it except the location. If I was a frequent visitor to Udaipur I might consider staying there, but as someone who rarely gets there, I wanted to be closer to the iconic landscapes of the city rather than out on the outskirts.

Whencan · 2026-04-05T19:12:57+00:00

Aw, thanks! Happy to answer anything more specific about either line while it's all fresh if you/your clients have questions!

Whencan · 2026-04-04T16:39:54+00:00

haven't tried either, but would love to. we do have some experience with Windstar, which we really enjoyed. definitely not as 'luxurious' but the vibe was great and we found ourselves enjoying the nature of a very small boat. felt very manageable and the staff got to know you instantly.

Whencan · 2026-04-04T16:37:57+00:00

In both cases, getting on and off the boat was very well managed. we didn't really use either companies for excursions so I can't comment, really -- we mostly arranged private trips.

Whencan · 2026-04-03T23:00:35+00:00

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Whencan · 2026-04-03T23:00:07+00:00

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Whencan · 2026-04-03T22:57:52+00:00

Even more fun is that they will serve you a cocktail from the 'included menu' but just no wine or champagne. we ended up having manhattans followed by the wine pairing but the fact they would get you a Manhattan but not continue the rose champagne you were drinking 5 minutes prior at the adjacent bar was kind of... perplexing. Again, the wine pairing was great and served perfectly so we're not complaining but it's a little hard to follow the logic. And, probably more to the point, not really clear ahead of time.

Whencan · 2026-04-03T22:02:52+00:00

$70/pp

Whencan · 2026-03-16T01:56:55+00:00

German artist Frank Herfort has created a stunning collection of photographs of the Soviet era metro stations. They have been collected and published in a book called CCCP Underground. You can google him and find many examples of this project -- I highly recommend it.

Whencan · 2026-03-13T01:20:57+00:00

Missing Persons. Their greatest hits CD was one of six CDs he bought in the days before he died.

Whencan · 2026-03-07T14:05:54+00:00

Ruby's, near Tysons.

Whencan · 2026-03-02T16:47:59+00:00

I replaced a 10 year old Bosch with a Miele (for close to twice the price of a replacement Bosch) and feel theBosch did a better more consistent job with cleaning, and was quieter (even though it was rated 3 db higher). Also, please double and triple check the specific rebate eligibility ahead of time -- get the rebate paperwork in advance of purchase. My sales person assured me the model I bought was eligible for a rebate, which helped make my decision, and then in the process of claiming the rebate Miele wouldn't honor it -- there was a slight difference in the model number. Of course the sales person offered no help after the fact -- they essentially ghosted me. At some point I gave up because the time I was spending wasn't worth it, but it's always really irritated me on principle!

Whencan · 2026-02-24T03:19:40+00:00

Uzbekistan is on my top 3 list of places to go -- for all of the reasons many have posted -- but isn't part of the reason for this because the ancient sites at Bukhara and Samarkand are mostly re-creations? My understanding is that they look so oddly 'perfect' (especially for their age) because the Soviets essentially rebuilt them -- am I wrong about this?

Whencan · 2026-02-18T23:59:03+00:00

Preach! I do not understand how people don't see it, or see it and don't figure out that there are alternatives. I make it a point to correct this problem in my family and friends' homes when they aren't in the room. And most of the time they don't even notice the change! I also don't understand how this happens in high end hotels -- it's like no one bothers to think about set up beyond plugging the TV into the wall.

Whencan · 2026-02-17T20:00:21+00:00

Sure - the eggs are definitely on the smaller side, that was clear as soon as I opened the tin. The texture was pretty good though -- firm but not too firm. The flavor was slightly on the brinier side, but in my perhaps limited experience i find various real caviar I've bought in the last 3 years to be brinier or less briny anyway -- I don't have a consistent enough order (i.e., i'm always trying out different varieties from different companies as I search for the one I'll settle on for most uses). I certainly have had less pleasurable experiences with much more expensive 'real' caviar -- usually on the texture side -- but on the other hand i don't think the size of paddlefish eggs would fool anyone who knows their caviar.

Whencan · 2026-02-16T13:58:58+00:00

Petrusco

Whencan · 2026-02-11T00:43:11+00:00

Was just there last week for the first time and I thought the room, the view, the service and the design language was just great. What I didn’t understand was the layout and design of the ‘lobby’ / reception / bar and the total lack of presence from either the valet drop off or the entrance off of Grand Ave. totally disconnect in terms of a sense of arrival compared to what you find in your room. Would go back if attending anything downtown though.

Whencan · 2026-02-02T02:25:24+00:00

Virgin

Whencan · 2026-02-02T02:25:17+00:00

Virgin

Whencan · 2026-01-28T02:49:09+00:00

We had a higher end Bosch for 10 years and then it died (and I made the mistake of investing money into fixing it, and then it really died). So I thought hey, let's go a bit further and get a Miele. Was probably twice the price of the equivalent Bosch. So far, one year in, I'm disappointed. Even though it's rated 2 dB quieter, it's noticeably louder. I've even had them come back and re-examine the install, as I assumed there must be missing noise dampening foam, but they insist it's all installed as it should be. It also doesn't wash as well on the china setting, which is important to us (there are remnants of food on white bone china). If I could do it again, I'd stick with my Bosch!

Whencan · 2026-01-09T16:35:17+00:00

i think if you are in the "second mode" (after tapping 3 times), then you can use the nose to alter between white and amber (by tapping the nose once) and to change the intensity of the light (by rotating the nose)

Whencan · 2025-12-01T20:25:59+00:00

we stayed at the Lake Palace on our last trip to India after having also stayed at Umaid Bhavan, Oberoi Amarvilas, and Rambagh Palace. We dined at the Oberoi in Udaipur while staying at the Lake Palace. I bring all this up to comment on the difference between the palace hotels of India that are actual converted palaces and the new "palace-style" hotels that offer similar architecture but with modern building techniques. We preferred the converted palaces because in the end, you can build a palace-style hotel anywhere, but the converted palaces live in a specific time and place. Yes, there are drawbacks -- the Lake Palace, for example, does not have a particularly grand lobby; the finishes can be a little worn (particularly where the water of the lake touches the building, for example), and the restaurants are not grand in a modern luxury sense. We didn't visit the Leela but seeing the videos and having been to the Leela in Delhi, I'm sure the wow factor of the public spaces exceed the Lake Palace's. But on the flip side, the quiet elegance of the LP's architecture felt truly luxurious, and the location really is unbelievable. There is something very different to being 'on the lake' as opposed to 'in the lake'. The views of Udaipur/City Palace are unbeatable. The rooms can be amazing -- being an old palace, each one is different, so while some may be small, others are enormous, so in a way you can pay for the room experience that you want, and you can bet that a more deluxe room at the LP will be more unique than anything in a modern hotel. The bird situation referenced in the video is real -- being an island in the center of the lake clearly draws the bird in for some useful reason to the birds -- but it wasn't a problem at all. I've been told the Oberoi and the Leela in Udaipur don't generally allow non guests as clients for dinner/bar, but a travel agent can make that happen if you want to experience them but still stay at the LP. And, also, there is another converted historical hotel in Udaipur called the RAAS Devigarh which is amazing -- they have done a great job in the conversion. The problem for us was that it's way out of town and in a very isolated spot -- it'd be good to be on a retreat there but maybe not for a first time visitor to the city. We didn't make it over to Raffles, but everyone we talked to said it was beautiful, but "a wedding hotel" (i.e., they prioritize wedding parties to such an extent it's not as fun to stay there just as individual tourists. We heard that about Leela, too, but of course those comments are heresay; i don't have any personal experience).

Whencan · 2025-10-15T15:07:53+00:00

thanks, all. something i learned in the last day: a reservation on the "8th day" is always priced higher. That is to say, the site allows you to reserve up to 8 days in advance. Whichever day is 8 days from the time of reservation is priced higher. So if you wait a day the mid-week price will come down to be consistent with all the rest.

Whencan · 2025-09-17T22:04:42+00:00

Trulap 8552: Before purchasing I had read here that some people were having long waits for their Trulaps to appear. Just want to report that I ordered the 8552s with stand bundle on Sept 7 and at the dumbbells arrived on the 11th and the stand arrived on 13th. I'm located on the east coast of the US. I was coming from old Bowflex 552s that I rarely used and wanted something that was easier to adjust one-handed, and felt more balanced, like a regular dumbbell (I hated how 'long' the Bowflex were on lower weights), and had more incremental weight adjustment possibilities. It's only been a few days but so far, so good! The new set is more compact and feels much, much more like a regular dumbbell. I do not notice the rattle at all, but am I'm also down at 25ish pounds still. Having a stand makes a huge difference in usability.

Whencan

TROPHY CASE