Destination: Rome - Part 1

Day 1
Date: 31 January 2011

As soon as we arrived Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (aka Fiuminico - FCO), we were transported from the plane to the main terminal via a bus. I thought that we would get an air-bridge but oh well. Beats walking in the cold!

FCO looks a little dated. Probably similar to the Subang Airport before they refurbished it. It was wee hours in the morning and I didn't even bother to explore the airport. I was exhausted and eager to head down to my hotel room downtown.

I was googling non-stop for the cheapest way to get from FCO to downtown Rome. There I found out I could get into the city for only €4.

1) FCO-Parco Leonardo Station - €1 (FR1 Line)
2) Parco Leonardo Station-Ostiense - €1 (FR1 Line)
3) Piramide-Termini - €1 (Metro B)

Please take note that you have to buy both tickets 1 & 2 at FCO itself. I'm not really sure if I should've validated my ticket at FCO (1&2) itself. I got off at Parco Leonardo Station and had to wait another 30 mins for the next train. The machine in Parco Leonardo Station is not in service or maybe it is never in service on Sundays?

Ostiense Station and Piramide Station is inter-connected. You can buy the ticket from one of the mini food-stalls in between both stations.

All in all, I think the journey takes about 1.5hours including the 30 min wait at Parco Leonardo station.

Airport Lounge Review: Doha International Airport's Oryx Lounge

Being in a 12hr and 50 mins transit means, I would definately have to check into the DIA's Oryx Lounge. I cannot go through a 24hr not havng to shower.

I paid USD40/QAR140 to enter the lounge. They have very little selection of foods and a wide selection of drinks. At least they are all of unlimited supply.

Their shower room is pretty standard, only had a shower gel. They should've added in shampoo, conditioner and a hair dryer.

It gets pretty crowded at night as most of the flights depart at midnight onwards.

Sorry but no photos for this time around because I was too tired from the flight.

Hotel Review: IQ Hotel Roma

Date: February/March 2011

Check in was a breeze. The reception was very helpful. However, I didn't manage to get to my room until about 11am due to another guest who only check out at that time.

Obviously the hotel was fully booked. The room was really nice, it's contemporary and very clean. The TV is useless though, channels are all Italian. Luckily I brought my laptop. The room comes with free internet. The speed was incredible too. Love!

The room has a thermostat which I like. I can turn it to max 30c but that's ridiculous. I kept it at 25c so it won't be too warm nor too cold.

Overall Review: Stay there when you're in Rome!!

Flight Review: Qatar Airways QR081 - 30.01.2011

Flight No: QR081
Date: 30.01.2011
Departing: 01.45am
Destination: DOH-FCO

The wait in Doha Airport is a little crazy. Luckily I met a Malaysian girl and we became friends. If it weren't for the companionship, I probably would've gone crazy for all that 12hours and 50mins worth of transit time.

Anyway, the flight was pretty much the same standard as from KUL-DOH. Not much difference there.

Airport Review: Doha International Airport

I've done quite a few research on DIA and apparently there weren't many good reviews.

Upon arrival, we were transferred to the Departures & Transfers Terminal by a bus. Their terminals look very modern and it's not very crowded. Maybe because they have open their New Arrivals Terminal last year.

I might check into the Oryx Lounge later. It's USD40 for 6 full hours. It comes with unlimited food & beverages, maybe more. I'm not sure.

Flight Review: Qatar Airways QR621 - 29.01.2011

Flight No: QR621
Date: 29.01.2011
Departing: 10.10am
Destination: KUL-DOH

I reached KLIA quite early, around 7.45am. The queue for QR's flight check in to DOH was not very long.

Check In was a breeze and the attendant was very nice!

Apparently the box that is located at the window seat of each row is true! It didn't really give me any problem as they have excellent leg room. I could even stretch out my leg all the way!

The plane looks new and the seats are very standard. One thing that surprises me is that you could lean your seat at about 120˚. It's really comfy sitting when you lean all the way back. And even when the front passenger leans all the way back, there's still leg room for me. Maybe because I'm only 160cm tall but, it's really good enough for me.

We were greeted with a wet tissue and some sweets.

I didn't manage to take photos of the meal that was served as I was hungry. We were served with mango salad, roast beef with baked potato wedges and ratatouille, strawberry mousse and bun with butter. It's quite tasty for an airline meal.

The IFE was okay. Why? Because their selection is not as much as MAS or SIA. But it's better than Thai Airways as the last time I took TG, they don't have any IFE for their flight from KUL-NRT. I managed to watch 'Life As We Know It' with Josh Duhamel.

Our 2nd meal was served about 2hrs prior to landing. We were served with Chicken Pie and Munchy's biscuits. The chicken pie was again surprisingly good. Again, no pictures, too hungry!

We landed safely at about 2pm at Doha International Airport.

Weather Watch: Rome

I've been keeping up with the ups and downs of Rome's temperature via weather.com. It is now 10.09am in Rome and it is 3c. I was expecting Rome to be about 15c the least as it is not situated in the north of the hemisphere.

I guess I definately will need my sister's Ugg boots. Wouldn't want to freeze my feet now, would I?

Obviously this is not my sister's boots but I kinda like it bedazzled as it's shiny!

Winter Jacket - Check
Ugg Boots - Check
Gloves - Check
Scarves - Check

Will update on the weather when I get there this weekend!