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  • Restless hotel experience in Amsterdam

    Restless hotel experience in Amsterdam

    Amsterdam is a city that boasts many exciting and diverse attractions, from world-renowned museums to vibrant nightlife. When I visited Amsterdam a few years ago, I wanted to stay in the heart of the city, close to all of the action, so I chose to book a room at The Albus Design Boutique hotel on Vijzelstraat. While my initial impression of the hotel was positive, my experience once I got to my room left something to be desired.

    The Albus is a well-regarded hotel that has received many positive reviews from guests, but unfortunately, my experience was not as positive. When I arrived at my room, I found that it was located on the lowest, second floor of the hotel, facing the busy street. The room was clean and well-maintained, but the thin windows did not keep out the noise of the street, which continued late into the night.

    I was also disappointed to find that the hotel had provided foam earplugs for me to use, but the quality was so bad that they did not keep away the loud noise from the street. While the view of the bustling street was interesting, it did not make up for the disturbance caused by the noise.

    Lobby of the Albus hotel in Amsterdam
    Lobby of the Albus hotel in Amsterdam

    Despite the hotel’s shortcomings, I found that Amsterdam itself was a wonderful destination. The city is known for its lively history and culture, and nowadays there are many fascinating museums and galleries to explore. The Rijksmuseum is one of the most famous museums in the city, and it houses an extensive collection of Dutch art and history. Another popular destination is the Van Gogh Museum, which features an impressive collection of works by the renowned Dutch artist.

    In addition to its cultural offerings, Amsterdam is also known for its vibrant nightlife. The city has a reputation for being a party destination, and there are many bars, clubs, and music venues to choose from. I didn’t visit at the hotel’s restaurant, but found that there were many excellent restaurants and cafes in the city, serving a wide variety of cuisines.

    One of my favorite dining experiences in Amsterdam was at an Indian restaurant that I stumbled upon while exploring the city. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. I also enjoyed spending time at the city’s cafes, which offer a great selection of fresh and healthy food, along with the opportunity to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

    View from the second floor hotel room window in the Albus hotel
    View from the hotel room window

    While my experience at The Albus may not have been perfect, it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of my trip to Amsterdam. The city is full of fascinating sights and sounds, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable travel experience. If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam, be sure to do your research and choose accommodations that will help you make the most of your stay.

    The Albus hotel in Amsterdam
    The Albus hotel in Amsterdam

    Check also my visual travel guide INDIVUE – Trip to Europe, where you will find travel experiences from all over Europe. More articles will be added and by subscribing to this blog you are among the first ones to read them!

    Read also other genuine hotel experiences around the world and see Amsterdam in one minute!

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  • Good Indian restaurants in Prague

    Good Indian restaurants in Prague

    Last summer in Prague I tested how Indian paneer cheese bends in Czech and tried four different Indian restaurants, even though the first one made me hesitate. However, vegetarian food was so rare over there that the Indian restaurants brought considerable relief. Here are 3 good Indian restaurants I found from Prague.

    Golden Tikka

    Golden Tikka restaurant in Prague
    Golden Tikka restaurant in Prague

    The Golden Tikka restaurant was located in a modest-looking residential area in Prague and one had to pass quite a few beer terraces on the way there. The entrance to the restaurant was quite unobtrusive and easily lost.

    Golden Tikka was decorated in a modest and neat manner that fits the suburban area, and a few paintings delighted the customer on the orangish yellow walls.

    The menu of the restaurant, in turn, delighted the customer with a rare restaurant option, chapati, which is a healthier alternative to naan bread.

    Mangolassi was not found in the menu, so ordinary lassi, with a bit of salt, was there to extinguish the spices.

    At the Golden Tikka restaurant I got to see for the first time papad breads rolled-up. Those were served as starters. However, the curvy look of the papad did not matter and the taste was ok.

    Butter chicken, Golden Tikka restaurant, Prague
    Butter chicken, Golden Tikka restaurant, Prague
    Pappadum breads in Golden Tikka
    Lassi drinks in Golden Tikka Indian restaurant in Prague
    Pappadum rolls and lassi drinks
    Shahi Paneer in Prague
    Shahi Paneer
    Roti bread in Indian restaurant in Prague
    Naan bread in Indian restaurant Golden Tikka
    Both roti bread and naan bread were available at the Golden Tikka restaurant

    The chicken and vegetable dishes at the Golden Tikka restaurant were excellent and well-seasoned. As a bonus one was able to enjoy them with the roti breads, as if one was eating at home, and because of this I did go to eat to this restaurant even for the second time during my trip to Prague. Having this kind of restaurant right around the corner one can consider herself really fortunate.

    **** ½ star for food in Golden Tikka restaurant, *** for decoration

    Indian Jewel

    Another Indian restaurant I visited in Prague was called Indian Jewel. The moment I saw the almost full outdoor terrace of the restaurant, I thought I’m going to get some good food, and I wasn’t wrong.

    Interior design of the restaurant Indian Jewel
    Interior design of the restaurant Indian Jewel

    The restaurant’s orange painted walls displayed Indian wood carvings, average quality paintings, and colorful sunshades and sheets familiar from Indian markets.

    Kadhai Paneer, in the Indian restaurant Indian Jewel
    Kadhai Paneer
    Kadhai paneer and naan bread
    Kadhai paneer and naan bread
    Mango lassi
    Kadai chicken in Indian Jewel restaurant in Prague
    Mango lassi and Kadhai chicken
    Restaurant Indian Jewel outdoor terrace, Prague
    Restaurant Indian Jewel outdoor terrace, Prague


    Water and mangolassi were served in copper cups, which was new to me, and kadhai chicken and kadhai paneer were also served in similar beautiful copper dishes.

    The food in the restaurant was routine tasty and filling with naan bread and rice, and to have the meal inside a quiet restaurant, when almost all other restaurant guests were sitting outside in the summer evening, was nice.

    *** ½ star for Indian Jewel restaurant food and *** for decoration

    Bombay Express restaurant in Prague
    Bombay Express restaurant in Prague

    Bombay Express

    A surprise in the Indian restaurant world in Prague was the Bombay Express fast food restaurant, which I found in a mall next to the famous sight of Franz Kafka statue.

    The Bombay Express’s Paneer wrap was a refreshing novelty for me. In simple terms, it was a rolled naan bread containing paneer cheese together with spicy sauce. It was sinfully good, almost addictive and embarrassingly easy to carry away. And yes, I did enjoy their paneer wraps on more than one occasion during my trip to Prague. The nearby moving Kafka sculpture became quite familiar to me. But more about that later.

    Paneer wrap parcel
    Paneer wrap in Bombay Express restaurant in Prague
    Bombay Express Paneer wrap was served in a heat-resistant package


    The Bombay Express restaurant also served other take-away portions, such as Samosa with chole, which included small chunks of chickpeas, tomato onion salad and spicy sauces.

    Paneer wrap was not aesthetically much, but so convenient to eat without hands getting dirty. I really hope that the delicious Paneer wrap finds its way to Finland and Helsinki, as it offers a perfect match for them Mc Donald’s and Hesburger hamburgers.

    ***** stars for Bombay Express restaurant food, ** for interior design

    This is how Indian food in Prague and the Czech Republic was. Read more about Indian restaurants around the world in the INDIVUE blogs and find authentic experiences with guiding photos.

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  • Good hotel experience in Puducherry, India

    Good hotel experience in Puducherry, India

    A few years ago I traveled to the East coast of India to discover a small town called Pondicherry, also known as Puducherry. Puducherry is located some tens of kilometers south of Chennai along the East coast of India. Here’s a good hotel experience in Puducherry, India –


    I chose to stay in a hotel called Sunway Manor, which was a four-star hotel located by a main road called Hundred Feet Road.

    You can watch a short video made by me of this Sunway Manor hotel in Pondicherry –

    Video of hotel Sunway Manor in Puducherry

    My room was spacious and tidy and there were two chairs and a table in addition to the bed, TV and the desk. From the window I was able to see the tops of the palm trees further in the horizon and also the sun rising from the East.

    Hotel Sunway Manor and entrance
    Hotel Sunway Manor and entrance
    Double bed in Hotel Sunway Manor
    Double bed in Hotel Sunway Manor

    The hotel room service was impeccable and on some afternoons one could find an elephant folded of towels on the bed.

    Sunway Manor hotel swimming pool
    Sunway Manor hotel swimming pool
    Hotel swimming pool
    Hotel swimming pool


    There were two swimming pools in the inner yard of the hotel: a large pool for adults and a small pool for children. There were also a few sunbeds with shadows around the pool, and the shadows were really needed as the sun was shining hot almost all day.

    However, in the indoors the climate of Pondicherry did not bother as the hotel was fully air-conditioned.

    South Indian and French breakfasts come together
    South Indian and French breakfasts come together


    Puducherry’s common history with France was evident only in the hotel breakfast, where the morning buffet menu included traditional South Indian breakfast along with French delicacies such as pancake, croissant and toast. Fresh papaya, watermelon and fruits along with pongal were also served.

    South Indian buffet dinner
    South Indian buffet dinner

    The hotel’s buffet dinner was a wonderful discovery trip to South Indian meals, but a few Indian dishes common even in Finland were also served, and the dishes were not too spicy.

    Masala Dosa alà Hotel Sunway Manor
    Masala Dosa alà Hotel Sunway Manor

    For a small hunger one could order masala dosa from the room service, and it was brought with coconut and other chutneys. My experience was that masala dosa may look as modest as in the photo attached and still taste good.

    Bodhi statue at Hotel Sunway Manor in Pondicherry
    Boddhi statue at Hotel Sunway Manor

    I was very pleased with the hotel, and if there was something to improve, it would have been having a roof terrace and the sea near by. However, the location was by a major road, and one could have an air-conditioned taxi from the hotel, or even pick up a yellow rickshaw in front of the hotel if one wanted to get to the beach. However though, for cultural reasons, sunbathing was only possible by the hotel’s swimming pool.

    The best thing about this hotel in my humble opinion was its SPA, which refreshed the tired and flabby Finnish skin totally. Ayurvedic facial treatments and massages given at the Bodhi SPA, together with high quality ayurvedic SPA products, alleviated the prickly heat problem which is often experienced in them tropical climates. And the customer was able to continue her journey with good memories.

    Hotel neighborhood
    Hotel neighborhood

    Check also my visual travel guide INDIVUE – Trip to India, which will guide you throughout India. More articles from the East Coast of India are coming, so subscribe to my blog to be among the first to read them!

    Read also other genuine hotel experiences from around the world.

    Find this article in Finnish here!