Andy Mcfarlane
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windowseatpreferred.com
Andy Mcfarlane
@windowseatpreferred.com
790 followers 340 following 62 posts
✈️ Honest insights on stays, airlines, and hidden gems — from a reformed backpacker turned window-seat connoisseur.
🌍 Limerick-based product manager and travel obsessive.
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A recent stay at D’Amare Resort & Spa — great location and views, but overall not quite the experience I’d hoped for. Full review and breakdown now live:
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/11/damare-resort-spa-overall-not-amazing/
November 14, 2025 at 3:22 PM
windowseatpreferred.com
Review of a recent escape to Hayfield Manor — lush gardens, turndown service, and total luxury just 15 minutes’ walk from Cork city centre. The full review is live: windowseatpreferred.com/2025/11/an-escape-to-hayfield-manor/

#IrelandTravel #Cork #LuxuryTravel #HotelReview #HayfieldManor
An Escape to Hayfield Manor
While this was a very last-minute booking, we had an excellent stay at Hayfield Manor – service, facilities and our room were fantastic…
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November 7, 2025 at 2:19 PM
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During a brief two-night stay in Dublin for work lately, I'd the chance to check in (and check out) The Davenport - overall, plush, peaceful and pretty luxurious for a quick work trip.

Here's the full breakdown; windowseatpreferred....
October 21, 2025 at 10:32 AM
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I thought I'd seen packed-to-capacity lounges until a recent visit to the American Flagship Lounge, Chicago 😱 Overall, a lovely lounge, large, airy, well-stocked...but the crowding was something else.

Full Review; windowseatpreferred....
October 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
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On a very brief 2-night stay in Chicago, I checked into (and checked out) the Hyatt Centric The Loop.

Thoughts? A perfectly fine, if a little uninspired, property right in the middle of Corporate-land. Stunning if you enjoy varying shades of beige 😆

Full Review; windowseatpreferred....
October 3, 2025 at 3:26 PM
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This year we've been successful a few times using airline 'bid to upgrade' auctions, when paying outright for business doesn't seem great value.

Here's how it works and the strategies that seem to work for us more often than not;
windowseatpreferred....
September 26, 2025 at 2:33 PM
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If anyone has been to Verona and has a few mins to spare - a friend conducting an academic tourism research project is looking for input / opinions in this survey; tinyurl.com/Verona-R... 😀
Understanding Arena di Verona: Heritage, opera and tourism
tinyurl.com
September 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
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After my flight home, I found time to pop into the borderline-secret Aer Lingus Arrivals Lounge for a much-needed double espresso. Sure, I probably won't need to visit very often, but still a welcome amenity all the same. Who else has been? Review; windowseatpreferred....
September 12, 2025 at 3:47 PM
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Probably my most detail-lacking flight review of them all - after a hectic 60-hour trip to the US, I enjoyed the trip home in Aer Lingus' Business Class.

What have I to show? A review of the cabin and menu, then how well I slept for the entire journey; windowseatpreferred....
September 8, 2025 at 4:54 PM
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No chance for me to try my limit with the 'two drink' maximum this time (despite an early-morning stiff G&T), but a recent very pleasant (and unexpected) visit to the 51st & Green Lounge in Dublin Airport nevertheless;
windowseatpreferred....

#travelreview #airportlounge
September 2, 2025 at 8:39 AM
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For our mid-haul trek from Dubai back to Dublin, we opted for the cheapest-of-all option via Athens with Aegean Airlines. Sure, a single-aisle plane and not much in-flight entertainment isn't ideal but overall very positive...

Full Review; windowseatpreferred....
August 14, 2025 at 4:38 PM
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During our short one-night stay in #Dubai we parked up The Heritage Hotel for the night. Overall a pleasant stay, although no points for the late-night bar noise from downstairs and the door-less bathroom 😐

Full Review; windowseatpreferred....
August 7, 2025 at 4:19 PM
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Review of a wonderful 3 nights at the Shangri-La Abu Dhabi; from our room that seemed larger than our entire house, chilling at the pool and sunset rides on an 'Abra' through the hotel property;
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/07/revi...
July 28, 2025 at 10:49 AM
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Not that we expected to be staying here, but we were very impressed by Sabah Hotel, Sandakan - the room was a good size, the pool even had a local lizard come to visit, and there was a certain rustic/jungle fusion charm.
🛎️ Full review; windowseatpreferred....
July 17, 2025 at 4:10 PM
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Review of our stay at Grand Hyatt KL - an amazing club lounge, great views, some wonderful staff...and then some not so much, and a very quirky room layout.

Full Review; windowseatpreferred....
#GrandHyattKL #HotelReview
July 15, 2025 at 10:18 PM
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For our few nights in Kuala Lumpur, we bedded down in the very lovely Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur - in no less than a Premier Selection Suite, enjoying the pool, all the spaciousness, and of course, evening cocktail hour.

Full review; windowseatpreferred....
July 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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We ended up being the very impressed, but unexpected guests of Emirates back in February, and had a chance to sample their business class back home to Dublin, on EK161. Great crew, good food, a wonderful nap despite the elderly business cabin.

Full Review; windowseatpreferred.com/2025/07/emir...
July 9, 2025 at 3:33 PM
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A review of our Etihad flight from Singapore to Abu Dhabi, in which we miraculously transited Changi Airport in 25 minutes on separate tickets...and then had an on-board ground delay of 3 hours 🤦‍♂️

windowseatpreferred.com/2025/07/etih...
Etihad’s EY499 Singapore to Abu Dhabi – A Review
After racing through Changi Airport, we somehow made it to our onward Etihad flight, EY499 to Abu Dhabi. That wasn’t the end though…
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July 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
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Flight review from a recent time I foolishly tried to self-connect and wound up late on the first plane stuck on the tarmac with faulty aircon. I'd like to say lesson learned, but we'll see...
Review; windowseatpreferred.com/2025/06/bati...
June 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
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OK, so floods changed our plans a little, but we had a wonderful time wildlife sightseeing at Bilit Adventure Lodge back in February, and packed in as much as we could during our brief visit;
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/04/onwa...
Onwards to Bilit Adventure Lodge!
After a stormy night on Turtle Island, we were safely ferried back to the mainland for our onward wildlife sightseeing at Bilit Adventure Lodge…
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May 27, 2025 at 4:06 PM
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A review of our one night at Selingan Turtle Island! 🐢 Witnessed nesting, hatchlings, and yes, even found time to learn and for the first time, play scrabble: windowseatpreferred.com/2025/04/one-...

#travel #borneo #malaysia #wildlife #windowseatpreferred
One Night at Selingan Turtle Island
Selingan Turtle Island is where we headed next on our Borneo tour, to see turtles nesting, hatchlings being released and – to our surprise – play Scrabble…
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May 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM
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After bidding about 5 euro above the minimum on a recent Malaysia Airlines flight from KL to Borneo, we were delighted to find ourselves upgraded about 12 hours before the flight - here's what a domestic business class flight was like;
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/03/mala...
Malaysia Airlines MH2614 Business Class Review
We scored big-time with the Malaysia Airlines MH Upgrade jackpot, securing Business Class seats to Kota Kinabalu, MH2614…
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April 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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Living it up in Etihad Business Class on their (older) 787 cabin - a review of a pretty great flight from Abu Dhabi to KL;
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/03/etih...
Etihad Business Class Flight Review – EY418 to Kuala Lumpur
Etihad’s older 787 business class cabin is just so preferable to the antique 777 experience – and this was one of our better flights all round…
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March 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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We recently flew from Dublin to Abu Dhabi on one of Etihad's two oldest 777's in Business Class.

Overall, the cabin was clean, and the seats are lie-flat (albeit tight and with no storage space) but would we rush back? Hmm...probably not;
windowseatpreferred.com/2025/02/etih...
Etihad 777 Business Class – Dublin to Abu Dhabi
We were back once again with Etihad Airways to Kuala Lumpur, this time with an opportunity to review their 777 business class on this flight, EY46
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February 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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After our two hectic nights in Heidelberg, we stopped into the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof for an extremely opulent one-night stay - despite the awkwardness of wheeling my now-3-wheeled suitcase in...
Review - windowseatpreferred.com/2025/01/stei...
Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof – What a Stay! | Window Seat Preferred
After our challenging stay in Heidelberg, we couldn’t help but enjoy our extremely luxurious night at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof…
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January 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM