Athens is a gritty city. It is full of history and is unpretentious. It is one of my favorite world cities and I always look forward to returning. During my recent visit I stayed two nights at the InterContinental Athenaeum Athen. The large hotel outside the main tourist area and … Read more
The Hyatt Centric Mountain View, with 167 rooms, opened in 2019. It is just one of three Centric properties in the Bay Area. I stayed over a weekend, when the rates seem to be lowest. I paid a cash rate of $142 a night plus $14 in taxes for a … Read more
The Grand Hyatt Deer Valley opened in 2024 in a brand new ski resort called Deer Valley East, not far from Park City, Utah. Currently (2026) the only things at the resort are this hotel and the chair lifts. It is a giant construction zone with condos, a Four Seasons … Read more
Last summer when visiting Cedar Point I purchased the Premium All Day Dining pass and enjoyed the food and value it provided. So when I visited Six Flags Magic Mountain, I decided to purchase the Premium All Day Dining pass again. In 2026 the pass costs $45 + $4.39 in … Read more
Last summer, in 2025, I visited Cedar Point in Ohio and purchased a Six Flags Gold Pass for $116 that included access to all Six Flags parks through the end of 2026 along with free parking. I decided to make use of the pass and planned to visit Six Flags … Read more
The Hyatt Regency Valencia is in Santa Clarita, city about 30 miles north of Los Angeles. Apparently Valencia merged with three other unincorporated communities to form Santa Clarita in 1987, so the Hyatt Regency is in the Valencia “neighborhood” of Santa Clarita. In addition to the location of Six Flags … Read more
The 1,100 room Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center is recently completed (March 2026) a significant renovation of all rooms plus some common areas. The hotel originally opened in 2005. The property is currently a World of Hyatt Category 4, so I was able to use a free night … Read more
I spent a week on one of the first sailings of the Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship, Luna. I stayed in a Solo Studio stateroom and spent a lot of time outside of my room exploring the ship. This post is by no means a complete overview of all the … Read more
I sailed Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest ship and second in their Prima Plus class, the Luna, on its 7-day inaugural voyage out of Miami in April 2026. I stayed in a Studio stateroom, their interior rooms for solo guests. The Luna has many restaurants onboard; some included and some specialty … Read more
Norwegian Cruise Line has a solo class of cabins for solo guests. This includes the Solo Studio cabins as well as solo versions of other categories of staterooms. Guests staying in the solo class of cabins have access to the Studio Lounge. Accessible by keycard and located on Deck 12 … Read more
It isn’t always easy to cruise as a solo traveler. At times, it is actually more expensive for one person than for two people to sail. Cruise lines want to fit as many people on the ship as possible knowing that more passengers potentially means more revenue. So a solo … Read more
I stayed at the Grand Hyatt DFW a year ago. Since then, the hotel rooms have gone under a major renovation bringing it up to modern standards. The Grand Hyatt DFW is a Category 5 property, which means (at least for now) it will cost between 17,000 and 23,000 points. … Read more
I was able to book an award flight from SEA-HNL-KOA in First Class for 40k Atmos points with the SEA-HNL portion on the 787. The flight ended up being on the first of the aircraft with the new global Alaska livery inspired by Aurora Borealis. The plane was less than … Read more
The Chase Sapphire Lounge in San Diego opened in late 2024. I had my first chance to visit in early 2026 and was impressed with the size of the space. The Chase Sapphire Lounge at San Diego International Airport is located in Terminal 2 near Gate 47. Currently it is … Read more
I booked a New Years cruise on Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam out of San Diego. I had a casino offer for a free Guaranteed Verandah (balcony) Stateroom on the sailing. I added Club Orange to my reservation and was able to get a confirmed Verandah Spa Stateroom on Deck … Read more