Alan 
Staybridge Suites The Hague Parliament Review Before flying home out of Amsterdam, I decided to visit The Hague as I wanted to try another city in the Netherlands. It is a quick 30 minute train ride to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport which makes the Hague an easy alternative to Amsterdam as … Read more
Hilton Antwerp Old Town Review I used points to book a room at the Hilton Antwerp Old Town for two nights at a rate of 41,000 points per night. While the property is quite dated, the staff works on making the service stand out. Location The Hilton Antwerp is located … Read more
Thalys and SNCF Poor Customer Service As part of my crazy, around the world trip I had to get from Nantes, France to Antwerp, Belgium. With the fast trains in France and Belgium, I thought taking the train would be a more comfortable, cheaper, and ultimately easier option than trying … Read more
Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem Review After staying for three nights in an Airbnb in the Old City, I used my Amex Aspire free weekend night certificate to book a room at the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem. The standard rate is a staggering 95,000 Hilton Honors points, so it was an incredible use … Read more
Cathay Pacific A350-900 Business Class HKG-TLV While I have flown Cathay Pacific First Class a number of times, for my flight to Tel Aviv I would be trying out their Business Class on the A350. The A350 aircraft do not have a First Class. The cost was 30,000 Alaska Airlines … Read more
Cathay Pacific The Deck Lounge Review The newest Cathay Pacific lounge in Hong Kong, The Deck opened in 2018 joining the likes of The Pier, The Wing and The Bridge. The Deck is a Business Class lounge (though First Class guests can visit). It is located in Terminal 1 across … Read more
Cathay Pacific Lounge Vancouver Review The Cathay Pacific Lounge at Vancouver Airport is located across from the SkyTeam Lounge near Gate 67. During my mileage run, I had a 3 hour layover at Vancouver before my flight back to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific First Class. An elevator takes you … Read more
Cathay Dragon A321 Business Class HAN-HKG Cathay Dragon is Cathay Pacific’s regional airline (formerly Dragonair as you can see in the livery above). The are part of the oneworld alliance, however unlike Cathay Pacific, they are NOT a partner of Alaska Airlines. Which, honestly, makes no sense at all. For … Read more
Noi Bai International Airport Business Lounge Review Many airlines use the NIA Business Lounge for their passengers flying in Business Class including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Thai and ANA. The Business Lounge is NOT accessible to Priority Pass members. The lounge is located in Terminal 2 (International). After immigration, take a … Read more
Hilton Garden Inn Hanoi Review Hanoi tends to be an inexpensive city. There are plenty of hotels that offer rooms for around $50 a night. For my two nights, I found a room at the Hilton Garden Inn for only 10,000 Hilton Honor points per night. The Hilton Hanoi Opera, … Read more
China Airlines: 777 vs A350 Business Class In order to position myself from Europe to Hanoi for my Cathay Pacific First Class mileage run, I redeemed some Delta miles to fly Business Class on China Airlines. The first leg, Frankfurt to Taipei, was on the Boeing 777 airplane. The second … Read more
China Airlines Lounge Taipei Terminal 1 Review After my Business Class flight from Frankfurt, I had a couple of hours in Taipei before heading on to Hanoi. My flights both arrived and departed from the A Gates of Terminal 1. The China Airlines Lounge is located at the end of … Read more
China Airlines 777-300 Business Class FRA-TPE Interested in the difference between China Airlines 777 and A350 Business Class? Check out this post. I had to find my way from Europe to Hanoi, Vietnam for a mileage run on Cathay Pacific. I decided I would try a new airline so booked … Read more
Priority Lounge Frankfurt The Priority Lounge (not to be confused with the Priority Pass), is located in Terminal 2 at the very end near Gate E9. I was visiting it before my China Airlines flight; it is the lounge that China Airlines uses for its Business Class passengers. The lounge … Read more
Hilton Frankfurt Airport Review After one night in Kiev, I had a late night layover at Frankfurt before departing for Taipei. I would be arriving at the hotel around midnight with my flight the next morning at 11:20. I decided to use 35,000 Hilton points to book a night at … Read more