In June I signed up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. One of the benefits of the card, which has a hefty annual fee of $795, is access to Chase Sapphire Lounges. Previously I’ve only visited the Sapphire Lounge in Boston, which is a fantastic lounge with made to order … Read more
The Royal Palms Resort and Spa, located in Phoenix, is part of Hyatt’s Unbound Collection. The property is a mansion built in 1926 and has served as a hotel since the 1940’s. The hotel has a total of 119 rooms spread across the property with a large number of the … Read more
Kimpton Hotel Palomar Phoenix Review I had some expiring IHG free night certificates from Chase cards and decided to make an end of the year visit to Phoenix to get away from the snow in Seattle. After one night at the Crowne Plaza by the airport, I booked two nights … Read more
Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport Review I decided to take a last minute trip down to Phoenix to avoid a second round of a winter storm in Seattle. I had three expiring IHG free night certificates. I was able to book two nights at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar but it wasn’t … Read more
Winter Road Trip through the Southwest For my midwinter February break, I had planned a week in Costa Rica. As much as I wanted to travel internationally, COVID made me rethink my plans. This past summer I enjoyed road tripping around the Western USA but there were still places I … Read more
Driving Route 66 Through Arizona I started on out my trip through Arizona coming across Hoover Dam from Las Vegas. I met up with Route 66 in Kingman, so I missed the first section in Arizona. Note that there isn’t a ton of actual Route 66 you can drive, most … Read more
Miraval Arizona – Dining, Activities and the Property This is the second post about my four day stay at the Miraval Arizona in Tucson. Read about my arrival and stay in a Sunrise King Room here. Dining All meals and snacks are included with your room rate at Miraval. Note … Read more
Miraval Arizona Sunrise Room Review Hyatt’s Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona has been an aspirational property since Hyatt acquired it in 2017. It is an inclusive resort in that meals, some classes, airport transfer and tips are included. In addition, you get $175 resort credit per night that … Read more
SingleRoadTrip: Leg 3 – Page, AZ to Catch up on Leg 2 of my trip here. Day 10: Page, AZ to Monument Valley – 124 miles I had hoped to check out some sites between Page and Monument Valley, but with COVID striking the Navajo Nation hard, many sites were … Read more
SingleRoadTrip: Leg 2 – Sacramento to Page, AZ Catch up on Leg 1 of my trip here. Day 5 – Sacramento to South Lake Tahoe to Reno – 160 miles I started off the day with a walk around the Capitol Building in Sacramento, just across from the Hyatt Regency. … Read more
Summer Road Trip 2020 Recently I changed careers, and I now have about 8 weeks off every summer. This is the first summer at my new job, and wouldn’t luck have it, COVID prevents me from flying overseas. So I decided to pack my bags and head out on a … Read more
Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows Review In what has become an annual tradition, my sister and I visited Scottsdale for the President’s Day Weekend. Last year we stayed at the Fairmont Princess. This year we decided to try the Andaz. We redeemed 60,000 Hyatt points for the three nights as … Read more
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Casita Review Through the now extinct Chase Fairmont credit card, I was able to accumulate three free nights at a Fairmont property worldwide. My sister and I decided to go to Scottsdale, Arizona for some sunshine over the three day President’s Day weekend. With a phone call … Read more
DoubleTree Flagstaff Review After spending the night at the Hilton Phoenix Airport, I was headed up for a night in Flagstaff for a friend’s graduation. I decided to stay at the DoubleTree Flagstaff for 40,000 Hilton Honors points. There are a number of Hilton options in Flagstaff but the DoubleTree … Read more
Hilton Phoenix Airport Review My flight would be arriving to Phoenix around midnight. After getting my rental car, I knew I wanted to stay some place close to the airport before heading to Flagstaff the next day. There are a number of Hilton properties in Phoenix and not far from … Read more