The Kennedy 89 opened in January of this year (2026), the first Hyatt in downtown Frankfurt. Previously I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Mainz which is just a short train ride from the airport. The Category 4 property has 181 rooms; over a third of which are suites. My understanding … Read more
After a night at the Me and All Dusseldorf, I took the train 20 minutes south to the city of Cologne (Köln), Germany. The city is known for the huge cathedral that survived WWII on the banks of the Rhine River. I read that the cathedral is the number one … Read more
Sun Princess is the first in the “sphere-class” of ship for Princess Cruises. The ship, which launched in 2024, can hold 4300 guests along with 1600 crew. My sailing was a 7 day cruise from Athens to Barcelona in July, 2026, with roughly 3000 passengers and never felt overly crowded. … Read more
I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Athens back in 2021 when travel was still feeling the impacts of the pandemic. Five years later, I would be in Athens prior to boarding a cruise. I stayed the first two nights at the InterContinental (which is located just a block away) before … Read more
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
This year my top posts were a good mix of hotels, cruises, flights, lounges and a Vegas rumor thrown in for good measure. Below are the top 10 most viewed posts written in 2024. 10. Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor Review – The Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor is an older property … Read more
On my way back from Europe this summer, I had a brief layover in London Heathrow. My flight to Seattle would be departing from Terminal 5 C gates. On the way over, I spent time in the North Lounge by the A gates. This time it made sense to try … Read more
I received an offer for a free Ocean View Room through the casino department at Holland America for a number of cruises. A friend and I decided to book a two week itinerary through the Mediterranean on the Oosterdam, one of Holland America’s older (and smaller) ships. I was able … Read more
Vilnius airport is currently (2024) undergoing a massive renovation/modernization. There is only one lounge; the Narbutas Business Lounge. I visited the lounge using my Priority Pass before a July flight to Rome. The lounge is located directly after security. Two elevators take you up one level. As it is a … Read more
I just finished three nights at the Artagonist Hotel in Old Town Vilnius. I booked using my Chase Sapphire Preferred card to use my annual $50 hotel credit prior to canceling the card. The total for three nights was $341.68 (plus a €2 per night city tax) before the $50 … Read more
After my Virgin Voyage, I needed to get back to Seattle. I was able to us Alaska Airlines miles to book a one way ticket from Nice, France to Dublin and then Dublin on to Seattle. The Nice to Dublin flight was in Economy (no Business Class offered) and the … Read more
The Hyatt Centric The Liberties Dublin opened in fall 2019 with 234 rooms. It is not Hyatt managed, but instead managed by a third party – the Hodson Bay Group. It is a Category 4 property which means Category 1-4 Free Night Certificates can be used. I booked two nights … Read more
The Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is surprisingly large with two separate terminals. I was flying out of Terminal 1 to Dublin (which happens to not be in the Schengen Area). The flights outside of the Schengen Area have an isolated area past passport check. There is one lounge in the … Read more
After sailing with Virgin Voyages, I flew from Athens to Nice, France for a two night visit before flying on to Dublin. The Hyatt properties near Nice were extremely expensive (August is peak season), so I decided to try the Crown Plaza near the Nice airport. The property is new … Read more
Athens is the third home port for Virgin Voyages, with the Resilient Lady sailing out of Piraeus starting with her maiden voyage in April 2023. I sailed on the Greek Glow itinerary in August 2023. Below is my experience with embarkation. New to Virgin Voyages? Get a free $150 Bar Tab … Read more