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 2023. 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
Story Hotels are a set of three hotels in Sweden that recently joined Hyatt as JdV properties. They are full integrated with Hyatt; meaning you can earn points, book reward nights, and are entitled to World of Hyatt elite benefits. I booked two nights after my Holland America cruise that … Read more
Eidfjord Hike for Cruise Passengers Eidfjord is a beautiful port for cruises in Norway. The town itself is quite small (but there is a grocery store). If you don’t want to do an excursion and instead just explore the area on your own, you are in luck. There is a … Read more
Comwell Copenhagen Portside Hotel Review My first stop for my summer 2023 trip to Europe was two nights in Copenhagen. I had previously spent 24 hours in Copenhagen in 2016, so I wasn’t feeling a huge need to see all the tourist sites. There are no Hyatts in Copenhagen so … Read more
Condor A330neo Business Class SEA-FRA Condor has a new Business Class that I’ve been looking forward to experiencing. For a relatively small, leisure airline, I was impressed with the product. It shouldn’t be compared to Qatar or Cathay Pacific, but it absolutely holds its own against British, American, or most … Read more
Summer 2022: My Flight Experiences There has been a lot of talk about traveling this summer. Mostly catastrophizing just how bad it would be. It was predicted to be the perfect storm of post-pandemic revenge travel and understaffing of airlines due to reductions during COVID and record low unemployment rates. The … Read more
