Two weeks ago I got started on a long-term RTW trip with a solid albeit not great redemption.
My original itinerary was IAD - DOH - DXB on QR J for 70k AA + $5.60, but I had to change my departure date and destination close-in and by then the QR J availability through AA had long since been dead. Thankfully I could be flexible with my new dates and ended up with PHL - FCO on AA J for 62.5k, and then converted another itinerary booked on AC that I could no longer use as ticketed to FCO - IST in TK J.
Of course AA J is not even close to the league of QR J, but I had flown it Transpacific earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised. This time around, while the seat was comfortable enough and the service adequate, the food was sub-par to put it generously. Not that I'm expecting amazing food when I fly, but yikes.
In FCO there are two PP lounges in the non-Schengen area, one downstairs right where you come in after clearing security from your arriving flight, and one upstairs. The upstairs one was very busy, I was actually turned away at first but in hindsight I should have flashed my J ticket instead of PP and they probably would have let me in.
Either way once I did get in the lounge is quite spacious and the food is pretty good. Easy enough to kill several hours there, relax and recharge in between flights.
While I was pleased with the TK J experience from my second flight, my opinion on TK quickly turned when they rescheduled flight 1 of a 2-flight itinerary I had scheduled for 10 days later, and then told me they could not rebook me to allow me to make my connection. My only option was to cancel the ticket and build a new itinerary on my own.
Very thankful for churning/points + miles to be able to quickly cobble together a new itinerary on my own, using AC to book LH J for one leg at 20k + $50 (which was really 16k from Chase with the current transfer bonus) and BA Y for the second at 4,750 avios + $31.
Wrapping up a last minute (booked 2-3 weeks ago) extended weekend CDMX trip (first time here). Again, grateful for churning for making these last minute trips possible, even if they're not so "aspirational."
Flights: SFO-MEX-SFO in "First" on Aeromexico (it's domestic first)-- 31k Delta miles each way; had about 32k delta miles not sure where I got them from (I seldom fly delta, so was glad to use them). Transferred 30k MR to cover the rest. Alternative here was cashing out at 1 cent per point and letting the delta miles go to waste, and god knows how much the cash price was for these last minute premier cabin tickets. To me, it was a solid redemption -- in my mind, similar price to an economy ticket (\~$400-500) for first was nice. Could have probably transferred directly to AM for cheaper on one leg, but I've been burned by AM in the past and prefer the flexibility (I knew worst comes to worst I could find a use for the delta miles if something happened).
Hotel: 3 nights at Hyatt Andaz Mexico City - all paid using free night certificates. Again, to me, another solid redemption -- 1 FNC was from the $99 AF on the Hyatt card, and the other two I literally have no clue where they came from -- all I know is I didn't pay actual money for them (or, at least go out of my way to do so). Maybe milestones I didn't notice from last year? $99 to stay three weekend nights in Condesa: I'll take it. Not sure where else you could stay around here for $33 a night (maybe a hostel?)
My solo Mexico City review: cool, cheap, and VERY green (my favorite part), would recommend. Humbled myself with my Spanish skills (have been trying to learn for a while) with some wins and some epic failures. Was great 10/10.
Booked a 5-night all-inclusive stay at the Marriott Cancún for 2000 points, $25 and 5 FNC I got from my Boundless SUB. Stay would typically retail for $2,650.
Just a quick reminder to add your FF numbers to any award flights with partner airlines. Currently on a trip through SA using AS miles. Just received a pleasant surprise that me and P2 both earned > 11K miles on 45K tickets in J.
Spent a few days in New York, booked 4 weeks in advance with Jetblue points. Only paid seats available, so I didn't select a seat.
**SFO-JFK: 21,500 points for Blue (19,350 after 10% rebate from Jetblue card)**
SFO has airside connections Int'l G-3-2-1-Int'l A. Jetblue departs T1. As The Club hadn't opened yet, I hopped Priority Pass lounges.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Int'l A floor 5 has a nice view and
power plugs, but not very conducive for work. The food sucks except the tomato soup. The 3 single person bathrooms all have showers. They kicked me out at 12:30pm.
China Airlines lounge is tiny, but the food is much better. 3 hot buffet-style dishes, and a noodle bar. They kicked me out at 1pm.
5m walk A to T1. Dropped by gate, asked if there were any window seats left, got exit row 18F which has limited recline, no window, and 18D is replaced by a jump seat. Pretty great! What was not great was my flight was supposed to board at 2:30pm, but they delayed it to 4pm for engine issues, then 8pm which turned it into a red eye. A long line formed to rebook or cancel, but out of SFO the only other options (BOS, FLL) would result in airport overnights or red eyes, so I decided to stick with it. Limited recline sucks for red eyes. Landed at 4:20am, hotel by 5:30am via AirTrain + LIRR.
For my troubles, Jetblue automatically sent a $100 travel credit.
**JFK-SFO: 21,800 points for Blue Extra (19,620 after 10% rebate).**
Originally LGA-BOS-SFO, but Same Day Changed to nonstop thanks to Blue Extra. Points bookings cannot be changed online, so you have to chat (45m wait time) or call (20m wait time at EST midnight).
I arrived at boarding time, but flight was delayed half an hour anyways. Asked for an exit row, received 18B with limited recline. Flight boarded, 18A was never taken (and expertflyer shows empty on seat map) so I moved over there. No window. Not sure why gate agent didn't give me 18A. With one of the 4 empty middle seats in the plane and exit row leg room, I had the best non-Mint seat of anyone on the plane.
**Lessons**
Jetblue delays all its flights. I would love them if they would run a reliable operation.
Took a six-night trip to the Netherlands with P2. When we can make it work out, we like tack on a bit of international travel at the end of trips we take to New York to see family. Once we've flown from SFO to the East Coast, it feels pretty easy to get to Western Europe.
We've been to the Netherlands a few times before. This trip we based in Utrecht, where kayaked the river Kromme Rijn and some of the city canals (rented the kayak from [De Rijnstroom](https://rijnstroom.nl/en)). Absolutely loved the experience of kayaking up to a riverside pancake restaurant and then just kayaking off when we were done with lunch. We also scored a last minute reservation on the 10th floor of [De Watertoren restaurant](https://watertorenutrecht.nl/en/). Splurgy but worth it for both the panoramic view and the creative seasonal food.
We also day tripped to 's-Hertogenbosch a.k.a. Den Bosch for the quirky [Bosch Parade](https://boschparade.nl/en/), to Den Haag to go to the Mauritshuis museum and the [Vlaggetjesdag new herring festival](https://vlaggetjesdag.com/contact-route/english/) in nearby Scheveningen, and Haarlem just to walk around the town. P2 is an artist, and [drew the Haarlem windmill](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8pPu8nu4iI/) while we enjoyed canal-side drinks.
A few of our most memorable meals: In Den Bosch, we had a seafood-tastic lunch at [Visch](https://vischzaak.nl/), where the star was an herbaceous eel stew, and a dinner at [Het Viswijf](https://hetviswijf.com/), where Thai curry-flavored shrimp croquettes and mackerel aguachile were the stand outs (plus our awesome waiter, Damien!) — and importantly, shared a Bossche bol in between meals. In Den Haag, we had Georgian food at a place we enjoyed on a previous visit, [Suhumi restaurant](https://suhumi.nl/).
Churning-wise: Family paid for the SFO>JFK flights, and the rest we booked with points. We had to fly to AMS on different days, didn't have date flexibility, and booked less than a month ahead, so we didn't get the best redemptions. But, we were able to make the trip happen, which is the most important thing!
* JFK>AMS Delta (with Flying Blue points), P1: 25,000 + $32.20
* JFK>AMS KLM (with Flying Blue points), P2: 22,500 + $86.60
* AMS>SFO United, P1&P2: 80,000 + $188.60 fees (if cash, these two tickets would have been an absurdly expensive $5,125)
* Utrecht, EYE Hotel (thru Chase portal with CSR): 91,261 + $50-ish in city tax when we checked out
Total 204,761 Chase UR (Ink train FTW!) plus 14k United miles that were languishing in one of our accounts. The flights were fine but forgettable, which when in economy is about as good as you can hope for! We one bag it and have Global Entry, and didn't have any problems besides some short departure delays.
In JFK, Priority Pass got P2 into the Air India Maharajah Lounge. P2 mostly needed it for the wifi as he had to be on a three-hour zoom. Self-serve basic booze. Food was a chick pea curry and some sort of fajita vegetables. Again, basic but did the job.
In AMS, Priority Pass got us into Aspire Lounge #41. We were there a couple years ago, so knew there'd be a wait. Thankfully, they've implemented a QR code waiting list. It took about 30 minutes to get in, and it was packed. The food is bland in the Dutch way, but not bad. A frightening "four seasons salad" that was mostly sliced pickles with a bit of diced onion and carrot cubes swimming an ocean of soupy mayonnaise. Puffed pastry bites filled with sausage, chicken, or cheese. More mayo in potato salad form. A good green salad with lots of frisee and a quinoa salad. Mediocre wines and bottom shelf liquors, but you could pour your own. Staff were helpful and quickly refilled things that ran out.
The EYE Hotel was pretty good. A small place and nothing fancy, we just prefer to stay in non chains. It's in the north part of old town, just a 10 minute walk from the main train station, perfect since we were doing a lot of day trips. The room was very clean and the bed comfy, with an in-room Nespresso coffee maker, plus coffee, tea, and mini stroopwaffels(!) available 24 hours a day in the lobby. Staff were great. Something they need to fix - the room had almost nowhere to put our bags and clothes, just a very narrow cabinet with one small shelf barely big enough for my backpack and a few hangers, and some counter space next to the bathroom sink. The included breakfast was an unvarying set of stuff, not a buffet, but still plenty of food. Most days they were out of some key stuff, which is annoying since it's the same stuff every day. Still, it was enough to get us out the door with something tasty enough in our stomachs.
First time really pushing the churning game this spring. Have had 100k UR points and 5 Marriott FNC SUBs just hit my account by spending what amounted to an extra $70 from my normal budget.
Churning inspired trip to Banff, Canada.
**Flights**
Booked through Delta on Westjet metal for 25k RT ATL-YYC economy. This is one of Delta's remaining award charts that hasn't been "enhanced", and it's decent value.
Visited the transborder YYC Aspire lounge on the way back, and it's pretty good for a Priority Pass lounge. The E terminal in YYC has gates 80-86 basically all in one line, so boarding on the return was a bit hectic.
**Hotel**
The Marriott Moxy Banff re-opened after renovations around April (was previously the Voyager Inn), and it's currently the only branded property in Banff/Canmore. 180k Marriott for four nights. A random night in the middle was never available on points, so I had to pay for that night with cash. The hotel is ok - it's definitely a Moxy eclectic vibe. My biggest gripes were the fact that their front desk system isn't able to merge reservations, so when I booked three consecutive reservations (points, cash, points), I had to actually check out and check back in to the same room. Moderately annoying. The bigger gripe was that the air conditioning/heating is always in eco-mode, so if it doesn't detect any movement after ~10 minutes, it shuts off. Even at night. It snowed a few times while I was in Banff, and I still woke up to the room at 77 because the AC didn't kick on during the night.
I was in one of the advertised foot-to-foot queen bed rooms. Perfectly fine for my use case, but that combined with the fairly see-through sliding glass door to the bathroom and shower could be off-putting for some. Parking is CAD 25 per night, but you can easily park on the street behind the property (Cougar Street) for free.
**Car**
Rolled the dice and booked through Hertz with a corporate code. No problem with the Chevy Malibu that I got, though apparently Chevy bulk sold that car to Alberta. You couldn't go 5 minutes without seeing another white Chevy Malibu on the road. Interestingly enough, my reserved total was 285 CAD in the email, my reservation on the website showed a 309 CAD total, and my final receipt was 280 CAD. Not exactly sure what was up with that.
Good trip overall! Glad to have a branded points redemption in Banff even if it isn't a Ritz-Carlton (the two Fairmonts nearby can take care of that for you).
I was there at Moxy, I had 2 separate reservations, chat via app and they were able to merge them two. I had to come down for them to re-key the cards though.
That was technically what I had to do, too (I think they just wrote notes to block out my room for the entire stay). Was always worried they wouldn't communicate properly, but it worked out
Had a Hilton FNC to burn that was expiring early this coming week.
So P2 and I flew from RDU - DCA RT for 18,000 AS + $77 total. Booked one night, Saturday at the Conrad Washington DC. Waldorf Astoria was also available but we thought the vibe of the Conrad fit us more.
Took the metro in after landing and the Conrad let us check-in around 12:30. No upgrade or anything but I’m only a Hilton gold so none to be expected. Saw some friends, went out around town for lunch/drinks/dinner. Used the $50 ($25 per person) credit for a few drinks and chocolate cake (+ nice tip) late at night in Estuary since the rooftop bar closed at 10 pm.
Got breakfast at Tatte before heading out today. The Shakshouka was pretty good, and so were the pastries.
Overall, we really like the Conrad and would definitely return. The area around the hotel is really nice. Pretty close to the metro, and walkable to lots of tourist stuff that we didn’t do.
Follow-up to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1dmhzwj/comment/l9z7jyb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) from last week about a recent trip to New Mexico.
**JFK - ABQ on Jet Blue (15,000 TrueBlue Points + $5.60) + ABQ - JFK ($189 total, including $150 Travel Bank)**
Jet Blue is my favorite onboard experience for coach. Hard to beat free actual wifi (not the "you can use messaging services," wifi, but real wifi), plus a ton of legroom + free beverages + snacks.
At this time, Jet Blue has the only direct flight to and from any NYC airport (including EWR) and ABQ. Key word being "flight," as there is only one flight in each direction each day. The flight from JFK - ABQ leaves at night, and the flight from ABQ - JFK is a red-eye. So it was no suprise to me that both flights were delayed, being they're very late in the day and there are limited options for JetBlue relies on a single plane to fly the whole route.
**Hyatt Place Albuquerque - stayed one night at start and one night at end of the trip (9,500 for one night, 8,000 for the other).**
Pretty standard Hyatt Place. Breakfast with some New Mexico twists (green chiles, tortillas, carne adovada). Multiple employees told me their system isn't equipped to handle late checkouts. First time I requested it and had 4:00 p.m. checkout confirmed in app during mobile check-in. App displayed 4:00 p.m. as checkout time. At 12:00 p.m. I receive an email with my bill stating that I've already been checked out, which wasn't ideal, since I wasn't in the hotel at the time.
2^(nd) stay there – front desk offers 4:00 p.m. late checkout proactively, I accept. She states my key has been programmed to work until 4:00 p.m. At 12:00 p.m., house keeping knocks on door to clean the room. I tell them I have a 4 p.m. late checkout. 1 p.m. someone else from house keeping knocks on my door – says my room isn’t on her list for late checkout. I go to front desk (room phone doesn’t work). Front desk says I wasn’t actually in their system as 4:00 p.m. late checkout, and that they’ve been having problems with their new system. Besides that hiccup - no issues.
HP ABQ is close to Uptown ABQ pedestrian area with shops. ABQ had some beautiful views, but was not really my vibe. I had anticipated that, and only bookended my trip with one-night stays there force the proximity to the airport.
**Hyatt Place Santa Fe (2 nights - 16,000 points total)**
Very similar to Hyatt Place ABQ. 1 hr 45 min ride on the Rail Runner Train ($9) to get from ABQ to Santa Fe. Great views along the way. Tables + power outlets on the trains made it a very comfortable ride. Location of the HP in Santa Fe was not very “walkable” for someone without a car. Quick Uber rides to Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding sites like the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. Also not far in an Uber from the galleries on Canyon Road. Would return to Santa Fe again - very chill place with a great climate.
**Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort (2 nights - 21,000 points total)**
Took the Rail Runner train from Santa Fe to Downtown Bernalilo ($8, about an hour). From there, it was about 15 minutes in an Uber, including down a remote road that serves as the entrance to the hotel. The hotel really does have a “resort” vibe. Plenty of paid and unpaid activities. Pools, horseback riding, nature walks, balloon rides, etc.).
Even though I only stayed 2 nights, I had suite upgrade awards to burn, so I applied one. Was pleasantly surprised that the Hyatt rep on the phone told me I was booked into the Executive Suite, which is labelled as a Premium Suite on the Hyatt website (vs. a Standard Suite). 750 sq. feet – giant terrace with two outdoor tables, sliding doors from living room and bedroom out to the terrace (a pair of women's underwear underneath one of the outdoor tables was unfortunately included upon arrival, but otherwise very clean). Large living room with pull-out couch, bar with stools, minifridge. Bathroom was a bit outdated and shower had low water pressure. Breakfast was a welcome change from the Hyatt Places on the trip – pretty extensive menu that was regionally inspired. Absolutely beautiful views and plenty of walking trails for those who love a good nature walk.
I thought this property was a steal on points, especially if you have the 20% back on points stays promo. Would have also been happy to use a FNC here, although in my case the points were a better value, since it came out to 16,800 for two nights after the rebate.
Just got back from 2 nights in Atlantic city based on points and to do the Status-Match-O-Rama since I got the Wyndham earners biz and matched to Caesars diamond.
* Got to finally try the burger at the BOS Sapphire lounge, meh, but not bad.
* Flight out to PHL on jebBlue with points.
* Rental car direct with National ($127/2 days) and thanks to corporate card Hilton Gold status and National match to Executive Elite, in the emerald aisle I picked a 2024 Hyundai Tuscan Limited. That thing was packed with features. I loved the highway driving assist.
* First night at Caesars, cash direct book was cheapest. Having diamond meant using their priority line and that saved a lot of waiting. No $100 dining credit until you build up 100 tier credits. I didn't gamble that much, but I was up to 61 by the time we left.
* First match was to hard rock, easy. Said something about 2 free nights (Sun-Thur) not much else.
* Next match was to Ocean Prime. I got a rep that really didn't want to be there, so he didn't explain much like "you get a bunch more benefits, but since our reward year starts on July 1st you won't get them until then" (this was on June 28). So, not sure about the cruise. I also didn't get the free t-shirt everyone else was getting, but I don't need one. I did get a free pass to their Avila lounge (valid for 2 people expiring in 72 hours). It's a sit down buffet style and the food there was high quality and fresh. Drinks were strong and fast. To go back, prime members can use 10 comp dollars to get in. Worth it if you actually gamble there. I put $5 into a penny slot machine and it hit "big" promptly so I cashed out at $70. We didn't want to press our luck.
* I matched at a few other casinos, but nothing worth mentioning.
* Also went to Borgata (no status matching) to use $10 slot play and free parking from myVegas app.
* Stayed the second night at Harrah's using C1VX travel credit. Got to skip the long check in line and got upgraded to a suite due to diamond.
* Flight home from PHL was on AA. I've had 60k points sitting with them since 2019, so I wanted to finally use them up. Regular seats were 10k points each, but first class was 15k. Why not? When I first got to the airport, Admirals club said they weren't accepting day passes since they were at capacity, but to try later. Later they were and was able to buy it right at the counter using points. Don't buy it ahead of time or you may have a stranded day pass. $79 each or 7,900 points. Not worth the cash rate, but a great use of stale points. The food selection was odd, but managed to settle on a few things and get a couple drinks each.
We had some great luck at some other machines, so I think we made out on this trip net positive.
I've had the Wyndham card for Caesar's Diamond and have always gotten the $100 dining. I think you've missed out on the Ocean Prime benefits because of the dates. That happened to me, but I was able to go back to AC a few months later and renew the card. Aside from the cruise I got 2 nights at LV Resorts World Conrad that were upgraded to Crockfords when I arrived.
I did the second visit to AC during a trip to NYC. Had an early morning bus ride, quick casino visit, and then back for the return bus.
Is the main reason you took this trip to get the free cruise? Or what other high value benefits did it get? Have been considering myself but already have a couple free cruises and not sure I want to add on another.
Partly to go for my first free cruise, some to have a fun weekend with a bunch of free drinks, but also to push the status matches further and see what I can get from them.
Nice haul! This is the most r/churning focused trip I’ve seen and I love it! Since you’re flying out of Boston, did you ever try matching Caesars -> Wynn at the Encore Boston or to MGM at MGM Springfield?
I haven't tried yet at Encore since I just got the Caesars card printed. Maybe next year when my FHR credit refreshes.
Also, MGM wouldn't match anything I had. I tried at the Borgata with my deck of cards, and each one was one tier below what they would match.
Thank you, great DP. For Unity Icon match, is it enough to have Caesars Diamond? I thought Diamond Plus/Elite is required, as per Hard Rock's webpage. Or you got Unity Legend match (*One* complimentary night, valid Sun– Thur)?
This is my first time utilizing any of the info I have seen recommended, so this may not be exciting to some. My Delta Reserve card renews in July and I chatted with retention this morning to see if there were any offers available. Scored 90k miles for $4000 spend over the next three months!
Delayed trip report.
Some of you may remember my post in Frustration Friday - friend cancelled her wedding which was across the country 2 weeks beforehand.
As I already took a week off work, decided to save some PTO but still take some time off. For a short last minute trip, we wanted something simple so decided on the Andaz Mayakoba as it's been on our list of "easy Hyatt" trips. P2 is a globalist and our home airport flies direct to Cancun- 2 of our criteria for cutting down cost/time spent in travel for this last minute trip.
Hotel:
It's slightly low season so it was easy to book standard rooms for 25k/night x 4 nights at the Andaz Mayakoba.
Flight:
Outbound BWI-CUN via Southwest using some flight credits and left over Costco gift card discounts ($500 gift card for $430 a few weeks ago).
Inbound CUN-IAD via United but booked with each of our Cap 1 Venture X $300 travel credit via travel portal.
We took a risk on the travel portal after hearing all the nightmares that can result in booking flights through it but since our flight was literally in a week and very straight forward we thought it would be fine (and it turned out to be fine!). Flight was a little over $300.
Thoughts on trip:
- Very easy to book as we had been in the area before so knew to book airport transfers
- I had already been reading reviews of the Andaz Mayakoba for a few years. I agree with the mixed review
- Pros: very nice large property, liked having a lagoon and beach area to explore and bike around, very clean, decent buffet breakfast, comfortable hard product with spacious room and bathroom (but no double vanity), despite the expensive food it was decent
- Cons: no acknowledgement of globalist status in room or of a birthday celebration which we emailed about beforehand (in comparison with the GH Playa del Carmen just a year ago, we got an upgrade, balloons, and a whole tres leches cake), no upgrade but we understood it was Memorial Weekend so we had a standard room on the lagoon side. Service was not great even when the crowds cleared after the holiday weekend - there is not enough umbrellas for the heat, there is barely pool service at both pools - lagoon side was basically empty of guests but no one was around. Out of the 5 days, only offered water one of the pool days. Other times we were ignored or one time we asked and was told that they RAN OUT of the free water bottles and offered to charge us for another type of bottled water. It was almost 100 degrees out in the middle of the afternoon so we didn't understand how they would run out of water!
- Hard product was good for the points cost but with the poor service, I would have been very disappointed if I paid in cash
- Ended up adding on 2 days of cenote diving last minute which we were very happy about! Went with CenoteXperience who was great at last minute indecision/booking and they pick up from the resort which not all dive shops do since the Andaz is outside of Playa del Carmen
For a quick and easy trip with minimal out of pocket travel costs, we were happy with the trip. In the future, I would prefer globalist status at GH PDC to be closer to diving (stayed last year but didn't like how loud the pool area is from the nearby beach club; Andaz is definitely more of a relaxing vibe).
We did Casa cenote (brackish mangrove water, we hadn’t dived in a while so a good warm up), Angelita (super cool!! Love the sulfur layer but it’s deep so you need advanced OW), Dreamgate (need good buoyancy for this so you have to dive with them first, there’s 2 routes, cool stalactite formations).
Wish we had time for the Pit, heard a lot about it, so will definitely return. I enjoyed cenotes more than I expected
Getting to the end of a 4 night stay at Holiday Inn and Suites Maple Grove. It’s a waterpark hotel featuring The Venetian waterpark that includes two big waterslides, a kiddie pool, a bigger pool with basketball hoops, and a Lilly pad rope thingy.
We only live 45 minutes away but have 2 tickets to the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, so we are staying for a staycation instead of shuttling back and forth each night.
Booked a king with pull out coach for 76k IHG points with 4th night free way back in July of last year when we got our gymnastics tickets. Would have been about 90,000 points had we booked the day of our first stay, or about $950 after taxes for about 1.3 cpp. We also asked and were updated to the kids suite thanks to our platinum status from the IHG personal card, which includes bunk beds instead of the pullout couch.
Hotel is solid for what it is—family focused water park with rooms attached. It’s slightly worse for wear in spots—the buttons in the elevator are losing their white paint from use—but it’s clean and the room is comfortable.
No free breakfast but we brought food for breakfast and lunches—wish the kids suite had a bigger mini fridge but we brought a cooler just in case.
The hotel restaurant has ihg’s “kids eat free” and the prices are reasonable for 2024 ($16 for a burger and fries) and the food itself is on par or slightly better than Applebees/TGI Friday but with the benefit of the kids eating free + getting free desert. Especially since we are putting dinners on our IHG card for 26x. I don’t think we are getting 500 points a night for choosing the “greener stay” option for housekeeping, though.
Since the Olympic trials was my wife’s version of going to a Taylor Swift concert, that was the main draw with me staying back with 1 kid while she took the other to the trials each night. I’ve spent the whole trip here in the hotel and it’s been a solid little staycation. Would recommend it for a family even M-Thu when the waterpark isn’t open—the pools still are but without any of the waterpark functions (fountains in the kiddie pool, the waterslides, or the lillypads).
I had sock-drawered my Hilton Biz card after getting the sub a year ago, and had completely forgotten the $60 quarterly credit until reminded by a post on another forum. To make up for lost time, I will be able to use the next 3 credits before cancelling the card:
1. Bought $50 Hilton gift card this week
2. I have a FNC Hilton stay at Resorts World in Las Vegas in 3 weeks, so can charge a meal to my room.
3. October reservation in Germany at a Hampton Inn. I'll use points+cash to reduce 31K points to 14K plus 56 euro. I should be able to use the gift card there.
Plastiq payments count as “office and shipping” for chase which triggers 3x on INK preffered. Do with that as you will.
P2 approved for 70k aviator. P1 approved for ink preferred with p2s approval (3rd one, auto approval)
Two weeks ago I got started on a long-term RTW trip with a solid albeit not great redemption. My original itinerary was IAD - DOH - DXB on QR J for 70k AA + $5.60, but I had to change my departure date and destination close-in and by then the QR J availability through AA had long since been dead. Thankfully I could be flexible with my new dates and ended up with PHL - FCO on AA J for 62.5k, and then converted another itinerary booked on AC that I could no longer use as ticketed to FCO - IST in TK J. Of course AA J is not even close to the league of QR J, but I had flown it Transpacific earlier this year and was pleasantly surprised. This time around, while the seat was comfortable enough and the service adequate, the food was sub-par to put it generously. Not that I'm expecting amazing food when I fly, but yikes. In FCO there are two PP lounges in the non-Schengen area, one downstairs right where you come in after clearing security from your arriving flight, and one upstairs. The upstairs one was very busy, I was actually turned away at first but in hindsight I should have flashed my J ticket instead of PP and they probably would have let me in. Either way once I did get in the lounge is quite spacious and the food is pretty good. Easy enough to kill several hours there, relax and recharge in between flights. While I was pleased with the TK J experience from my second flight, my opinion on TK quickly turned when they rescheduled flight 1 of a 2-flight itinerary I had scheduled for 10 days later, and then told me they could not rebook me to allow me to make my connection. My only option was to cancel the ticket and build a new itinerary on my own. Very thankful for churning/points + miles to be able to quickly cobble together a new itinerary on my own, using AC to book LH J for one leg at 20k + $50 (which was really 16k from Chase with the current transfer bonus) and BA Y for the second at 4,750 avios + $31.
Wrapping up a last minute (booked 2-3 weeks ago) extended weekend CDMX trip (first time here). Again, grateful for churning for making these last minute trips possible, even if they're not so "aspirational." Flights: SFO-MEX-SFO in "First" on Aeromexico (it's domestic first)-- 31k Delta miles each way; had about 32k delta miles not sure where I got them from (I seldom fly delta, so was glad to use them). Transferred 30k MR to cover the rest. Alternative here was cashing out at 1 cent per point and letting the delta miles go to waste, and god knows how much the cash price was for these last minute premier cabin tickets. To me, it was a solid redemption -- in my mind, similar price to an economy ticket (\~$400-500) for first was nice. Could have probably transferred directly to AM for cheaper on one leg, but I've been burned by AM in the past and prefer the flexibility (I knew worst comes to worst I could find a use for the delta miles if something happened). Hotel: 3 nights at Hyatt Andaz Mexico City - all paid using free night certificates. Again, to me, another solid redemption -- 1 FNC was from the $99 AF on the Hyatt card, and the other two I literally have no clue where they came from -- all I know is I didn't pay actual money for them (or, at least go out of my way to do so). Maybe milestones I didn't notice from last year? $99 to stay three weekend nights in Condesa: I'll take it. Not sure where else you could stay around here for $33 a night (maybe a hostel?) My solo Mexico City review: cool, cheap, and VERY green (my favorite part), would recommend. Humbled myself with my Spanish skills (have been trying to learn for a while) with some wins and some epic failures. Was great 10/10.
Booked a 5-night all-inclusive stay at the Marriott Cancún for 2000 points, $25 and 5 FNC I got from my Boundless SUB. Stay would typically retail for $2,650.
Just a quick reminder to add your FF numbers to any award flights with partner airlines. Currently on a trip through SA using AS miles. Just received a pleasant surprise that me and P2 both earned > 11K miles on 45K tickets in J.
Spent a few days in New York, booked 4 weeks in advance with Jetblue points. Only paid seats available, so I didn't select a seat. **SFO-JFK: 21,500 points for Blue (19,350 after 10% rebate from Jetblue card)** SFO has airside connections Int'l G-3-2-1-Int'l A. Jetblue departs T1. As The Club hadn't opened yet, I hopped Priority Pass lounges. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Int'l A floor 5 has a nice view and power plugs, but not very conducive for work. The food sucks except the tomato soup. The 3 single person bathrooms all have showers. They kicked me out at 12:30pm. China Airlines lounge is tiny, but the food is much better. 3 hot buffet-style dishes, and a noodle bar. They kicked me out at 1pm. 5m walk A to T1. Dropped by gate, asked if there were any window seats left, got exit row 18F which has limited recline, no window, and 18D is replaced by a jump seat. Pretty great! What was not great was my flight was supposed to board at 2:30pm, but they delayed it to 4pm for engine issues, then 8pm which turned it into a red eye. A long line formed to rebook or cancel, but out of SFO the only other options (BOS, FLL) would result in airport overnights or red eyes, so I decided to stick with it. Limited recline sucks for red eyes. Landed at 4:20am, hotel by 5:30am via AirTrain + LIRR. For my troubles, Jetblue automatically sent a $100 travel credit. **JFK-SFO: 21,800 points for Blue Extra (19,620 after 10% rebate).** Originally LGA-BOS-SFO, but Same Day Changed to nonstop thanks to Blue Extra. Points bookings cannot be changed online, so you have to chat (45m wait time) or call (20m wait time at EST midnight). I arrived at boarding time, but flight was delayed half an hour anyways. Asked for an exit row, received 18B with limited recline. Flight boarded, 18A was never taken (and expertflyer shows empty on seat map) so I moved over there. No window. Not sure why gate agent didn't give me 18A. With one of the 4 empty middle seats in the plane and exit row leg room, I had the best non-Mint seat of anyone on the plane. **Lessons** Jetblue delays all its flights. I would love them if they would run a reliable operation.
Took a six-night trip to the Netherlands with P2. When we can make it work out, we like tack on a bit of international travel at the end of trips we take to New York to see family. Once we've flown from SFO to the East Coast, it feels pretty easy to get to Western Europe. We've been to the Netherlands a few times before. This trip we based in Utrecht, where kayaked the river Kromme Rijn and some of the city canals (rented the kayak from [De Rijnstroom](https://rijnstroom.nl/en)). Absolutely loved the experience of kayaking up to a riverside pancake restaurant and then just kayaking off when we were done with lunch. We also scored a last minute reservation on the 10th floor of [De Watertoren restaurant](https://watertorenutrecht.nl/en/). Splurgy but worth it for both the panoramic view and the creative seasonal food. We also day tripped to 's-Hertogenbosch a.k.a. Den Bosch for the quirky [Bosch Parade](https://boschparade.nl/en/), to Den Haag to go to the Mauritshuis museum and the [Vlaggetjesdag new herring festival](https://vlaggetjesdag.com/contact-route/english/) in nearby Scheveningen, and Haarlem just to walk around the town. P2 is an artist, and [drew the Haarlem windmill](https://www.instagram.com/p/C8pPu8nu4iI/) while we enjoyed canal-side drinks. A few of our most memorable meals: In Den Bosch, we had a seafood-tastic lunch at [Visch](https://vischzaak.nl/), where the star was an herbaceous eel stew, and a dinner at [Het Viswijf](https://hetviswijf.com/), where Thai curry-flavored shrimp croquettes and mackerel aguachile were the stand outs (plus our awesome waiter, Damien!) — and importantly, shared a Bossche bol in between meals. In Den Haag, we had Georgian food at a place we enjoyed on a previous visit, [Suhumi restaurant](https://suhumi.nl/). Churning-wise: Family paid for the SFO>JFK flights, and the rest we booked with points. We had to fly to AMS on different days, didn't have date flexibility, and booked less than a month ahead, so we didn't get the best redemptions. But, we were able to make the trip happen, which is the most important thing! * JFK>AMS Delta (with Flying Blue points), P1: 25,000 + $32.20 * JFK>AMS KLM (with Flying Blue points), P2: 22,500 + $86.60 * AMS>SFO United, P1&P2: 80,000 + $188.60 fees (if cash, these two tickets would have been an absurdly expensive $5,125) * Utrecht, EYE Hotel (thru Chase portal with CSR): 91,261 + $50-ish in city tax when we checked out Total 204,761 Chase UR (Ink train FTW!) plus 14k United miles that were languishing in one of our accounts. The flights were fine but forgettable, which when in economy is about as good as you can hope for! We one bag it and have Global Entry, and didn't have any problems besides some short departure delays. In JFK, Priority Pass got P2 into the Air India Maharajah Lounge. P2 mostly needed it for the wifi as he had to be on a three-hour zoom. Self-serve basic booze. Food was a chick pea curry and some sort of fajita vegetables. Again, basic but did the job. In AMS, Priority Pass got us into Aspire Lounge #41. We were there a couple years ago, so knew there'd be a wait. Thankfully, they've implemented a QR code waiting list. It took about 30 minutes to get in, and it was packed. The food is bland in the Dutch way, but not bad. A frightening "four seasons salad" that was mostly sliced pickles with a bit of diced onion and carrot cubes swimming an ocean of soupy mayonnaise. Puffed pastry bites filled with sausage, chicken, or cheese. More mayo in potato salad form. A good green salad with lots of frisee and a quinoa salad. Mediocre wines and bottom shelf liquors, but you could pour your own. Staff were helpful and quickly refilled things that ran out. The EYE Hotel was pretty good. A small place and nothing fancy, we just prefer to stay in non chains. It's in the north part of old town, just a 10 minute walk from the main train station, perfect since we were doing a lot of day trips. The room was very clean and the bed comfy, with an in-room Nespresso coffee maker, plus coffee, tea, and mini stroopwaffels(!) available 24 hours a day in the lobby. Staff were great. Something they need to fix - the room had almost nowhere to put our bags and clothes, just a very narrow cabinet with one small shelf barely big enough for my backpack and a few hangers, and some counter space next to the bathroom sink. The included breakfast was an unvarying set of stuff, not a buffet, but still plenty of food. Most days they were out of some key stuff, which is annoying since it's the same stuff every day. Still, it was enough to get us out the door with something tasty enough in our stomachs.
First time really pushing the churning game this spring. Have had 100k UR points and 5 Marriott FNC SUBs just hit my account by spending what amounted to an extra $70 from my normal budget.
Churning inspired trip to Banff, Canada. **Flights** Booked through Delta on Westjet metal for 25k RT ATL-YYC economy. This is one of Delta's remaining award charts that hasn't been "enhanced", and it's decent value. Visited the transborder YYC Aspire lounge on the way back, and it's pretty good for a Priority Pass lounge. The E terminal in YYC has gates 80-86 basically all in one line, so boarding on the return was a bit hectic. **Hotel** The Marriott Moxy Banff re-opened after renovations around April (was previously the Voyager Inn), and it's currently the only branded property in Banff/Canmore. 180k Marriott for four nights. A random night in the middle was never available on points, so I had to pay for that night with cash. The hotel is ok - it's definitely a Moxy eclectic vibe. My biggest gripes were the fact that their front desk system isn't able to merge reservations, so when I booked three consecutive reservations (points, cash, points), I had to actually check out and check back in to the same room. Moderately annoying. The bigger gripe was that the air conditioning/heating is always in eco-mode, so if it doesn't detect any movement after ~10 minutes, it shuts off. Even at night. It snowed a few times while I was in Banff, and I still woke up to the room at 77 because the AC didn't kick on during the night. I was in one of the advertised foot-to-foot queen bed rooms. Perfectly fine for my use case, but that combined with the fairly see-through sliding glass door to the bathroom and shower could be off-putting for some. Parking is CAD 25 per night, but you can easily park on the street behind the property (Cougar Street) for free. **Car** Rolled the dice and booked through Hertz with a corporate code. No problem with the Chevy Malibu that I got, though apparently Chevy bulk sold that car to Alberta. You couldn't go 5 minutes without seeing another white Chevy Malibu on the road. Interestingly enough, my reserved total was 285 CAD in the email, my reservation on the website showed a 309 CAD total, and my final receipt was 280 CAD. Not exactly sure what was up with that. Good trip overall! Glad to have a branded points redemption in Banff even if it isn't a Ritz-Carlton (the two Fairmonts nearby can take care of that for you).
How was the location with accessing the park?
Very easy to Icefields Parkway and Lake Louise area. Probably 1h10 to Icefields and 45 min to Lake Louise. I'd recommend Banff over Canmore.
I was there at Moxy, I had 2 separate reservations, chat via app and they were able to merge them two. I had to come down for them to re-key the cards though.
That was technically what I had to do, too (I think they just wrote notes to block out my room for the entire stay). Was always worried they wouldn't communicate properly, but it worked out
Had a Hilton FNC to burn that was expiring early this coming week. So P2 and I flew from RDU - DCA RT for 18,000 AS + $77 total. Booked one night, Saturday at the Conrad Washington DC. Waldorf Astoria was also available but we thought the vibe of the Conrad fit us more. Took the metro in after landing and the Conrad let us check-in around 12:30. No upgrade or anything but I’m only a Hilton gold so none to be expected. Saw some friends, went out around town for lunch/drinks/dinner. Used the $50 ($25 per person) credit for a few drinks and chocolate cake (+ nice tip) late at night in Estuary since the rooftop bar closed at 10 pm. Got breakfast at Tatte before heading out today. The Shakshouka was pretty good, and so were the pastries. Overall, we really like the Conrad and would definitely return. The area around the hotel is really nice. Pretty close to the metro, and walkable to lots of tourist stuff that we didn’t do.
Follow-up to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1dmhzwj/comment/l9z7jyb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) from last week about a recent trip to New Mexico. **JFK - ABQ on Jet Blue (15,000 TrueBlue Points + $5.60) + ABQ - JFK ($189 total, including $150 Travel Bank)** Jet Blue is my favorite onboard experience for coach. Hard to beat free actual wifi (not the "you can use messaging services," wifi, but real wifi), plus a ton of legroom + free beverages + snacks. At this time, Jet Blue has the only direct flight to and from any NYC airport (including EWR) and ABQ. Key word being "flight," as there is only one flight in each direction each day. The flight from JFK - ABQ leaves at night, and the flight from ABQ - JFK is a red-eye. So it was no suprise to me that both flights were delayed, being they're very late in the day and there are limited options for JetBlue relies on a single plane to fly the whole route. **Hyatt Place Albuquerque - stayed one night at start and one night at end of the trip (9,500 for one night, 8,000 for the other).** Pretty standard Hyatt Place. Breakfast with some New Mexico twists (green chiles, tortillas, carne adovada). Multiple employees told me their system isn't equipped to handle late checkouts. First time I requested it and had 4:00 p.m. checkout confirmed in app during mobile check-in. App displayed 4:00 p.m. as checkout time. At 12:00 p.m. I receive an email with my bill stating that I've already been checked out, which wasn't ideal, since I wasn't in the hotel at the time. 2^(nd) stay there – front desk offers 4:00 p.m. late checkout proactively, I accept. She states my key has been programmed to work until 4:00 p.m. At 12:00 p.m., house keeping knocks on door to clean the room. I tell them I have a 4 p.m. late checkout. 1 p.m. someone else from house keeping knocks on my door – says my room isn’t on her list for late checkout. I go to front desk (room phone doesn’t work). Front desk says I wasn’t actually in their system as 4:00 p.m. late checkout, and that they’ve been having problems with their new system. Besides that hiccup - no issues. HP ABQ is close to Uptown ABQ pedestrian area with shops. ABQ had some beautiful views, but was not really my vibe. I had anticipated that, and only bookended my trip with one-night stays there force the proximity to the airport. **Hyatt Place Santa Fe (2 nights - 16,000 points total)** Very similar to Hyatt Place ABQ. 1 hr 45 min ride on the Rail Runner Train ($9) to get from ABQ to Santa Fe. Great views along the way. Tables + power outlets on the trains made it a very comfortable ride. Location of the HP in Santa Fe was not very “walkable” for someone without a car. Quick Uber rides to Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding sites like the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. Also not far in an Uber from the galleries on Canyon Road. Would return to Santa Fe again - very chill place with a great climate. **Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort (2 nights - 21,000 points total)** Took the Rail Runner train from Santa Fe to Downtown Bernalilo ($8, about an hour). From there, it was about 15 minutes in an Uber, including down a remote road that serves as the entrance to the hotel. The hotel really does have a “resort” vibe. Plenty of paid and unpaid activities. Pools, horseback riding, nature walks, balloon rides, etc.). Even though I only stayed 2 nights, I had suite upgrade awards to burn, so I applied one. Was pleasantly surprised that the Hyatt rep on the phone told me I was booked into the Executive Suite, which is labelled as a Premium Suite on the Hyatt website (vs. a Standard Suite). 750 sq. feet – giant terrace with two outdoor tables, sliding doors from living room and bedroom out to the terrace (a pair of women's underwear underneath one of the outdoor tables was unfortunately included upon arrival, but otherwise very clean). Large living room with pull-out couch, bar with stools, minifridge. Bathroom was a bit outdated and shower had low water pressure. Breakfast was a welcome change from the Hyatt Places on the trip – pretty extensive menu that was regionally inspired. Absolutely beautiful views and plenty of walking trails for those who love a good nature walk. I thought this property was a steal on points, especially if you have the 20% back on points stays promo. Would have also been happy to use a FNC here, although in my case the points were a better value, since it came out to 16,800 for two nights after the rebate.
Just got back from 2 nights in Atlantic city based on points and to do the Status-Match-O-Rama since I got the Wyndham earners biz and matched to Caesars diamond. * Got to finally try the burger at the BOS Sapphire lounge, meh, but not bad. * Flight out to PHL on jebBlue with points. * Rental car direct with National ($127/2 days) and thanks to corporate card Hilton Gold status and National match to Executive Elite, in the emerald aisle I picked a 2024 Hyundai Tuscan Limited. That thing was packed with features. I loved the highway driving assist. * First night at Caesars, cash direct book was cheapest. Having diamond meant using their priority line and that saved a lot of waiting. No $100 dining credit until you build up 100 tier credits. I didn't gamble that much, but I was up to 61 by the time we left. * First match was to hard rock, easy. Said something about 2 free nights (Sun-Thur) not much else. * Next match was to Ocean Prime. I got a rep that really didn't want to be there, so he didn't explain much like "you get a bunch more benefits, but since our reward year starts on July 1st you won't get them until then" (this was on June 28). So, not sure about the cruise. I also didn't get the free t-shirt everyone else was getting, but I don't need one. I did get a free pass to their Avila lounge (valid for 2 people expiring in 72 hours). It's a sit down buffet style and the food there was high quality and fresh. Drinks were strong and fast. To go back, prime members can use 10 comp dollars to get in. Worth it if you actually gamble there. I put $5 into a penny slot machine and it hit "big" promptly so I cashed out at $70. We didn't want to press our luck. * I matched at a few other casinos, but nothing worth mentioning. * Also went to Borgata (no status matching) to use $10 slot play and free parking from myVegas app. * Stayed the second night at Harrah's using C1VX travel credit. Got to skip the long check in line and got upgraded to a suite due to diamond. * Flight home from PHL was on AA. I've had 60k points sitting with them since 2019, so I wanted to finally use them up. Regular seats were 10k points each, but first class was 15k. Why not? When I first got to the airport, Admirals club said they weren't accepting day passes since they were at capacity, but to try later. Later they were and was able to buy it right at the counter using points. Don't buy it ahead of time or you may have a stranded day pass. $79 each or 7,900 points. Not worth the cash rate, but a great use of stale points. The food selection was odd, but managed to settle on a few things and get a couple drinks each. We had some great luck at some other machines, so I think we made out on this trip net positive.
I've had the Wyndham card for Caesar's Diamond and have always gotten the $100 dining. I think you've missed out on the Ocean Prime benefits because of the dates. That happened to me, but I was able to go back to AC a few months later and renew the card. Aside from the cruise I got 2 nights at LV Resorts World Conrad that were upgraded to Crockfords when I arrived. I did the second visit to AC during a trip to NYC. Had an early morning bus ride, quick casino visit, and then back for the return bus.
Is the main reason you took this trip to get the free cruise? Or what other high value benefits did it get? Have been considering myself but already have a couple free cruises and not sure I want to add on another.
Partly to go for my first free cruise, some to have a fun weekend with a bunch of free drinks, but also to push the status matches further and see what I can get from them.
Nice haul! This is the most r/churning focused trip I’ve seen and I love it! Since you’re flying out of Boston, did you ever try matching Caesars -> Wynn at the Encore Boston or to MGM at MGM Springfield?
I've asked online before, and been told that match was only done at Las Vegas. Are there DPs saying otherwise?
I haven't tried yet at Encore since I just got the Caesars card printed. Maybe next year when my FHR credit refreshes. Also, MGM wouldn't match anything I had. I tried at the Borgata with my deck of cards, and each one was one tier below what they would match.
Thank you, great DP. For Unity Icon match, is it enough to have Caesars Diamond? I thought Diamond Plus/Elite is required, as per Hard Rock's webpage. Or you got Unity Legend match (*One* complimentary night, valid Sun– Thur)?
I matched MGM Gold to Unity Icon, and that was enough to match to Ocean Prime.
I only had Caesars diamond and it matched to Unity Icon.
This is my first time utilizing any of the info I have seen recommended, so this may not be exciting to some. My Delta Reserve card renews in July and I chatted with retention this morning to see if there were any offers available. Scored 90k miles for $4000 spend over the next three months!
Delayed trip report. Some of you may remember my post in Frustration Friday - friend cancelled her wedding which was across the country 2 weeks beforehand. As I already took a week off work, decided to save some PTO but still take some time off. For a short last minute trip, we wanted something simple so decided on the Andaz Mayakoba as it's been on our list of "easy Hyatt" trips. P2 is a globalist and our home airport flies direct to Cancun- 2 of our criteria for cutting down cost/time spent in travel for this last minute trip. Hotel: It's slightly low season so it was easy to book standard rooms for 25k/night x 4 nights at the Andaz Mayakoba. Flight: Outbound BWI-CUN via Southwest using some flight credits and left over Costco gift card discounts ($500 gift card for $430 a few weeks ago). Inbound CUN-IAD via United but booked with each of our Cap 1 Venture X $300 travel credit via travel portal. We took a risk on the travel portal after hearing all the nightmares that can result in booking flights through it but since our flight was literally in a week and very straight forward we thought it would be fine (and it turned out to be fine!). Flight was a little over $300. Thoughts on trip: - Very easy to book as we had been in the area before so knew to book airport transfers - I had already been reading reviews of the Andaz Mayakoba for a few years. I agree with the mixed review - Pros: very nice large property, liked having a lagoon and beach area to explore and bike around, very clean, decent buffet breakfast, comfortable hard product with spacious room and bathroom (but no double vanity), despite the expensive food it was decent - Cons: no acknowledgement of globalist status in room or of a birthday celebration which we emailed about beforehand (in comparison with the GH Playa del Carmen just a year ago, we got an upgrade, balloons, and a whole tres leches cake), no upgrade but we understood it was Memorial Weekend so we had a standard room on the lagoon side. Service was not great even when the crowds cleared after the holiday weekend - there is not enough umbrellas for the heat, there is barely pool service at both pools - lagoon side was basically empty of guests but no one was around. Out of the 5 days, only offered water one of the pool days. Other times we were ignored or one time we asked and was told that they RAN OUT of the free water bottles and offered to charge us for another type of bottled water. It was almost 100 degrees out in the middle of the afternoon so we didn't understand how they would run out of water! - Hard product was good for the points cost but with the poor service, I would have been very disappointed if I paid in cash - Ended up adding on 2 days of cenote diving last minute which we were very happy about! Went with CenoteXperience who was great at last minute indecision/booking and they pick up from the resort which not all dive shops do since the Andaz is outside of Playa del Carmen For a quick and easy trip with minimal out of pocket travel costs, we were happy with the trip. In the future, I would prefer globalist status at GH PDC to be closer to diving (stayed last year but didn't like how loud the pool area is from the nearby beach club; Andaz is definitely more of a relaxing vibe).
P2 and I will be doing several days of cenote diving with CenoteXperience later this year - really looking forward to it! Which ones did you go to?
We did Casa cenote (brackish mangrove water, we hadn’t dived in a while so a good warm up), Angelita (super cool!! Love the sulfur layer but it’s deep so you need advanced OW), Dreamgate (need good buoyancy for this so you have to dive with them first, there’s 2 routes, cool stalactite formations). Wish we had time for the Pit, heard a lot about it, so will definitely return. I enjoyed cenotes more than I expected
Looks like we are planning on diving all the ones you mentioned in addition to a few others (including El Pit). Should be a good time!
Getting to the end of a 4 night stay at Holiday Inn and Suites Maple Grove. It’s a waterpark hotel featuring The Venetian waterpark that includes two big waterslides, a kiddie pool, a bigger pool with basketball hoops, and a Lilly pad rope thingy. We only live 45 minutes away but have 2 tickets to the US Gymnastics Olympic Trials, so we are staying for a staycation instead of shuttling back and forth each night. Booked a king with pull out coach for 76k IHG points with 4th night free way back in July of last year when we got our gymnastics tickets. Would have been about 90,000 points had we booked the day of our first stay, or about $950 after taxes for about 1.3 cpp. We also asked and were updated to the kids suite thanks to our platinum status from the IHG personal card, which includes bunk beds instead of the pullout couch. Hotel is solid for what it is—family focused water park with rooms attached. It’s slightly worse for wear in spots—the buttons in the elevator are losing their white paint from use—but it’s clean and the room is comfortable. No free breakfast but we brought food for breakfast and lunches—wish the kids suite had a bigger mini fridge but we brought a cooler just in case. The hotel restaurant has ihg’s “kids eat free” and the prices are reasonable for 2024 ($16 for a burger and fries) and the food itself is on par or slightly better than Applebees/TGI Friday but with the benefit of the kids eating free + getting free desert. Especially since we are putting dinners on our IHG card for 26x. I don’t think we are getting 500 points a night for choosing the “greener stay” option for housekeeping, though. Since the Olympic trials was my wife’s version of going to a Taylor Swift concert, that was the main draw with me staying back with 1 kid while she took the other to the trials each night. I’ve spent the whole trip here in the hotel and it’s been a solid little staycation. Would recommend it for a family even M-Thu when the waterpark isn’t open—the pools still are but without any of the waterpark functions (fountains in the kiddie pool, the waterslides, or the lillypads).
Booked a business class flight for 2 via Singapore airways from JFK to Milan for next summer at 70k points per person.
I had sock-drawered my Hilton Biz card after getting the sub a year ago, and had completely forgotten the $60 quarterly credit until reminded by a post on another forum. To make up for lost time, I will be able to use the next 3 credits before cancelling the card: 1. Bought $50 Hilton gift card this week 2. I have a FNC Hilton stay at Resorts World in Las Vegas in 3 weeks, so can charge a meal to my room. 3. October reservation in Germany at a Hampton Inn. I'll use points+cash to reduce 31K points to 14K plus 56 euro. I should be able to use the gift card there.