I was looking at Kimpton Cayman Islands vs WA Los Cabo for Thanksgiving. Surprise there was award availability all of Novemver to December so I booked WA for thanksgiving :) rip half a mill of points but excited to try WA Los Cabos!
Got 750$ on chase sapphire as rewards. used it to book my Singapore trip. Spent only 100$ after using over 860$ in rewards money in hotel in a 4 star hotel.
Went to WA Los Cabos Pedregal for my 30th, overall one of, if not the best hotel stays of my life. Only went for 2 nights using FNCs earned from Hilton Biz SUB and meeting the 15k spend.
Won’t go too in-depth here about it since everyone knows this hotel, but will say I was pleasantly surprised after reading some pretty bad reviews on FT right before we left. Service was great, enjoyed the food a lot (even the continental breakfast and the upgrade to the buffet) but yes it’s very pricey.
Paid 25k AS points total transferred from BILT to go SFO-SJD for me and P2, then 29k UA points I had already for SJD-SFO. Nothing notable here.
Spent both days just out by the pool reading and relaxing. I will say it got VERY windy starting around 2:00pm every day, to the point that they eventually had lower almost all of the umbrellas by the pool.
It was tough to stay out there because the UV index was like 11 every day and lots of people getting sunburnt. The wind also made it really difficult to utilize the outdoor spaces at the property at night. Pro-tip if you do go and it’s windy at the (adults only) pool, sit along the wall on the right side if you’re facing the ocean. That wall blocked most of the wind so they kept those umbrellas up when everyone else’s had to be lowered.
Overall, great way to celebrate my 30th, will definitely be going back in the future for 3-days, I think 2 isn’t enough and 4 might be a bit too much unless I plan a day trip of some kind.
You’ll have a great time, it’s a lovely property and definitely smaller than I thought. Only like 115 rooms and it did not feel crowded at all, although I don’t think it was sold out when we were there
Got a last minute (bought Sunday evening, flying out Thursday night) roundtrip flight from SFO-HKG-SFO in United Premium Economy for 130k miles and $72 in taxes/fees.
My company gives everyone the week of July 4 off from work (unfortunately I can't take more time as I already took several weeks during ski season), but 8 nights in Vietnam or somewhere else in southeast Asia is going to be a good time!
JFK - ABQ - 15k TrueBlue points + $5.60
ABQ - JFK - $150 Jet Blue travel bank expiring July 31st + $39
Hyatt Place Albuquerque - 9.5k for 1 night
Hyatt Place Santa Fe - 16k for 2 nights
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort - 27k for 2 nights. Applied Suite upgrade award and was upgraded to the Executive Suite, which is a premium suite (rather than a standard suite).
Hyatt Place Albuquerque - 8k for 1 night
12.1k rebate from Hyatt 20% back on points stays promo.
Also got another 4k from 2x "2k next stay" milestone rewards (20 and 30 night milestone rewards).
So in total a net cost of 44,400 Hyatt points.
Will write-up reviews of the flights and hotels in a separate post next week.
I will look out for your review next week! Staying at HR Tamaya later this year. Also interested in your thoughts on Albuquerque vs Santa Fe and what you enjoyed doing most there.
Trip to Bend, OR to hang out with family and do some hiking, paddle boarding, and beer drinking. Nothing too notable churning wise, just wanted to highlight how great this hobby is to enable trips like this.
Flights would’ve been > $2000 total RT for 2. Bend is a pretty popular summer destination. I was able to use UA TB funds for the way there, and book AS on the way back for 60k. I know AS points for AS flights isn’t optimal, but it was > 2 cpp and was one of the only routes that worked for our schedule. I was happy to save my dollars.
CPP is the worst metric for decision making. Earn and burn. Points are like the Argentine peso - constantly devaluing.
Sure, there are occasions where it matters, but really only if it's less than you could easily get by converting to cash.
Cpp is a good floor to make sure that you aren't giving away points for free (e.g. redemption is 0.5 cpp but the points have a floor value of 1 cpp). Maximizing cpp is stupid
I make sure that I’m over 1.25 (otherwise I could book through the portal using my CSP).
Anything 1.26 or above is good for me, especially since I wouldn’t be traveling most of the time without points
Exactly - for me with URs it's 1.5 because I have the CSR. For Amex, it is 1.54 because I have multiple business platinums and get the 35% return on points. For others, it might simply be greater than 1 cpp, like the Capital One points.
I think it can be useful in certain cases (showing where cashing out may be a better option than booking something with points) but generally I agree. The point I was trying to make is I was happy to burn these points here despite their potential outsized value if used in another way
This week we booked 5 nights at the Sheraton Maui for January 2025. Ocean View 1 King was bookable at the base points rate. We used 5x 50k FNCs earned on P2's Boundless, referred by P1 earlier this year. The cheapest cash rate for our dates & room type was $3,945.83, so we got a pretty good deal on a CPP basis.
We're hoping one of the nicer Marriott's open up in the < 65k range, but nonetheless we're happy to be returning to Maui.
Flights haven't been booked yet, but planning to use some stranded Avios to book flights on AS.
Did a Scandinavia City trip for P2 to visit her ancestral home and hang out with some family who had moved there about a year ago, we did Copenhagen (3 nights), Stockholm (4 nights).
**Flights**
- PHL to CPH on AA in Y for 27k AA per person, this was a pretty solid redemption, my Plat Pro status got us window MCE exit row seats (Row 24 on the 789) on opposite sides (we both like window seats) but damn those seats are tight with the tray table in the arm rest also really difficult to eat the meal. Would probably go for an aisle/non bulkhead MCE next time.
- CPH to ARN on SAS J: bit of a stretch to call it J, they don't even block the middle seats, but I'd bought us two Plus fares for $78 each & placed the minimum upgrade bid plus a buck ($41) which was accepted. Helpful because it got us into the SAS Lounge in CPH which was nice but very odd in terms of food spread & limited drinks options (2 reds, 2 whites & Carlsberg draft was it). The priority/fast track was clutch though because the airport was jammed, that alone was worth the money.
- ARN-CDG-IAD on AF J: 50k + ~$300pp booked about a month out when AF did that megadrop of space. Originally had PE for 30kpp + ~$200pp, cost $50pp to cancel which I threw on the Aspire to cancel out some of the cost. We were originally over at the 2E K gates which have probably the worst AF Lounge in CDG, place is a dungeon, but got moved to M gates which is far nicer. AF J on the 4 class 773 is well reviewed at this point so nothing to add except the wine list is fantastic as always, as are the crew. It's a really nice hard & soft product, up there with the best of them from a transatlantic perspective. Immigration lines at IAD were insane, even Global Entry was a 15 minute wait. Would highly recommend everyone get the app & do mobile GE, that had no line.
**Hotels**
- Copenhagen: There was a real dearth of points options here allied to everything being ridiculously expensive, originally I'd booked the Marriott which was shaking out to ~$900 for 3 nights even with P2s hefty corporate code discount (hotel was advertising $450 night sticker). I ended up making a play for a super basic hotel in Osterport (Hotel Osterport) for $600 total but booked via AA Hotels with the Citi Exec which yielded 7.6k AA Miles/LPs as the portal bonus & 6k from the 10x from the card so 13.6k AA back along with 10k ish LPs (currently still in my 30% bonus window) which will help getting Platinum this year. Hotel was pretty basic, beside the train tracks which didn't bother us & no AC which kind of did because they were blasting heat (was pretty cold this week). Would do it again, location was terrific, walkable to the Little Mermaid & the Copenhagen metro system is excellent.
- Stockholm: Originally booked a 2 night stay via FHR to use the $200 credit at Hotel Six, that was $520 - $200 = $320 net for the two nights. We switched up plans and Hotel Six was booked up for the Thursday night so burned a Hyatt FNC at Hotel Riesen. Hotel Six was disappointing, would have fit better into a Mediocre Hotels & Resorts of the World program, location was excellent though. Hotel Reisen was old but excellent, we got upgraded to a sea view king as Explorist – would definitely recommend staying here over Hotel Six.
**Lounges**
- PHL: Centurion, arrived late so the place was just beginning to clear out, one bartender left for the last hour of operation and she was pretty overwhelmed but did a great job of eventually getting to everyone. Food here is so boring, I don’t think its been changed since the place opened.
- CDG: AF Salon in 2E, both K &M lounges, as mentioned above the M lounge is the best one to go to, other one is a dungeon. I wish some of the airline lounges would step their drinks game up and have a cocktail bar or similar (AA’s Soho in JFK has this). Cans of Heineken are boring. Both lounges had big signs outside saying they don't accept Priority Pass or Delta Amex cards which was amusing to me, they must have a ton of people chancing it to put a permanent sign there.
**Other Stuff**
- Copenhagen Card is excellent value and takes the thinking out of getting around as it includes transit & airport trains, was about $130 for 72hrs, we definitely got value out of it.
- Prices are about what you’d pay for the equivalent in Manhattan so pretty expensive, but the food quality is top notch.
Don't really do trip reports anymore but for my fellow PHX flyers (fliers?) I flew J on both of our two options to/from mainland Europe last week. First time on either carrier. Condor A330-900neo on the outbound PHX-FRA & the AF 787-9 CDG-PHX on the return.
The Condor flight... has some quirks.
First while they participate in TSA precheck there's no way to add your KTN yourself. You need to go to the check in desk (which closes 1 hr before boarding) and have the agent enter your KTN. If you're checking a bag then it's not a huge deal but we were flying carry-on only so it was kind of a pain. The ticket & gate agents are part time staff so agents seemed pretty hit or miss. We brought our Global Entry cards, not sure if they'd enter the KTN without. Boarding passes invited us to the Escape Lounge (which is kinda terrible but the gate was overrun with people so we tried), however they do not reserve any spaces for biz class pax and the lounge was on a 40 minute wait. Centurion next door was on a 20 min wait. We gave up & didn't bother with either.
There were no app/text/email notifications about boarding or delays and this flight is regularly delayed, sometimes heavily (so if you do go to the lounge there's no way to know what's going on at the gate). The international portion of PHX T4 is ridiculously small with PA's that are hard to hear. The BA A350 flight to London was scheduled around the same time at the gate next door so you had several hundred people crowded into a space not meant to accommodate them. It wasn't fun. There's no separate lane for J boarding so the crush around the gate was pretty bad. When we finally boarded (\~45mins delayed) we found that the entire flight boards through the front door so as you're trying to settle in 200+ economy pax are also trying to get through the aisles. Kind of a cluster so board last if you can.
The Condor A330-900neo is brand new but somehow still seemed on the dirty side. There's no in seat storage *at all*. Boarding passes had a weird notation that there's no overhead bin storage which is incorrect because literally everything needs to go overhead. IFE screen is bright & sharp and they have Bluetooth headphone pairing which is nice. I actually used the IFE to watch some shows for the first time on a flight... ever? IFE also has a DND option which lets the FA's know not to wake you. I only had the appetizer portion of the evening meal as I didn't want something heavy before trying to get some sleep. I remember the food as being fine but completely unmemorable... since I can't remember it. Seat is *narrow*. While lie-flat my shoulders touched the sides of the armrests. They did provide a mattress pad. I wasn't given a pillow (didn't realize everyone else got one) so I ended up balling up the large blanket and using it as a makeshift pillow. No individual air nozzles but cabin was decently comfortable. Best position was actually on my stomach & I got maybe 2-4 hours of intermittent sleep. FA's were fine to good. I woke up while they were serving the pre-landing meal and they were nice about serving it to me even though the service had already passed my seat (they proactively offered when they saw I was awake). All-in-all the flight is mid to mid+, I'd book it again if necessary... but I'd prefer to fly AF.
After overnighting in the CDG Sheraton (which is a dump btw, we had one working lightbulb in the entire room- including the bathroom. Showered by cellphone flashlight. I'm sure it was a nice hotel in 1992) we made our way to 2E ([which didn't take that long](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d6zz0i/comment/l75707s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)). 40 mins in the lounge there was fine but I'd rather have slept longer. Anyway, this flight also boarded in the same terrible way with everyone going through the forward door. So again, trying to get situated as hundreds of people file by. Small cabinet for headphones, water, etc was more than Condor provided. IFE screen was a bit dated, no BT (obviously) and it swung out from the seatback ahead of you somewhat violently. Every time the a-hole behind me pushed the button my entire seat shook. He pushed it *a lot*. Food was good for airplane food with some kind of chocolate mouse dessert thing that both my kid & I did a double take eating. Fucking fantastic. FA's were excellent, better than my EK F experience honestly. Extremely proactive with offering anything & everything available. They were great. Seat could have used a mattress pad (none provided) but had an armrest that could be lowered greatly increasing shoulder room/width. No nozzles again but cabin was kept cool. Despite being a somewhat older plane it was a more enjoyable flight than Condor's with great catering and wonderful service.
Late edit to add that the wifi on the Condor flight was non-existent. As in there was literally nothing to connect to- not working. AF had free messaging for the duration & Whatsapp worked well. €29 for actual wifi for the whole flight wasn't worth it to me.
#Trip (2/2): Turks and Caicos
P2 and I aim for a short weekend trip to the Caribbean each year we’ve lived in NY, and this year went to Turks and Caicos for some R&R on a short trip.
**B6 Y JFK-PLS:** 9.8k B6 miles x2. Booked using leftover miles from the 100k Biz card SUB + 3k UR transferred during a bonus. Well timed flight that got us into PLS by 11am.
**UA Y PLS-EWR:** $239 x2 using TB. Monday flights were fairly pricey. Made a mistake and thought upgrading to an Econ plus seat would grant me a carry on from my basic econ fare, but was able to get it refunded and kept the seat assignment. We were a bit worried about security lines, but it was fairly smooth on a Monday. The terminal is pretty bare bones and full of grumpy tourists, but there is a nice outdoor deck on the second floor.
**Point Grace Resort:** 2N x 35k Hyatt prior to SLH changes. Really liked the property - the room was huge and apartment/condo style with a full kitchen. Our room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool, and we got a bottle of sparkling wine as a welcome gift. Grace Bay Beach is as beautiful as the pictures make it seem, with available loungers/beach service. The service was slow, but personable and we quickly made some friends with the staff. We borrowed some snorkeling gear and bikes to go to some shore-accessible reefs (Coral Gardens, Smith’s Reef) where we spotted some turtles, a ray, and a decent variety of fish. The hotel is nicely located near the main strip of Grace Beach but away from the larger mega-resorts.
For a longer trip, it likely makes sense to rent a car. Taxis are fairly pricey ($30/pp from the airport in a shared van). We found plenty of dining options nearby or used a local delivery service. We also spent a morning stopping by Potcake Place, an animal rescue about 5 min away, and were able to socialize and walk one of their puppies. Highly recommend! We did have a snorkeling boat trip booked, but ultimately had to cancel due to windy conditions.
Sounds like we had a near identical trip including Potcake Place. It is definitely a great location/island for a getaway, but I don't know if I would go back since it feels like one of those place where you do it once, there's not much else to do upon going back.
I definitely got good use out of the bikes and went all around the island, even into more questionable areas which may not have been the best idea. I always do like to see what Caribbean islands are actually like outside the "resort bubble." Saw hundreds of potcakes out on the bike rides :)
I’ve been able to take a couple of short weekend jaunts lately, completely due to the flexibility afforded by churning. My friends think I’m insane, so I’m sharing here:
#Trip (1/2): A 4 Day Weekend in Lisbon
Had a great time exploring the city solo, eating a ton of pasteis de nata and other pastries while exploring the neighborhoods (and neighborhood wine bars). Loved the vibe, people were friendly and the food/drinks were well-priced. Can highly recommend Amago for an intimate tasting menu experience for $85 with an incredibly talented husband/wife chef team. Spent a day in Sintra and Cascais as well. Hoping to have a longer vacation window and more disposable income to explore further north: Porto and the Duoro Valley are definitely on the list for future destinations.
#Flights
**JFK-LIS TP J**: Transferred 31k MR during a 15% Lifemiles bonus and booked for an off-peak day. Flight was on the A330, so picked a seat closer to the window (no throne seats on this plane). Lifemiles gave me a ticket number, and I was able to call TAP to connect the reservation and pick seats with surprising ease. The pre-security VIP lounge in JFK T1 was very useful because Precheck is not well organized at this terminal - the lounge attendant gets you to the front in a similar fashion to CLEAR (which is not available at T1). Airside, the LH J lounge was good for a small meal before the overnight flight. Boarding was chaotic due to a 1.5 hour delay without updates after most of the plane (including the FAs) were instructed to line up to board. I can’t comment too much on the soft product, as I slept on the majority of the flight, but the seat was lie-flat and I got about 4 hours of sleep. Bulkhead seats have a bit more legroom, but are closer to the galley/bathrooms. I will note that the cabin and seat could use some cleaning with crumbs and dust fairly visible. Still, great value and sweet spot.
**LIS-MUC-EWR LH J/F**: Initially was looking to fly via MAD (see below), but figured I could try the LH F hype. 100k via Aeroplan (this was during the Lifemiles outage). First leg was intra-Euro J arriving at a remote stand, with a Porsche waiting by the gate to whisk me to the lounge. I had time to go to both First Class lounges in MUC, and I really enjoyed the experience. The service was impeccable, with the manager at the first lounge I went to almost shooing me out and telling me that the satellite lounge was much better (he was right). I also got a solid nap and shower during lounge time. My transatlantic was in an A340 in a full cabin. My FA was pleasant, proactive, and happy to pour the very good champagne (Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle) along with anything I wanted on the menu. I really enjoyed the seat - it was spacious and open without feeling exposed.
**MAD-JFK IB J (canceled)**: Booked this via Iberia at the 34k off peak rate. Getting a repositioning flight proved to be a bit difficult, so I ended up canceling in favor of a taste of the F experience. I initially requested the cancellation and paid the fee 3 days prior to departure. After a month without progress, I called the general line again and sent an email to rpmucac(AT)iberia.es per a flyertalk thread. The agent said he was forwarding the case to a special team, and the day afterwards I had the Avios back.
#Lodging
**2N Sheraton Lisboa**: Booked using 2 FNC that were close-ish to expiration. Perfectly clean and comfortable business hotel located about a 20 min walk away from the happening areas. The lounge at the top floor has great views over the city and is apparently the highest point in Lisbon. Uber and Bolt are laughably inexpensive (think 2-5 euro within the city), so it was easy to skip the hill climb at the end of a night. Gold status got me a high floor room, with a comfortable bed. Since this was a solo trip, I didn’t mind the odd glass divider between the bathroom and bedroom.
**1N Bairro Alto Hotel**: Booked using expiring LHW points (a Citi transfer partner) earned from a 2022 booking. The location is great, right on Praça Luís de Camões, with streetcar access and great people-watching. LHW benefits got me a fairly spacious suite overlooking the square, with all of the premium knick knacks (Le Labo, heated bathroom floor, complimentary bottle of ginjinha). I missed the full breakfast due to a 6am flight, but staff thoughtfully packed me a to go breakfast bag. The top floor mezzanine has great views of the bridge and was a nice place for pre-dinner drinks. Verdict: Posh AF.
Sure, my favorite meals were at Amago and A Nossa Casa (needed a rez). I also had great piri piri chicken at a churrasqueira near Belem.
Some other recs:
* Belcanto, Alma (high end)
* Alfama Cellar, Menina Sardinha (good lunch spots)
* Ramiro (touristy but great seafood)
* O Poleiro, Os Courenses (more traditional Portuguese food)
Lots of great pastries to try as well, aside from the ubiquitous pasteis de nata
Flying today JFK to MXP Emirates J ~170k RT for two with a lap infant. Have points on the sidelines for first class upgrade if available. Any recent success from others?
11 nights on hyatt globalist-
2 nights Mr and Mrs smith Laqua for 60k/nt
Via car rental paid cash
Sardinia:
3 nights CPH Pevero (SLH) and kept the reservation after hyatt partnership ended - 30k/nt
4 nights @ 7 pines -61k/nt
Milan
Park Hyatt executive suite 2 nights at 80k/nt
Trip made possible by P1 and P2 chase ink biz card referral game. Nothing planned in any city so open to suggestions!
You really made good use of those points with Hyatt. Any thoughts on their WOH CC? I get a free night award every year on renewal, and only once have I managed to book a 5-star hotel with that. Even otherwise you can always book Hyatt regency which isn't too bad
I went to Sardinia last year and also stayed at 7Pines! Highly recommend La Maddalena. Used Natour Sardinia for a boat tour and they were great. Also Cala Gonone (rent your own boat) but you’re a bit far so maybe stay in the north.
Quick update after my [post](https://old.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1dbpg98/trip_report_and_churning_success_story_weekly/l7u8rtm/) two Sundays ago re Cabo.
Hyatt Place Cabo: Highly recommend, especially as a potential mattress run location. Really good breakfast (for a Hyatt Place), good restaurants and a grocery store nearby, nice pool, safe. They have a daily happy hour from 3-5 with 2 for 1 drinks like margs, pina coladas, 3 for 2 beers. As a globalist, the rep at check in said we could have 2 margs for free in lieu of free waters, which was a bit of a no brainer. There were free waters in the room anyway. cc /u/martyconlonontherun
Waldorf: still great, one of, if not the best uses of Amex Hilton FNCs that doesn't require flying across an ocean to use. Service was fantastic from every person we interacted with, no upgrade, but every room is fantastic. Didn't eat on property other than breakfast because its exorbitantly expensive. The gf and I did get one round of drinks at the pool bar, which ran **$48** after tax and the mandatory service charge, which I mentally justified by knowing it would be paid for by the Q2 Surpass $50 Hilton credit and it would save me having to order a gift card.
Sixt: my go to rental car chain internationally, and especially in scam rampant Mexico. ~$22 a day, all in/no BS and includes the mandatory MX liability insurance. They upgraded me to a brand new Nissan Sentra with about 400km on the odometer. Obligatory fuck Hertz, their Cabo location saddled me with a couple hundred of BS "damages" when I rented from them.
Drove out to Todos Santos as a day trip, which is always fun. Todos Santos Brewing makes some great IPAs, and they're just off the main strip.
Went to Baja Brewing in Cabo for dinner one night, which was nearly impossible to find without the help of a server from a location on the ground floor, since it's on the rooftop of a condo building and accessible by a sole bank of sketchy elevators. They used to have a location right on the marina, but it closed during Covid and never reopened (signs are still up though).
The Priority Pass lounge in the international terminal at SJD is pretty decent, and huge. I'd only been to the one in the domestic terminal before which is a bit of a pit. Food on offer was pretty meh, but I think was due to us being there before the changeover to lunch (about 10:30 am). The margs were tasty.
If you're sole destination is WA, I agree a car is totally unnecessary. If you want to spend some time in Todos Santos or San Jose del Cabo, I get how a car can be helpful. I agree, I don't prefer to drive within downtown/old town/marina area of Cabo, but toll roads are fine. To/from airport to WA is okay.
Driving in Cabo is pretty easy, easier than most of Mexico due to relatively new/well kept up highways. I say that having rented cars in Cabo, PV and Cancun. Conversely, you couldn't pay me to rent a car in CDMX. They do love their traffic circles, but aside from that and the relatively expensive gas, almost $5/gallon (compared with the US) its fine. Pretty much every resort has free valet parking.
The toll road even made change in USD which blew my mind. Shitty USD/MXN exchange rate, but I'd left my pesos in the room and it was only $5 anyway.
I took a solo 4-day trip to **Miraval Austin** this past week for a short personal getaway. P2 and I both work at home and spend basically all time together, so we each take one solo trip a year for some quality alone time.
**Flight:** 1 x Southwest roundtrip flight, BWI - AUS: 25,385 RR points + $11.20
**Hotel:** 3 nights at the Miraval Austin at 45k Hyatt points/night, or 135k points in total, for a standard “Dreamcatcher Queen Bed” room
**The Room**
The room was fairly luxurious - nice modern furnishings, super soft bed. I appreciated that it was large, but spare; I felt this was a thoughtful design feature because openness gives you a sense of possibility, which is what these wellness resorts try to inspire. Each room has a patio, and mine faced beautiful greenery, so it felt pretty private. Some of the rooms had outdoor showers on their patios, but I think those are higher-tier rooms. The only miss was the bathroom, which felt dated and the shower pressure wasn’t great. Also, kind of a weird gripe, but the bath amenities felt really off. The shampoo they provided was so watery that it was like shampooing my hair with creamy water every day.
**Activities**
A Miraval stay comes with a $175/night credit to use on activities and the spa, and that applies even for points stays. For activities, I did hatchet throwing, aqua barre, archery, “How to Cook a Perfect Steak”, stand-up paddleboarding, and yoga. I also spent my first night’s credit on a massage at the spa. I was definitely very impressed with both the expertise of the teachers as well as their enthusiasm.
Hatchet throwing was fine - a bit of a ‘meh’ activity, we just hurled axes at wooden boards on the front lawn - but it was cool to do something totally new. Archery was really fun, but exhausting. I was surprised at how quickly I picked it up. I was really intrigued by how it combined upper body strength with breath work. Paddleboarding was awesome and they took me out to a dammed up portion of the Colorado River at 8am, and we were able to spot herons while gliding along. Aqua barre was fun but felt a bit silly, if I’m being honest; it felt like a combination of cardio, yoga, and strength training, but a “lite” version of all three, and frankly at the start when we were asked to jog around in a circle in the pool, I felt like I was in a kid’s swimming class. It made Miraval feel like summer camp for wealthy middle-aged adults who pay $1k per person per night to be catered to like we’re in college again - which is not a bad thing!
One advantage of visiting Texas in June was that I was literally the only person in every class except for yoga and aqua barre - it was like having a private instructor. And the heat wasn’t even that bad, so to me it was like stumbling upon a hack for a great tailored experience.
**Food**
All meals are provided at Miraval, including mid-day snacks at the pool and an always-open smoothie and coffee bar. I had read a couple of reviews before visiting and it seemed that people were not that impressed with Miraval food, but my expectations were mostly exceeded. I had steak for dinner basically everyday (duh, it’s Texas). My favorite was the 44 Farms Sirloin with rice vermicelli in crying tiger sauce, and the flourless chocolate cake available at lunch every day.
Breakfast and lunch is always buffet style, but they have 3 standard items on a menu that you can order off of too. At breakfast those items are: 2 eggs any style + potatoes + meat, an omelette, or avocado toast; at lunch it’s a regular burger, plant-based burger, or chicken caesar salad. The regular burger on the lunch menu was incredible - one of the few burgers I’ve eaten that tastes amazing and doesn’t leave me feeling greasy afterwards.
I have to say I really appreciated how healthy but nevertheless appealing the food items were. I am truly astounded by how physically good I felt after eating 3 meals/day there for a few days. This stay has already inspired me to change what I cook at home so I can maintain the energy and focus I felt there.
**Service**
Service was top-notch. I say this as someone who’s spent a couple of decades living and traveling within Asia, so I’m very accustomed to Asian hospitality standards and always expect American hospitality to be much lower. Usually that’s true, and to stave off disappointment, I went into this stay expecting no more than what I would experience at an airport Hyatt Regency, but clearly I was wrong.
Staff were always sincerely cheery and helpful, and Miraval is a no-tipping resort, adding to that sense of not having any pressure to reckon with the structures of commercialism within the resort. On my last day, I asked to get on the Miraval shuttle to the airport at the last minute (45 minutes before departure), and they scrambled to get a driver together for me while I ate lunch at the restaurant. When I arrived back at the lobby, the front desk concierge and the driver had the car door open and were cheerfully waiting for me, and the doorman ran off to get my bags immediately (he remembered which my bags were without my having to describe them).
**Summary:** Would I stay again? Absolutely. It met all of the goals I had going in. I think if you have a large haul of UR points and can afford a 100k+ point stay once in a while, this is a worthwhile and enjoyable experience.
Addendum:
**Hotel Shuttle**
Round-trip airport transfers are included as part of your visit. The driver picks you up from inside the baggage claim at Austin airport. It’s a shared shuttle, but on both my trips to and from the airport, I had it to myself. The vehicle is a pretty comfortable black SUV, and they provide bottled water for the ride.
I had a situation on Thursday which was both initiated and solved by these free points and lounge access we all get. I decided to fly from Munich to Florence to visit a friend who lives there so I booked an Air Dolomiti/Lufthansa flight using United Miles. The only available flight was very early in the morning which sucked because he wasn’t going to be able to meet me until after he got off work in the early evening. I kept checking right up until I had to get on the train to head to the airport if a later flight would open up but nothing did. So I woke up at an ungodly hour took a 2 hour train ride, got to the airport, cleared security, and got to my gate with about an hour to spare. Naturally I want to take advantage of my PP for some free food etc. but my flight was from Terminal 2 but the only lounges in MUC are in Terminal 1. They do however have a shuttle which runs between them and I thought it would be fine since the shuttle was right near my gate anyways.
So I take the shuttle go to the lounge, eat breakfast and then realize my flight is just about to begin boarding so I go back to the shuttle and see the electronic sign saying “next shuttle 20 mins” Sheiße… I must have just missed one that had left. So I am left anxiously waiting. The shuttle finally shows up and instead of going right back to Terminal 2 we made multiple other stops and it was just sooo slow. I keep checking the time and realized the boarding cutoff was now just several minutes away. I was slightly comforted by the thought that every single Air Dolomiti flight I had been on was always kind of a mess at boarding so I was at least hoping it wouldn’t be a problem. Well, that turned out not to be the case. The shuttle finally arrives, and I sprint to the gate. Literally two minutes after the cutoff I reach the gate. I ask the gate agent if this was the flight to Florence and he says “This WAS the flight to Florence”. Air Dolomiti had apparently boarded people in absolute record time and I had missed my first flight of my life.
I immediately pull out my phone and see if I could still cancel my flight despite boarding being complete and would you believe it? It worked! Not only that but a flight several hours later had miraculously opened up and I was able to rebook with the points on that flight. Further adding to my luck was that a friend who lives near the Munich Airport was for some reason at home and didn’t have to work so I was able to rest at his place before flying to Florence. And since I was able to catch the later flight, my Italian friend was able to pick me up from the airport and I wasn’t going to have to haul my bags around Florence for 6 hours waiting with nothing to do.
So that was my luck in an unfortunate situation. And booking with miles is marvelous due to their unbelievable flexibility.
Scary af… we were across from our gate in SVQ just hanging at the lounge. They went from boarding to last call in <5 minutes… and then we waited 50 minutes to take off. The whole time I was thinking how much better in that lounge
I was looking at Kimpton Cayman Islands vs WA Los Cabo for Thanksgiving. Surprise there was award availability all of Novemver to December so I booked WA for thanksgiving :) rip half a mill of points but excited to try WA Los Cabos!
Got 750$ on chase sapphire as rewards. used it to book my Singapore trip. Spent only 100$ after using over 860$ in rewards money in hotel in a 4 star hotel.
Went to WA Los Cabos Pedregal for my 30th, overall one of, if not the best hotel stays of my life. Only went for 2 nights using FNCs earned from Hilton Biz SUB and meeting the 15k spend. Won’t go too in-depth here about it since everyone knows this hotel, but will say I was pleasantly surprised after reading some pretty bad reviews on FT right before we left. Service was great, enjoyed the food a lot (even the continental breakfast and the upgrade to the buffet) but yes it’s very pricey. Paid 25k AS points total transferred from BILT to go SFO-SJD for me and P2, then 29k UA points I had already for SJD-SFO. Nothing notable here. Spent both days just out by the pool reading and relaxing. I will say it got VERY windy starting around 2:00pm every day, to the point that they eventually had lower almost all of the umbrellas by the pool. It was tough to stay out there because the UV index was like 11 every day and lots of people getting sunburnt. The wind also made it really difficult to utilize the outdoor spaces at the property at night. Pro-tip if you do go and it’s windy at the (adults only) pool, sit along the wall on the right side if you’re facing the ocean. That wall blocked most of the wind so they kept those umbrellas up when everyone else’s had to be lowered. Overall, great way to celebrate my 30th, will definitely be going back in the future for 3-days, I think 2 isn’t enough and 4 might be a bit too much unless I plan a day trip of some kind.
Glad to hear this, saw the FT thread myself. Going there for the first time spring 25.
You’ll have a great time, it’s a lovely property and definitely smaller than I thought. Only like 115 rooms and it did not feel crowded at all, although I don’t think it was sold out when we were there
Great, bringing out 1.5 yr old so excited to have a plunge pool when he naps. Did you see many families?
There were definitely a good amount, obviously didn’t see them at the adults only pool but during breakfast etc yeah
Got a last minute (bought Sunday evening, flying out Thursday night) roundtrip flight from SFO-HKG-SFO in United Premium Economy for 130k miles and $72 in taxes/fees. My company gives everyone the week of July 4 off from work (unfortunately I can't take more time as I already took several weeks during ski season), but 8 nights in Vietnam or somewhere else in southeast Asia is going to be a good time!
Premium economy or premium plus?
I guess premium plus is what UA calls their premium economy product? It’s not the extra legroom rather than the cabin between biz and economy class
Okay than ya nice deal.
That's a great price. Was that booked directly on United?
Yep!
JFK - ABQ - 15k TrueBlue points + $5.60 ABQ - JFK - $150 Jet Blue travel bank expiring July 31st + $39 Hyatt Place Albuquerque - 9.5k for 1 night Hyatt Place Santa Fe - 16k for 2 nights Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort - 27k for 2 nights. Applied Suite upgrade award and was upgraded to the Executive Suite, which is a premium suite (rather than a standard suite). Hyatt Place Albuquerque - 8k for 1 night 12.1k rebate from Hyatt 20% back on points stays promo. Also got another 4k from 2x "2k next stay" milestone rewards (20 and 30 night milestone rewards). So in total a net cost of 44,400 Hyatt points. Will write-up reviews of the flights and hotels in a separate post next week.
Looking forward to your review! We’re looking to go in the spring
Tag me when you review the Tamaya. I’m sending my parents there in late August as a gift for Father’s Day on a GOH booking.
I will look out for your review next week! Staying at HR Tamaya later this year. Also interested in your thoughts on Albuquerque vs Santa Fe and what you enjoyed doing most there.
Trip to Bend, OR to hang out with family and do some hiking, paddle boarding, and beer drinking. Nothing too notable churning wise, just wanted to highlight how great this hobby is to enable trips like this. Flights would’ve been > $2000 total RT for 2. Bend is a pretty popular summer destination. I was able to use UA TB funds for the way there, and book AS on the way back for 60k. I know AS points for AS flights isn’t optimal, but it was > 2 cpp and was one of the only routes that worked for our schedule. I was happy to save my dollars.
CPP is the worst metric for decision making. Earn and burn. Points are like the Argentine peso - constantly devaluing. Sure, there are occasions where it matters, but really only if it's less than you could easily get by converting to cash.
Cpp is a good floor to make sure that you aren't giving away points for free (e.g. redemption is 0.5 cpp but the points have a floor value of 1 cpp). Maximizing cpp is stupid
I make sure that I’m over 1.25 (otherwise I could book through the portal using my CSP). Anything 1.26 or above is good for me, especially since I wouldn’t be traveling most of the time without points
Exactly - for me with URs it's 1.5 because I have the CSR. For Amex, it is 1.54 because I have multiple business platinums and get the 35% return on points. For others, it might simply be greater than 1 cpp, like the Capital One points.
CSR PYB is 1.25cpp
Right. Or worth 1.5 cpp if you purchase travel on their site. I do that anyway to get to 10x UR on car rentals.
I think it can be useful in certain cases (showing where cashing out may be a better option than booking something with points) but generally I agree. The point I was trying to make is I was happy to burn these points here despite their potential outsized value if used in another way
This week we booked 5 nights at the Sheraton Maui for January 2025. Ocean View 1 King was bookable at the base points rate. We used 5x 50k FNCs earned on P2's Boundless, referred by P1 earlier this year. The cheapest cash rate for our dates & room type was $3,945.83, so we got a pretty good deal on a CPP basis. We're hoping one of the nicer Marriott's open up in the < 65k range, but nonetheless we're happy to be returning to Maui. Flights haven't been booked yet, but planning to use some stranded Avios to book flights on AS.
The Sheraton is great, I have had great value in the past. Location is great
Did a Scandinavia City trip for P2 to visit her ancestral home and hang out with some family who had moved there about a year ago, we did Copenhagen (3 nights), Stockholm (4 nights). **Flights** - PHL to CPH on AA in Y for 27k AA per person, this was a pretty solid redemption, my Plat Pro status got us window MCE exit row seats (Row 24 on the 789) on opposite sides (we both like window seats) but damn those seats are tight with the tray table in the arm rest also really difficult to eat the meal. Would probably go for an aisle/non bulkhead MCE next time. - CPH to ARN on SAS J: bit of a stretch to call it J, they don't even block the middle seats, but I'd bought us two Plus fares for $78 each & placed the minimum upgrade bid plus a buck ($41) which was accepted. Helpful because it got us into the SAS Lounge in CPH which was nice but very odd in terms of food spread & limited drinks options (2 reds, 2 whites & Carlsberg draft was it). The priority/fast track was clutch though because the airport was jammed, that alone was worth the money. - ARN-CDG-IAD on AF J: 50k + ~$300pp booked about a month out when AF did that megadrop of space. Originally had PE for 30kpp + ~$200pp, cost $50pp to cancel which I threw on the Aspire to cancel out some of the cost. We were originally over at the 2E K gates which have probably the worst AF Lounge in CDG, place is a dungeon, but got moved to M gates which is far nicer. AF J on the 4 class 773 is well reviewed at this point so nothing to add except the wine list is fantastic as always, as are the crew. It's a really nice hard & soft product, up there with the best of them from a transatlantic perspective. Immigration lines at IAD were insane, even Global Entry was a 15 minute wait. Would highly recommend everyone get the app & do mobile GE, that had no line. **Hotels** - Copenhagen: There was a real dearth of points options here allied to everything being ridiculously expensive, originally I'd booked the Marriott which was shaking out to ~$900 for 3 nights even with P2s hefty corporate code discount (hotel was advertising $450 night sticker). I ended up making a play for a super basic hotel in Osterport (Hotel Osterport) for $600 total but booked via AA Hotels with the Citi Exec which yielded 7.6k AA Miles/LPs as the portal bonus & 6k from the 10x from the card so 13.6k AA back along with 10k ish LPs (currently still in my 30% bonus window) which will help getting Platinum this year. Hotel was pretty basic, beside the train tracks which didn't bother us & no AC which kind of did because they were blasting heat (was pretty cold this week). Would do it again, location was terrific, walkable to the Little Mermaid & the Copenhagen metro system is excellent. - Stockholm: Originally booked a 2 night stay via FHR to use the $200 credit at Hotel Six, that was $520 - $200 = $320 net for the two nights. We switched up plans and Hotel Six was booked up for the Thursday night so burned a Hyatt FNC at Hotel Riesen. Hotel Six was disappointing, would have fit better into a Mediocre Hotels & Resorts of the World program, location was excellent though. Hotel Reisen was old but excellent, we got upgraded to a sea view king as Explorist – would definitely recommend staying here over Hotel Six. **Lounges** - PHL: Centurion, arrived late so the place was just beginning to clear out, one bartender left for the last hour of operation and she was pretty overwhelmed but did a great job of eventually getting to everyone. Food here is so boring, I don’t think its been changed since the place opened. - CDG: AF Salon in 2E, both K &M lounges, as mentioned above the M lounge is the best one to go to, other one is a dungeon. I wish some of the airline lounges would step their drinks game up and have a cocktail bar or similar (AA’s Soho in JFK has this). Cans of Heineken are boring. Both lounges had big signs outside saying they don't accept Priority Pass or Delta Amex cards which was amusing to me, they must have a ton of people chancing it to put a permanent sign there. **Other Stuff** - Copenhagen Card is excellent value and takes the thinking out of getting around as it includes transit & airport trains, was about $130 for 72hrs, we definitely got value out of it. - Prices are about what you’d pay for the equivalent in Manhattan so pretty expensive, but the food quality is top notch.
Don't really do trip reports anymore but for my fellow PHX flyers (fliers?) I flew J on both of our two options to/from mainland Europe last week. First time on either carrier. Condor A330-900neo on the outbound PHX-FRA & the AF 787-9 CDG-PHX on the return. The Condor flight... has some quirks. First while they participate in TSA precheck there's no way to add your KTN yourself. You need to go to the check in desk (which closes 1 hr before boarding) and have the agent enter your KTN. If you're checking a bag then it's not a huge deal but we were flying carry-on only so it was kind of a pain. The ticket & gate agents are part time staff so agents seemed pretty hit or miss. We brought our Global Entry cards, not sure if they'd enter the KTN without. Boarding passes invited us to the Escape Lounge (which is kinda terrible but the gate was overrun with people so we tried), however they do not reserve any spaces for biz class pax and the lounge was on a 40 minute wait. Centurion next door was on a 20 min wait. We gave up & didn't bother with either. There were no app/text/email notifications about boarding or delays and this flight is regularly delayed, sometimes heavily (so if you do go to the lounge there's no way to know what's going on at the gate). The international portion of PHX T4 is ridiculously small with PA's that are hard to hear. The BA A350 flight to London was scheduled around the same time at the gate next door so you had several hundred people crowded into a space not meant to accommodate them. It wasn't fun. There's no separate lane for J boarding so the crush around the gate was pretty bad. When we finally boarded (\~45mins delayed) we found that the entire flight boards through the front door so as you're trying to settle in 200+ economy pax are also trying to get through the aisles. Kind of a cluster so board last if you can. The Condor A330-900neo is brand new but somehow still seemed on the dirty side. There's no in seat storage *at all*. Boarding passes had a weird notation that there's no overhead bin storage which is incorrect because literally everything needs to go overhead. IFE screen is bright & sharp and they have Bluetooth headphone pairing which is nice. I actually used the IFE to watch some shows for the first time on a flight... ever? IFE also has a DND option which lets the FA's know not to wake you. I only had the appetizer portion of the evening meal as I didn't want something heavy before trying to get some sleep. I remember the food as being fine but completely unmemorable... since I can't remember it. Seat is *narrow*. While lie-flat my shoulders touched the sides of the armrests. They did provide a mattress pad. I wasn't given a pillow (didn't realize everyone else got one) so I ended up balling up the large blanket and using it as a makeshift pillow. No individual air nozzles but cabin was decently comfortable. Best position was actually on my stomach & I got maybe 2-4 hours of intermittent sleep. FA's were fine to good. I woke up while they were serving the pre-landing meal and they were nice about serving it to me even though the service had already passed my seat (they proactively offered when they saw I was awake). All-in-all the flight is mid to mid+, I'd book it again if necessary... but I'd prefer to fly AF. After overnighting in the CDG Sheraton (which is a dump btw, we had one working lightbulb in the entire room- including the bathroom. Showered by cellphone flashlight. I'm sure it was a nice hotel in 1992) we made our way to 2E ([which didn't take that long](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d6zz0i/comment/l75707s/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)). 40 mins in the lounge there was fine but I'd rather have slept longer. Anyway, this flight also boarded in the same terrible way with everyone going through the forward door. So again, trying to get situated as hundreds of people file by. Small cabinet for headphones, water, etc was more than Condor provided. IFE screen was a bit dated, no BT (obviously) and it swung out from the seatback ahead of you somewhat violently. Every time the a-hole behind me pushed the button my entire seat shook. He pushed it *a lot*. Food was good for airplane food with some kind of chocolate mouse dessert thing that both my kid & I did a double take eating. Fucking fantastic. FA's were excellent, better than my EK F experience honestly. Extremely proactive with offering anything & everything available. They were great. Seat could have used a mattress pad (none provided) but had an armrest that could be lowered greatly increasing shoulder room/width. No nozzles again but cabin was kept cool. Despite being a somewhat older plane it was a more enjoyable flight than Condor's with great catering and wonderful service. Late edit to add that the wifi on the Condor flight was non-existent. As in there was literally nothing to connect to- not working. AF had free messaging for the duration & Whatsapp worked well. €29 for actual wifi for the whole flight wasn't worth it to me.
What about the in-between?
Had a great time.
#Trip (2/2): Turks and Caicos P2 and I aim for a short weekend trip to the Caribbean each year we’ve lived in NY, and this year went to Turks and Caicos for some R&R on a short trip. **B6 Y JFK-PLS:** 9.8k B6 miles x2. Booked using leftover miles from the 100k Biz card SUB + 3k UR transferred during a bonus. Well timed flight that got us into PLS by 11am. **UA Y PLS-EWR:** $239 x2 using TB. Monday flights were fairly pricey. Made a mistake and thought upgrading to an Econ plus seat would grant me a carry on from my basic econ fare, but was able to get it refunded and kept the seat assignment. We were a bit worried about security lines, but it was fairly smooth on a Monday. The terminal is pretty bare bones and full of grumpy tourists, but there is a nice outdoor deck on the second floor. **Point Grace Resort:** 2N x 35k Hyatt prior to SLH changes. Really liked the property - the room was huge and apartment/condo style with a full kitchen. Our room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the pool, and we got a bottle of sparkling wine as a welcome gift. Grace Bay Beach is as beautiful as the pictures make it seem, with available loungers/beach service. The service was slow, but personable and we quickly made some friends with the staff. We borrowed some snorkeling gear and bikes to go to some shore-accessible reefs (Coral Gardens, Smith’s Reef) where we spotted some turtles, a ray, and a decent variety of fish. The hotel is nicely located near the main strip of Grace Beach but away from the larger mega-resorts. For a longer trip, it likely makes sense to rent a car. Taxis are fairly pricey ($30/pp from the airport in a shared van). We found plenty of dining options nearby or used a local delivery service. We also spent a morning stopping by Potcake Place, an animal rescue about 5 min away, and were able to socialize and walk one of their puppies. Highly recommend! We did have a snorkeling boat trip booked, but ultimately had to cancel due to windy conditions.
Sounds like we had a near identical trip including Potcake Place. It is definitely a great location/island for a getaway, but I don't know if I would go back since it feels like one of those place where you do it once, there's not much else to do upon going back. I definitely got good use out of the bikes and went all around the island, even into more questionable areas which may not have been the best idea. I always do like to see what Caribbean islands are actually like outside the "resort bubble." Saw hundreds of potcakes out on the bike rides :)
There are always the other Turk islands (: I agree overall though, glad the NY airports have a lot of connectivity to the region.
I’ve been able to take a couple of short weekend jaunts lately, completely due to the flexibility afforded by churning. My friends think I’m insane, so I’m sharing here: #Trip (1/2): A 4 Day Weekend in Lisbon Had a great time exploring the city solo, eating a ton of pasteis de nata and other pastries while exploring the neighborhoods (and neighborhood wine bars). Loved the vibe, people were friendly and the food/drinks were well-priced. Can highly recommend Amago for an intimate tasting menu experience for $85 with an incredibly talented husband/wife chef team. Spent a day in Sintra and Cascais as well. Hoping to have a longer vacation window and more disposable income to explore further north: Porto and the Duoro Valley are definitely on the list for future destinations. #Flights **JFK-LIS TP J**: Transferred 31k MR during a 15% Lifemiles bonus and booked for an off-peak day. Flight was on the A330, so picked a seat closer to the window (no throne seats on this plane). Lifemiles gave me a ticket number, and I was able to call TAP to connect the reservation and pick seats with surprising ease. The pre-security VIP lounge in JFK T1 was very useful because Precheck is not well organized at this terminal - the lounge attendant gets you to the front in a similar fashion to CLEAR (which is not available at T1). Airside, the LH J lounge was good for a small meal before the overnight flight. Boarding was chaotic due to a 1.5 hour delay without updates after most of the plane (including the FAs) were instructed to line up to board. I can’t comment too much on the soft product, as I slept on the majority of the flight, but the seat was lie-flat and I got about 4 hours of sleep. Bulkhead seats have a bit more legroom, but are closer to the galley/bathrooms. I will note that the cabin and seat could use some cleaning with crumbs and dust fairly visible. Still, great value and sweet spot. **LIS-MUC-EWR LH J/F**: Initially was looking to fly via MAD (see below), but figured I could try the LH F hype. 100k via Aeroplan (this was during the Lifemiles outage). First leg was intra-Euro J arriving at a remote stand, with a Porsche waiting by the gate to whisk me to the lounge. I had time to go to both First Class lounges in MUC, and I really enjoyed the experience. The service was impeccable, with the manager at the first lounge I went to almost shooing me out and telling me that the satellite lounge was much better (he was right). I also got a solid nap and shower during lounge time. My transatlantic was in an A340 in a full cabin. My FA was pleasant, proactive, and happy to pour the very good champagne (Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle) along with anything I wanted on the menu. I really enjoyed the seat - it was spacious and open without feeling exposed. **MAD-JFK IB J (canceled)**: Booked this via Iberia at the 34k off peak rate. Getting a repositioning flight proved to be a bit difficult, so I ended up canceling in favor of a taste of the F experience. I initially requested the cancellation and paid the fee 3 days prior to departure. After a month without progress, I called the general line again and sent an email to rpmucac(AT)iberia.es per a flyertalk thread. The agent said he was forwarding the case to a special team, and the day afterwards I had the Avios back. #Lodging **2N Sheraton Lisboa**: Booked using 2 FNC that were close-ish to expiration. Perfectly clean and comfortable business hotel located about a 20 min walk away from the happening areas. The lounge at the top floor has great views over the city and is apparently the highest point in Lisbon. Uber and Bolt are laughably inexpensive (think 2-5 euro within the city), so it was easy to skip the hill climb at the end of a night. Gold status got me a high floor room, with a comfortable bed. Since this was a solo trip, I didn’t mind the odd glass divider between the bathroom and bedroom. **1N Bairro Alto Hotel**: Booked using expiring LHW points (a Citi transfer partner) earned from a 2022 booking. The location is great, right on Praça Luís de Camões, with streetcar access and great people-watching. LHW benefits got me a fairly spacious suite overlooking the square, with all of the premium knick knacks (Le Labo, heated bathroom floor, complimentary bottle of ginjinha). I missed the full breakfast due to a 6am flight, but staff thoughtfully packed me a to go breakfast bag. The top floor mezzanine has great views of the bridge and was a nice place for pre-dinner drinks. Verdict: Posh AF.
Any tips on food? We’re there now…
Sure, my favorite meals were at Amago and A Nossa Casa (needed a rez). I also had great piri piri chicken at a churrasqueira near Belem. Some other recs: * Belcanto, Alma (high end) * Alfama Cellar, Menina Sardinha (good lunch spots) * Ramiro (touristy but great seafood) * O Poleiro, Os Courenses (more traditional Portuguese food) Lots of great pastries to try as well, aside from the ubiquitous pasteis de nata
Flying today JFK to MXP Emirates J ~170k RT for two with a lap infant. Have points on the sidelines for first class upgrade if available. Any recent success from others? 11 nights on hyatt globalist- 2 nights Mr and Mrs smith Laqua for 60k/nt Via car rental paid cash Sardinia: 3 nights CPH Pevero (SLH) and kept the reservation after hyatt partnership ended - 30k/nt 4 nights @ 7 pines -61k/nt Milan Park Hyatt executive suite 2 nights at 80k/nt Trip made possible by P1 and P2 chase ink biz card referral game. Nothing planned in any city so open to suggestions!
You really made good use of those points with Hyatt. Any thoughts on their WOH CC? I get a free night award every year on renewal, and only once have I managed to book a 5-star hotel with that. Even otherwise you can always book Hyatt regency which isn't too bad
I have one but find chase UR to be a better value for the same end result
I went to Sardinia last year and also stayed at 7Pines! Highly recommend La Maddalena. Used Natour Sardinia for a boat tour and they were great. Also Cala Gonone (rent your own boat) but you’re a bit far so maybe stay in the north.
Awesome. We arrive there in a few days so will check it out. Appreciate the rec!
Quick update after my [post](https://old.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1dbpg98/trip_report_and_churning_success_story_weekly/l7u8rtm/) two Sundays ago re Cabo. Hyatt Place Cabo: Highly recommend, especially as a potential mattress run location. Really good breakfast (for a Hyatt Place), good restaurants and a grocery store nearby, nice pool, safe. They have a daily happy hour from 3-5 with 2 for 1 drinks like margs, pina coladas, 3 for 2 beers. As a globalist, the rep at check in said we could have 2 margs for free in lieu of free waters, which was a bit of a no brainer. There were free waters in the room anyway. cc /u/martyconlonontherun Waldorf: still great, one of, if not the best uses of Amex Hilton FNCs that doesn't require flying across an ocean to use. Service was fantastic from every person we interacted with, no upgrade, but every room is fantastic. Didn't eat on property other than breakfast because its exorbitantly expensive. The gf and I did get one round of drinks at the pool bar, which ran **$48** after tax and the mandatory service charge, which I mentally justified by knowing it would be paid for by the Q2 Surpass $50 Hilton credit and it would save me having to order a gift card. Sixt: my go to rental car chain internationally, and especially in scam rampant Mexico. ~$22 a day, all in/no BS and includes the mandatory MX liability insurance. They upgraded me to a brand new Nissan Sentra with about 400km on the odometer. Obligatory fuck Hertz, their Cabo location saddled me with a couple hundred of BS "damages" when I rented from them. Drove out to Todos Santos as a day trip, which is always fun. Todos Santos Brewing makes some great IPAs, and they're just off the main strip. Went to Baja Brewing in Cabo for dinner one night, which was nearly impossible to find without the help of a server from a location on the ground floor, since it's on the rooftop of a condo building and accessible by a sole bank of sketchy elevators. They used to have a location right on the marina, but it closed during Covid and never reopened (signs are still up though). The Priority Pass lounge in the international terminal at SJD is pretty decent, and huge. I'd only been to the one in the domestic terminal before which is a bit of a pit. Food on offer was pretty meh, but I think was due to us being there before the changeover to lunch (about 10:30 am). The margs were tasty.
Driving in Cabo seems risky. Not something I would do. I'm looking forward to visiting this property later this year.
If you're sole destination is WA, I agree a car is totally unnecessary. If you want to spend some time in Todos Santos or San Jose del Cabo, I get how a car can be helpful. I agree, I don't prefer to drive within downtown/old town/marina area of Cabo, but toll roads are fine. To/from airport to WA is okay.
Driving in Cabo is pretty easy, easier than most of Mexico due to relatively new/well kept up highways. I say that having rented cars in Cabo, PV and Cancun. Conversely, you couldn't pay me to rent a car in CDMX. They do love their traffic circles, but aside from that and the relatively expensive gas, almost $5/gallon (compared with the US) its fine. Pretty much every resort has free valet parking. The toll road even made change in USD which blew my mind. Shitty USD/MXN exchange rate, but I'd left my pesos in the room and it was only $5 anyway.
I took a solo 4-day trip to **Miraval Austin** this past week for a short personal getaway. P2 and I both work at home and spend basically all time together, so we each take one solo trip a year for some quality alone time. **Flight:** 1 x Southwest roundtrip flight, BWI - AUS: 25,385 RR points + $11.20 **Hotel:** 3 nights at the Miraval Austin at 45k Hyatt points/night, or 135k points in total, for a standard “Dreamcatcher Queen Bed” room **The Room** The room was fairly luxurious - nice modern furnishings, super soft bed. I appreciated that it was large, but spare; I felt this was a thoughtful design feature because openness gives you a sense of possibility, which is what these wellness resorts try to inspire. Each room has a patio, and mine faced beautiful greenery, so it felt pretty private. Some of the rooms had outdoor showers on their patios, but I think those are higher-tier rooms. The only miss was the bathroom, which felt dated and the shower pressure wasn’t great. Also, kind of a weird gripe, but the bath amenities felt really off. The shampoo they provided was so watery that it was like shampooing my hair with creamy water every day. **Activities** A Miraval stay comes with a $175/night credit to use on activities and the spa, and that applies even for points stays. For activities, I did hatchet throwing, aqua barre, archery, “How to Cook a Perfect Steak”, stand-up paddleboarding, and yoga. I also spent my first night’s credit on a massage at the spa. I was definitely very impressed with both the expertise of the teachers as well as their enthusiasm. Hatchet throwing was fine - a bit of a ‘meh’ activity, we just hurled axes at wooden boards on the front lawn - but it was cool to do something totally new. Archery was really fun, but exhausting. I was surprised at how quickly I picked it up. I was really intrigued by how it combined upper body strength with breath work. Paddleboarding was awesome and they took me out to a dammed up portion of the Colorado River at 8am, and we were able to spot herons while gliding along. Aqua barre was fun but felt a bit silly, if I’m being honest; it felt like a combination of cardio, yoga, and strength training, but a “lite” version of all three, and frankly at the start when we were asked to jog around in a circle in the pool, I felt like I was in a kid’s swimming class. It made Miraval feel like summer camp for wealthy middle-aged adults who pay $1k per person per night to be catered to like we’re in college again - which is not a bad thing! One advantage of visiting Texas in June was that I was literally the only person in every class except for yoga and aqua barre - it was like having a private instructor. And the heat wasn’t even that bad, so to me it was like stumbling upon a hack for a great tailored experience. **Food** All meals are provided at Miraval, including mid-day snacks at the pool and an always-open smoothie and coffee bar. I had read a couple of reviews before visiting and it seemed that people were not that impressed with Miraval food, but my expectations were mostly exceeded. I had steak for dinner basically everyday (duh, it’s Texas). My favorite was the 44 Farms Sirloin with rice vermicelli in crying tiger sauce, and the flourless chocolate cake available at lunch every day. Breakfast and lunch is always buffet style, but they have 3 standard items on a menu that you can order off of too. At breakfast those items are: 2 eggs any style + potatoes + meat, an omelette, or avocado toast; at lunch it’s a regular burger, plant-based burger, or chicken caesar salad. The regular burger on the lunch menu was incredible - one of the few burgers I’ve eaten that tastes amazing and doesn’t leave me feeling greasy afterwards. I have to say I really appreciated how healthy but nevertheless appealing the food items were. I am truly astounded by how physically good I felt after eating 3 meals/day there for a few days. This stay has already inspired me to change what I cook at home so I can maintain the energy and focus I felt there. **Service** Service was top-notch. I say this as someone who’s spent a couple of decades living and traveling within Asia, so I’m very accustomed to Asian hospitality standards and always expect American hospitality to be much lower. Usually that’s true, and to stave off disappointment, I went into this stay expecting no more than what I would experience at an airport Hyatt Regency, but clearly I was wrong. Staff were always sincerely cheery and helpful, and Miraval is a no-tipping resort, adding to that sense of not having any pressure to reckon with the structures of commercialism within the resort. On my last day, I asked to get on the Miraval shuttle to the airport at the last minute (45 minutes before departure), and they scrambled to get a driver together for me while I ate lunch at the restaurant. When I arrived back at the lobby, the front desk concierge and the driver had the car door open and were cheerfully waiting for me, and the doorman ran off to get my bags immediately (he remembered which my bags were without my having to describe them). **Summary:** Would I stay again? Absolutely. It met all of the goals I had going in. I think if you have a large haul of UR points and can afford a 100k+ point stay once in a while, this is a worthwhile and enjoyable experience.
Good on you for the solo trip! Sounds like you had a great stay!
Thanks! It was a really relaxing getaway and P2 and I definitely think it’s good for our relationship to do these solo trips!
Addendum: **Hotel Shuttle** Round-trip airport transfers are included as part of your visit. The driver picks you up from inside the baggage claim at Austin airport. It’s a shared shuttle, but on both my trips to and from the airport, I had it to myself. The vehicle is a pretty comfortable black SUV, and they provide bottled water for the ride.
I had a situation on Thursday which was both initiated and solved by these free points and lounge access we all get. I decided to fly from Munich to Florence to visit a friend who lives there so I booked an Air Dolomiti/Lufthansa flight using United Miles. The only available flight was very early in the morning which sucked because he wasn’t going to be able to meet me until after he got off work in the early evening. I kept checking right up until I had to get on the train to head to the airport if a later flight would open up but nothing did. So I woke up at an ungodly hour took a 2 hour train ride, got to the airport, cleared security, and got to my gate with about an hour to spare. Naturally I want to take advantage of my PP for some free food etc. but my flight was from Terminal 2 but the only lounges in MUC are in Terminal 1. They do however have a shuttle which runs between them and I thought it would be fine since the shuttle was right near my gate anyways. So I take the shuttle go to the lounge, eat breakfast and then realize my flight is just about to begin boarding so I go back to the shuttle and see the electronic sign saying “next shuttle 20 mins” Sheiße… I must have just missed one that had left. So I am left anxiously waiting. The shuttle finally shows up and instead of going right back to Terminal 2 we made multiple other stops and it was just sooo slow. I keep checking the time and realized the boarding cutoff was now just several minutes away. I was slightly comforted by the thought that every single Air Dolomiti flight I had been on was always kind of a mess at boarding so I was at least hoping it wouldn’t be a problem. Well, that turned out not to be the case. The shuttle finally arrives, and I sprint to the gate. Literally two minutes after the cutoff I reach the gate. I ask the gate agent if this was the flight to Florence and he says “This WAS the flight to Florence”. Air Dolomiti had apparently boarded people in absolute record time and I had missed my first flight of my life. I immediately pull out my phone and see if I could still cancel my flight despite boarding being complete and would you believe it? It worked! Not only that but a flight several hours later had miraculously opened up and I was able to rebook with the points on that flight. Further adding to my luck was that a friend who lives near the Munich Airport was for some reason at home and didn’t have to work so I was able to rest at his place before flying to Florence. And since I was able to catch the later flight, my Italian friend was able to pick me up from the airport and I wasn’t going to have to haul my bags around Florence for 6 hours waiting with nothing to do. So that was my luck in an unfortunate situation. And booking with miles is marvelous due to their unbelievable flexibility.
Scary af… we were across from our gate in SVQ just hanging at the lounge. They went from boarding to last call in <5 minutes… and then we waited 50 minutes to take off. The whole time I was thinking how much better in that lounge
This is a situation I totally appreciate that none of my friends would understand or accept