Thursday, May 23, 2013
Photo of the Week: Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
This weeks photo is of the Cliffs of Moher in County Claire on the west coast of Ireland. The cliffs can be easily reached from any home base in County Claire or Galway. It is a very impressive sight, and the Cliffs are huge. For scale, you can just make out some people standing around the castle in this picture.
London Side Trips
As will be obvious in my upcoming post on Dublin, I'm not much of a city person. I think that in this age of globalization all big cities around the world feel the same. To really experience a country I like to get out beyond the reaches of the concrete and explore. Here are some options for side trips from London. Each of the locations here can easily be visited as a day trip from London.
To understand Cambridge you must understand how the university system works. Within the University of Cambridge, there are several colleges. These colleges are essentially self running and students live, eat and socialize with others from the same college. There are also some serious rivalries between the various colleges. Depending on the time of year it may or may not be possible to tour the colleges. During exam time they are closed off to visitors. During the rest of the year you probably will be able to get in. As an unofficial word of advice, if you act like you belong there when walking through the gate you should have no trouble getting in.
If the weather is nice I recommend renting a "punt", a flat bottomed boat steered with a pole. and doing some punting along the river Cam. Later in the evening you can have a pint at The Eagle pub where Watson and Crick first announced they had discovered the structure of DNA. Across the street from the eagle is St Benet's church, which dates from the anglo-saxon period (1000AD). Another pub of historical significance is the Anchor Pub, located along the river. This is where Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd, played before he hit it big.
Cambridge:
I'm a little impartial here as this was my home for a summer, but i think Cambridge should be on everyones list of side trips from London. I think the city has much more atmosphere than did oxford (although i was only in oxford for a day). From London you can take a bus or train to reach Cambridge. National Express offers buses and National Rail for trainsTo understand Cambridge you must understand how the university system works. Within the University of Cambridge, there are several colleges. These colleges are essentially self running and students live, eat and socialize with others from the same college. There are also some serious rivalries between the various colleges. Depending on the time of year it may or may not be possible to tour the colleges. During exam time they are closed off to visitors. During the rest of the year you probably will be able to get in. As an unofficial word of advice, if you act like you belong there when walking through the gate you should have no trouble getting in.
If the weather is nice I recommend renting a "punt", a flat bottomed boat steered with a pole. and doing some punting along the river Cam. Later in the evening you can have a pint at The Eagle pub where Watson and Crick first announced they had discovered the structure of DNA. Across the street from the eagle is St Benet's church, which dates from the anglo-saxon period (1000AD). Another pub of historical significance is the Anchor Pub, located along the river. This is where Syd Barrett, founding member of Pink Floyd, played before he hit it big.
Oxford:
While I did enjoy Cambridge better, oxford is the "original" university town in the UK and the oldest university in the English speaking world. Just like Cambridge, oxford is set along a river. It is also made up of a collection of semi-autonomous colleges making up the university. I found oxford to be much less scenic than Cambridge but then again I was only there for a short time whereas I spent an entire summer in Cambridge. For Harry Potter fans, some scenes from the movie were filmed here. It can easily be reached from London by train or bus. http://uk.megabus.com/ has cheap fares from london.
Stone Henge:
This one is pretty self explanatory. Everyone has heard of stone henge. Being in the middle of a field, it is somewhat difficult to get here via public transportation. I ended up taking a day trip via an organized tour which also included a trip to the town of Bath which is relatively close to stone henge.Bath:
Named after roman hot spring baths, bath has been an important resort town throughout most of British history. Aside from the ancient roman baths and other roman ruins, bath is also home to a very nice cathedral and one of the finest collections of Georgian architecture in Britain. See if you can find an organized tour that includes a trip here with a visit to Stonehenge. Mega Bus also travels here from London.
Canterbury:
The capital of County Kent, in south east England, Canterbury is both historic and picturesque. This is a bit further out, so if your schedule is tight it might be pushing it to make it here. Canterbury is home to a magnificent cathedral which is also the home of the archbishop of Canterbury, the head figure of the English Church. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury tales were also set here. (Pictures coming soon, once i find them on my other computer)Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Hotel review: Radisson Martinique...My free weekend in NYC
Background: Back in November Club Carlson was running a promotion where you could stay one night and get 1 night free. I found a nice rate at the Radisson Lord Baltimore for $79 so i decided to take a weekend trip to Baltimore to take advantage of this offer. Me and my travel partner each booked 1 night in Baltimore giving us 2 free nights to use later (this offer was limited to 1 night per account). As soon as the free nights posted to our accounts, I decided to redeem my nights for a weekend in New York City at the Radisson Martinique on Broadway. I was able to find pretty good award availability in May because i was booking for 5 months in advance, but when i looked later most of the weekends had no availability.
Upon check in I was informed that I was upgraded to a junior suite. This was quite the surprise as I only have silver status with club Carlson and the hotel seemed pretty full. The room was located on the 17th floor which is the executive floor. The room had a desk, fold out couch, sitting area, TV and mini bar in the first room. The bedroom was separated by the other room by folding double doors. The bed was a queen size sleep number mattress. There was another TV in the bedroom. The bathroom was attached to the other side of the bedroom. The room was very large especially by NYC standards and could have easily accommodated extra people on the fold out sofa. The decor was a little outdated (especially the sofa fabric and bathroom) but then again I cant really complain considering the price (free).
The second night we had to move rooms as the junior suite was not available. Again to my surprise we were upgraded to an executive room on the 18th floor. This room was a bit smaller and was a single room. There was still a sofa bed, sitting area and desk, but they were all in the same room as the bed, and not separated. The bed in this room was a king. The bathroom was a touch smaller.
The location of the hotel was very good; at the corner of Broadway and 32nd st. There is easy access to the subway and there are plenty of restaurants near by. 32nd street has a ton of Korean restaurants and we ended up eating at one called Kun Jip.
The only issues I had with the hotel were the slow, small and crowded elevators; i guess that's the price you pay for being on the top floor. Additionally, as mentioned before, i thought the decor was a little worn. All in all this was a great stay, although I certainly would not have paid the $430/night price tag for the executive room or the $470/night for the suite.
Upon check in I was informed that I was upgraded to a junior suite. This was quite the surprise as I only have silver status with club Carlson and the hotel seemed pretty full. The room was located on the 17th floor which is the executive floor. The room had a desk, fold out couch, sitting area, TV and mini bar in the first room. The bedroom was separated by the other room by folding double doors. The bed was a queen size sleep number mattress. There was another TV in the bedroom. The bathroom was attached to the other side of the bedroom. The room was very large especially by NYC standards and could have easily accommodated extra people on the fold out sofa. The decor was a little outdated (especially the sofa fabric and bathroom) but then again I cant really complain considering the price (free).
The second night we had to move rooms as the junior suite was not available. Again to my surprise we were upgraded to an executive room on the 18th floor. This room was a bit smaller and was a single room. There was still a sofa bed, sitting area and desk, but they were all in the same room as the bed, and not separated. The bed in this room was a king. The bathroom was a touch smaller.
The location of the hotel was very good; at the corner of Broadway and 32nd st. There is easy access to the subway and there are plenty of restaurants near by. 32nd street has a ton of Korean restaurants and we ended up eating at one called Kun Jip.
The only issues I had with the hotel were the slow, small and crowded elevators; i guess that's the price you pay for being on the top floor. Additionally, as mentioned before, i thought the decor was a little worn. All in all this was a great stay, although I certainly would not have paid the $430/night price tag for the executive room or the $470/night for the suite.
  |
| Junior Suite |
 |
| Junior Suite |
 |
| Junior Suite Bathroom |
 |
| View from 17th Floor down Broadway |
 |
| A long way down |
 |
| Executive room, 2nd night |
 |
| Executive room |
 |
Executive Room
|
Choice Hotels: Stay 2 Nights Get One Free
Choice Hotels has announced their upcoming promotion. While this promotion is disguised as a "stay 2x get a 50$ gift card offer" it is really "stay 2x get 8,000 points". For those of you who do not know, Choice Hotels is a collection of mainly lower to mid tier hotel chains (Comfort inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Mainstay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Roadway Inn and Ascend). While their hotels in the US could best be described as "budget", they have several attractive hotel options in Europe. I have personally stayed at 3 of their properties in Scandinavia: Clarion Sign in Stockholm, Clarion Hotel Temperance in Malmo, and Clarion Royal Christiana in Oslo. All 3 were excellent properties with generous free breakfast included in one of the most expensive regions in the world. They also offer some nice properties in France and several other countries in Europe.
It seems that choice has an offer similar to this every year and I think that if you have an upcoming trip to Europe planned this is very much in your interest to look in to. As an example, the Clarion Collection Opera Pavillon in Paris is only 8,000 Points a night and standard rates run upwards of 300 euros during peak season. Obviously it doesn't take a mathematics professor to realize that 2x 50$/night stays at a local Comfort Inn for a free nigth at a nice hotel in Paris is a solid deal.
For this promotion you need 2 separate "stays". A stay can be 1 night or 100 nights. To maximize this promotion with a travel partner, you should alternate the name on the reservation every night. For example, a 4 night stay booked under 1 persons account would get you only halfway to a free night. On the otherhand, a 4 night stay where you alternate the name on the booking would get you 2 free nights as the latter would be 4 separate 1 night stays.
While the points required for certain hotels do occasionally change, Choice maintains a list of hotels which are less 8,000 points a night or less.
Fine print:
*Terms and conditions: Member must register at ChoiceHotels.com before arrival and book their trips at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Member may also book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system. Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying trip with arrival between 5/23/13 and 8/21/13, member will be awarded enough bonus points to reach the 8,000 point level, which can be redeemed until 11/1/13 for one (1) $50 gift card at defined retailers on ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard. Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for the $50 gift card. Only members that register for the promotion are eligible to earn the defined promotional gift cards during the promotion. Terms and conditions apply to $50 gift card options. See card for details. Choice Privileges Diamond and Platinum members who register and book through ChoiceHotels.com will receive an additional 100 Choice Privileges bonus points with every qualified trip during the promotional period. For Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites or Ascend Hotel Collection hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, or MainStay Suites hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For Choice Privileges program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.
**Rate restrictions: The reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels.com at participating hotels using your Choice Privileges number and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. Subject to availability, the rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking.
It seems that choice has an offer similar to this every year and I think that if you have an upcoming trip to Europe planned this is very much in your interest to look in to. As an example, the Clarion Collection Opera Pavillon in Paris is only 8,000 Points a night and standard rates run upwards of 300 euros during peak season. Obviously it doesn't take a mathematics professor to realize that 2x 50$/night stays at a local Comfort Inn for a free nigth at a nice hotel in Paris is a solid deal.
For this promotion you need 2 separate "stays". A stay can be 1 night or 100 nights. To maximize this promotion with a travel partner, you should alternate the name on the reservation every night. For example, a 4 night stay booked under 1 persons account would get you only halfway to a free night. On the otherhand, a 4 night stay where you alternate the name on the booking would get you 2 free nights as the latter would be 4 separate 1 night stays.
While the points required for certain hotels do occasionally change, Choice maintains a list of hotels which are less 8,000 points a night or less.
*Terms and conditions: Member must register at ChoiceHotels.com before arrival and book their trips at ChoiceHotels.com or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Member may also book through a travel agent or corporate online booking system. Choice Privileges member number must be provided upon check-in. After a second qualifying trip with arrival between 5/23/13 and 8/21/13, member will be awarded enough bonus points to reach the 8,000 point level, which can be redeemed until 11/1/13 for one (1) $50 gift card at defined retailers on ChoiceHotels.com/giftcard. Only members earning this bonus qualify to redeem for the $50 gift card. Only members that register for the promotion are eligible to earn the defined promotional gift cards during the promotion. Terms and conditions apply to $50 gift card options. See card for details. Choice Privileges Diamond and Platinum members who register and book through ChoiceHotels.com will receive an additional 100 Choice Privileges bonus points with every qualified trip during the promotional period. For Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites or Ascend Hotel Collection hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is any number of consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. For Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, or MainStay Suites hotels, a trip is defined as a stay that is two (2) or more consecutive nights at one hotel regardless of check-ins or check-outs. Allow 72 hours from check-out for points to post. You must maintain an address in the U.S. (including U.S. territories) or Canada to be eligible for this promotion. For Choice Privileges program details, eligible rates, eligible countries and point redemption rules, visit choiceprivileges.com.
**Rate restrictions: The reservation must be made on ChoiceHotels.com at participating hotels using your Choice Privileges number and must be made at least 7, 14, 21 or 30 days in advance, which will vary based on the hotel for which a reservation is being made. Subject to availability, the rate starts at 15% off Best Available Rate, is non-cancellable, non-changeable and non-refundable. Your credit card will be charged for the total reservation amount within 24-48 hours of booking.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Cheap Flight Alert: Chicago to India for $730
There are currently some good deals available on flights from Chicago (ORD) to Mumbai or Delhi. To search for exact dates try a flexible search on ITA. This is a good deal for flights that generally run well over $1000.
Amex Business 75,000 points bonus is back!
American express is offering 75,000 membership reward points after spending $10,000 in 4 months. The annual fee for the first year is waved. While this offer is different from the short lived prior offer which required 5k spend in 3 months. Nevertheless, this is a great offer on a card that generally doesn't offer more than 50k bonus points. As detailed in my post on membership reward points these points can be a great value.
Please note that this is a business card. While you do need a business to apply, the definition of a business is a lot more broad than most people realize. If you have ever sold something on eBay or amazon or if you made cookies for a bake sale than you have a business. Fill out the application truthfully. It doesn't matter if you have 0$ business income, you can still apply.
The link for the application can be found here.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Club carlson: stay 2 nights, get 10,000 bonus points
I think club carlson offers a fairly good and underrated program especially for hotels in Europe. See my post on the club carlson credit card for more information on how to get the most out of this program.
With this current promotion you get 10,000 bonus points with a 2 night stay at any club carlson hotel. While this offer isn't the greatest in the world there are several low cost hotels from which to stay for the 2 nights, and 10k points is enough for 2 free nights at a category 1 hotel (with the last night free bonus with the club carlson credit card).
Bottom line: don't book a random stay just for the sake of this offer, but if you have a planned stay coming up, consider looking at club carlson.
With this current promotion you get 10,000 bonus points with a 2 night stay at any club carlson hotel. While this offer isn't the greatest in the world there are several low cost hotels from which to stay for the 2 nights, and 10k points is enough for 2 free nights at a category 1 hotel (with the last night free bonus with the club carlson credit card).
Bottom line: don't book a random stay just for the sake of this offer, but if you have a planned stay coming up, consider looking at club carlson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)