Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Photo of the Week: Neuschwanstein Castle
The photo this week is of Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria in Southern Germany. The castle was built by "Mad" King Ludwig from 1869-1892. Ludwig died a mysterious death before construction was completed. The castle was the inspiration for Walt Disney's fairytale castle. I was lucky enough to see it after a fresh snow in early March.
35% off SPG hotels PLUS free breakfast
Link for this offer can be found here. Note, that the RACK rate at hotels is generally much higher than the "best available rate". In this case you will pay the lower of either 35% off the rack rate or the best available rate. At the very least this deal gives you free breakfast and might even land you a cheaper rate.
*35% off rate will be applied to RACK rates. Best available rate will be given if lower than 35% off RACK.
$50 off $200 at Travelocity
American express is offering 50$ off of $200 on Travelocity for GoodBuy and Top Secret hotel bookings. To get the offer, first log on to your American express account and look under "offers for you tab". You should see the offer in the list below. This may be a targeted offer so you might not see it listed for you.
OFFER DETAILS
Get a one-time $50 statement credit by using your enrolled Card to spend $200 or more on a GoodBuy or Top Secret Hotel booking online at travelocity.com by 7/31/13.
TERMS
To redeem, you must select the hotel only option at travelocity.com and select a GoodBuy or Top Secret Hotel. You will earn the statement credit only for GoodBuy or Top Secret hotel purchases of $200 or more made at travelocity.com by 7/31/13. You will not earn the statement credit if you book the hotel as part of a vacation package or if you pay for your hotel stay directly with the hotel property. Enrollment for the offer is limited. Limit 1 statement credit per American Express Card across all American Express offer channels. Statement credit will appear on your billing statement within 8 weeks after American Express receives information from the merchant about your qualifying purchase. Note that American Express may not receive information about your qualifying purchase from the merchant until all of the items from your qualifying purchase have been provided or shipped by the merchant. Statement credit may be reversed if qualifying purchase is returned/cancelled. If American Express does not receive information that identifies your transaction as qualifying for the offer, you will not receive the statement credit. For example, your transaction will not qualify if it is not made directly with the merchant. In addition, in most cases, you will not receive the statement credit if your transaction is made with an electronic wallet or through a third party or if the merchant uses a mobile or wireless card reader to process it. POID: ALQA:0001
Chase Small Buisness Week Bonus
Chase Ink is one of the best ways to earn points for travel. For small business owners, the Ink card offers a 50,000 point signup bonus. These points are very flexible and can be transferred to several hotel and frequent flyer programs. See my previous post on Chase Ultimate Rewards for the benefits of this program. Special offers during small business week might be of interest to those who already have the card and those who are considering getting the card. The full details on this offer can be found here.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Priority Club Point Breaks
I generally don't stay at too many priority club hotels (InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Resorts, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites), but whenever I do I make sure to check out the list of Point Break hotels. Priority Club Point breaks are a frequently changing list of hotels which have free night redemptions for only 5,000 points. The list is frequently updated and award nights generally book up fairly fast. Award bookings are refundable so if you think you might be in need of one of these hotels, book now and sort out your plans later. Priority Club generally offers several stackable promotions so it is quite easy to get 5,000 points in your account. The full list of point break hotels can be found here
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Dublin and Side Trips
First let me start off by saying that Ireland is my favorite country that I have had the opportunity to visit. I spent a summer in Galway in 2007 and Have been back 5 times since then. To really get a feel for Ireland I recommend that you get out of the city. While Dublin is nice, it is not that much different from other big cities around the world. Most of Ireland's charm lies in the countryside. That being said, 1-2 days is enough to spend in the city before venturing out.
I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post, but most of my Ireland pictures are on a hard drive which I don't have access to at this time. Because this post was via request, I wanted to get the information out now and will update the pictures as time allows.
Ha'penny bridge - picturesque pedestrian bridge crossing the Liffey. Originally people had to pay a tool of 1/2 a penny to cross.
General Post office - This was the epicenter of Ireland's struggle for Independence from Britain. Served as headquarters for the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916
Millennium spire - Former site of a monument to Lord Nelson. Nelson's column was bombed during the struggle for independence and it is now the location of a large metallic spire. Situated across from the post office.
Dublin castle - Once the site of British rule in Ireland. Now houses the Irish government.
St. Stephens green - very picturesque park in the center of town
Trinity College - Oldest university in Ireland. Formally catholics were not permitted to attend. The college houses the book of kells. The old library is also worth a visit.
temple bar - a section of town just to the south of the liffey. Lots of pubs. This area can become overwhelmed with tourists at times and if you are seeking an authentic Irish pub atmosphere I would recommend going elsewhere.
national museum of Ireland - very much underrated museum that houses a fantastic collection of both pre-Christian and early christian gold artifacts. Admission is free so its worth stopping in even if you don't plan on staying long.
Guinness Brewery - A bit out of the way. The Guinness brewery is very much geared towards tourists but there are some interesting displays. Tour concludes with a pint at the top of the brewery where you have excellent views of all of Dublin.
As a side note, if you enjoy beer the Porterhouse Brewery is very much worth a visit. They are located close to the center of town and brew several good stouts as well as seasonal offerings.
There are several bus companies that operate tours from dublin:
http://glendaloughbus.com/
http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=278
Hill of Tara:
This is a site more of historical importance than of "scenic" importance. This area was once the seat of the high Kings of ireland. All that remains now are some mounds and the Lia Fáil which translates to "stone of destiny", which is where the Kings of ireland were crowned prior to british occupation.
I apologize for the lack of pictures in this post, but most of my Ireland pictures are on a hard drive which I don't have access to at this time. Because this post was via request, I wanted to get the information out now and will update the pictures as time allows.
Exploring Dublin:
Dublin is an easily walkable city (as long as its not raining), and you can see most of the main sights in 2 days.Ha'penny bridge - picturesque pedestrian bridge crossing the Liffey. Originally people had to pay a tool of 1/2 a penny to cross.
General Post office - This was the epicenter of Ireland's struggle for Independence from Britain. Served as headquarters for the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916
Millennium spire - Former site of a monument to Lord Nelson. Nelson's column was bombed during the struggle for independence and it is now the location of a large metallic spire. Situated across from the post office.
Dublin castle - Once the site of British rule in Ireland. Now houses the Irish government.
St. Stephens green - very picturesque park in the center of town
Trinity College - Oldest university in Ireland. Formally catholics were not permitted to attend. The college houses the book of kells. The old library is also worth a visit.
temple bar - a section of town just to the south of the liffey. Lots of pubs. This area can become overwhelmed with tourists at times and if you are seeking an authentic Irish pub atmosphere I would recommend going elsewhere.
national museum of Ireland - very much underrated museum that houses a fantastic collection of both pre-Christian and early christian gold artifacts. Admission is free so its worth stopping in even if you don't plan on staying long.
Guinness Brewery - A bit out of the way. The Guinness brewery is very much geared towards tourists but there are some interesting displays. Tour concludes with a pint at the top of the brewery where you have excellent views of all of Dublin.
As a side note, if you enjoy beer the Porterhouse Brewery is very much worth a visit. They are located close to the center of town and brew several good stouts as well as seasonal offerings.
Side trips:
Glendalough:
If time is short, i would recommend a visit here over all others. A very picturesque monastery situated in the wicklow mountains just to the south of dublin. The monastery was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century. There are some excellent ruins including a round tower and several monastic buildings.There are several bus companies that operate tours from dublin:
http://glendaloughbus.com/
http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=278
 |
| The Round Tower at Glendalough |
Newgrange:
This is an ancient burial site that is older than the pyramids. There are several tombs in the area but the highlight is the main burial mound which has several well preserved examples of ancient Celtic abstract art. A pathway leads into the center of the tomb. The mound was constructed so that on the winter solstice, the suns rays enter the burial chamber. Its really an impressive structure considering it was built about 5,200 years ago.Hill of Tara:
This is a site more of historical importance than of "scenic" importance. This area was once the seat of the high Kings of ireland. All that remains now are some mounds and the Lia Fáil which translates to "stone of destiny", which is where the Kings of ireland were crowned prior to british occupation.
Powerscourt:
I can't speak from experience as I have never been here. Powerscourt is a English manor house and gardens. The house its self was partially destroyed by fire but the gardens are supposedly some of the best maintained in all of ireland.Hotel Review: Clarion Hotel Temperance, Malmo Sweden
With my recent post on the stay twice get 8,000 choice privileges promotion, Ive gotten a few questions about which hotels would be good reward redemptions. In my opinion most of the Choice hotels in the US are mediocre at best and require a relatively high number of points for a free night when considering the standard cash rate. Choice hotels in Europe on the other hand occupies a more upscale niche. I will have a series of 3 posts, the other 2 detailing my experiences with Clarion Hotel Sign in Stockholm, and Clarion Royal Christiana in Oslo.
Clarion Hotel Temperance, Malmo Sweden
Choice Privileges Points: 8,000 for superior room
Average Peak season price: $220
Location:
I came across this hotel when looking for a place to stay in Copenhagen. Copenhagen is a very poor value for hotels and Malmo is right across the water, so i figured id give it a shot. Turned out to be a good idea, as in retrospect I would much stay in a nice hotel and have a short commute than to stay in a cramped room in Copenhagen. Malmo is located in the very southern tip of Sweden just across the oresund bridge from Copenhagen. The bridge itself is pretty impressive, it cost 5.7 billion dollars to build and includes a 5 mile long bridge and a 2.5 mile long tunnel. Hotel is located near the center of town within easy walk of the train station.
Room:
The room I ended up with a very nice deluxe corner room. The only issue I had with the room was the ancient TV (as you can see from the pictures), otherwise the rooms were modern and tastefully designed. Very nice hardwood floors and the corner room had 3 large windows looking out onto the street. I had no issues with noise from the street despite being on the on the 2nd floor.
Hotel:
One of the best features of the hotel is a free breakfast and dinner buffet daily. The dinner buffet included a rotating menu of Scandinavian dishes as well a cheese and bread. Breakfast was continental with a very good selection of fruit, bread and pastries.
Clarion Hotel Temperance, Malmo Sweden
Choice Privileges Points: 8,000 for superior room
Average Peak season price: $220
Location:
I came across this hotel when looking for a place to stay in Copenhagen. Copenhagen is a very poor value for hotels and Malmo is right across the water, so i figured id give it a shot. Turned out to be a good idea, as in retrospect I would much stay in a nice hotel and have a short commute than to stay in a cramped room in Copenhagen. Malmo is located in the very southern tip of Sweden just across the oresund bridge from Copenhagen. The bridge itself is pretty impressive, it cost 5.7 billion dollars to build and includes a 5 mile long bridge and a 2.5 mile long tunnel. Hotel is located near the center of town within easy walk of the train station.
Room:
The room I ended up with a very nice deluxe corner room. The only issue I had with the room was the ancient TV (as you can see from the pictures), otherwise the rooms were modern and tastefully designed. Very nice hardwood floors and the corner room had 3 large windows looking out onto the street. I had no issues with noise from the street despite being on the on the 2nd floor.
Hotel:
One of the best features of the hotel is a free breakfast and dinner buffet daily. The dinner buffet included a rotating menu of Scandinavian dishes as well a cheese and bread. Breakfast was continental with a very good selection of fruit, bread and pastries.
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