SATA also has good deals from Boston to Ponta Delgada as well.
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| Azores Islands, Portugal |
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| Porto, Portugal |
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Tip: Getting from Toronto to Europe for under $350
For those of you living in and around Toronto, you are in luck. There is a way that you can get to Europe for under $350 round trip. As a added bonus you can even get to check out a pretty cool and exotic destination on the way. To get this pricing you need 3 things: be creative, be adventurous, and not mind flying low cost airlines. SATA airline which is the flagship airline of the Azores Islands currently has flights from Toronto to Ponta Delgada for $255 round trip. Piece that together with a flight on Ryan Air for $67 round trip to Lisbon or Porto, Portugal or a $130 flight to London Stansted and you have yourself a deal. Of course, you need to be flexible and creative with your dates to find a combo of flights that will work at that price.
SATA also has good deals from Boston to Ponta Delgada as well.
SATA also has good deals from Boston to Ponta Delgada as well.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Amazing deal alert: New York to California for 64$
Some great prices on flights right now from New York (JFK) to Burbank California for 64$ round trip
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Hotel Review: Hotel Monaco Philadelphia
Let me first start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Kimpton Hotels and their portfolio of properties never fails to impress me. During my stays, I've come to expect 2 things from Kimpton: 1. Top-notch personalized customer service and 2. stunning rooms with interesting decor.
The Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia was no exception.
Cost: Rates this summer can be found for as low as $162/night but generally are in the $200 range.
Location: For a casual visitor to Philadelphia you really cant get a much better location. The hotel is literally across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. In fact, while touring Independence Hall, I could see the hotel out the window of the room where the declaration of independence was signed.
Room: I was booked into a standard king but as an Inner Circle member I was upgraded to a Spa King. At check in they gave me the option of an Independence hall view room or a Spa room; being a sucker for awesome bathrooms this was an easy choice. The most interesting thing about the room was the wall paper. I think in any other environment the wallpaper would have clashed but in this room it felt right at home. The bed was super comfy and provided an excellent nights sleep. The highlight of the room was a large soaking tub which I utilized several times throughout my stay.
Facilities: I didn't have a chance to check out the gym, but I did have brunch in the restaurant, Red Owl Tavern. The food was of the typical american gastro-pub variety and nothing that I had especially stood out. I opted for a burger which was good but not memorable. The decor of the restaurant was rustic and very appealing so if staying here again I would probably grab a drink at the bar but eat elsewhere.
The rooftop lounge Stratus was super cool. One side had a gas fire that extended the entire length of the bar. There was also some indoor seating for rainy or cold days.
Extras: As an inner circle member i ended up with the above mentioned room upgrade. In addition my welcome amenity was AMAZING. I had emailed the front desk prior to arrival saying that I enjoyed beer and cheese. I ended up with a couple bottles of hard to get brews from Russian River as well as a chunk of aged gouda from a local gourmet food store. Another amenity that many if not all Kimptons offer is free bike rentals. This was very handy for getting around town.
Summary: With its trendy rooftop lounge and amazing customer service (not to mention eye-catching rooms) I think this hotel will see me coming back whenever I am in Philly. The standard rates are on-par with other luxury hotels around the city but the charm, location and service here makes it the easy winner.
The Hotel Monaco in Philadelphia was no exception.
Cost: Rates this summer can be found for as low as $162/night but generally are in the $200 range.
Location: For a casual visitor to Philadelphia you really cant get a much better location. The hotel is literally across the street from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. In fact, while touring Independence Hall, I could see the hotel out the window of the room where the declaration of independence was signed.
Room: I was booked into a standard king but as an Inner Circle member I was upgraded to a Spa King. At check in they gave me the option of an Independence hall view room or a Spa room; being a sucker for awesome bathrooms this was an easy choice. The most interesting thing about the room was the wall paper. I think in any other environment the wallpaper would have clashed but in this room it felt right at home. The bed was super comfy and provided an excellent nights sleep. The highlight of the room was a large soaking tub which I utilized several times throughout my stay.
Facilities: I didn't have a chance to check out the gym, but I did have brunch in the restaurant, Red Owl Tavern. The food was of the typical american gastro-pub variety and nothing that I had especially stood out. I opted for a burger which was good but not memorable. The decor of the restaurant was rustic and very appealing so if staying here again I would probably grab a drink at the bar but eat elsewhere.
The rooftop lounge Stratus was super cool. One side had a gas fire that extended the entire length of the bar. There was also some indoor seating for rainy or cold days.
Extras: As an inner circle member i ended up with the above mentioned room upgrade. In addition my welcome amenity was AMAZING. I had emailed the front desk prior to arrival saying that I enjoyed beer and cheese. I ended up with a couple bottles of hard to get brews from Russian River as well as a chunk of aged gouda from a local gourmet food store. Another amenity that many if not all Kimptons offer is free bike rentals. This was very handy for getting around town.
Summary: With its trendy rooftop lounge and amazing customer service (not to mention eye-catching rooms) I think this hotel will see me coming back whenever I am in Philly. The standard rates are on-par with other luxury hotels around the city but the charm, location and service here makes it the easy winner.
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| Unique decor |
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| Amazing tub and shower |
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| Exterior and entrance to Red Owl Tavern |
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| Inside the main entrance |
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| Red Owl Tavern |
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| Stratus rooftop lounge |
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| Evening Turndown service, complete with a candy cane heart |
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| Our inner circle welcome amenity |
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| Free bikes to ride around town |
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Amazing Deal Alert: WOWair Boston/Baltimore to london/Copenhagen for 99$
WOWair is a low cost European airline based in Iceland. Working on a similar model as Ryanair, Spirit, etc, this airline keeps prices low by charging you for extras. They have recently added flights to and from Boston and BWI. Flights to London and Copenhagen are as low as 99$ each way inclusive of all taxes. Flights to Reykjavik are 129$ each way. Flights can be directly on their website; wowair.us
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Amazing deal alert: Philadelphia to Bali for $538
Great prices on flights from the Philadelphia area (including Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Allentown, possibly others) for $538 round trip including all taxes. You can search for flights on Google Flights and Book on Priceline.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Review: Hyatt Place Portland old port
My girlfriend and I took a short trip to new england over the fourth of july. This is one of the newer Hyatt properties and I was excited to check it out
Location: The hotel is ideally located right on fore street in the heart of Old Port. One block from the harbor and within a 5 minute walk of tons of shops, bars and restaurants. For the younger crowd, this location is ideal. The area does have a tendency to get a little loud at night but I never had any trouble sleeping.
Facilities: The lobby is very ary and modern with a gas fireplace and sitting area. There is also a fairly hip looking bar. Breakfast was included daily and was the standard hyatt place menu. This included bacon and egg sandwiches with gouda cheese, an open faced egg sandwich and either french toast or waffles. Additionally, pastries, fruit, yogurt and oatmeal were offered. Several varieties of juice, coffee and tea were also on hand. Breakfast ended at 9am which i felt was a bit early. There is a small pool and fitness facility. The pool was way too small to swim laps in and is in a very plain white walled room.
Room: We had a standard king room booked with points and were upgraded to what the website calls "King bed Speciality (with sofa bed)" These rooms are located at the front corner of the hotel and there is one of this room type per floor. The rooms have amazing floor to ceiling windows in a very intriguing zig zag pattern. We were originally placed on the 3rd floor which only had views of the surrounding buildings but called down to the front desk to ask for a higher floor and were moved to the 5th floor. What a difference that made. Being two floors higher meant that we could see all the way to the harbor. There was also a sofa bed, mini fridge and bar area.
Price: This is a category 2 hotel which translates into 8,000 points
Overall I thought that the hotel was excellent and was a great value as a category 2 hyatt. I did however have 2 issues with the room. The first was the mini fridge was not working and all of our food spoiled. It was initially unplugged but I was unable to get it to work even after plugging it in. The second issue was the water pressure/hot water in the shower. It literally took 10 minutes each morning for the water to heat up. On top of that the water pressure was very low. Aside from these 2 areas, i would highly recommend the hotel to anyone with some extra hyatt points and interested in visiting portland.
Location: The hotel is ideally located right on fore street in the heart of Old Port. One block from the harbor and within a 5 minute walk of tons of shops, bars and restaurants. For the younger crowd, this location is ideal. The area does have a tendency to get a little loud at night but I never had any trouble sleeping.
Facilities: The lobby is very ary and modern with a gas fireplace and sitting area. There is also a fairly hip looking bar. Breakfast was included daily and was the standard hyatt place menu. This included bacon and egg sandwiches with gouda cheese, an open faced egg sandwich and either french toast or waffles. Additionally, pastries, fruit, yogurt and oatmeal were offered. Several varieties of juice, coffee and tea were also on hand. Breakfast ended at 9am which i felt was a bit early. There is a small pool and fitness facility. The pool was way too small to swim laps in and is in a very plain white walled room.
Room: We had a standard king room booked with points and were upgraded to what the website calls "King bed Speciality (with sofa bed)" These rooms are located at the front corner of the hotel and there is one of this room type per floor. The rooms have amazing floor to ceiling windows in a very intriguing zig zag pattern. We were originally placed on the 3rd floor which only had views of the surrounding buildings but called down to the front desk to ask for a higher floor and were moved to the 5th floor. What a difference that made. Being two floors higher meant that we could see all the way to the harbor. There was also a sofa bed, mini fridge and bar area.
Price: This is a category 2 hotel which translates into 8,000 points
Overall I thought that the hotel was excellent and was a great value as a category 2 hyatt. I did however have 2 issues with the room. The first was the mini fridge was not working and all of our food spoiled. It was initially unplugged but I was unable to get it to work even after plugging it in. The second issue was the water pressure/hot water in the shower. It literally took 10 minutes each morning for the water to heat up. On top of that the water pressure was very low. Aside from these 2 areas, i would highly recommend the hotel to anyone with some extra hyatt points and interested in visiting portland.
1,000 Hyatt bonus points for using their mobile app
Hyatt is currently offering 1,000 bonus points per stay simply by booking with their mobile app.
Terms and Conditions
To earn 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points under this offer, you must book a new stay on an Eligible Rate through the Hyatt App or the Hyatt Mobile Site. Both reservation and stay must be made and completed from October 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 at any Hyatt hotel, excluding M life resorts. Eligible Rate is defined in the Hyatt Gold Passport terms and conditions. All hotel reservations are subject to availability and must be made in advance.
Hyatt Gold Passport membership at time of stay is required and members must provide their membership number and be a registered guest of the room. Membership is free and enrollment is available at goldpassport.com or at a participating hotel. Only one 1,000 point bonus may be earned per member, per stay, regardless of how many rooms are booked. This offer is subject to the complete terms and conditions of Hyatt Gold Passport. Please allow 2-3 weeks after stay is completed for points to be credited to account.
Promotional blackout periods may apply due to seasonal periods or special events, and normal arrival/departure restrictions apply. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this promotion with a suitable substitute offer of equal value (if legally required) at any time due to actual circumstances. We endeavor to use our best efforts to provide advanced notice on the website. Please see the website for updates. ©2014 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.
To earn 1,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points under this offer, you must book a new stay on an Eligible Rate through the Hyatt App or the Hyatt Mobile Site. Both reservation and stay must be made and completed from October 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 at any Hyatt hotel, excluding M life resorts. Eligible Rate is defined in the Hyatt Gold Passport terms and conditions. All hotel reservations are subject to availability and must be made in advance.
Hyatt Gold Passport membership at time of stay is required and members must provide their membership number and be a registered guest of the room. Membership is free and enrollment is available at goldpassport.com or at a participating hotel. Only one 1,000 point bonus may be earned per member, per stay, regardless of how many rooms are booked. This offer is subject to the complete terms and conditions of Hyatt Gold Passport. Please allow 2-3 weeks after stay is completed for points to be credited to account.
Promotional blackout periods may apply due to seasonal periods or special events, and normal arrival/departure restrictions apply. Hyatt reserves the right to alter or withdraw this promotion with a suitable substitute offer of equal value (if legally required) at any time due to actual circumstances. We endeavor to use our best efforts to provide advanced notice on the website. Please see the website for updates. ©2014 Hyatt Corporation. All rights reserved.
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