The Maldives is as aspirational as travel gets. Even on points, the Maldives is an expensive destination. On top of airfare to Male, seaplane transfer (which runs upwards of $500 per person RT), meals, and activities, there is the obligatory paid upgrade to an overwater villa. That can easily cost […]
$334/night overwater villa at Beach House Iruveli Maldives
Mistake rate: Hilton San Francisco Financial district just $25/night!
Hat tip to Mighty Travels, who tweeted this deal. Ab in dem Urlaub, a German travel website, has a mistake rate of $25/night for the Hilton San Francisco Financial district. The rate is for valid for July 15-17 only. A second set of dates was available for $38/night, but that […]
All set to attend the Chicago Seminars in October
In the two years, I’ve been chasing points, I’ve failed to attend a single frequent flyer event. I’ve read lots of blog posts about these events and the consensus tends to be “If you’re a newbie it will be helpful, otherwise just show up for the networking opportunity.” No matter where […]
Free $5 gift card from US Airways Mastercard
If you have a US Airways MasterCard, check your email because you may be in for a treat. I got an email this morning, notifying me that I was eligible for a free $5 gift card as a “thank you” for being a loyal customer for the past 3 months. […]
Best Category 3 Hyatt hotels
The great thing about Hyatt, which is also challenging when compiling a “Best Redemption” series, is that it has excellent properties around the world, especially abroad. At 12,000 points per night, Category 3 properties offer exceptional value abroad. Club rooms can be booked for an additional 3,000 points and suites […]
Private Island experience by the W Retreat & Spa Maldives
Just about every points and miles junkie has a trip report on the Maldives. They rave about the over-water-villa they stayed in that had no AC but a gorgeous view and the $80 free breakfast they enjoyed on the deck of their villa as a pack of dolphins waved with […]
Club Carlson’s 10,000 point promo goes live
Club Carlson is running a promotion through July 21, 2013 offering 10,000 points for a 2-night stay. The promotion is limited to 1 per member and the 2 nights have to be consecutive. Register for the promotion before your 2-night stay and you’ll still qualify for the bonus. No need […]
$15 off Mastercard gift cards at Safeway
Those who shop at Safeway are probably familiar with the Just4U program. Those who sign up get personalized discounts separate from safeway member discounts. Once you sign up, you can add coupons to your profile, and the discounts get applied to your total at the register. I signed up today […]
5 things I love about Istanbul
Istanbul is very fashionable right now. Thinking much of the fanfare was mainly hype, I really didn’t expect to love the city as much as I did. I’d been told I could spend two weeks in Istanbul and still not see everything there is to see. This seemed like an […]
Review: KLM Business Class Istanbul – Amsterdam – San Francisco
I’m a huge fan of KLM, so being able to fly KLM Business class from Istanbul to San Francisco was exciting. I got to the airport roughly an hour before departure, so after checking my bags and saying goodbye to my family, I immediately headed to the gate. My mom […]