Mileage Running to Vacation- An Argentinian Trip Report (Part 1)

Posted by Ethan Carter on May 10, 2013 in guest blog, Mileage Run, Trip Reports | 2 comments

1. Planning the Trip
2. (LIT/DFW)-DEN-SFO-ORD-GRU-EZE
3. Buenos Aires
4. AEP-IGA-EZE
5. Returning/Wrap-up

When I began deciding to book this trip, I had absolutely no plan to go to Argentina.  Or anywhere for that matter.  I was simply browsing Flyertalk one day, and an opportunity came up for a cheap fare on a TAM ticket, booking through a service called OneTravel that I had never heard of.  The flight left from San Francisco (nowhere near where I live in Arkansas), but it was $600 for a flight SFO-ORD-GRU-EZE and return.

Now this is a great fare, but the best part of it was that except the very last leg from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires, it was all on United metal and therefore earned us over 17,000 elite qualifying miles on United!  Many of you are familiar with mileage running by now, and this is right up there as a pretty good mileage run at 4.2 cents per mile.  That, and my fiancée studied in Argentina and is always looking for reasons to go back.  So I checked wither her on schedules, and booked later that day.  The fare (as many like this do) only lasted a couple of days, so it was important that I acted quickly!  This is a great reason to keep an eye on the Mileage Run Deals section at Flyertalk, so you don’t miss these things!

Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires!

We then had to get to SFO.  This wasn’t too hard, just some simple bookings on United at pretty good fares, since it was far enough in advance.  All in all our total cost for flights was less than $1000 per person, which is great since fares from Dallas to Argentina are generally $1200 on the low end, and go up from there!  (Though there was recently a good fare on Delta from Dallas to S. America for $900 in business class, but these are the sort of deals you can’t take advantage of every time. And who wants SkyPesos anyway?)

Some people thought we were crazy for flying so much extra to get from point A to B, but I would just explain that we were going after the miles.  They would usually still think we were crazy.  But I was able to create for us a great trip, to a destination that we both very much wanted to visit, for much cheaper than we would have been able to otherwise.

TAM: “The Magic Red Carpet”

The following posts in this series will cover our flights, a little bit about the city itself, and flying a couple different S. American carriers.  Hope you enjoy!

— Ethan Carter

A quick weekend trip to Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria in Park City, Utah

Posted by Noob Master on Apr 10, 2013 in Hilton Honors, Hotels, Trip Reports, Uncategorized | 0 comments

It all happened kinda fast.

Hilton devalued their chart, my buddy burned some of his Hilton points and a certificate earned from his Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card, and the next thing I knew, I was being forced to snowboard for the first time. Still sore.

I met a couple friends at the Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria property in Park City, Utah and since the room didn’t cost me anything, I was all in. I used some Southwest Rapid Rewards points to get from Austin to Salt Lake City via Denver.

I was pumped about this stay because I’ve heard great things about this Waldorf Astoria and I’m all about trying out new properties. Yes, even if they aren’t a Hyatt. And even though I’m still pissed at Hilton, I really enjoyed my stay. Especially the hot tub and free Spa amenities. Great for recovering from snowboarding for the first time.

Steamy hot tubs

Check-in

I had my buddy ask for an upgrade during check-in and throw in the fact that all three of us were Gold Hilton HHonors members (nothing pushy, just dropping lines). Well, it worked. We got upgraded from a king studio guest room to a one bedroom residence. Big difference.

The one bedroom residence has a full kitchen, washer/dryer, separate bedroom, huge bathroom, living/dining areas, and two gas fireplaces. More on the residence later.

I also prepped my friend beforehand to ask about getting the $32 daily resort fee waived because he booked with points/certificates. They waived the fee as well! Boom. That meant free valet/parking because it’s included in the daily resort fee.

Check-in was smooth and we were treated very well, even though it’s a posh resort. No snooty service here.

The hotel lobby was extravagant. It was definitely a great place to come hang out while you waited on others because there was a large fireplace and plenty of seating options.

Swanky Lobby

Lounge area around the fire

Room

The one bedroom residence was perfect for us. The couch pulled out into a queen sized bed. The mattress was a soft memory foam style which made it pretty comfortable to sleep on, but the blankets that were provided were a little too thin for me. I’m not used to cold weather.

The gas fireplaces in the bedroom and living rooms had timers. Nice touch, and helped prevent us from leaving them on all night long. There was a washer and dryer that came in handy since we went to the hot tub several times, and my “ski pants” (don’t ask) were soaked from snowboarding. Rookie.

Living area

Living area

There was a full kitchen with marble countertops and stainless steel appliances, but the only thing we did in the kitchen was make coffee. There were 2 bottles of water stocked in the fridge when we arrived. The water and coffee were re-stocked daily.

Kitchen

The bedroom was a nice size with a gas fire place and another 42″ inch TV. There was a large window with a nice view that let a good amount of sunlight in. Important for Texans.

Bedroom

42″ TV and Fireplace

The bathroom was legit with a full walk-in shower with two shower heads, and a jacuzzi tub. Oh, and the shower products were incredible! I have never smelled so good. Seriously, so fresh and so clean, clean. And yes, there was another 17″ TV in the bathroom. I don’t usually watch TV in the bathroom, but since it was during the NCAA tourney, I did.

That’s a shower

Tub

The last day we were at the resort, the sun came out and I was able to enjoy a little time on the balcony before getting too cold.

Balcony

View from our balcony

Amenities

There were two hot tubs and a heated pool in the middle of the resort. After hitting the powder (ha) all day, it was great to hit up the hot tubs to recover and warm up. I never got into the heated pool, but I highly recommend hitting up the hot tubs if you ever make it to the resort.

The on-site storage was only a quick walk from the main entrance and right next to the gondola to the ski shops, restaurants, and ski lifts.

Storage and ride to ski lifts

Even though it was a quick walk, we were taxied by one of the resort cars to the gondola. And this is also the Mercedes that took us to dinner and picked us up for free. Just a perk.

Our car service

There’s a cafe and restaurant on site. The cafe closes pretty early (1pm), so we never made it there for lunch even though we tried. But we did breakfast at Crave. Hilton Golds do receive breakfast at most Hilton properties, but not at this Waldorf. Even though when we asked about it, the front desk rep was pretty close to extending us the benefit.

The lounge was the standard luxurious ski lodge style, and was quite good.

Crave

We all got the french toast, which was highly recommended to us by several people. It was pretty good, but not great. Maybe my breakfast standards are too high from my Hyatt Andaz stays. It was pretty affordable, though, at under $12. Probably not the best place to come with a family for breakfast, though.

That’s a good breakfast

The second day of the trip, we went to see what the spa had to offer (for free). And it didn’t disappoint. I think we ended up killing over 4 hours at the spa.

First, we were treated to granola, dried fruit snacks and green tea. Delicious.

Spa Snacks

Then after hitting up the hottest steam room I have ever been in, soaking in the hot tubs again, and showering in a shower with 36 shower heads, we settled in the “gathering” room to watch basketball.

It was a great room with a large couch, huge table, 2 gas fire places, and a TV. It was perfect for relaxing and watching basketball. You can even order food down there, but we went classy and ordered a pizza. I don’t think the guy selling time shares at the front desk was too amused.

The Gathering

Recap

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend trip to learn how to snowboard. There was even fresh snow!

Fresh powder

The Waldorf Astoria in Park City was a great use of my friend’s HHonors points and weekend certificate earned through the Citi Hilton Reserve card. I especially enjoyed that the resort fee was waived because we booked with points. It’s a bummer that Gold members didn’t get free breakfast, but there was the room upgrade and free interent, so who can complain about that? Not I.

The service was great and not pretentious at all. I had a great time enjoying all the amenities the resort offered, especially the hot tubs, steam room, and gathering room. There’s even smores at 7pm, but we never made it to that. Could be fun.

I wouldn’t hesitate to go back, and hopefully next time I won’t spend so much time on my a@#. Felt like I was in a car crash.

(Disclaimer: I receive a referral credit if you decide to apply for the Citi Hilton Reserve card in the post. Thanks for the support if you do!)

— Noob Master

Hotel Review: Hyatt Andaz, West Hollywood

Posted by Noob Master on Apr 3, 2013 in Andaz, Gold Passport, Hotels, Hyatt, Trip Reports, Uncategorized | 0 comments

After spending a couple of days in San Diego and staying at the Andaz downtown, it was on to L.A.

Santa Monica

I had one more suite upgrade to use, so I burned it at the Andaz West Hollywood. I paid for the first night with cash money and then used 15,000 Gold Passport points for the second night. The Andaz West Hollywood is a sweet spot because it’s a category 4 Hyatt hotel. Talk about great value. And it’s easy to come up with 15,000 Gold Passport points, since Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chases’s Ultimate Rewards program.

Check in

After what seemed like hours on Sunset Blvd., we arrived at the Andaz in West Hollywood. To say that we were exhausted after enduring L.A. traffic is an understatement. Jordan immediately hit up the lounge area for some R&R while I checked us in.

In standard Andaz fashion, we were greeted promptly and received a warm welcome. While checking us in, the Andaz host even combined my two separate reservations so I didn’t have to switch rooms after one night. Two nights in a suite!

Lounge area

The lobby has plenty of comfortable seating options to choose from. Always a biggie for me.

A large portion of my life is spent waiting on Jordan (I kid), so I don’t mind making her wait while I snap a few pics of the lobby. I’m pretty sure she is making fun of me in this one.

That’s different

Then there’s this “Snoopy on acid” piece of art. I love the modern boutique feel of the Andaz properties, but some of the Andaz W Hollywood pieces were just a little too artsy fartsy for me.

Snoopy on acid

Suite life

Aaaand… this is my goofy walk-thru video.

The suite was large with lots of space to rest, work, or dine. Whatever your heart desires. I especially liked the large windows with views of Sunset Blvd. I’m also a sucker for an L shaped couch.

Boom

Another piece of doggy art.

Look at that little guy

This was my favorite area of the suite. I enjoyed a pre-breakfast coffee here while answering emails and getting a nice dose of vitamin D. The seat was comfy, even though it didn’t look very sanitary in this picture. Must be the god-awful green.

Nice view

Sunlight opens up this room

Hallway

There were more windows with views in the bedroom, and of course a flat screen.

Bedroom

There were two bathrooms in this suite. Balling, since sometimes a guy needs his b-room privacy.

Bathroom #1

Amenities

There was a hand-written note and a stack of apples when we arrived in the room. I always love the little gestures you receive by being a Diamond/Platinum member.

Warm welcome

One of the perks of staying at Andaz properties is the freebies. The water and sodas and snacks below were complimentary. I’m always hungry when I arrive at a hotel, or when coming back to the hotel after exploring a city. The snacks are usually healthier options, too.

Cold beverages

Snacks

Since I have Diamond status with Hyatt, Jordan and I received free breakfast. I’m normally a pancake kinda guy, but the spread at Andaz W Hollywood was a good change-up.

You could load your plate with breads, cheeses, meats, fruits, granola, muffins, sausage and potatoes, and then they brought you eggs just the way you like ‘em.

Breakfast spread

More spread

Hungry yet?

We never made it to the gym, but it had enough cardio and weight options to please anybody. Unless you’re a meathead, I suppose.

Gym

Thoughts

Although the Andaz in W. Hollywood wasn’t our favorite Andaz hotel, we still enjoyed it. The suite was practically an apartment with more than enough room, and the staff was friendly and gave us good recommendations on local eateries.

If you rent a car, there’s no public parking, so you have to pay $32 a day for valet. Always a downside.

I can’t say we loved staying on Sunset Blvd., either. It’s a traffic zoo there, but I guess I feel that way about most of L.A. It took us over 2 hours to get from Santa Monica Pier back to our hotel, which was 9 miles away. We thought the worst was over, but it continued later and made us late to the Lakers game! Which is the main reason we were in L.A. I’m a huge basketball fan and I needed (ok, really wanted) to see Kobe live before his glory days are over.

Had to go see Kobe

I definitely recommend this Hyatt hotel if you’re using points (or $$), as I do all of the Hyatt’s I’ve stayed at so far. At only 15,000 for a standard room, it’s a steal. And if you don’t have any Hyatt Gold Passport points, you can transfer Ultimate rewards points from your Ink Bold® ,Ink Plus®, or Chase Sapphire Preferred® cards.

I wouldn’t use the two free night certificates earned from the Hyatt Visa, though. Save those for a more inspirational property that’s in a higher category.

(Disclaimer: I receive a referral for the Ink Bold, Plus, and Sapphire Preferred.)

— Noob Master