Review: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome

If there is one property that is talked about among many travel bloggers, it's the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome.  It's been an aspirational desire to try and find a night that would work to stay and thankfully we were able to make it work on points for this trip. 

We also took the opportunity to try the breakfast - a highlight including the various local favorites.

The only odd thing about the stay was the protesters - they were huddled in front of the building and making noise throughout the day though stopped/started at certain times.  Despite that annoyance the location was excellent to find many of the primary sites in Paris including the trains.  If you have Hyatt points, make sure to find a time to stay!

Thanksgiving Trip 2018: Paris, Zurich, Vienna

Yes, you read that correctly - three cities this year!  Though I'm quick to point out that Vienna was just an 18 hour stopover courtesy of United and a great fare option ($480 base fare roundtrip).  The weather across all cities cooperated for the most part and we expected chillier temps than usual which helped make the Christkindlimarkt's feel more special.  Despite a 5.5 hour delay leaving Newark for Paris due to plane maintenance, flights cooperated throughout (including a small CDG-ZRH hop).

Happy December all!  Christmas is on the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending out a warm and sincere "Happy Thanksgiving" to all! 

May your travels be safe (and planes arrive on time).

On the run

November so far has been a very busy month; I promise a more extensive trip report soon having just returned from a business trip to Oxford along with a short stop in Tallinn, Estonia. 

I've really enjoyed visiting some new places and am already planning for how to return!

Place of the Day: Bora Bora

This is my 1001st post - bit of a celebration for me as I continue to write about travel, points, and generally fun adventures out in the world.  If you have the chance to venture out, please do - there are so many rich cultures to find that are more affordable than ever if you have the points.

I started writing about a "place of the day" several years ago, and today's post highlights an area that I still need to explore.

Bora Bora

Part of French Polynesia, Bora Bora is a volcanic island that reminds me a lot of the Maldives. It's in a tropical climate in the South Pacific and located about 140 miles northwest of Papeete.  May through October is generally considered the 'high' season though the overall climate would be inviting to me just about any time of the year.  And honestly, who can pass up over-water bungalows?

Getting to this region of the world has not been easy in the last years, though that is changing - United will being flying to Papeete starting in late October 2018 from San Francisco.  Connecting to Bora Bora from there is possible via Air Tahiti.  Mileage options are only 35k each way in economy (or 70k in business saver).