Trip Report: Napa-St. Helena

I've visited Napa previously for touring and wine tasting though never had the opportunity to stay overnight until this trip.  I highly recommend it for anyone visiting the area and scheduling tastings!  

My first choice of stay would be Hyatt (as usual) and thankfully due to recent partnerships there were two options, one in Napa and the other in St. Helena.  I've never stayed at an Alila property, so we chose the Alila Napa Valley.  Points redemptions can be scarce at these locations, and I was shocked to find two rooms available!  My Hyatt concierge helped with the booking - there were no upgrades possible at booking though I checked back the week before departure and two rooms were available.  I couldn't believe it - two Jr. Suites!  These rooms were going for $4000 a night each and we were very fortunate to get them.  This is also an adult-only property that Hyatt also recently changed to Category 8, so future redemption options will require more points. 

Alila Napa Valley

Located just north of the downtown, the Alila is a short walk away from shops and other restaurants.  Most vineyards are an easy drive to access - we chose two for this trip:

Green and Red: https://greenandred.com/visit

Paraduxx: https://www.paraduxx.com/Visit

We had several choices for dinner and ultimately chose to eat on the property as well as visit Charter Oak:

Acacia House: https://www.acaciahouserestaurant.com/

The Charter Oak: https://www.thecharteroak.com/

We were very impressed by the menus and overall atmosphere at both establishments - can't wait to return!

Other perks of Hyatt membership also apply at this property - as a Globalist, breakfasts were included at the restaurant and room refresh/water occurred each day.  Internet was complimentary.  And of course the chance for suite upgrades may apply based on availability.  

Trip Report: Alcatraz

I'm thrilled to share a brief trip report on an excursion that has been on my list for some time - visiting Alcatraz island!  

Alcatraz

We booked this a bit in advance and had the opportunity to join one of the night tours - the views of the bridge and city were amazing.

I'll share more pictures here from the buildings on the island - I can't recommend this experience enough if you are in the Bay area and have time.

Ticket info can be found here.

Weekend to Zurich

The weather held for the most part (rain some days and sun the last day) and it was an otherwise lovely trip back to central Europe in spring.  Some additional positives made it that much more relaxing - suite upgrade confirmed at the Park Hyatt Zurich and Polaris upgrades from EWR-ZRH and ZRH-IAD on the way home.  I was able to catch up on all of my course grading and fit a movie in as well. 

The Park Hyatt stay was using points - airfare roundtrip from SFO was only $590!  

And I got some great pictures on departure and over Maine...

Qatar Airways Adopts Avios

A recent announcement has now become reality - Qatar Airways has officially adopted Avios as its program currency.  The email announcement details this:

This fantastic new partnership opens up a world of possibilities for you and your Avios, including:

Better access to destinations worldwide - from the stunning beaches of the Maldives to even more of Australia More opportunities to book a Reward Flight with guaranteed Reward Seats on all Qatar Airways flights New ways to collect Avios with a range of new upcoming partnerships Selected routes and cabins now available with fewer Avios, so your rewards can take you further than ever before

The ability to use Avios for Qatar airways itineraries is something I'm looking forward to exploring - low fuel surcharges and the near-guarantee of at least 2 premium seats open per flight make flight options excellent (especially to locations overseas).  

Maldives Covid Testing changes

As many countries around the world continue to make changes on current vaccination and testing requirements, I was thrilled to see a recent update that the Maldives will be making changes for visitors as soon as today!

More info here: https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/ethd

Effective from March 5th, 2022, the following changes have been brought regarding the PCR requirement;

Vaccinated travelers are NO LONGER required to present a PCR test result upon arrival to the Maldives.
Vaccinated tourists who stay on the inhabited islands are NO LONGER required to present the PCR test result during departure.

Excellent news if you're thinking about using points/miles to visit!