Sky View room at IC New York Times Square

Posted on June 3, 2012 | 1 Comment


Pic: InterContinental New York Times Square entrance (Jun 2012)

Pic: InterContinental New York Times Square building (Jun 2012)
My two night weekend stay in Manhattan was the ideal opportunity to burn an InterContinental “Free weekend night” voucher.  Every time you renew your InterContinental Ambassador status, you receive a complimentary weekend night voucher.  It’s valid for weekend stays at all IC hotels worldwide and uses the BOGO (Buy One, Get One) principle:  you pay for the first night, the second night is free.  If you’re staying more than once a year at InterContinental hotels, I can highly recommend the Ambassador program.  The initial membership fee is $200 for the first year, $150 for every renewal.  It comes with some great perks:
• Guaranteed room upgrade
• Guaranteed late check-out (4 pm)
• Free movie – One complimentary Pay-TV film per stay
• Fresh fruit and mineral water – in your room upon arrival
• Guaranteed room availability with 24-hour advance reservation
• Complimentary newspaper each morning
• Complimentary use of health club facilities (fitness gym, swimming pool, jacuzzi etc most hotels)
• Welcome gift upon arrival (often something reflecting the local culture at participating Hotels)
• Complimentary weekend night voucher

Pic: King Bed Sky View room at IC New York Times Square (Jun 2012)

Pic: King Bed Sky View room at IC New York Times Square (Jun 2012)
Using the complimentary weekend night voucher, I paid $347 for two nights (vs $693 regular rate) at InterContinental New York Times Square.  Yes, hotels in Manhattan are expensive!  My Deluxe room booking was upgrade to a Sky View room on the 35th floor offering me amazing views of the city.
Pic: Ambassador welcome amenity at IC Times Square NYC (Jun 2012)

Pic: Bathroom amenities at InterContinental Times Square (Jun 2012)

Pic: In-Room Dining Breakfast at InterContinental Times Square NYC

Pic: Sky View at InterContinental Times Square New York (Jun 2012)

Pic: Sky View at InterContinental Times Square New York (Jun 2012)

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King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok

Posted on June 2, 2012 | Leave a comment


Pic: King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

Pic: King Executive room at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)
For my first night in Bangkok (Thailand trip May 17 – May 27) I used The Great Getaway Hilton promo (valid till July 23 for stays until September 30, 2012).  Unlike some of the other ‘promotions’, this one really offers steep discounts on Hilton room rates.  I paid THB3469 (EUR89) for a King Hilton Deluxe room which was upgraded to a King Executive room upon arrival.  I enjoyed a free upgrade + free executive lounge access (breakfast, cocktails, dinner snacks, …) + free internet because of my HHonors Gold status.  How I got this status?  Normally you only get this status after staying 16 times or 36 nights at Hilton hotels during one calendar year… but myself (and many of my twitter followers) got it for free.  In the past months several links were posted on my twitter account which allowed you to obtain HHonors Gold status for free.  You just had to sign-up using the link and got instant HHonors Gold status!  Make sure to follow me on twitter so you don’t miss future deals.  I post several “Great Deal Alerts” a week.

Pic: Executive Lounge Breakfast at Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

Pic: Lounge chairs at The Beach – Millennium Hilton Bangkok (May 2012)

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Brussels Airlines Inaugural flight SN501 BRU – JFK

Posted on June 2, 2012 | 3 Comments


Flew Brussels Airlines inaugural flight SN501 from Brussels to New York today.  I was seated on the first row in economy class (14D).  Quite exhausted now, not from the flight, but from queuing at JFK immigration (2,5 hours)!  My flight back (SN502 JFK-BRU) is on Sunday.  Will post full review early next week.

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Caroline Astor Suite at St. Regis Bangkok

Posted on May 30, 2012 | 3 Comments

Pic: Bedroom Caroline Astor Suite 1924 at St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012)
For most of my trips, I book hotels in advance.  This has a number of advantages: better rates, better point strategies, no stress to find suitable accommodation, etc…  My latest trip to Thailand (May 17-27) was an exception, with only the first three nights booked in advance at Hilton Millennium Bangkok and Sofitel So Bangkok.  On my third day in the Thai capital, I decided to add an extra night and pulled-up Hotelscombined.com on my mobile.  To my surprise, ebookers.com was selling St. Regis Bangkok Caroline Astor Suites at a cheaper rate than regular Deluxe rooms.  As the cheapest rate for this suite is normally at least €200 more, I didn’t hesitate and booked it for £137.56 (€176,50 on Amex) including breakfast.
Upon arrival at St. Regis Bangkok, assistant manager Ms. Papatsorn performed our check-in.  “Mr. Lapers, we can’t seem to locate your reservation in our systems…” Here comes trouble, I thought to myself.  I pulled out my laptop and showed the ebookers.com confirmation email to Ms. Papatsorn.  “Mr Lapers, THB6500 for a Caroline Astor Suite?  We normally charge THB25000 for that suite!  Would you mind we verify your reservation with ebookers.com?  We can offer you a drink at the Drawing Room.  Is that alright?”  At that point, I started to doubt whether they were going to honor my rate.  But after 20 minutes or so, the comforting words “Your Suite is ready Sir” were spoken.
Pic: View on pool from Caroline Astor Suite 2025 bedroom (May 2012)
Caroline Astor Suite 2025 was impressive, with a spacious living room and bathroom facing the Royal Bangkok Sports Club and the bedroom facing the St. Regis swimming pool.  Being so pleased with the suite, I immediately checked if the same rate was still available for the weekend after.  It was, and so I booked the Caroline Astor Suite again via ebookers.com for a second stay on May 25-26.  Not realizing yet, Lady Gaga would also be a guest at St. Regis Bangkok that night!  Two days before my second stay, I emailed the hotel to assign me a Caroline Astor suite with bedroom facing the Royal Bangkok Sports Club.  A request which was honored (my second stay was at suite 1924) and which I can highly recommend as those suites have an even more spectacular layout and view from the bedroom.

Pic: Welcome Amenity – St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012)
Pic: Breakfast at St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012) Pic: Wagyu Beef Burger at St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012) Video: Caroline Astor Suite 1924 – St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012) Video: Caroline Astor Suite 2025 – St. Regis Bangkok (May 2012)

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Weekend in Warsaw (Poland)

Posted on April 29, 2012 | 4 Comments


Pic: View from my room 3308 at InterContinental Warsaw (Apr 2012)

Pic: Deluxe Room at InterContinental Warsaw (Apr 2012)
Warsaw, my fifth Brussels Airlines Flyday destination.  Faro, Bristol, Barcelona and Venice were a success and so was Warsaw.  Two nights at 5 star luxury hotel InterContinental Warsaw for €75 thanks to the IHG 2-for-1 promo.  As PriorityClub Platinum Ambassador I was upgraded to a Deluxe room.  Warsaw is definitely one of the cheapest cities in Europe for luxury hotels.

Pic: InterContinental Warsaw Exterior (Apr 2012)

Pic: Europe highest pool at Intercontinental Warsaw (Apr 2012)

Pic: Europe highest pool at Intercontinental Warsaw (Apr 2012)
I was very lucky with the weather.  While it was cold, rainy and grey in most of Western Europe (even in Spain and Italy), central Europe was experiencing a spring heat wave.  With 28 degrees Celsius in Warsaw, the terraces and river banks were packed until late at night.  I joined a group of Couchsurfers for a BBQ on a sandbank of the Vistula River near Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge.  A great experience meeting up with Poles, Brazilians, Venezuelans, … sharing travel stories and advice.  Warsaw is definitely ready to host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship!

Pic: University of Warsaw, Poland (Apr 2012)

Pic: Warsaw National Stadium Euro 2012 Poland (Apr 2012)

Pic: Couchsurfing Sundowner drink, Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge (Apr 2012)

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36 hours in Venice (Italy)

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 2 Comments


Pic: Piazza San Marco Venice (Apr 2012)

Pic: View on San Giorgio Maggiore Venice (Apr 2012)
Venice, my fourth Flyday trip, short but intense!  Left Brussels on Friday night 7.30pm and returned on Sunday morning 10.25am, just in time to run the Antwerp 10 Miles.  As usual with the Flyday promo, the return flight was €99.  The outbound flight on Friday was overbooked as the previous Brussels Airlines flight to Venice had been cancelled due to a technical aircraft issue.  This resulted in a Business Class upgrade (better food!) for myself and four other passengers.  At the gate, €250 vouchers were offered to passengers volunteering to take the next flight to Venice.  I declined the offer, as my original trip was only 36 hours and I was traveling with a friend.

Pic: The Doge’s Palace Venice – Palazzo Ducale (Apr 2012)
To ensure a convenient transfer to and from the airport, I chose Crowne Plaza Venice East-Quarto d’Altino,  a 10 minute shuttle ride from Venice Marco Polo Airport.  The hotel is not at the ‘island’ of Venice, instead it’s located on the mainland next to a small train station called Quarto d’Altino.  From early in the morning till late at night, at least once an hour, a train connects Quarto d’Altino with Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia.  The 20 minute ride costs less than €3 and brings your directly to Venice, without the need of taking a water taxi.  What made the hotel even more attractive, was it’s listing on the PriorityClub Point Breaks list for Mar-May 2012. Instead of the usual 25,000 Priority Club points, only 5000 were required for a free night.  As I booked last minute, the free rooms (5% of the hotel inventory) for Saturday night were already sold out.  Friday night was free, Saturday night was paid.  The best available rate for Saturday was €90, which I lowered to €75 using the Friends and Family rate.  As a PriorityClub Platinum member, I was upgraded to a superior room for both nights.  The shuttle service from the airport to the hotel was free on Friday night, but unfortunately fully booked on Sunday morning.  The private shuttle charge was €35.Pic: Piazza San Marco – Orchestra Gran Caffè Quadri (Apr 2012)
So how was our stay in Venice? Wonderful!  Sunny all day long, strolling along the canals and admiring the beautiful squares and buildings.  People spotting at San Marco square while enjoying overpriced drinks.  Listening to the Gran Caffe Quadri Orchestra for which a €6 per person ‘live music’ charge was applied to out bill.  It’s all part of the Venice experience!  ;)   All pictures in this blog post were made by my lovely travel companion, Sabrina.

Pic: Piazza San Marco – Drinks at Gran Caffè Quadri (Apr 2012)

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Weekend in Barcelona

Posted on April 17, 2012 | 1 Comment


Pic: Museu Nacional d Art de Catalunya, Barcelona (Apr 2012)
Barcelona, my third Brussels Airlines #Flyday trip.  Faro was first, Bristol was second.  Several more Flyday trips will follow, with Venice booked for this weekend and Warsaw for next weekend.  Fellow travel enthusiast @RaphaelCockx has created a Google map with all Brussels Airlines destinations featured in the Flyday promo.  As my travel frequency went up from once a month to once a week, it’s important to keep my budget under control.  That’s why I set myself the goal to spend less than €100 on hotel accommodation for my Flyday weekend trips (2 nights).  My initial idea was to stay at W Hotel Barcelona, but at €480 euro for two nights it didn’t match my budget.  Instead, I chose another Starwood hotel: Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal.  Remember my Honeymoon Suite stay at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City?  That €122 stay earned me 2346 Starwood Preferred Guest points (included 2000 points Welcome Back bonus) and a SPG social media survey earned me 1000 points in March.  Together 3346 SPG points, enough to cover my first night (3000 SPG points) at Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona!  Those points saved me €90, which was the best available rate for Apr 14.  For my second night I paid €69, well below my €100 budget for two nights!

Pic: Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal (Apr 2012)

Pic: Four Points by Sheraton Barcelona Diagonal Room (Apr 2012)
My room on the 10th floor was basic, but offered all features for a comfortable stay.  If you want more details about the hotel, how to get there, etc… I recommend to read the master thread at Flyertalk.

Pic: Bart clubbing with CS friends Neus and Julia in Barcelona (Apr 2012)

Pic: W Hotel Barcelona (Apr 2012)

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Weekend in Bristol (UK)

Posted on April 9, 2012 | 2 Comments


Pic: SN2055 Brussels-Bristol operated by BMI Embraer 145EP (Apr 2012)
Bristol (United Kingdom), my second Brussels Airlines #Flyday weekend trip.  Last month I traveled to the Portuguese Algarve using the Flyday promo, this month I chose Bristol, Barcelona and Warsaw.  Yes, I’m addicted to this promo, but it’s a great deal!  Every Friday, Brussels Airlines offers three destinations at €99 for take-off over any of the 4 following weekends.  The booking class is b.flex economy (H) which means you can use the premium check-in desks and fastlane security at the airport.  B.flex passengers are seated in the front part of the cabin and served complimentary food & drinks.  The €99 return trip in B.flex earns 2500 status miles (on Brussels Airlines operated flights, see Miles & More) instead of the usual 250 status miles in B.light economy.  A great offer, but availability is limited.  As you can see in the picture above, the flight to Bristol was operated by BMI Regional.  I only noticed this at online check-in, as at the time of booking it was indicated as an SN operated flight.  This is important for Air Miles collectors like me, as BMI operated flights only earn 1500 status miles with Miles and More (booking class H, European return trip).  My miles didn’t post yet, I still hope to earn 2500 status miles.
Update: Looks like the BRU-BRS BMI flight was a wet lease, as 1250 status miles have posted.  If you have Miles and More Frequent Traveller, Senator or HON Circle status, a 25% status miles bonus is added.  In this case, the return trip Brussels – Bristol earns me 3126 status miles.

Pic: 1563 status miles posted on my Miles & More account for BRU-BRS flight

Pic: Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre – Entrance (Apr 2012)
For my hotel booking, I used IHG’s ‘ Exclusive 2 for 1‘ promo.  A two night stay at a four star hotel for £79.95 (€97) – Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre (opened June last year)  As Priority Club Platinum member, I was upgraded to a Deluxe room.  Nice room, although a bit small, with extra’s like bathroom amenities, bathrobe, huge Samsung flatscreen tv, etc…

Pic: Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre – Deluxe Room (Apr 2012)

Pic: Holiday Inn Bristol City Centre – Elsyl Bathroom Amenities (Apr 2012)
I didn’t know what to expect from Bristol, I had the impression London was the only interesting city in the UK.  Well, I was wrong.  Bristol has many things to offer: Touristic attractions like Clifton Suspension Bridge, Brunel’s ss Great Britain, the famous Bristol Zoo, many interactive museums and on top a great shopping and nightlife scene.  My most spectacular experience was a visit to The City of Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The city was established as a spa by the Romans in AD 43 and features the Roman Baths.  The superbly maintained baths are fuelled by England’s only mineral hot springs, outputting over a million litres of hot water each day.  Bath is located 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Bristol and can easily be reached by train.  A journey from Bristol Temple Meads station to Bath Spa takes less than 15 minutes.

Pic: The Roman Baths in Bath (Apr 2012)

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IHG – Two nights for the price of one

Posted on April 7, 2012 | 2 Comments


InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) includes Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and InterContinental hotels.  It’s loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards, offers incredible value in terms of free nights redemptions.  Points can be earned fast & easy and redeemed with no black-out dates.  Even without points in your Priority Club account, there are a multitude of options to make your next stay much cheaper.  I’ve already blogged about several techniques in the past.  Today I want to highlight the (more or less hidden) “2-for-1“ , “35% off” and “3-for-2” rates for stays in Europe.  I have a number of upcoming weekend stays for which I used the ‘Exclusive 2 for 1′ rate saving me up to 44% in hotel expenses.
Continue reading →

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Brussels Airlines new long haul cabin

Posted on April 5, 2012 | 1 Comment

Brussels Airlines inaugurated its brand new long haul cabin this week on a flight to Cameroon (April 1st, 2012).  The first long haul aircraft to be refurbished with the new Business Class flat bed seats, the ergonomic Economy Class seats and a state-of-the-art inflight entertainment system, SN Airbus A330-300 OO-SFW, is now flying between Brussels Airport and Africa and will set course to New York JFK as of June 2012.  I will join inaugural flight SN501 from BRU to JFK on June 1st.  My return flight SN502 will be on June 3rd.  I booked my ticket on the announcement day of the new BRU-JFK route (Dec 27, 2011) for €399!  A full trip report will follow on your favorite ‘Luxury on a budget’ travel blog. ;)
For now, take the 3D virtual tour through the new Economy and Business Class cabins on the Brussels Airlines website.
Video: The new Brussels Airlines Long Haul Cabin
(Pictures: Brussels Airlines)

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