Tag Archives: flyday

Weekend in Hamburg (Germany)

Posted on July 11, 2012 | 4 Comments

Pic: Giant spider at Hamburger Kunsthalle und Galerie Der Gegenwart

Pic: Bratwurst at Rathausmarkt Hamburg (Jun 2012)
Hamburg, my 7th Brussels Airlines Flyday destination this year. You might wonder why I take so many trips using this €99 promo. It’s simply the cheapest way to earn status miles with Miles and More. Each Flyday trip earns me 3126 status miles (including 25% executive bonus). This is by far the best offer available for Miles and More members to earn the maximum number of status miles per € spent. Earning these status miles is important to achieve (or maintain) elite status. Miles and More has three elite statuses: Frequent Traveller (35K status miles) Senator (100K status miles) and HON Circle Member (600K status miles in 2 years) All three statuses come with a number of privileges. My current Miles and More status is Senator and is valid until Feb 2014. To extend my status with two years, I need to earn again 100K status miles in one year (in 2012 or 2013). Right now I’m at 59K status miles of which 22K were earned with SN Flyday trips, 30K with a LH business class flight to Seoul (ICN) and 6K with a SN New York (JFK) trip in economy class. I want to re-qualify for Senator status this year, as Lufthansa (owner of Miles and More) made it much more challenging to earn status miles with cheap business class tickets as of April 1, 2012. The Seoul flight which I took in February of this year was only €1111 and earned me 30K status miles (200% of flown miles). With the new Lufthansa ‘enhancements‘ cheap business class flights now only earn 150% status miles (Z booking class) or 100% status miles for promo business class flights (P booking class). That same BRU-ICN return trip would now only earn me 15K status miles. With 41K status miles still to earn this year, I’ll need to take another 13 weekend trips if I want to re-qualify solely on Flyday trips!

Pic: InterContinental Hamburg exterior (Jun 2012)

Pic: King Bed Executive room 301 at Intercontinental Hamburg (Jun 2012)

Pic: Intercontinental Hamburg – Ambassador Welcome Amenity (Jun 2012)
Contrary to my hotel successes on previous weekend trips, InterContinental Hamburg was a miss. Originally, I had booked one night at Radisson Blu Hamburg on Club Carlson points and one paid night at InterContinental Hamburg using the 35% off rate at Greenroom.co.uk After I had learned my PriorityClub status level was upgraded to InterContinental Royal Ambassador again (thanks to a generous blog reader and twitter follower), I had cancelled my Radisson Blu Hamburg reservation and added a second night using the 35% off rate. With €194 for 2 nights I had significantly exceeded my €100 hotel budget for weekend trips, but expected extra value as renewed InterContinental Royal Ambassador (my previous RA status expired in January). Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. My 2-level upgrade (a RA benefit) was a non-bookable King Executive room with dated furniture and tiny bathroom. It really angers me when hotels try to circumvent loyalty program privileges, in this case by creating fictional room categories to avoid the need for upgrading Royal Ambassadors to Junior Suites. The only real RA benefits provided were complimentary internet and minibar. Again, also with the minibar the hotel cheated by removing any hard liquor and only provided cheap soft drinks and beer. The hotel was also lacking a Club lounge and charged €26 for breakfast, a ridiculous charge which made me eat all cereal bars from the complimentary minibar instead. One would start to think his Hilton HHonors Gold status has more value than the InterContinental Royal Ambassador status. (HHonors Gold status comes with complimentary breakfast for 2, room upgrade, free internet and at some properties even with Executive Floor Lounge Access)

Pic:IC Hamburg – Complimentary Minibar for Royal Ambassadors (Jun 2012)

Pic: Rowing at Aubenalster lake near InterConinental Hamburg (Jun 2012)

Pic: Elbe Philharmonic Hall at Hafencity Hamburg (Jun 2012)

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Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged brussels airlines, flyday, germany, hamburg, hotel, intercontinental, pictures, review, royal ambassador

Weekend in Birmingham (UK)

Posted on June 11, 2012 | 2 Comments

Pic: The Bull at Bullring Shopping Mall Birmingham (Jun 2012)
Birmingham, my sixth Brussels Airlines Flyday destination. Once again, thanks to the IHG 2-for-1 discount rate, I managed to stay two nights abroad for less than €100. In fact, this time I paid £59 (€75 on amex) for two nights at Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre. Not the most fancy hotel in town, the exterior looks a bit dated, but with recently refurbished rooms and located conveniently around the corner of Birmingham New Street station. If your budget allows, I would recommend the new Hotel Indigo Birmingham located at the fantastic Cube building next to the upscale shopping mall The Mailbox.

Pic: Double Bed room at Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre (Jun 2012)
Being the the most populous British city outside the capital London, I was surprised to find Birmingham City Centre quite compact with many streets pedestrianized. Most things to see and do can be reached on foot from the major hotels in town. If found Birmingham less exciting than Bristol, but fans of shopping and nightlife will love it for sure. Several new shopping malls are frequented by thousands every weekend. The most impressive one being the Bullring featuring the iconic Selfridges department store. Nightlife enthusiast, whom can cope with typical English partiers and their behaviour, should check Bond Street, home of many clubs including the famous Gatecrasher.
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Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged 2 for 1, birmingham, bond street, brussels airlines, bullring, flyday, holiday inn, new street station, uk, victoria square

Weekend in Warsaw (Poland)

Posted on April 29, 2012 | 6 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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Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged 2 for 1, brussels airlines, euro 2012, flyday, hotel, ihg, intercontinental, pictures, review, warsaw

36 hours in Venice (Italy)

Posted on April 24, 2012 | 3 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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Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged brussels airlines, Crowne Plaza, flyday, hotel, pictures, Point Breaks, priorityclub, Quarto d'Altino, review, san marco, venice

Weekend in Barcelona

Posted on April 17, 2012 | 2 Comments

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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Posted in airlines, destinations, Hotels

Tagged barcelona, Barcelona Diagonal, brussels airlines, flyday, four points by sheraton, hotel, pictures, review, spain, spg, starwood

Weekend in Bristol (UK)

Posted on April 9, 2012 | 3 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)