My Travels

Alright, it's the last visit for the year to Hawaii and Big Island. Went with some friends on United Airlines on a BOGO certificate. Holiday weekend travel is always tough but I was able to get a United voucher due to an oversold situation. I originally put myself on the waiting list with my companion but they ended up only wanting one person. So I opted to take the later flight out and arrived six hours later than the group. I was able to hop back home for a few hours and return to the airport for a late lunch of soup and chicken tenders (food voucher was also given to me) at B Grill . This is the first time I stayed at the Bay Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort . Originally, I was confirmed at the HGVC Kohala Suites but there was an issue with the room and relocated to the Bay Club. One of the reasons I have not stayed at this location within the timeshare resorts in Waikoloa is that it is the only one that will not give you access to the Hilton Waikoloa Resort pool and lagoon acc...

Home away from home, headed out on United Airlines to Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and picked up a rental car from Hertz . Hertz upgraded the economy car reservation to a Lincoln Continental so I had plenty of trunk space for my luggage. The flight arrived an hour early and I was able to make a pit stop at Broke Da Mouth for takeaway. The menu has changed slightly. I later found out that their is a second location planned in downtown Kona that includes beer and wine. The grand opening is a week away but I'll try to hit it when returning in six weeks. Checked into Kings' Land Hilton Grand Vacations Club . My reservation was for a one bedroom unit. I had not rented a one bedroom before in Kona and I thought it was nice. The unit comes with everything except an oven in the kitchen. HGVC Kings' Land Suite Living Room HGVC Kings' Land Suite Bathroom HGVC Kings' Land Suite Bedroom I had hoped to do some snorkeling on this trip but the we...

So I'm back! From Singapore, I landed directly into Ngurah Rai International Airport . The airport has changed significantly since I last was here. It is a far grander airport than the sleepy airport I remembered. And the transit visa was no longer required if your stay is less than 30 days. Lodging For this trip, I stayed at three different hotels. Each had their own flair. The Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport hotel is the most resort feeling HGI I've ever been. I don't know if this was a conversion hotel but it is very very reasonably priced and the accommodations are nice. The hotel does feel very new and they gave me a one bedroom suite for my one night stay. I also used their laundry facilities. Not cheap but the price of laundry includes the soap (if any consolation). I didn't use the gym but it looked very nice. I had to walk through the gym to get to the laundry area. The breakfast was great at HGI. It was a full hot buffet and very remin...

On this trip, I flew on Singapore Airlines to Indonesia. Since I had to layover in Singapore for eight hours, I thought it would be a good time to stretch my legs and see the town for a bit. After the long flight from the States, I quickly jumped into the Krisflyer Lounge and took a shower. Luckily, I had split my itinerary. One was the transpacific flight with cash and one with miles on the intra-asia flight. Why that was important was that I had opted to book business class on the award ticket which allows you access to the Krisflyer Lounge instead of the Krisflyer Gold Lounge. As courter intuitive as it sounds, the "gold" lounge is their basic lounge for the Star Alliance folks which means no showers and smaller space. You can only access the Krisflyer Lounge if your continuing flight is in the appropriate class. I've only "heard" of international premium economy but haven't actually flown an airline with the class. Singapore Airlines led the category...

Not too often that I go to Chicago and not be in Chicago. I hopped onto a flight for a quick weekend trip on United and landed into O'Hare International Airport . Spent two nights at the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport hotel sandwiching a night at the Hampton Inn McHenry . A "suburbs" trip included a brief first night stay at the Hilton because of the 1 am arrival. It was easier to walk over and fall asleep as quickly as possible. In the morning, I headed up to McHenry and stayed at the Hampton Inn. The drive from the airport to McHenry was about an hour. I forget how big houses can be in the Midwest for very low (in my opinion) prices. Despite the freakish snowstorm in late April dumping four inches in the area, I still was able to get around. Visited the biggest Harley Davidson dealership ever (in my experience) and even watched an arm wrestling match with Jeff Dabe. Only when I mentioned it to someone did I realize that he was a "pro" in arm wrestli...

It’s a travel month for me and I headed to Toronto on United Airlines . I was upgraded on my flights and appreciated the extra space. Ironically, I had paid for an upgrade on the return and had to lose it to catch an earlier flight home. Luckily my refund request was approved. In town for a conference, I opted to stay at the Doubletree Toronto Downtown instead of the conference hotel. I find staying at conference hotel means the hotel is very busy and it takes forever waiting for elevators. There were a number of folks at my hotel too. I wonder if they ran out of the room block. I was able to catch the Toronto Blue Jays one afternoon. It is a basic enclosed stadium. The weather wasn’t warm enough to have the roof open but I thought it was a good day for the roof to be open. Canadians aren’t much baseball fans and the stadium was maybe a third full. Spring training game kind of attendance in my opinion. Meals Given my time was taken by the conference, I can only comment on the...

I had a short overnight layover in Frankfurt coming from Naples. After landing into Frankfurt Airport from Lufthansa , I found the city trains into the city. I didn't board the subway correctly but still ended up close enough to walk to the Hilton Frankfurt City Centre . Hilton Frankfurt City Centre King Room The hotel is interesting in that the executive lounge is the foyer area of the elevators. You literally have to go through the lounge to get to your room. On the bright side, I was able to munch in my room because I was so close to the lounge. The view was actually nicer from my room than the lounge. Overall, it was a good choice to go into the city rather than stay out by the airport as originally planned. When I saw my friends the next day a bit frazzled trying to catch the flight (they had an hour layover from Naples), I was glad my itinerary had me get to Frankfurt the day before. For a first time visit, I found the city charming in its architecture and th...