My Travels

Went out to Las Vegas for an overnight visit to SEMA . Typically in Las Vegas the first week of November, I was able to attend the event and came on the last day. Done with getting my qualifying flights on United, I opted to use points on my American Airlines account. I was also about to lose the points and the points used was very low. I haven't flow on American for awhile and was pleasantly surprised the plane was more comfortable than I recall. The LAX terminal is still pretty cramped and I still don't like how the security lines are organized. Luckily, I have Clear membership through United and was able to get through security quickly. My TSA Precheck didn't kick through because I forgot that I had modified my middle name and my AA name didn't match exactly to my Global Entry name. It did make me update my name information to all carriers so that I can get the TSA Precheck at any time. Got into Las Vegas with little issue and checked into the Sahara hotel . I ...

Knocked off another country from the bucket list. Beers and chocolate is what I think of when Belgium comes up. I was able to find a decent rate on United Airlines to Brussels. It has been some time that United launched its Polaris branding and marketing for business class seats. I've been teased with the idea of actually being in a Polaris seating configuration but have only come close to using the lounges and getting the amenity kits. On this trip, I was able to sit in the Polaris business seat when my upgrade cleared on the way to Newark International Airport . Unfortunately, I didn't have time to spend in the lounge at Newark but I've spent plenty of hours before. I was able to grab a quick shower during my layover. On a side note, all passengers must be a ticketed Polaris Business class passenger. No guests. I understand the policy but not a fan especially since my companion ended up being upgraded at the counter. The Polaris seating is narrow and I did find getti...

Lucky me has a work trip to San Francisco and the only airline that flies in early enough for me to catch the start of the meeting is Southwest Airlines . It was a quick day trip up but SFO is undergoing runway renovations. So I was 'pleasantly' surprised when my return flight was canceled the day before I was scheduled to fly and I was rebooked to return the next morning. I was fortunate to catch the notification almost immediately since I was looking through my emails and saw the flight cancellation. I was able to get a full refund on the return leg instead of a flight voucher. I did offer to stay the night if they wanted to compensate me for the hotel but the agent didn't bite. The flight cancellation was due to runway construction at SFO and airlines were only catching on that they needed to reduce their schedule. With limited time left, I was able to find comparable flights on Delta, American and United. So I opted to fly Delta because I am clear on my 1K status ...

Had so much fun the last time that I had to return in six months with some friends in tow. Flew on Southwest Airlines because it is one of the few direct flight carriers. After the short flight, I booked a last minute taxi shuttle on TripAdvisor and it worked out well enough. Airport Baja Transfers is a simple yet effective name for the service. You can probably get a shuttle for less but I liked that we went straight away to Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos Golf & Spa and didn't have to worry about carrying currency. My friends were able to check in earlier and the room was ready upon my arrival. For our second trip in the same year, I reserved the two bedroom which is really a studio and a one bedroom room connected by a hallway. The studios are normally two beds and you can easily fit a group of six. The one bedroom has 1.5 bathrooms. Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos One Bedroom Living Room Grand Fiesta Americana Los Cabos Balcony View For this trip, we opted ...

Another dog staycation and this time in the city of Ontario. I visited family and friends along the way to Ontario and was able to check into the Sheraton Ontario Airport . I didn't make too many pit stops this time around, just a quick park stop for a poop and pee for both dogs. I wanted to scope the hotel out before visiting my friend further into the IE. This was the only hotel that does not have a pet fee and allows two pets with no weight maximum. I was given a junior suite on the pet friendly floor. Originally, I had hoped my friend and her family would visit me at the hotel and they could enjoy the pool but ailments got in the way. Instead, I enjoyed a quick visit to the lounge and had some hot food before heading out. Upon my return, I settled in with the dogs and tried to get them comfortable. The room was not as large as the Four Points but it had a little extended hallway that had a sofa pull out so it was a good staging area for the pups. The bathroom was very big be...

Opted to do a staycation overnight trip with the four legged children. Drove out to Rancho Cucamonga and stayed at the Four Points Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga . After checking around the Inland Empire and Orange County hotels, I found that the Four Points had the right combination of room rate and reasonable pet fee that would allow for large dogs. Given that I have small adult weight dogs, it isn't as easy to find hotels willing to allow two large dogs. I did call the hotel after making the reservation to confirm their pet policy and what I would have to do to note that. Unlike Hilton, the Marriott portal doesn't allow you to check "additional requests" including pets. I did make it as an "other" comment. When I checked into the hotel, the desk agent did not seem to know that it was noted and I had to reconfirm. So it seems I could have walked in and they would not have been the wiser regarding the pet fee. Depending on your viewpoint, the room assigned was...

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...