Category Archives: Hotels + Points

a flag flying in the air

Crete Trip Report Part 1: Radisson Blu Beach Resort & Nearby Milatos Fishing Village

Posted on by . 16 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you had a great weekend.  After a short stay in Athens (post 1 and post 2), we had the pleasure of visiting Crete.  It is the largest of Greece’s islands, but doesn’t get as much love (or tourists) as Santorini or Mykonos.  I didn’t know anything about Crete, but I knew I wanted to visit.  I looked up chain hotels on Crete and only found the Radisson Blu Beach Resort in Milatos, Crete.  I booked 3 nights using a bunch of Radisson Rewards Points.  The property is an all-inclusive, but there are different tiers of “all-inclusiveness.”  As a Radisson Rewards Gold Elite Member (thanks to having a few US Bank Radisson Rewards credit cards), we received complimentary breakfast every day.

Even though the beach resort is beautiful, with a nice beach cove and several crystal clear hotel pools, there is a great little fishing village just around the corner.  Laura and I walked over to the fishing village twice during our stay.  There are several restaurants and a small market in town.  We had a delicious lunch, grabbed some snacks at the local market, had a fish dinner (during our second visit) and walked back to our hotel.  In this post, I will show you the beautiful Radisson Blu Beach Resort and share some photos from the small fishing village. In tomorrow’s post, I will share some photos of my amazing ATV tour around Crete… stay tuned!

a beach with chairs and umbrellas

Image source: https://www.radissonblu.com/en/resort-milatos

Continue reading →

a woman with blonde hair and a green shirt

Did I Upgrade My Chase Marriott, Hyatt & IHG Credit Cards?

Posted on by . 6 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday.  Lately, there has been a lot of news about new Chase credit cards and upgrade options for 3 Chase hotel credit cards.  I have all 3 Chase hotel credit cards (Marriott, Hyatt and IHG) so I had to decide if I wanted to upgrade any, all or none of my credit cards.  The old and new credit cards are good for some people, but everyone’s situation is different.  I will share my thought process about keeping or upgrading each credit card.  Since everyone travels differently, you may agree or disagree with my decisions.

Before I share my decisions, here is where I stand on hotel loyalty programs.  I am very loyal to chain hotels and would rather stay at a chain hotel than an independent hotel or Airbnb.  But I do not have loyalty to a specific hotel loyalty program.  I consider myself a free agent and do not care about hotel elite status unless it is given to me free for having the credit card.  Lastly, I spend 1-2 nights a year at Marriott, 4-8 nights a year at Hyatt, and 5-7 nights a year at IHG (I divvy the rest of my hotel stays between Hilton, SPG, and Radisson Rewards).  I use points and free night certificates for the stays as much as possible, unless the cash rate is cheap.  Without further ado, let’s get started.

Upgrade Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card to Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card?

Continue reading →

a close-up of some currency

Common Travel Scams & How to Avoid Them

Posted on by . 10 Replies

There are travel scams and then there are travel scams. You don’t need to fall victim to any of them. Here are some scams you’ll face and how to avoid them.

As experienced travelers we think we’re savvy when it comes to travel scams and how to avoid them. However, since the busy travel season is upon us, reviewing the most common scams and how best to avoid them can’t hurt, right? After all, these scams happen to the best of us.

Knowledge is power, so here are some of the most common scams you’re likely to deal with. The more you know about these scams, the less likely you’ll fall for them. Continue reading →

a black letter with a star and text

Don’t Leave These SPG Bonus Points on the Table–Register Now!

Posted on by . Leave a reply

What’s the best kind of bonus point? The ones that are free, of course. Free bonus points for what we’ll do or what we’d spend, anyway, are the best kind. Don’t forget to register for this SPG bonus Starpoints offer! It runs through July 20, and two of my favorite Sheraton properties are included. The Sheraton in Krakow is a beautiful property in a great location. And you all know how I feel about the Sheraton Lisboa after my fun trip to Portugal last year. So register for this promotion because generally speaking, if Starpoints are out there, it’s good to make sure they end up in our accounts!

a screenshot of a email

a blue and red credit card

When Does the AMEX Hilton Aspire Free Weekend Night Certificate Post to Your Account?

Posted on by . 17 Replies

Good morning everyone.  A few months ago, I was approved for the American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card (referral link).  As part of sign up bonus, you get 100,000 Hilton Honors Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months, you get Hilton Diamond Elite Status as long as you have the credit card, $250 airline fee credit every calendar year, and a Free Weekend Night Certificate every cardmember anniversary (good for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night stay at qualifying Hilton properties).

A few days ago, I received the following email from Hilton with the subject line of “Your Rewards has arrived!” with details of my Free Weekend Night Certificate.  In today’s post, I will share how long it takes to get the Free Weekend Night Certificate and where you can see the code.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →