Category Archives: Hotels + Points

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Music to My Ears, But Not in a Hotel Lobby

I spend quite a bit of time in hotel lobbies. Yes, sometimes in them and sometimes just walking through them. This past week I saw something strange in a hotel lobby and I can’t decide how I feel about it. I’m curious what you think. I was staying at a Hyatt Place, which I’d describe as a nicer than average Hyatt Place. In the evening from my room I could hear cello music. It was between 8 and 9 PM. Then the next night I was in the rear lobby area eating a dinner salad and I heard cello music. As I walked past the front desk, there in the main entry way where there are a few seats and a table, was the cello player. He had some kind of recorded music apparatus playing a classical music song and he was practicing his cello part. This just struck me as so odd.

a person playing a cello

Image source: http://www.crystalgraphics.com/powerpictures/images.photos.asp?ss=cello

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Shelli’s World Coffee Tour – Vietnamese Coffee in Vietnam

I guess it’s time for a true confession. I’m a coffee snob. And when I travel, I have a passion for supporting local roasters and coffee houses. Let’s just say I’ve BEAN Around the World and I’m feeling like now is the time to start sharing the love… and caffeine, one city at a time. Recently, I had a wonderful holiday in Saigon, Vietnam. And though it was hard to tear myself away from the incredible coconut meat and coconut water, I did explore the coffee houses, and I’m glad I did. I drank plenty of coffee, talked with baristas, and I’ve got lots to share with you. Let’s open the TWG cafe society doors and talk coffee, Vietnamese style.

When I travel, I only review and like to support coffee houses that roast their own beans or use locally roasted beans. But before I talk about the one-off coffee house scene in Saigon, I have a very special post for you today. I have Vietnamese friends living in Saigon, and as it turns out, one of them, Huy, had a coffee shop. He and a friend owned and ran it for a few years before moving on to careers in tech. He’s an amazing resource of all things coffee in Vietnam. Huy and his wife Nguyen came to where I was staying and made us Vietnamese coffee! He brought his own equipment and coffee, and it was a ton of highly caffeinated fun. I want to share with you what he taught me because I’ve never been successful when making Vietnamese coffee at home. It’s complicated and requires patience. If you’ve ever tried or want to try making it, here’s the full scoop from a master!

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Huy and his wife, Nguyen.

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Hyatt Carmel Highlands Timeshare Vacation Package ($299 for 4 Days / 3 Nights + 10,000 Hyatt Points)

Updated 3:45pm PT on 5/1/2018: I booked the timeshare vacation package and paid the $200 down payment.  Scroll to the bottom of the post to see more details.

Good afternoon everyone, I seem to be the king of getting timeshare vacation package offers (Westin and Wyndham).  I just got this offer from Hyatt for 4 days / 3 nights at the Hyatt Residence Club Carmel Highlands Inn.  I love Carmel and Monterey Bay, so this offer grabbed my attention instantly.  The cost is only $299 and includes 10,000 Hyatt points (worth ~$150 to me), so this offer seems like a no brainer.  There is no unique offer code, so anyone can call in and get this offer.  You must purchase by May 15 (2 weeks from now), but you have 12 months to complete your stay.  You must also attend a 90-120 minute timeshare presentation, but don’t let that discourage you.  Timeshare presentations are simple, just don’t buy anything.

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PSA: American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card Now Has No Foreign Transaction Fees!

It’s obvious that we would rather have credit cards with NO foreign transaction fees, right? After all, we travel a lot and don’t want to spend more than we have to, especially when it comes to pesky fees. Over the last few years we’ve seen more and more banks and credit card issuers either change their cards with these fees to no fee cards, or from the start offer us cards with no foreign transaction fees. I got this reminder email recently and in case you’ve forgotten, the no annual fee American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card now has NO foreign transaction fees! Have you started using it more overseas since they dropped the fees?  If you want to apply for the American Express Hilton Honors Credit Card, please use my referral link.  Thank you!

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American Express Hilton Aspire $250 Airline Fee Credits Post Quickly

Good morning everyone.  A few weeks ago, I received my American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Credit Card and I have been busy meeting the $4,000 minimum spend requirement and taking advantage of all the card benefits.  This credit card includes a $250 airline fee credit very similar to the American Express Platinum Charge Cards.  You select your airline of choice, make qualifying purchases, and get reimbursed up to $250 every calendar year.  I decided to test this out and see how quickly the airline fee credits post.  Result: these airline fee credits post incredibly quickly!  Scroll down to learn more about the $250 airline fee credit.

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