Category Archives: Trip Reports

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My Favorite Hilton Lounge in the World is…

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Do you have a favorite hotel lounge? I don’t mean one that’s good, but rather one that takes good and turns it into GREAT. Seems to me, many lounges are fine, or even good, but in each hotel chain there are usually a few standouts.  I previously mentioned my 13 criteria for the perfect hotel lounge.

I’ve already talked about my favorite Sheraton lounge and Hyatt lounge, so what’s my favorite Hilton lounge?  There are a few Hilton lounges that I like, but the Hilton in Budapest is great and my favorite pick from the Hilton’s I’ve stayed at.  And if I’m paying cash for a hotel stay, I always use Pruvo to monitor for price drops! In general, I had a fantastic experience at this hotel and highly recommend it. (Lounge images courtesy of the Hilton Budapest staff)

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ExpressVPN lets you Browse the Internet Securely & Anonymously + Free 30 Day Trial (Desktop/Laptop/Mobile App)

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Good morning everyone, happy Presidents Day!  I am writing this post from beautiful, sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and I hope you have the day off as well to explore the world.  When I travel, staying connected is always a huge priority to me, so finding free, reliable Wifi is important.  Unfortunately, public Wifi in hotels, restaurants, and public spaces is fraught with danger.  You never know who is connected to the Wifi network and if they are intercepting your data and personal information.

Several months ago, my friend Stefan at Rapid Travel Chai recommended ExpressVPN (referral link). VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and it is a service that encrypts all of your incoming and outgoing data.  I have used ExpressVPN at home, on the road, and on my iPhone for the last 3 months and have nothing but good things to say about the service.  Here are the highlights of the service that I cut and pasted from their website:

  • Videos from anywhere – Watch the content you want from anywhere on Earth at blazing fast speeds.
  • Online privacy – Encrypt your internet traffic and hide your IP address from hackers and spies.
  • Unblock websites – Access any website or app without censorship.
  • Easy-to-use VPN service for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Routers, and Linux – Setup is easy, whether you’re using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Our user-friendly apps let you secure your connection and unblock websites in one click. Just sign up, install, and connect.
  • Ultra secure and ultra fast – Our network is SSL secured with 256-bit encryption, and we’re constantly optimizing our network to provide unlimited bandwidth and speed, so you can stream your favorite movies and TV shows in high definition. ExpressVPN runs seamlessly in the background so you can use the internet without interruptions.
  • 5-star customer support – Our world-class support team is at your service. We offer round-the-clock customer support by live chat and email. Get instant help from a knowledgeable support agent when you use our live chat feature.
  • 145+ VPN locations… and counting! – You can choose from 145 cities in 94 countries. With unlimited speeds and unlimited server switches, you can connect from anywhere in the world.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee – We’re confident that you’ll be happy with our product and services. We also want you to be confident in your purchase, which is why we have a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here are screenshots of the ExpressVPN software running on my laptop (left side shows not connected and right side shows connected to VPN):

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My Upcoming Long Presidents Day Weekend in Cabo San Lucas (+ your Restaurant & Activity Recommendations)

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Good morning everyone, I am heading down to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico tomorrow for a long Presidents Day Weekend.  A few months ago, I wrote Redeem Virgin Atlantic Miles for Virgin America Award Flights (Complete Route Network from SFO).  In that post, I showed how it was possible (at the time) to redeem Virgin Atlantic miles for travel on Virgin America (this partnership is no longer possible since Alaska Airlines is acquiring Virgin America).  Long story short, I redeemed 25,000 Virgin Atlantic miles for a round trip Virgin America flight from SFO to SJD (Cabo).  This will be my second trip to Cabo and I wrote about my first trip in these posts:

During my first visit, I stayed at the beautiful Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort and loved the property.  Here is a view from my room that overlooked the pool and beach.

Hilton Cabo View2

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Holiday Inn Buenos Aires Argentina Ezeiza Airport Hotel (20k / Night + Free 24 Hour Airport Shuttle)

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Good morning everyone and happy Valentine’s Day!  After our 2 night stay at the Aloft Bogota Colombia Airport Hotel (hotel review), we flew down to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We overnighted at the Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport Hotel before heading to Iguazu Falls, Argentina in the morning.  This hotel is only a few minutes outside the airport and they offer a complimentary 24 hour airport shuttle – you just have to request a pickup from the airport.  This is the hardest part since you have to go to the taxi dispatch kiosk inside the airport just outside the baggage claim area.  Tell them you are staying at the Holiday Inn Ezeiza Airport Hotel and they will request the hotel shuttle for you.  It took us almost an hour to figure this out, so hopefully you do not make the same mistake we do.

Holiday Inn Buenos Aires Argentina Airport Hotel Sign

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A Cheap Day in Bogota, Colombia (Monserrat, Funicular, Roasted Corn & Uber Rides)

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  Before I go on, I wanted to give a quick shoutout to all the people who attended my SF Travel Hackers weekend meetup in SF on Saturday – it was great to talk to all of you.  This post is the second trip report from my recent South American trip (part 1: Aloft Bogota Colombia Airport Hotel Review (SPG Category 1 + Free Airport Shuttle)).  In this post, I will show you how cheap things are in Bogota, Colombia.  The current exchange rate as of February 13 is 1 US Dollar = 2,878 Colombian Pesos (You can round up to 3,000 to make the math simpler in your head).

1 USD to Colombian Peso

During our time in Bogota, we took 2 Uber rides.  The first ride was from the Aloft Bogota Hotel to Montserrat (one of the highest peaks in the city with a great view of the city) and the second from somewhere in town back to our hotel.  The first Uber ride was 12,300 Colombian Pesos (~$4.27 for a 35 minute Uber ride) and second Uber ride was 11,000 Colombian Pesos (~$3.82 for a 19 minute ride).

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