Tag Archives: London

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13 Free Things to See / Do in London

Yesterday, Grant wrote about owning a piece of London’s Heathrow Airport, so I thought it would be fun to write a post about London too.  As much as we like to accrue miles and points from putting spend on our credit cards, it’s still great to enjoy free things when you travel. London is one of my favorite cities. And as I found out, there’s a lot to enjoy that’s easy on the travel budget.

1. Tate Modern. I’ve discovered that while many museums around the world charge an entry fee, they also provide some exhibitions that are free. The Tate Modern is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the world. And it’s important to note that most of the exhibitions are free.

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Tate Modern. Image source: http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

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Own a Piece of London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 1

(Hat tip to my friend, David, for sending me the link)

Good afternoon everyone.  It is not everyday that you have the chance to own history (or at least a small piece of airport equipment), but today you can!  Heathrow Airport is remodelling Terminal 1, so they are removing all items and equipment.  There are several hundred items that will go up for auction soon, so if you are interested, click here to view the catalog.

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Trip Report: Holiday Inn Express Heathrow T5

After spending a few days at the London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale (trip report), we spent our last night in the UK at the Holiday Inn Express London – Heathrow T5, mostly to avoid an additional night of central London hotel prices.

Lobby of the Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T5. Photo from ihg.com

Lobby of the Holiday Inn Express London Heathrow T5. Photo from ihg.com

Location: This hotel is located in Slough, a town just west of Heathrow Airport. It was a bit of a trek from our hotel in London – we had to take the Underground to Paddington Station, then paid £9.20 each to go one stop to Slough on a Great Western Railway train, then took a double decker bus about 20 minutes from the Slough railway station to this hotel. It’s located just off the M5 highway next to a water reservoir (not exactly an exciting location), and about 5 miles from the western edge of Heathrow airport.

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Trip Report: London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale

After leaving Paris (read Trip Report: Holiday Inn Gare de l’Est, Paris and Trip Report: Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile), we headed to London as our next stop on our big winter trip.  We spent 3 nights at the London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale, a Category 7 hotel which I booked using 105,000 Marriott Rewards points (I transferred 35,000 points from my Starwood Preferred Guest account).

London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale. Photo from marriott.com

London Marriott Hotel Maida Vale. Photo from marriott.com

Location: The hotel is located in Northwest London, a short walk from the Kilburn Park Underground and Kilburn High Road Overground stations and about a 20-30 minute trip to central London via bus or train. It’s not far from Regents Park, the London Zoo, and Paddington Station. Continue reading

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Planes, Trains, and More Planes: Hacking Our Way to Europe for the Holidays

Buenos dias everyone!

My partner and I just embarked on a bit of a ridiculous trip for the holidays. This trip started out from a mistake rate for a club room at the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile – I booked 3 nights at a rate of 3,000 points + €18; normally a standard room award goes for 15,000 points, and the club upgrade is 3,000 points in addition to the standard room rate. About a month ago, well after the hotel decided to honor the reservations, we decided we actually wanted to go – neither of us have ever been to Paris before.

View from the Hyatt Paris Etoile. Photo from hyatt.com

View from the Hyatt Paris Etoile. Photo from hyatt.com.

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