Tag Archives: Travel

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Buy Points Promos: Up to 50% Bonus on JetBlue Points & 30% Discount on Southwest Airlines Points

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Good evening everyone, I hope your week is off to a great start.  Earlier today, I got an email from JetBlue and Southwest Airlines reminding me that each loyalty program has a buy points promo that is ending soon (8/8 for JetBlue and 8/13 for Southwest Airlines).  I don’t recommending buying miles and points unless you have an immediate use for the miles and points.  Always check the match before pulling the trigger, but if you need to buy miles or points for an award redemption, I recommend buying them when they are on sale.

Depending on the number of JetBlue points you purchase, you can get a 20-50% bonus.  This promo ends on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, so you have a few more days to decide if you need more JetBlue points.

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Curtis DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown Denver: Themed Floors & Great Breakfast

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Good afternoon everyone.  A few days ago, I shared my post: Westin Denver Airport: Gate to Hotel Room in 25 Minutes (or Less).  After spending 1 night at the Westin, we went to the Curtis DoubleTree hotel in Downtown Denver.  This hotel was called the Curtis before DoubleTree / Hilton acquired the property, but kept the original name.  The hotel is next to the Performing Arts Center, Opera House, and Concert Hall and 2 blocks from the 16th Street Mall.

The hotel costs 50,000 Hilton Points or $150-$250 / night.  I had 2 free weekend night certificates from when my 2 Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Credit Cards converted into 2 American Express Hilton Ascend Credit Cards, so I booked Thursday night on points, and Friday and Saturday night using the free weekend night certificates.  Since I have the American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card, I am a Hilton Diamond Elite Member and got 2 free breakfast vouchers for every day during my stay.  There are several Hilton properties around Denver, but I liked this hotel because of the various themed rooms / floors in the hotel.  I like when a hotel has unique character, similar to my Amazing Stay at DoubleTree Arctic Club Hotel in Seattle (Historic Building Built in 1917).  I hope you like my review of the hotel and plan a visit to the Curtis DoubleTree hotel.

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Image source: https://www.thecurtis.com/the-hotel/

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A Curious Question for Taxi Drivers

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If I were a taxi driver, there’s one question I would ask every passenger who got into my taxi: “Why aren’t you using Uber or Lyft?” This may seem like an odd question, but hear me out.  I rarely use Uber or Lyft. When I travel, I walk or use mass transit as much as I can. As you might recall, I do have a taxi service I use to get to the airport, and only on rare occasions have I had anything but good experiences with this service. They charge me a flat fee that’s as good as or better than Uber/Lyft. Continue reading →

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Westin Denver Airport Review: Go from Gate to Hotel Room in 25 Minutes (or Less)

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Good morning everyone, happy Friday.  Last week, my girlfriend and I had a late night flight into Denver International Airport (DEN).  Due to a slight delay, we landed after midnight.  If you’ve ever flown into DEN, you know the airport is in the middle of nowhere, with no hotels closeby.  That was true until recently when the Westin Denver Airport hotel opened.  Nightly rates were $300+, so I opted to use 12,000 SPG.  Thankfully, the hotel is attached to the main terminal, so I was able to get from the gate to our room in 25 minutes.

According to the DEN Airport website, the Westin Denver International Airport has 519 guest rooms, 35 suites, and was “designed to resemble a bird in flight—its curved roof mimicking the concave shape of Jeppesen Terminal’s white peaked roof.”  Underneath the hotel, is the RTD train that connects DEN airport to Denver’s Union Station.  The one-way trip takes 40 minutes, costs $9 per person and runs pretty frequently.  In this post, I will share how to get to the hotel from the various terminals and show photos of our room.  Enjoy!

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Image source: https://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3685

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos All-Inclusive Resort

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I had intended to review another property in Cabo, but due to the problems, I left after one day and booked my remaining 5 days at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos.

This property was great and I really had no problems during my stay. The stay cost me 20,000 Hyatt points per night, so 100,000 points total for the stay. Since this property is an all-inclusive, they usually charge more for the room depending on the number of occupants; single occupancy is the cheapest. This makes sense as they are essentially paying for the food and drink of all occupants. I was surprised that the 20,000 points per night was the same for 1 or 2 occupants, but the cash price was not. For only 7.3 million Hyatt points, you could live here for a year, all-inclusive. Well, you would have to find someone to do your laundry as that’s not included, but everything else is!

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Image source: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/mexico/hyatt-ziva-los-cabos/sjdif

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