NSP – Page 8

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 7 – Waldorf Astoria, The Caledonian

February 21, 2015

Previous Trip Notes
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 1: UA950 Business Class: IAD > BRU
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 2: 5 Hours in Brussels
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 3: Sheraton Grand & Edinburgh
A Weekend Jaunt: Part 4 – St. Andrews, Old Course
A Weekend Jaunt: Part 5 – The Fairmont, St. Andrews
A Weekend Jaunt: Part 6 – The Castle Course
A Weekend Jaunt: Part 7 – Waldorf Astoria, The Caledonian

Our journey back to Edinburgh was uneventful. I survived driving on the other side of the road for the second time in six months. We dropped off the rental car and checked into the Waldorf Astoria, a 50,000 Hilton points/night hotel. The building was gorgeous, and very classical in nature:

Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

The Citi Hilton Reserve card comes with automatic Hilton Gold status. While gold status gives free breakfast at Hilton hotels, that benefit does not extend to Waldorf Astoria brand hotels. Instead, we were granted an upgraded Castle-View room, free water, welcome drinks at the Caley Bar, hi-speed internet, and a choice between bonus points or movies.

Letter outlining Gold benefits

The room was also very nice, set in similar style. And the castle-view was phenomenal:

Castle View from our Room

Double Room

Very Large Bathroom

Salvatore Ferragamo Amenities

We walked around the city, grabbed a bite to eat at a local pub, and then called it a night. We were catching a morning flight to head back to the States.

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A Weekend Jaunt: Part 6 – The Castle Course

February 17, 2015

We woke up – this time when we were supposed to – checked out of the hotel and headed the half a mile to The Castle Course. When booking the Old Course, it was mandatory to book two different courses, and this was the course they selected for us to play. When researching the course in advance, reviews spoke about how beautiful the course was, but also how tough it was. The fairways were about as narrow as I’ve ever played, and the rough – forget about it. Knee-high grass was the standard outside the fairway.

The views were down-right stunning – atop a cliff along the sea. St. Andrews often popping up on the horizon:

Overall it was a great day. Mid-to-high 40’s, nothing but sun. Gorgeous views. Some good golf…some not so good. One thing to mention: If you are playing any of the St. Andrews golf courses, hire a caddy. Not only do they know the courses well, but it makes an already enjoyable experience so much more…enjoyable…and an experience.

Afterwards we headed into the city center, grabbed a burger and beer at a local pub, walked around the city a bit, and then headed by to our car to drive back down to Edinburgh.

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A Weekend Jaunt: Part 5 – The Fairmont, St. Andrews

February 16, 2015

Given our rushed entry into St. Andrews, there was little time to appreciate the scenery. Pulling out of St. Andrews, it sunk in. This country is so beautiful. You are situated on the beach of the North Sea, with gorgeous architecture, and despite being April, had fantastic weather.

We pulled up to the Fairmont, a gorgeous looking hotel:

The Fairmont St. Andrews

The lobby and atrium did not disappoint:

Fairmont Atrium

While I had thrown around the idea of applying for the Chase Fairmont Visa card to receive two free nights, I was worried about the time it would take for the free nights to be loaded to my account, so I decided to use the Barclay’s Arrival Card – which when you sign up is valid for $400 in free travel reimbursements. One night here cost about $200; however, the $400 travel reimbursement from the sign-up bonus netted this out to be free. Along with the breakfast…

Breakfast Tables in the Atrium

Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast Buffet

Breakfast Buffet

The room was nice as well:

Fairmont Twin Room

Nespresso Machine!

Fairmont Twin Room Bathroom

Fairmont Twin Room Shower

Fairmont Bath Tub

Fairmont Twin Room

We went to dinner at The Clubhouse, a cliff-top restaurant about a 1/4 mile from the hotel (they provide free shuttle service). The meal was great.

The Clubhouse Restaurant – Fairmont St. Andrews

It was a stressful, chaotic and awesome day. We retired early, made sure to set alarms and ask for a wake-up call, and hit the beds early to wake up and take on the Castle Course.

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My Path to Hyatt Diamond Status

February 8, 2015

In the middle of May, NSPwife and I received an email from our landlord kindly letting us know that her son would be moving back into the home we were renting, and we would have 60 days to find a new place to live. We had somewhat been expecting the email, albeit we were told it would most likely come in December, rather than seven months earlier. In short, we knew we wanted to buy a house somewhere in Baltimore, but hadn’t agreed on a neighborhood.

We quickly went into planning mode: These neighborhoods. This price range. The non-negotiables. Oh – and if we can’t find a place in 30 days we would need a back-up plan. Thus enter Operation Diamond: Pay less money than what we were paying in rent, earn top tier status with Hyatt, and make life as easy as possible during the transition.

See, what further complicated this ordeal was the fact that my company was opening a new $450 million project during this time. Work hours ranged from 16-20 hour days, and were typically 6.5-7 day work weeks. It wasn’t a fun time.

Luckily – and also due to making appointments to see every single house in the greater downtown Baltimore area, we secured a house; however, it would take about 2.5 weeks of “homelessness” in between needing to move out of our rental house and closing/moving into our new home.

Plan: The Hyatt Regency in Baltimore. Thanks to my Citi Hilton Reserve Card, I was a Hilton Gold member. This $95/year annual fee immediately paid dividends when NSPwife and I stayed at the Conrad Koh Samui – where Gold Status allowed us free breakfast at one of the nicest hotels in the world – with the nicest breakfast buffet spreads that I have ever experienced.

It also provided us with 2 nights in any hotel in the world.

Now – it allowed me to use that status for a Hyatt “Diamond Challenge.” Typically, Hyatt Challenges are only valid to their Platinum Level – however, if you show status with another hotel and are already a Platinum member, you are eligible for Diamond status.

Of course, I really hope you are already Platinum status, as it comes automatically with the Chase Hyatt Visa – one of the most luxurious sign-up bonuses of any credit card, that offers two nights at any Hyatt hotel in the world.

So there you go. I had a Hyatt Visa card, and thus Hyatt Platinum status. I had a Citi Reserve card, and thus Hilton Gold status. So when I emailed Hyatt and asked for the Diamond challenge, I received an email stating I needed 12 nights and I would become a Diamond member. I was also given lounge access during my trial.

I wound up staying 13 nights, enjoyed free breakfast and coffee/lattes every morning and Hyatt Diamond status. Now, time to take advantage of those suite upgrade nights…

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A Weekend Jaunt: Part 4 – St. Andrews, Old Course

January 24, 2015

We went to bed around 10pm the night before – which was easy given the jet-lag. We didn’t set an alarm or ask for a wake-up call, as even if we slept for a crazy 10-hours, we would have been up by 8am – and we didn’t need to pick up our rental car until 11am. Well, as I stirred in the morning, and saw some sunlight peeking in through the drawn shades, I looked at the clock: 11:30. That’s strange. 11:30pm and it’s light out? I turned on the TV…the news stated 11:30. In. The. Morning. Oh no.

Noah: Dad, get up. It’s 11:30am.
Dad: Wait. What?
Noah: It’s 11:30am. We are late. We have to go.
Dad: Ummm. It’s 11:30am?
Noah: I’m jumping in the shower. Can you pack up? I’ll go get the rental car.

I jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes, and took off to the lobby. I grabbed a taxi to Avis. And then I waited. There was one backpacking couple in front of me. And it took them, forever. It was so painful. I stood there, just waiting. Finally, it was my turn.

Agent: Sir, I’m sorry but your confirmed automatic car is not available. We only have manual cars.
Noah: I confirmed an automatic. I even confirmed a smaller car to ensure that I had an automatic.
Agent: I’m sorry. We only have manual cars.
Noah: Do you have any single car, in any class, that is automatic? I have to drive 2 hours, and I’m already nervous about driving on the left side of the road.
Agent: No, I’m sorry, I only have manual cars.

5 minutes later I tried to enter the car on the front-left side of the car…damnit! Wrong side. I ran around to get in the right side. I couldn’t find the parking break. I ran back in. The agent came out and showed me the fancy-shmancy button in the car. Ok great. I can’t reach the pedals. I ran back in. The agent came out and showed me the double-secret lever to move the seat.

I’m on my way. I’m at the Sheraton. The concierge sees me pull up and gets a hyper-excited look…”sir, you dropped your passport. I was hoping you would come back.” What a morning.

I rented a GPS unit with the car, even though all accounts were that this would be an easy drive. Roughly 1.5-2 hours. So we hit the road. 90 minutes. We’ll be at St. Andrews by 1:30pm, for a 2:20pm tee-time. Easy! But it’s Easter Weekend. In every place I’ve every lived, that means less traffic. In Scotland, where Easter Weekend is equivalent to St. Patrick’s Day in the US, that means trouble.

The GPS unit would slowly change it’s estimated time of arrival as traffic slowed us down. 13:32 arrival time. 13:34 arrival time. 13:40 arrival time. Oh, this wasn’t good. We managed to get over the bridge. Traffic began to flow. All was good. Stop. 13:44 arrival time. 1:48 arrival time. Roundabouts. Nothing but roundabouts. 13:50 arrival time. Still 30 minutes to practice – all was good. We hit the highway, and I started to fly. 13:49 arrival time. 13:48 arrival time. We were GOLDEN. Exit. Roundabout. 13:50 arrival time. Traffic. 13:55 arrival time. 14:00pm arrival time. Oh god, the GPS is telling us to go right – the sign is telling us to go left. We made the wrong choice. 14:05 arrival time. 14:15 arrival time. We are now officially IN TROUBLE. We hit a 2-lane road. Ridiculous curves. There are goats. We are going as fast as the car can take us, hitting 90 MPH….on literally two lane roads that have close to hair-pin turns. We can feel it – we are going to make it a few minutes early. St. Andrews traffic. Shit. 14:16 arrival time. Traffic. It’s 14:18 when we pull in the parking lot. We grab our bags. And run. We make it in to the clubhouse at 14:21. We are late. You don’t get to tee off if you are late, at St. Andrews, at the Old Course.

OK. So we are screwed. I’ve already let it register in my mind. I’ve been planning this trip for months and months. Getting a tee-time is ridiculously tough. Getting business class tickets and great hotels surrounding the tee-time is even harder. A once in a lifetime opportunity…squandered on the longest sleep of my life. How impossible. We talk to the clubhouse manager. He tells us we are probably out of luck, but to head to the starter and see if there’s any way he can help us out.

We take a cart-ride down. We talk to the starter. He found us a couple from Sweden who would let us play with them at 15:30. OMG. This is going to happen. What? You need our handicap cards? OK, no problem. What is that, you need a decent handicap to play? No problem – A golf-pro friend of mine thought my handicap was a 23, so that’s what I am 🙂

We were about to tee-off…

About to tee-off…

We hired caddies, because, of course. Not the best lay for NSPdad:

St. Andrews Bunker

This place is crazy. I’m shooting a 49 after nine holes. Nothing could have prepared me for links golf. So different. I can’t even explain the sights:

And in April – when weather should be chilly with rain, it’s in the 50’s with nothing but sun. What an experience.

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Travel

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 3 – Sheraton Grand & Edinburgh

January 16, 2015

Previous Trip Notes
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 1: UA950 Business Class: IAD > BRU
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 2: 5 Hours in Brussels
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 3: Sheraton Grand & Edinburgh

I was excited to experience the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh. Many reviews online state that this is the nicest Sheraton in the brand.

Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh

The entrance and lobby was nice, but nothing extraordinary. Being an SPG Gold Member (courtesy of my SPG AMEX Credit Card), they offered an upgrade to a Castle View Room. The room was nice, but again, nothing extraordinary:

Sheraton Grand Edinburgh, Castle View Room

Sheraton Grand Edinburgh, Castle View Room – Bathroom

It was approaching the evening, and we wanted to explore the city. Edinburgh is a great walking-city, despite the large-scale grades. But we strapped up our shoes and hit the streets:

Edinburgh Castle – Only a short walk from the Sheraton

Edinburgh Castle

The city was beautiful:

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

Edinburgh Sightseeing

We grabbed dinner at Wildfire, a restaurant located on the pedestrian road, Rose Street – one block off of Prince Street. It was a very good meal – highly recommended. At this point we were exhausted, and headed back to the hotel. We arrived around 9pm, and were passed out by 10pm. Given that my dad sleeps about 6 hours a night, and I wake up habitually at 7:30am, we didn’t feel like we needed to set an alarm – we were picking up our car at 11am the following morning. So even if we slept in, we would be up by 9am, right?

Overall, a very nice – albeit short – stay in Edinburgh.

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A Weekend Jaunt: Part 2 – Brussels & BRU > EDI

December 15, 2014

Previous Trip Notes
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 1: UA950 Business Class: IAD > BRU
A Weekend Jaunt – Part 2: 5 Hours in Brussels

With a five-hour layover, we headed to the Brussels Airlines lounge to see if they had a shower. While they did not, they did partner with the neighboring “Diamond Lounge” to provide shower services. The Diamond Lounge is part of the Priority Pass Lounge Network (granted access by having an American Express Platinum Card) and was quite nice. I was impressed by the shower facilities:

Shower in the Diamond Lounge

Shower in the Diamond Lounge

Shower in the Diamond Lounge

The food spread wasn’t bad in the Diamond Lounge either:

Diamond Lounge at Brussels Airport

Diamond Lounge at Brussels Airport

Diamond Lounge at Brussels Airport

After the quick shower, I headed back to the Brussels Airlines lounge for some breakfast and espresso. While nice, there was nothing spectacular about the lounge:

Brussels Airlines Lounge

Brussels Airlines Lounge Food

Brussels Airlines Lounge Drinks

Brussels Airlines Lounge Drinks

Brussels Airlines Lounge Breakfast

Brussels Airlines Lounge Espresso

At this point I opened my Samsung Galaxy Tab, opened the St. Andrews Links Guestbook – an online guestbook that St. Andrews Links sends to soon-to-be-golfers, and told my dad where we were going. While excited, he was also tired – and wanted to know how long it would be until the next flight.

Five hours.

And by design.

I love stopovers. Stopovers have allowed me to enjoy chili crab & 50-story infiniti pools and climb the Great Wall.

Five hours in Brussels would allow us to store our luggage in the airport lockers, jump on a twenty-minute train ride, and head to the Grand Place. The architecture was gorgeous:

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

The Grand Place, Brussels

Of course, we had to try a Belgium Waffle (with ice cream):

Belgium Waffle, in Belgium

We then headed back to the airport, picked up our luggage, and then headed straight for our gate. We had business class tickets between Brussels and Edinburgh. I hadn’t done a lot of research on Brussels Airlines Business Class. Had I, I would have learned that the difference between Business Class and Economy was a sign on the back of our seats (in Row 1) that said: “Business Class in Front of this Row.” Really. No difference in seats. What business class did offer, though, was a newspaper upon take-off, and a meal:

Brussels Airlines Business Class Meal

It’s a one-hour-forty-minute flight, so really nothing to complain about. I enjoyed the few complimentary beers, food and ability to get off the plane first.

Once we landed we grabbed our luggage, including my golf clubs, caught a cab, and headed to the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa in Edinburgh.

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A Weekend Jaunt, Part 1: IAD > BRU

December 14, 2014

Part 1: UA950 Business Class: IAD > BRU

NSPdad and I arrived at Dulles Airport about two and a half hours early. I figured I could catch up on some last-minute work in the United Lounge, but it was quickly apparent that despite Business Class and Priority Lanes, Dulles was ill-equipped to handle the 1,000s of middle-school and high-school spring-breakers. Lines were long and moving slow. The TSA Agents had run out of patience with kids keeping their phones and wallets in their pockets and providing lectures instead of just getting them through the full-body scanners. We got through security about an hour and a half later…longest domestic security line I’ve been in for years. Had we not had priority lane access, it would have easily been over two hours.

We made it to the United Lounge and took advantage of the fifteen minutes we had in there.

United Lounge in IAD

While domestic lounges typically just provide a nice break from the chaotic action on an airport, we grabbed some snacks, cheese, crackers and Bud Light:

United Lounge at IAD: Limited Snack Buffet

United Lounge at IAD: My Go-To Coffee Machine

We then headed to our gate to board the plane. A few items of note: NSPdad did not know where our final destination was, and while being a Delta Medallion Gold member for the past few years who has received free domestic first class upgrades, NSPdad had never flown internationally in business or first class. This was also my first international flight on a domestic airline. After United’s mileage devaluation a couple months ago, flying on UA Metal (a flight operated by United) is much cheaper than flying on a partner airline (for example Lufthansa, Air China, Brussels Airlines, etc…). So in order to save almost 25,000 miles, I decided to book the United flight. I was quickly reminded by the difference between US flight service and foreign carrier service when multiple flight attendants barely smiled let alone welcomed us on-board. While food, hard-product (comfort) and flight times are about the same for all carriers, there is a vast disparity in service which wholly changes the flight experience.

Of course, we started with a Champagne toast before take-off:

A Trip Starting Toast!

After takeoff (at about 6pm), I immediately went to the bathroom and changed into my favorite pajamas which had been provided by Cathay Pacific on the flight of my lifetime, as I figured I’d be ready for bed after a couple glasses of wine and dinner. We were promptly served:

Seafood Starter & Salad

NSPdad opted for the Pasta

I of course went for the Steak

After Dinner Cheese Platter

The Best Dessert One Can Have at 30,000 Feet: Ice Cream Sundae

I then put down the lie-flat beds, which were very comfortable; put on the eye-mask, which wasn’t comfortable at all, and went to sleep.

Standard Amenity Kit

I tossed and turned a bit, but probably got around four hours of solid sleep before I was awakened by an announcement that we were landing in 15 minutes. I was glad that I wasn’t woken up for breakfast/coffee, but somewhat surprised. I quickly changed out of my pajamas, and returned to my seat no more than ten minutes before the wheels hit the ground!

All-in-all it was exactly what I had expected: Good product, mediocre service, and a relatively quick flight to Europe. Business Class is always nice, but if it had been a day trip and I didn’t require sleep, I’m not sure it would be worth the additional 20K+ miles.

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Luxury Airline Travel / Miles & Points / Travel

Small Business Saturday Take!

December 7, 2014

For the past five years, AMEX has run a promotion called “Small Business Saturday” two days after Thanksgiving. For every AMEX credit card you have, you can receive up to $30 in free spend. You had to register your cards and then find any local business around you via AMEX’s Small Business Saturday map.

For every $10 you spend, you receive a $10 statement credit – up to $30, per AMEX card. Have a spouse with an authorized user card? Those are eligible too! The easiest thing to do is purchase $10 gift cards. NSPwife and I racked up 100’s of dollars in “free” gift cards at our local wine shop:

Stack of Free $10 Gift Cards + Receipts

Thanks AMEX!

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Cash Back / Credit Cards / Miles & Points

40% Off Uber

November 6, 2014

I love Uber. If you live in a city that has Uber, you understand what I’m talking about. Quick access to “cabs” – often providing water or other amenities. No fumbling for credit cards or cash when you get out. Just an easy pick-up, ride and drop-off. So, what can make Uber better? AMEX Sync’s current promo: $10 off $25 Uber purchases…including…gift cards! Purchase $25 gift cards directly from Uber.com and pay $15.

How do you use AMEX Sync deals? Simply Link your AMEX Card to a Twitter account here.

You might be wondering, what’s the big deal on $10? Well…how about using every one of your AMEX cards? What’s that, you only have 3? How many authorized users do you have? Do you have a Serve card? Load up with all of these accounts, and you just might be riding for 40% off for the next couple of months.

Never used Uber? Sign up here and we will each earn $30 in free rides.

Not a bad deal!

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Newer Posts Older Posts

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 7 – Waldorf Astoria, The Caledonian

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 6 – The Castle Course

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 5 – The Fairmont, St. Andrews

My Path to Hyatt Diamond Status

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 4 – St. Andrews, Old Course

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 3 – Sheraton Grand & Edinburgh

A Weekend Jaunt: Part 2 – Brussels & BRU > EDI

A Weekend Jaunt, Part 1: IAD > BRU

Small Business Saturday Take!

40% Off Uber

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