I like a soft landing after landing in a new country. What’s softer than the pillows at a Ritz? After being lazy in the Iberia domestic lounge (see En Route: Iberia’s Domestic Lounge Madrid) and a flight I do not recall to Tenerife South (see Iberia Business: Madrid to Tenerife), I arrived at the Ritz Carlton Tenerife, eager to get this Still The Best Trip rolling.
Cuidado! When the front desk told me I could have a welcome drink at the main bar, she only said it could be an alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink. I thought that I could pick any drink from the menu. For a 15-euro caipirinha, I realized I was wrong. The welcome drink is a premix of OJ and something.
My welcome drinkTheir welcome drink
Michelin Sushi
My friend recommended trying the Michelin-starred sushi restaurant. He said it rivaled Japan. Since it was the beginning of my trip and since I didn’t come to the Canary Islands to eat sushi, I passed.
Room
I had a junior suite. Junior is an understatement. It was huge.
Patio(s)
There were two different entrances for the main patio.
There was a private entrance for the patio off the master.
An espresso and a balcony, what more do I need?
Bathroom
The shower was not a rain shower. It was retrofitted to be acceptable.
Shower mehSoaps great
Breakfast
Following my welcome drink mishap, I called ahead to see if breakfast was included. It was. It was wise to ask because there was nothing impressive about the breakfast. The eggs were good but the spread was minimal.
Beach
Living in Puerto Rico, I am spoiled by one of the world’s best beaches which is located right outside of my door. When you have such a nice beach at home, it’s hard to be impressed with other beaches.
Natural IG photos.
While the beach was nothing special, I was impressed with the transport from the Ritz to the beach. At home, I have my golf cart. Here, there was a train.
I didn’t take the train back.
Vino
“Oh, you have a water? That’s six euros,” was a comment an Italian tourist told me as I sat in the restaurant near the beach. As you can imagine, everything in the orbit of the Ritz is pricey. I lucked out by having free water in my room. My money was spent on a reasonably priced bottle of wine for 30 euros.
Overall
I used a stay cert valued at 40k points to stay at the Ritz Carlton Tenerife. The room retails for 300 euros. While it isn’t the best redemption (see Marriott Stay Certs: Let Me Warn Or Remind You Again), it was the perfect soft landing.
Round 2
After a terrible time in Playa de Las Americas, I sprinted back to the Ritz Carlton Tenerife. I burned another 35k stay-cert. The second time was much better. Here’s why:
Alcohol
Forget the welcome drink. I brought my own beer and wine.
Who needs a suite?
I’ll take a view over a suite any day. The rain shower was also better in the standard room.
Michelin Sushi
On this stay, I decided to try the sushi. Read this post to find out if a $375 dinner for one was worth it.
This mistake is going on the Travel Lessons page. When planning my spectacular Still The Best Trip (see How to Book the Best Itinerary: AA, Avios, Aeroplan, Miles & Smiles, Flying Blue, LifeMiles, Capital One), I did not book many hotels in advance. One hotel that I did book ahead of time was the Ritz CarltonTenerife (see Ritz Carlton Tenerife: We’ll Make It Better, The Second Time Around). The hotel retails at $354 a night. On the day I arrived, the price in points was 44k. While I would not use my precious Marriott Bonvoy points on such a redemption, I have no issue burning expiring stay certs. The mistake is that I used my 40k Titanium Elite stay cert instead of my 35k Amex stay cert to make the reservation. Why was this a mistake? Because Marriott now allows reservations that combine a stay cert with up to 15k Bonvoy points. The best use would have been for a hotel that goes for 55k points a night. Although I knew that Marriott would, ‘for my convenience’ at checkout show the 40k stay cert first, I didn’t X out of the transaction and switch my method of payment to a 35k cert. I was reminded of the error of my ways when later on in my trip I tried to book the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. Cheeky Marriott required 52k points for that stay, rendering my 35k stay cert useless.
TPOL’s TIP: Let me warn or remind you again, don’t use your high-value stay cert when a low-value one will do.
The view would have been the same with a 35k. (Incidentally, this was the view from the second time I stayed at the Ritz for 35k points. Incidentally, the view the second time around was better than my 40k first visit.)
Troll preemption: If this is your first time reading the blog, realize that this post is part of a Trip Report where each leg, no matter how insignificant, is documented as part of a story.
For some reason, I did not have a seat assignment. My ticket read ‘Zone 4’ boarding. At the gate, I began to worry and wonder what happens if business was full and they put me back in coach? Could this be another trip that starts off on the wrong foot (see Booking Bangkok After Vietnam Failure)?
It did not. I was in 1J.
Pre-Boarding Champagne
There was no pre-flight champagne. There was only agua or orange juice.
I am not one for movies on a plane. Usually, I am blog writing or sleeping. However, I could not pass up on my favorite movie of all time.
Rioja
The wine finally appeared along with a mozzarella and tomato plate.
Dinner
I ordered the steak and mashed potatoes. It was edible but not spectacular.
Too Much Rioja?
I unnecessarily went through a full bottle of wine. I say unnecessarily because there is no reason to start a trip groggy or worse, hungover. This is especially true for short long-haul flights.
Probably no reason for cheese either.
Dessert
I ordered a Puerto Rican favorite, tres leches before falling asleep.
Sleep
I missed breakfast and woke up as we were landing in Madrid.
I received my Capital One Venture X card two months ago in June. So why am I writing a Keep vs. Cancel post already? Because, barring a ‘card enhancement,’ there is no way I’m going to cancel this card.
Tempo is everything: The 4 iron takes a long time to go back. Don’t rush the process. Recall your 4 iron shot on the 16th hole.
Turn your wrist: The hinge on the backswing should be complemented by the turning of the wrist on your downswing. This allows the ball to release.
Flare your feet: Hack squat stance is better than knees and feet pointed in.
Listen for the sweet sound: There is an unmistakable sweet sound when the ball is hit correctly. Don’t convince yourself that a pretty shot that doesn’t have that sound is the right shot. That is fool’s gold AKA the scoop shot. The scoop shot easy to spot – it’s when the ball sails nicely into the air, on target, but then comes up short.
Short game: Hands forward, weight forward, ball in the back of the stance. Take a small divot, and finish forward without applying a death grip at the point of contact. This allows the ball to release.
I am still working on optimizing my training schedule. For now, I have this:
Tuesday: 9 holes with Dewizz electric shock watch (yet to do).
Wednesday: Hitting net at night with MLM2Pro Launch Monitor.
Thursday: Chipping and putting on the practice green.
TPOL’s Tip: When using the hitting net at night, do not jam using the Infiniti radio.
It’s all fun and games.Until the car battery dies.
