At first, I was impressed that Amex owned up to the error. While I would rather have points than money, I was pleased that they were doing something about it proactively. Then I checked my statement and found this on my Marriott Bonvoy statement:
$0.14! I know that Bonvoy points are worthless, but are they this worthless? Despite what Amex said in this email, they have not taken care of everything for me. Now, I have to call and complain again. Add it to the list of gripes that I have against the world of which I have no motivation to pursue (see Complaints: How Long Till You Let It Go?).
I am glad I didn’t receive my Vietnam visa. It reinforced that I need to endure to live and travel to places of this affluence, infrastructure, and organization. Marriott Tang was a pleasant preview of this.
If you find yourself with no visa to Vietnam because it’s independence day there and they didn’t process your paperwork on time (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?), there are better and worse places to be than Singapore. The reason I say better is because Singapore is not cheap, especially for hotels. Fortunately, I hoard my Marriott stay certificates and was able to redeem one at the Marriott Tang.
Location
Marriott Tang is located on the famous Orchard Road, close to Newton’s Circus, the best place for street food (see Guns & Butter: Singapore Travel Guide).
The instantly recognizable Marriott Tang
Room
I received an upgraded room and a welcome gift of a Tiger beer and chocolates. Having flown 19 hours, I was already confused as to what time it was. The clock read 10AM but the beer said happy hour. I compromised, called it noon, and finished it off in a few gulps.
Bathroom
I didn’t know what time it was and I didn’t know how bad I smelled. I took a long shower so as to not offend my bed.
Sleep
It was Saturday in Singapore but it was also early. With nothing to do, I decided to take a nap. This made no physiological sense since I slept a solid ten hours on my direct flight from JFK-SIN (see World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN).
Sleeping the day away
Pool
I slept so much that I began to dream that I was at the pool. I finally shook myself out of my sleep trance and realized I was still in my bed. Although the room was free, I still needed to make use of the facilities to justify burning the certificate. While lounging at the pool, I began to wonder why I was going to crazy Bangkok the next day when Singapore was Grey Poupon – civilized (see Booking Bangkok After Vietnam Failure).
Lounge
I was productive in my JFK office (see 13.5 Hours in JFK: Wait, There Was Early Check-in?). I was more productive in the Marriott lounge. Wi-Fi, Tiger beer, a margarita, a Singapore Sling, and Jameson were all I need to endure a day at the office.
The food was good but if you’ve never been to Singapore, save your appetite for the aforementioned food stalls.
Basking in luxury, I decided to take the hotel transport to the airport.
One lie per post is acceptable.
Overall
I am glad I didn’t receive my Vietnam visa. It reinforced that I need to endure to live and travel to places of this affluence, infrastructure, and organization (see Vote for Where TPOL Will Move Next And…). Marriott Tang was a pleasant preview of this.
It used to be that I would land in a new country and haggle with the taxi drivers until I received a good rate for the hotel (see Sharm el-Sheikh Taxi: For 40, I Bring You Camel, Tomorrow). Now, I spend the extra time trying to figure out which rideshare app works in the country that I am visiting. In Singapore, the app was Grab. I downloaded it and went through the hassle of setting up an account. When I went to add my credit card, it said that it was not an acceptable form of payment. I tried another and another before I gave up, convinced that Grab doesn’t take American cards.
Standing in line, I reloaded Grab and received a notification to register where in the world I lived. After selecting USA, I went back to the credit card page, and magically my card worked.
TPOL’s Tip: If your card doesn’t work, Grab also takes cash.
TPOL’s Tip: Grab is also available in Bangkok, though I found the wait times to be too long for getting around the city. Still, it was useful to see how much Grab would charge when negotiating with a local taxi and as a way to get to and from the airport.
Overall
For convenience, I wish Uber had a monopoly for rideshare apps throughout the world. I am tired of setting up a new account in each region I visit. For price, I am glad that rideshare apps like Grab exist.
I have so many posts from NYC Airports that it commands its own category. The latest installment is this Hotel Review of the Wingate by Wyndham JFK Airport/Far Rockaway.
The Fairfield is 1k? What is going on in NYC this week?
My choice was to cancel the trip entirely or make the harrowing commute from JFK airport for a more reasonable rate. Last time, I stayed at the Lexington Inn for the reasonable price of $105 (see Jamaica, Queens: How to Avoid Expensive Hotels in NYC). As a resident of the Wyndham Rio Mar Golf Club, I decided to go with a name brand I could trust. I chose the Wingate JFK for $270 for 2 nights. That was a mistake. Here’s why:
Location
Before arriving, I had never heard of Far Rockaway. I only knew the name from the subway signs that indicated that the train was headed uptown. I assumed, given the name of the hotel, Wingate JFK, that it was relatively close to the hotel. It was not. It was a thirty minute drive.
No Shuttle
In selecting a hotel near JFK, my first priority was to make sure that the hotel had a free shuttle to the airport. Paying for an Uber would defeat the purpose of staying at an airport hotel.
I didn’t find a gift shop either.
When I arrived, I called the hotel three times. No one answered. Frustrated, I took an Uber to the hotel for $35 in the hopes I would be reimbursed upon my arrival. The opposite happened. I was informed that there is no free shuttle and that Wyndham corporate has it on the website without the authorization of the hotel.
$50 Early Check In
Despite being a golf member at a Wyndham property, I have no Wyndham status. I was slightly appalled that I would have to pay $50 to check in early. So far my cost-cutting strategy was not working.
Subway
The hotel is conveniently located around the corner from the A train which, one train change and 24 stops later, conveniently has me at Grand Central Station. The hour-and-a-half journey is miserable but the price of $2.75 cannot be beaten.
Uber Returns
After an exhausting day running around the City, the last thing I wanted to do was endure an interminable train ride home. That did not make the $75 Uber ride more comfortable.
Fine going to the city but not back.
Cost Breakdown
I paid the following:
$270 for 2 nights
$50 for early check-in
$32 Uber to hotel
$37 Uber to JFK
$77.91 first night Uber back to hotel
$76.98 second night Uber back to hotel
Total: $543.98
Lessons
Legal: The lack of an airport shuttle is consumer fraud. Naming the hotel JFK Airport when it is thirty minutes away from the airport is another scam. Bachuwa Law will be going after Wyndham for this.
Hotel: Without status, I should have arrived later in the day so I could have saved the $50 early check-in. Without points or an affordable option, I should have left after one night, saving $135.
Uber: Yes, Uber is a rip-off but it was predictable that I would not have to deal with the subway for the return. However, if the hotel was truly near JFK airport as advertised, it would have been around $55-$60 for the Uber.
Hotel Review
The room had a comfortable bed. The shower was the typical NY shower with no water pressure.
Overall
I had to go to NY for work and made more than I lost. But $550? I guess it’s better than paying double or triple.
How are you under stress? Like a great quarterback, I feel the pressure and do my best to go through my progressions. Panicking will only lead to paralysis. Instead of having a meltdown, I audibly laugh as I witness the situation go from bad to worse.
If you haven’t been reading, I was supposed to go to Vietnam but did not receive my visa in time because the visa office was closed on account of Vietnam’s independence day. My friend from India was already en route to Vietnam when I received the news (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?).
Before taking off to Singapore, I tried changing my flight from SIN-HAN to SIN-BKK (see Booked! World’s Longest Flight). Try as she might, the Alaska Airlines agent was not able to do so. She told me to try again when I arrived in Singapore. I went to the transfer desk and was informed that I had to call Alaska Airlines.
I called Alaska assuming that there would be many flights available. The opposite was true. I was told that the next flight available was in three days. I foolishly replied that I could fly coach earlier. She said that the flight in three days was in coach. My heart sank as I disconnected the call.
My Indian friend had already booked his flight to Bangkok for that day. Imagine his delight when I told him the Alaska news. I told him not to worry as I took out my laptop to begin my search.
Of course, my laptop was dying. Of course, the charging station was loose from overuse and my adapter kept falling out. I packed up and moved locations.
I began searching for flights using Avios, Lifemiles, and SQ directly. I found nothing for the same day. I found nothing for the next day. Slightly concerned, I searched for revenue tickets. The prices were exorbitant. They were well over $500. I could have flown for free on SQ business to BKK had I booked that route from the beginning, but chose to go to Hanoi to extend my time on SQ business.
Down but not out, I continued to search. I went to United.com and found a direct coach flight for 20k points that was taking off in an hour. On the one hand, I did not want to burn my United points that can be used for better redemptions (see Revealed: An Insane Use of The United ‘Free’ One way (Part 1) & Part 2). On the other hand, I had put my friend through enough and thought it might be time to be selfless.
I gathered my things and hustled to the gate. If I could book the flight when I arrived at an open gate, I would do so. If not, I would have to find an alternative. I arrived at the gate which was still open. But, could I still book the ticket? And if I could, how would I obtain my boarding pass? Of course, my laptop’s screen had zoomed in 5000 percent and I couldn’t figure out how to undo it. I had to reboot. By the time it reconnected to the Wi-Fi and by the time I went to United.com, the option to book was gone.
I sat there for an hour watching one passenger after another board for Bangkok. Looking back, I probably could have booked it when I found it and made it with time to spare, but given my paranoia of the gate closing (see Boarding Announcement Paranoia), I believe I was prudent in waiting.
With no viable options for flying that day, I took my time and charted a plan. First, I booked a hotel in Singapore. After this misery, I needed Marriott pampering and used a stay cert for the Marriott Tang Plaza (see Who Needs Hanoi?). With accommodations arranged, I needed a flight for the next day. I checked all points options as I did before for Sunday. There was nothing. I had three choices: Pay $300 to fly the next day or book an indirect points flight to Bangkok, knowing that I had 24 hours to cancel.
The Travel Lessons will be updated with multiple entries:
Do your visa well in advance.
Don’t let one mistake turn into two: I should have rescheduled my SIN to Hanoi flight for a future date. I was so caught up in the hell I was in that it did not occur to me to do so (see Another Error: Why Didn’t I Reschedule BKK to HAN?).
Don’t Let This Be You: Sitting outside the boarding gate for BKK.
Let’s start with the hotel. It should come as no surprise that there aren’t any brand hotels in Castiglione. If I could compare Il Picciolo, I would compare it to the Wyndham at my home, Rio Mar, meaning there is some good, some bad, but no best.
After a long journey, we settled into our comfortable room, wondering if we would frequent the resort more frequently as members.
Bathroom
As a potential future resident, I was relieved to find a modern bathroom with good water pressure.
Breakfast
Like the Wyndham Rio Mar, the breakfast was adequate but not great.
Hotel Itself
The word “charming” is appropriate to describe this hotel.
Il Picciolo Golf Club
With the possibility of purchasing a villa here, I needed to see what Italian country club life was like.
Before playing, I had lunch at the clubhouse. Sorry, Puerto Rico, but fresh pasta is better than fried pork.
Golf
While I was golfing, Ms. TPOL was out with the Germans house hunting. Now, I could focus on what was important- golf. But first, I needed to scope out my competition.
Hmm who is this Leonardi?
The club had a TrackMan, an indispensable tool to beat Leonardi.
We also have one in my club in PR.
Before teeing off, I inquired about membership. It’s $2,000 a year with a 10% discount on alcohol. Cart is not included.
10% off this quality beer is not as good as 40% in Puerto Rico.
I have a much nicer push cart at home.
The Course
TPOL has a rule. If I drink the night before, I do not golf the next day because I will lack the mental capacity to focus. It pains me to think about how I am supposed to hit a tiny ball hundreds of yards and then have the finesse to finish off the job with smooth putting. But for the fact that I needed to verify if I was a right fit at this club, I would’ve taken the day off. #sambuca
Now teeing off, a future member?
A Hole in One?
The 10th hole, a par 3, is the most magnificent hole on the course because it stares directly at Mt. Etna, an active volcano. I fired off a beauty with my hybrid and watched it sail right at the mountain.
Had it went in, I would’ve taken it as a sign. My ability to birdie and not bogey, a rarity in Puerto Rico, gave me the will to keep playing. However, it fell short of the divine intervention I was seeking to signify that this was the place for me. My drive to continue playing did not last long. As I came down to earth and as my hangover started settling in, I reverted to my old habit of losing balls every which way.
Treasure trove of golf balls in there.
Despite my lack of engagement, I still had to take photos of the many beautiful holes along the way.
Another par 3 without a hole-in-one.
With no cart, I had plenty of time to walk and think about if I really wanted to move here. As I started skipping one hole after another, it became apparent that yesterday’s excitement to buy was due to the sambuca. I arrived at the 18th, parred the hole, then retired.
18th
Overall
If you’re looking to play golf while on vacation, this is a nice course. If you want island life with full-time golf, move to Rio Mar, Puerto Rico instead.
When I left my villa in Puerto Rico, I said, as I always do, who knows what’s in store for me on this trip? I did not realize that drama would come so quickly. I was supposed to take the world’s longest flight from JFK to SIN and onto Vietnam. Instead, I found out, minutes before boarding, that my Vietnamese visa was not processed because September 2nd is Vietnam’s Independence day (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?).
Instead of boarding the plane giddy, I was as stressed as I would be on a par 3 with water between me and the green. Panicked, I was on hold with Alaska trying to change my reservation from Hanoi to Bangkok (see Booked! World’s Longest Flight). Simultaneously, I was trying to take photos of the seat to fulfill my blogging duties.
Our flight was supposed to take off at 10:30 PM. I was still on hold with Alaska and was happy to hear that the flight was delayed fifteen more minutes due to airport congestion. I wasn’t happy that there was no pre-flight champagne. Was this another Covid cut (see Closing Time: Chaos & Trash at Centurion & WingTips JFK)?
As we were taking off, I was told by Alaska that I would have to deal with flight changes in Singapore. With that drama put on hold for 19 hours, I tried to shift back to blog mode.
Almonds in a Bag
After a smooth take off, the champagne was served. Obviously, it was not Krug like SQ first (see Singapore Airlines A380 Suite Class, My Turn), but given my sad state, I was happy to have something bubbly. The buzz came to a shrieking halt when I was handed a bag of almonds. What happened to the hot almonds in a plate? Yet another Covid consequence? What was next? Underwhelming food? Apathetic service? I started to think that leaving my house was a bad idea, that the days of travel and service were well behind me.
Pajamas? Amenities Kit?
The flight attendant came by with slippers. I asked if there were pajamas. He laughed and said no. I also was not offered eye shades or an amenities kit. I was happy that I brought my own eye shades but was surprised that the world’s longest flight does not offer basic amenities. Again, I wondered if this was another act of Covid.
Lie Flat?
Despondent and worn out, I was ready to lie flat and sleep away my sorrows. I pushed the lever for the lie flat, but I could not get the seat to recline. I pulled pillows that were stuffed behind the seat and tried again. The best I could do was angle flat. Could it be that lie flat was not available? With everything going wrong up to this point, I thought it was possible. As I was frantically going through my downward spiral, similar to a Pops commercial, I saw a flight attendant making the bed for a fellow passenger. I did not realize that the seat is reversible. On one side is the bed and on the other is the seat. While I was not amazed by this feature, I was relieved that my hysteria was unwarranted. Perhaps there is hope.
These buttons didn’t quell my anxiety that there was lie flat capabilities.
IFE
I don’t watch movies on flights anymore. In fact, the rule is that I am either supposed to sleep or write blog posts when on a plane. At home, I often fall asleep watching BBC World News or CNN International. On this flight, I had the option of those two channels along with CNBC or the US Open. I put my headphones on and fell asleep to the sweet sounds of BBC’s countdown clock.
It’s all Biden’s fault.
Food
SQ has the best food among all the airlines. It is similar to Cathay in its freshness and diverse offerings.
Bed
I slept for 9 hours straight. That is impressive.
Breakfast
I ordered the dumplings. Not all were to my liking. The flight attendant asked if I didn’t enjoy it and asked if I wanted more food. I ordered the lamb with noodles.
A few moments later, I was served ramen. I was briefly taken back to my college days before the flight attendant came by and said he had given me the wrong order. Who orders instant ramen when there are so many better choices?
Wrong ramen
Right noodles
Snack
I sent a picture of my pastrami sandwich to my friend who doesn’t do points and flies terrible flights in coach (see Points in the Front, Peasants in the Back). He said, “That’s what you get in business? A sandwich? ” He failed to see the novelty of this clever, comforting food option.
Overall
I boarded frantic. I left wishing I had a few more hours of pampering. Thank you SQ for being excellent.
I hate writers who say, “in full disclosure” before starting a post. Are you saying that absent such an admission that you are hiding something? With that preface, I would like to say, “in full disclosure,” I knew I needed a visa to Vietnam when I booked the world’s longest flight (see Booked! World’s Longest Flight). In full disclosure, I would like to say that I hate filling out forms of any kind. But for Ms. TPOL, I never would’ve traveled during Covid where silly questions like, “have you had sniffles in the last two weeks?” had to be answered, or tedious requirements like having to upload your forged vaccine card were required (see Scam Covid Test #1: Entering the UK, Scam Covid Test #2: Leaving the UK, Scam Covid Test #3: Leaving Malta, and Scam Covid Test #4: Entering St. Kitts). In full disclosure, this healthy disrespect for authority is how I continuously duck myself when it comes to visas, the most egregious being my birthday arrival in Shanghai (see China Visa-Free Transit Disaster (again)).
In full disclosure, I waited until the week before going to Vietnam to apply for my visa. In, full disclosure (“FD” henceforth), I assumed that an e-visa was like buying something off of Amazon prime- it usually ships in 2 days. In FD, I should have known better. I live in Puerto Rico where Amazon Prime’s 2 days really means that you will get it when you get it. In FD, I relied on Vietnam’s website which said that visas are processed within 3 working days. I applied on Monday night. By that calculation, I would receive it by COB Thursday.
When Wednesday came and the status said ‘in processing’ [sic], I was nervous. I emailed and asked for an update. I did not receive one. When I woke up on Thursday for my flight to the airport and there was nothing in my inbox, I was worried.
With 13.5 hours in JFK before my flight to Singapore departed (see Wait, There Was Early Check-in?), all I could do was sit and wait for the visa office to open. At 9PM, the same time I was kicked out of the Centurion Lounge (see Closing Time: Chaos & Trash at Centurion & Wingman JFK), I called the Hanoi office. An automated voice came on and said, “Friday 2, 2AM, Friday 2, 2:01 AM,” followed by hold music. At 18 cents a minute, I was on hold feeling hopeless. I hung up and called the Ho Chi Minh office. Ring, ring and nothing. I then tried to call the visa-on-arrival number. Again, ring, ring and nothing.
TPOL’s Tip: For those thinking that I could apply for a visa when arriving in Vietnam, you are mistaken. Visa on arrival for Americans is not what you think. You must apply and be approved for a visa on arrival before you arrive in Vietnam. You can’t board the plane to Vietnam without the form that says that you will receive a visa on arrival. Why would anyone do this over an e-visa is a question I cannot answer.
Minutes before boarding the world’s longest flight (see World’s Longest & Best Flight: JFK-SIN), I said to Google “national holidays Vietnam.” What are the chances that this day was Vietnam Independence Day? 1 in 365 if it’s anyone but I; 100 percent if it is I.
As mentioned, I always have visa issues. It started in 2007 when I could not go to NYE in Brazil because I didn’t have a visa. Back then, I assumed that an American could go anywhere and a visa was something required for my relatives coming from Iraq. But now, having traveled everywhere and having made this mistake too many times to count, I had no excuse. How stupid was I to go through all the trouble of finding flight availability and setting up complicated logistics for this Reunion Tour and fail to do the most basic thing? Sure, the website says three days but why leave it to chance? Contrast my ambivalence about securing visas to my other travel paranoia. For example, I schedule flights to arrive obscenely early to the connecting airport when I don’t have an interline ticket because I am terrified of what happens if that flight is delayed and the adventure is ruined (see Cutting It Close: Will I Make My JFK-HKG Connection?). Here’s another example: I do not trust the monitors in the lounge when it comes to boarding, so I head to the gate early, anxious that the door will be closed before I get there (see Boarding Announcement Paranoia). I do not know why I am extreme in those instances but indifferent when it comes to travel documents.
On the plane and in a last-ditch effort to get to Vietnam, I tried to contact a commercial visa company and see if anything could be done. My suspicions were confirmed: Independence Day means no visas were being processed.
Since I have been to Vietnam twice, I can’t say I cared that I was not going (see Guns & Butter: Saigon Travel Guide). In FD, the real issue is that my friend from India was already en route to Hanoi and would receive the bad news upon his arrival. Because of me, he would have to change his plans and now stay one night in Vietnam and go to Bangkok, where we were supposed to go after Hanoi.
As I was taking off, I received a call from him. Somehow he didn’t care that I had ducked up so badly. On the contrary, he was shocked that an American didn’t receive a visa immediately. “You have an American passport! I don’t get it!”
Overall
I have an intricate system for applying for cards, organizing points, and scheduling trips. I fancy myself a travel wizard. Like Rich Rod’s offense, it is a thing of beauty when it works. Like Rich Rod’s offense, it can be a complete disaster when anything goes wrong. Unlike RR, I know how to make adjustments and would make up for this oversight during our trip (see Early Bird Audible: BKK to Samui).
TPOL’s Tip: Grow up TPOL. You can’t keep winging the visa system just because you think visas are stupid, which they are.
