Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

Simply The Best: August 2019

thepointsoflife

-

September 6, 2019

It’s September and I’ve moved back to Shanghai during hurricane season. This transition and my laziness are the reasons why I didn’t blog as much as I have promised to do (see TPOL Opens M-F at 10:07AM EST and TPOL Alive & Well Thanks to Astrill VPN). While not as frequent, there were some badass posts in August.

United Polaris EWR-BRU: The Horror Show!
In terms of lie-flat, long-haul flights, this was the worst I have taken.
Delta’s Website: The Phantom Of the Opera
Nice try buddy, we are Delta and we can do whatever we want i.e., we don’t guarantee bookings until they are ticketed. Sorry you foolishly transferred 28k Amex points to top off your worthless Delta account.
Brussels Airlines THE LOFT Lounge: Buffet of Beers
It was worth enduring garbage Polaris to connect in BRU for some brus.
United Polaris: Best US Carrier Lounge by Default
The United Polaris lounge is a solid lounge for spending a day. It is far better than any Centurion Lounge, and besides the cutlery and Krug in AA Flagship, it is better than the AA Flagship. Since Delta Sky Clubs are unimpressive, United wins the award for best US carrier lounge by default.
Lufthansa Business MUC-OLB: Where’s OLB?
Finally, the Flight Review all of you have been waiting for: MUC to OLB.
Prestige 4th Night Free: My Last Great Use
With twelve nights left in Shanghai, I made 3 reservations at 3 different Marriott hotels.
Relax, Gate Info Coming
Do you have the same paralyzing fear at airports? Or am I alone on this?

TPOL’s Best Travel Advice: Stick to the Plan!

thepointsoflife

-

September 5, 2019

1

Stick to the Plan is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

I don’t do research before I travel. Usually, it’s “best party [Insert City name].” If Google confirms there’s something to do, it’s time to start looking for flights. I am meticulous when it comes to flights because I enjoy piecing together complex itineraries (see Booked! ANA RTW: 22,000 Miles in Glorious Business). I am not diligent when it comes to booking hotels which can be problematic (see Travel Planning: Check Prices Or Just Go?).

In Albania, not having a hotel led me to carelessly change the plan and go to terrible Corfu (see Make Corfu Greek Again! How Tourism Ruined an Island). In Sardinia, not having a hotel led me to book a flight out of here a day earlier than expected. Though it was only $80, I instantly regretted doing so and ended up staying the planned four nights. On my Tahiti Trip, changing the flight led me to neglect China’s Visa Transit rule which lead to a constructive deportation to Hong Kong for the day. Disappointed with my first day in Marrakech, I wasted an afternoon trying to change my flight to get out of there instead of challenging myself to explore (see How I Almost Left Marrakech After One Night). On another trip, I left Cartagena before New Year’s to go to Bocas del Toro, only to change again after arriving to a rainy forecast. New Year’s was spent in unremarkable Panama City, Panama.

There’s a reason why itineraries take a long time to put together. Even if they are just for flights, there is a high level of planning. Visas are taken into consideration. Exhaustion is accounted for. Adequate time for seeing a new place is calculated.

Spontaneous changes in the midst of a trip are seldom a good idea because inevitably something is overlooked. One of the few times that a change went well was when I left the sex trafficking city of Sihanoukville for the debauchery of Bangkok. Another was when I left Phi Phi for my second full moon party in Koh Phangan. These exceptions were still a drain on my time and an unnecessary pause to my fun. It’s also far from pleasant to Skype call airlines and have the call drop and have to do it again.

TPOL’s Travel Philosophy is to stay in a city for 3 to 4 days. Accordingly, there’s no reason to change the plan. Worst case, I’m stuck in Sardinia looking at beautiful yachts for an extra day, or I’m stuck in Marrakech eating goat brain one more time (see Medina, Marrakech: The Definitive Guide To Lamb Brain, Tongue, Eyeballs & More Food). That’s far better than sitting in Chinese immigration on my birthday instead of being at the M1NT Shanghai (see TPOL’s Guide to A Night in Shanghai) .

In short, stick to the plan. Your travel mental health depends on it.

a deck with white beds and rocks on the water — Hotel or no hotel, there are worse things than staying in Sardinia for 4 nights.

Porto Cervo, Sardinia: My Yacht Is Bigger

thepointsoflife

-

September 4, 2019

9

Sardinia Yachts is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

If you’re looking to feel poor, go to Dubai. If you are ready to accept that you are not among the super rich, go to Porto Cervo. The nice thing about Porto Cervo is that everyone on holiday is friendly. My explanation for this is that no one has to be presumptuous because there is always someone there with a bigger yacht. Indeed, I was told that one of the biggest yachts in the world which can only dock in two locations was cruising the Sardinia waters when I was there.

While you can see the yachts docked next to each other on the marina, to appreciate their glamour, you have to see them on the water. To truly appreciate them, you have to be on board, something I could not manage to do.

I saw yachts with jet skis. I saw yachts with secondary boats that would serve just fine as my primary boat. I saw yachts with fun watersides. I also saw yachts with helicopters. Sometimes it was difficult to know if the boat was a private yacht or military vessel.

Curious, I asked what one of these mega yachts cost. I was told that they can go for $300,000,000 and, if you can afford that, be sure to save another $500,000 for fueling.

I don’t know how someone legally accumulates enough wealth to get a yacht, but I can assure you that blogging is not the way the way to do it (see “Click Here!” How Blogs Make $).

Sardinia: The Isola of Expensive Taxis

thepointsoflife

-

September 3, 2019

3

Sardinia Taxis is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

Sardinia is not cheap. Indeed, it has the most expensive real estate in Europe. I expected to pay a lot for everything. What I didn’t expect was how much taxis cost. There is no Uber in Sardinia, and there is little negotiation when it comes to taxis (see Sharm el-Sheikh Taxi: For 40, I Bring You Camel, Tomorrow). The hotel told me that private transport from the airport would be 80 euros, but I thought I could receive a better deal by negotiating since hotel transfers are usually a ripoff (see Why Hotels Don’t List Airport Transport Options). I ended up paying 93 euros and was not happy about it.

The gouging didn’t stop there. Want to go one mile to a nightclub? That is 30 euros (negotiable to 20). Want to go to the beach? That will be 40 euros one way. Then it’s another 10 euros to take a dingy to the beach.The alternative is to rent a car which I do not recommend if you’re going to enjoy libations during your stay.

The best way to see Sardinia is to charter a yacht, though if you’re outraged by fuel surcharges on BA, you’ll be traumatized by the cost of fuel for a boat.

Super yacht price: $300,000,000

Petrol: $500,000

Overall

Don’t feel bad about spending money on taxis in Sardinia. It’s a necessity, especially if you’re traveling alone.

a large white boat on the water — Water taxi

Travel Planning: Check Prices Or Just Go?

thepointsoflife

-

September 2, 2019

1

Check Prices Or Just Go is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

I hate on hotel booking website commercials for good reason (see Badda Book, Badda Boom? Who Does Your Marketing?). However, after this trip to Sardinia I am rethinking my trip planning strategy and may actually visit Trivago before recklessly booking trips to places that are above 99 percent of people’s pay grade.

As I was taking off from Munich to Olbia, I thought it was a good time to search for a hotel room since I would be landing in an hour. Sticker shock does not describe the prices for hotels in Porto Cervo. $3000 was for one night at a Marriott Luxury Collection hotel. Suspect AirBnb rooms, not apartments, were $300 a night. I began to worry about where I would lay my head. I recognize August in the Mediterranean is high season but had no clue that it was millionaires only season.

As is usually the case, my lack of preparation did not backfire (see How to Book Trinidad’s Carnival Last Second for Free*). I found a room at the Hotel Cervo for 60k Bonvoy points and avoided the $800/night rate. That only solved my problem for one night. The next day I was on booking.com/booking.yeah (Which Ad Do You Hate Most? ‘Badda Book’, ‘Dates Deals Done’, ‘Hotel? Trivago’), and all the alternatives looking for a place to stay for the final two nights. First, I couldn’t rationalize another 20k SPG points since I have no solid way of reupping my Bonvoy balance. Second, even if I were a points millionaire, the hotel was only available for the third night.

While I ended up booking a solid non-brand hotel for $500 for two nights, I wonder if I would have come here knowing in advance how much rooms cost. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t check prices because I don’t think I could have rationalized how much I spend and may have skipped the trip altogether. That would have been a shame since Porto Cervo is great, even if you’re not yacht worthy (see My Yacht Is Bigger). But while it was happening, I told myself that I would not do this again. Being homeless is stressful and takes away from the travel experience (see Travel Anxiety Sucks). At the same time. If I only want to go where I can enjoy luxurious amenities, I may never leave Puerto Rico again!

a group of people on a dock next to a boat — That’s my boat

Prestige 4th Night Free: My Last Great Use

thepointsoflife

-

August 30, 2019

7

Prestige 4th Night Free is part of the TPOL in Shanghai Trip Report.

As part of my ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip, I stopped in Shanghai for a few weeks. I thought I could get an Airbnb and live out my expat dream. That was a disaster (see I Hate Airbnb). I found a decent landing spot at the U Hotel Xintiandi minus the turtle speed WiFi. Making due with my overpriced accommodations, I was almost ready to declare this expat experiment a bust in terms of accommodations. At 5AM I woke up in a panic having realized that I may have overlooked a great solution: Citi’s 4th Night Free.

The Citi Prestige allows cardholders to use the 4th night free perk an unlimited amount of times. It also allows cardholders to call the concierge and make bookings instead of doing it online. These benefits, along with using special rates and most importantly receiving elite benefits, will be gone come September 1st (see AWFUL Citi Prestige Fourth Night Free Change).

With twelve nights left, I made 3 reservations at 3 different Marriott hotels. Although I paid a much higher rate than Airbnb, I did save a significant amount using this benefit. I am also happy to spend the extra yuan to stay in a proper place. Next time around this benefit will not exist as Citi caps its use to twice a year, leaving me at the mercy of shady realtors to find me a serviced apartment.

a group of tall buildings — I’ll take all 3

Lufthansa Business MUC-OLB: Where’s OLB?

thepointsoflife

-

August 29, 2019

0

Lufthansa Business MUC-OLB is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

Finally, the Flight Review all of you have been waiting for: MUC to OLB. This time the destination is more impressive than the journey as I wasn’t going to Sardinia to stay in Olbia. Olbia is the closest airport to the most expensive city I’ve visited, Porto Cervo. Still, given my OCD blogging style where I document everything from the Lounge to all methods of Transport, I have to document this flight for the sake of completeness.

a group of people in a terminal — MUC-OLB is a popular route in the summer.

Though I wasn’t in a dinky plane like BRU to MUC, this Lufthansa cabin was equally unimpressive. The seats were not comfortable, and I couldn’t get mine to recline. The exhaustion I spoke of from my time at Lufthansa Business Class Lounge stayed with me on this flight. Following the quick meal, I passed out and woke up in OLB.

a plastic bag with a key — The A320 I was supposed to have earlier.

a plate of food on a tray — Still better than United Polaris

The ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report, rolls on.

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge Munich: Pretzel & Nap

thepointsoflife

-

August 28, 2019

2

Lufthansa Business Lounge Review Munich is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

If you’re just joining the ANA Trip Report, here’s what you missed:

Exhausted? So was I. I entered the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge and was happy to find it small and unimpressive. I envy those that don’t document every segment of their trips and sometimes wish I only focused on a specific part of my trip for purposes of blogging. Crankiness aside, here’s what I liked about the lounge:

The pretzels

The meatballs

The chair to take a nap, even though it was not fully flat.

And here are the rest of the pictures for you lounge voyeurs:

Overall

TPOL is changing how I do Lounge Reviews. Unless a lounge compels me to do so, I will not do a comprehensive review. Instead I will focus on something I find unique, something I like, or something I hate. I see no value in counting the number of chairs every lounge has or taking a photo of scrambled eggs from lounges around the world. I believe my new approach will be more entertaining to read, and it will certainly be more enjoyable to write. Regardless, I have to document something so that one day someone can read this trip report cover to cover.

If you hated the Lufthansa Business Lounge Review Munich then read the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

Lufthansa Equipment Change: BRU-MUC

thepointsoflife

-

August 27, 2019

3

Lufthansa Equipment Change is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

Some aviation geeks can tell the difference between an A330 and A320. I cannot. However, I can tell the difference between a big plane and a mini plane. After leaving the BRU THE LOFT Lounge, I looked forward to a nap en route to Munich. Expecting a jumbo jet, I was surprised when there was not a jetway to the aircraft and was more surprised when I boarded this tiny plane with the exact same seats in business as coach. The only difference was the sign that said business class. This unannounced plane change was fine because the flight was short, though it does take a bit away from my boastful post about flying 22k miles in business on ANA for 125k MR.

a group of people boarding an airplane — Even an AV Geek knows that this is not an A320.

a close up of a door — Note the business class sign

Despite the short flight, food was provided and the flight attendant was attentive. She seemed disappointed that I didn’t want bread and that I didn’t want anything to drink besides water. Maybe she had read the blog and was expecting more energy from TPOL.

Brussels Airlines THE LOFT Lounge: Buffet of Beers

thepointsoflife

-

August 26, 2019

4

Brussels Airlines Lounge Review is part of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.

There are lavish lounges like Cathay in Hong Kong and Emirates in Dubai. The champagne bar in The Wing makes the Cathay one of my favorites. While not as fancy as those, The LOFT Lounge in BRU is a contender because of the beer selection.

One of my favorite beers is Leffe Brune. A close contender favorite is Stella. Another is Hoegaarden. Occasionally, I will have a Leffe Blonde. Besides flavor, these Belgium beers are special because each come in a unique glass. At THE LOFT, all of these beers are on draft, and there is not a shortage of glasses. Even better, there is no first call. It was 9AM and I could sample all of them for breakfast.

a row of beer taps — Initially the Hoegaarden was tapped out

a row of glass jars with different types of liquid in them — Great water selection as well

The rest of the lounge is quite good. There are plenty of places to sit and a Lexus made of chocolate. Unfortunately, it is not available for consumption. That would have been nice as the breakfast selection was not appetizing.

Unlike the Polaris Lounge at EWR, the LOFT provides a sleeping room with a bed that is not a lawn chair. If I weren’t in such a rush (see Relax, Gate Info Coming), I would’ve Pumba’d under the stars.

Overall

It was worth enduring garbage Polaris to connect in BRU for some brus.

If you enjoyed Brussels Airlines Lounge Review, read the rest of the ANA, Take Me ‘Round the World Trip Report.