Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.
Getting There: Uber or take the affordable Miami Beach Airport Express to South Beach.
Time flies when you’re not blogging. I stayed at the Aloft South Beach in September. Moments after checking out of the hotel, the property changed from SPG to Hilton. The content of this review has now become somewhat obsolete as the perks I received were based on my SPG status. Still, I think it’s worth sharing some pretty pictures of Miami.
South BeachThe Location
Situated across the street from the W South Beach, the Aloft South Beach was a great value for those looking to stay near the beach but not pay a steep price in points or cash.
Aloft South Beach 2360 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139W nearbyChecking In
I’m going to assume they didn’t fire the entire staff when the hotel became a Hilton. I would be interested in learning about how the staff is retrained as the conversion progresses. Unless otherwise instructed to be cold and rude, the staff should be very friendly and accommodating. When I checked in, my suite was not ready so I was given two free drinks at the WXYZ Bar.
Aloft lobbyAloft lobbyWXYZWXYZThe Pool
Like the Cayman Islands, Miami is all about the beach. The pool is nice for a cocktail or two before hitting the town.
Aloft drinksAloft poolAloft poolAloft futbolAloft jengaAloft cabanaThe Hotel Itself
It’s definitely an Aloft (or it used to be) in its appearance.
Aloft bedThe Room
Alofts rarely have suites and when they do upgrades do not come easy. There must be something special about TPOL + Aloft in Florida since I got a suite setup in both Orlando and in South Beach. The room was Art Deco cool with a separate living room and bedroom.
Classic art deco dudeThe living roomAloft suiteAloft tableAloft roomThe comfy Aloft roomView from AloftView from AloftSpeakerboxxAloft soapAloft sinkOverall
This was a solid hotel choice because of its location and because I needed another SPG stay to requalify for Platinum. Having said that, there are so many other boutique hotels in South Beach that are similarly priced which provide a more authentic 305 experience. When I stop chasing status, I plan on returning to South Beach to check out local landmarks like the Colony Hotel, the Beacon Hotel, and my personal favorite tourist trap, the Clevelander.
Thank you for washing.
ESPN HQ for Dan and Papi
Disclaimer: This article contains a paid affiliate link from CamanaBay.com.
The Grand Cayman Travel Guide is part of the Quest Around The Globe Trip Report which covers the following places:
A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy.
Anything on the line (Production Possibilities Frontier for my fellow economists) is an efficient use of your time depending on your tastes and preferences.
Anything inside the line is inefficient as should be avoided.
Anything outside is aspirational but may be impossible to do given the constraints of time and resources.
The opportunity cost (what is given up) for relaxing and being Lazy is gained by being adventurous in the form of Labor and vice versa.
This is the easiest Travel Guide I have written. Grand Cayman takes away the hectic lifestyle and replaces it with days and nights doing nothing. Some people go to the Cayman Islands to get away from it all for days, weeks, and months at a time. Some move there to seek shelter, tax or otherwise.
Labor: The Party
Those looking for a party have come to the wrong island. This is especially true if you land there during the off-season in the middle of the week. I arrived on Tuesday and left on Friday. On Tuesday, I went for happy hour at Camana Bay. The prices were surprisingly reasonable. On Wednesday, I went to the Royal Palms Beach Club for a party followed by a local club in a strip mall. The highlight came on Thursday when I went to Lone Star for Name That Tune Bingo. Everyone was cheating, using Shazam to figure out the song names, but it was a great time. After that, I found myself at Calico Jack’s con mi amigo Don Julio. The fun ended promptly at 1AM, last call for most bars on the island.
Royal Palms Beach ClubReally? A foam party? Is this PIKE UMich circa 2000?Lone Star BingoLone Star drinks with localsLabor: A Run on the Beach
Grand Cayman is hot! The scorching sun makes doing anything besides lounging on the beach difficult. While this is tempting, a day on Seven Mile Beach would be wasted if you didn’t at least try to run from one end to the other. Along the way, take a break by jumping into the refreshing ocean.
7 Mile Beach7 Mile BeachWaterproof SamsungLabor: Golf
No trip to the Cayman Islands would be complete without a round of golf. It’s what the rich and infamous do to pass the time and so should you.
A hopeful holeThe best holeLabor-Lazy: Water Sports
The typical water sports are available on the island. If you are looking to dive, the Cayman Islands is a great place to do so. If you are lazy, like me, then snorkeling is readily available.
Snorkel all overLazy: Sunset
After running around, it’s time to enjoy the sunset on Seven Mile Beach.
SunsetHot tub sunsetSunsetLazy: Seven Mile Beach
Yes, the sunset was spectacular but that only lasts for mere moments. A proper day of being lazy is to sit under an umbrella with a bottle of rum and do nothing but admire the ocean.
Pina ColadaNext Time:
Next time I’m in the Cayman Islands, I will take a trip to the other islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac for an even slower pace. As far as hotels are concerned, I would skip the Holiday Inn and stay at the Marriott only if the closing on my beachfront condo isn’t finalized.
Holiday Inn Grand CaymanMarriott Grand CaymanTill next time
Imaginary trip planning is my favorite hobby. It starts innocently enough with the question, “Where should we go next?” Inquisitive, I start looking at routing options. From there, I start checking points availability. With plausible points possibilities, the imaginary planning turns into reality when I discover award flights. Not long thereafter, I am ready to book.
This fake trip plan started last February when I was looking for places to burn my DSUs after Hyatt changed its policy. I chose random destinations including Amsterdam, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar. I ended up cancelling all of those reservations but the idea of climbing the mountain remained in the back of my mind. So many people have boasted about doing it that I felt compelled to do it myself. Like when I ran my first marathon in Alaska, spite was a motivator.
Angry TPOL refuses to board the hype train. That’s why I haven’t been to ‘find yourself’ places like Machu Picchu or yoga retreats in the Himalayas. Quotes like, “That mountain changed my life,” or overused words like “amazing” make me nauseous. It’s naive travelers that force me to look elsewhere for places to go. Their kumbaya outlook is downright annoying.
At the same time, I recognize that it’s not the poor mountain’s fault that so many wandering souls use it in a purported effort to achieve enlightenment. The more I read about the physical and mental challenge of climbing the mountain the more I want to do it. That is why I’ve spent this weekend fighting Delta for points flights. Interestingly enough, the path to the mountain goes through AMS for one night and then to Kilimanjaro Airport. After the climb, it’s only fitting to go to Zanzibar to unwind. Clearly, my initial hotel bookings mentioned above were not off base.
The reason I have yet to book is because Delta’s pricing is out of control. The main leg SEA-AMS-JRO is available for a steal at 80,000 Sky Kyats. The price goes absolutely bonkers when I try to get the connection to SEA. Compounding the problem is having my Kyats in two accounts. Amex created a separate account for my Delta SkyMiles Business Gold Card, leaving me short of the miles needed to book right away. It will take 24-48 hours for the accounts to be combined. By then, I’m sure Delta.com will realize what I am up to and change the miles requirement. If not, I’d say paying $18.40 for a 10k flight and a chance to reach complete consciousness is worth it.
Gungagalunga… gunga, gunga-lagunga.
I woke up to this spam subject line: ‘Faster Entry Through The UK Border’. It came from the sender donotreply. Curious, I opened it to find that it was a legitimate email detailing how those who have Global Entry can now apply for the UK equivalent called Registered Traveller. The cost is 70 GBP for the first year and 50 GBP for the second year.
I love Global Entry except when I get stopped for being Arab. Accordingly, this program would be of interest if I traveled to the UK often. Perhaps if British got rid of their fuel surcharges I would consider it. The last time I went to the UK was aboard Virgin Upper Class en route to the Athens Marathon.
Here are all the details:
You are receiving this message because you have been identified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as a U.S. citizen or Canadian citizen enrolled in the GE/ NEXUS program. CBP would like to inform you that the United Kingdom now operates an expedited entry program called Registered Traveller and you may be eligible to apply.Registered Traveller was launched by the UK Border Force to give faster and more convenient entry to the UK for eligible nationals from the United States and Canada. Membership of Registered Traveller costs £70 in the first year and £50 per year thereafter.Membership of Registered Traveller includes the following benefits:üAccess to ePassport gatesüUse of the UK / EEA queueüNo requirement to complete a landing card on arrival in the UKüNo routine credibility interview with a Border Force officer.Visitor eligibility criteria have changed and you now may apply to join if you have made at least 4 journeys to the United Kingdom in the previous two years. Complete details of Registered Traveller eligibility and availability can be found online atwww.gov.uk/registered-traveller. Registered Traveller is proving extremely popular with members and to date there have been over 275,000 crossings of the border by members with extremely positive feedback such as,“I think it is fantastic! It has made a major difference to my experience travelling as it gives me a great deal of time back.”“Time saving and improved experience of clearing immigration.”You can apply for Registered Traveller online now at www.gov.uk/registered-traveller. This is an automated email. Please do not reply.Visa
The book of Revelation describes the end of days where good will battle evil once and for all. A glimpse of this fight will take place on November 26, 2016 when the hopefully undefeated Wolverines will take on a hopefully undefeated Buckeyes team in Columbus, Ohio.
I have never been to a Umich OSU game in Ohio because 1) The Horseshoe is a scary place. 2) Michigan has been awful for the last fifteen years. Experiments with an oaf named Hoke and a snake oil peddling, spread option, no defense playing fool in Rodriguez has destroyed a century of football excellence. Of course, this all started with Lloyd Carr who hung on to the job for too long, lost to Appalachian State, and played a role in not allowing Les Miles to come to Ann Arbor.
With Harbuagh at the reins and a defense almost as good as the ’97 championship team, I am finally ready to brave the nutty Columbus crowd and go to the game. Step 1 was to find a points hotel that was affordable. Check. Step 2 was to find a free points flight to Michigan for Thanksgiving. While that was possible, I accepted the generosity of my parents and their GoFundTPOL efforts. Step 3 was to find tickets. This is the worst part of the process.
There are five options when it comes to buying tickets for big games:
The Box Office: Not an option when the game is sold out.
Ticket Scalping on Game Day: For those that do not care if they go to the game or not, this can be the cheapest way to score great tickets. (see Ticket Scalping NYC: Know Before You Go)
The Hookup on Tickets: There’s always that guy or family member who knows someone who knows someone.
SeatGeek: This is a great app for searching for tickets from a variety of vendors.
StubHub: This is the most known reseller of tickets.
With option #1, 2, and 3 unavailable, I began perusing the ticket offerings from SeatGeek and StubHub last week while Ohio State was struggling against Wisconsin. During the game, I was hoping that OSU would lose so the ticket prices would drop. I speculated that a win would cause the prices to go up. Ohio State held on and the prices remained basically the same.
Besides MSU, Michigan does not have any tough opponents left on their schedule. OSU faces a tougher road since they have to play both MSU and Nebraska. Still, I expect that both should be undefeated before the big game. As a result, I do not expect that the prices will go any lower than they are today. Indeed, they could rise exponentially if a spot in the Big Ten Championship game and playoffs is on the line. That is why I decided to pull the trigger by purchasing two upper bowl tickets in row 5 for $695. The face value was $195 so the mark up is not that extraordinary.
As the weeks go by, I will pay close attention to StubHub and SeatGeek to see if I made the right choice. In the mean time, duck the fuckeyes and Go Blue!
TPOL and his offensive line(s)
Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.
Bored at the Holiday Inn, I opted for a round of golf at the North Sound Golf Club which is next to the hotel. A round of golf can cost well over $150 during the peak season but since it was the off-season and since it was after 3PM, I paid the twilight rate of $85 which included club rentals. That’s a great bargain compared to everything else in the Cayman Islands.
Pretending to be a millionaire, I strutted to the tee box. The first hole was a par three which did not go well. The rest of the round was even worse. I ended up playing with a few people who undoubtedly thought that I had no business being on the golf course. I was hitting groundballs, pop flies, and other misfires of the same caliber over and over.
By far it was my worst round of golf but I was golfing in the Cayman Islands so how could I complain? After the disaster that was my day, I went back to the clubhouse to take some proper shots.
As far as the course is concerned, it was beautiful and very playable, all things considered. I expected more holes to be on the ocean but there was only one of note.
TPOL GRADE: 3.5/5 Tees North Sound Golf ClubThe beginning of a great dayThis guyA hopeful holeOf course that’s where it landsWater or bunker, you chooseRight next to the Holiday InnThe best hole
Do you travel to find inner peace, the best kebab, the best pho, or the best piña colada? Do you travel because you like the lounge, the champagne, and the flight more than the destination? Do you travel to spite your friends who are stuck in the cubicle, refusing to heed your advice on how to become an entrepreneur? Do you travel to boast about how many countries you have visited?
I know I do. And today, while doing some blogging maintenance I thought I would tabulate how many ‘countries, territories, parcels of land’ that I have been fortunate enough to see. The grand total is 82, 18 short of joining the Travelers Century Club.
If checking off countries and collecting passport stamps was my only passion, I could have reached 100 already but I rather enjoy going back to places like Shanghai and doing nothing. Still, the prospect of getting to that magical number of 100 is a goal that I hope to accomplish sooner than later.
Who’s beating me in the country count challenge? I know my friend Brent who hates the TCC isn’t!
I spray you with kindness
Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.
Getting There: Taxis are damn expensive in the Cayman Islands. Rent a car if you want to explore the island or go to the official taxi stand and take a cab for $20.
Where is this taxi taking me? What are all these winding roads? What are all these expensive mansions? Who lives there? How am I ever going to get back to town? Oh look a great golf course.
With my Marriott balance at zero and the Westin Grand Cayman under construction, I made the silly choice to book a familiar hotel brand for my final night on the island. Old me would’ve taken the cheapest location next to the beach. Points opportunist me thought why not get some credit since I’m paying for the stay. That proved to be a ($158) mistake.
It looks nice thoughThe Location
Set miles away from the famous Seven Mile Beach, the Holiday Inn Grand Cayman is the worst choice for those looking to enjoy the best part of the island. The hotel looks brand new and is in perfect condition, most likely because no one stays there.
The poolThe walkway to the choppy waterGhost townDangerous water not for swimmingWind wind for jet skisThe Room
I don’t know if I was upgraded because of my charm, my fake IHG status from Chase, or because I was the only guest at the hotel. Nevertheless, the room was great. It was a one bedroom apartment equipped with a kitchen and dining room table, something of a necessity for someone who stays here without renting a car. This assumes that the guest stopped at the grocery store on the way to this remote hotel.
The living roomTV setsThe kitchenBar stoolsThe dining room tableThe patioThe BedroomThe bedroomThe bedroomThe bedroomTV setThe BathroomThe huge bathroomHis & HersBathroom to kitchenThe Golf Course
Luckily for me, the golf course was right next door and a friendly member of the staff dropped me off for a round of 18. After golf, the bartender gave me a ride to the main street and I didn’t return to the hotel till the wee hours of the morning.
Golf!The Lesson
I make it a point not to stay at hotels simply because it’s free on points. Like living in the City, I would rather pay for a better location than take the G Train from Greenpoint. In this case, I was lazy and just assumed that the Holiday Inn would be close to the beach.
My bad.
Here is the Picture Preview, the Excel Spreadsheet of all the points redemptions, and my CNN International Business Traveller segment which was filmed in Vegas.
Getting There: Taxis are damn expensive in the Cayman Islands. Rent a car if you want to explore the island or go to the official taxi stand and take a cab for $18.
Note: I stayed at the Marriott Grand Cayman before the SPG merger was complete. Palm trees
I’ve always wanted to go to the Cayman Islands. My dream was to arrive there via private plane with steel suitcases full of cash. Then I found out the penalties of money laundering and decided to keep my cash in my US high yield bank account which provides 0.00005% interest. Instead of a Learjet, I flew AA from MIA to GCM for only 7500 Avios and $5.60. Instead of my beach mansion, I decided to burn 80,000 Marriott points at Grand Cayman Resort. The price for two nights would have been $613. Out of pocket I paid around $100 because of the stupid resort fee.
Marriotts Generally
My experience at Marriott hotels was mostly limited to my parent’s Arizona hotel of choice, the JW Marriott Scottsdale. The hotel is in need of an upgrade but I still enjoy aimlessly drifting, cerveza in hand, in the lazy river. Beyond that, I never cared to stay at Marriotts because I did not have any points and certainly did not have status.
The Hotel Itself
Marriotts are consistent. The rooms are tidy, the landscaping is on point, and the service is professional.
Marriott Grand CaymanYou Have Not Been Upgraded
It should come as no surprise, given my lack of status, that I did not receive a room with a view of the ocean. Instead, I had a view of the garden which is less exciting than a view of the parking lot. When I wrote the post Money Or Status? I’ll Take the Latter, readers told me that upgrades at Marriott are a rarity so I didn’t feel too bad. The room was a typical hotel room with a nice bed and decent shower. Honestly, so long as the AC works, who really cares about how nice the room is when you are in the Cayman Islands?
Standard roomFiji not free so how does one fill up the coffee?I miss those Park Hyatt pensThe garden viewPass out couchThe gardenThe gardenNeighborsGardenBathroom
In case anyone was wondering what the bathroom looked like. Here it is:
BathroomShowerSoapsSoap barDecent showerSleeping In
No status? No problem. I didn’t have to wake up and eat the same tired omelette and bother other guests by taking pics of the cheese spread. By waking up at 11AM, like a normal person on vacation, I hit the pool and the beach refreshed.
Pool
It is too hot to sit around the pool. I came back after sunset to sit in the hot tub.
The poolThe poolThe poolSunsetHot tub sunsetThose of better means than IOcean
Seven Mile Beach is the perfect name for a beach that stretches for 11.2654 kilometers. My two days were spent drinking rum on the beach or running along it. This is why people come to the Cayman Islands. This is why people choose to pay the premium to stay on the beach. Every second not, is a second wasted.
The barMandatory stopPina Colada7 Mile BeachThe hotelBYORI got crabsView from the beach7 Mile Beach7 Mile Beach7 Mile Beach7 Mile Beach7 Mile Beach7 Mile BeachSunsetOverall
The Marriott Grand Cayman is a solid choice on an island that does not have many points options. I plan on returning to the Cayman Islands but next time I’ll buy, not rent.
Sunset
Out of habit and boredom, I log into Chase multiple times a day. It happens unconsciously, the same way I open a tab for Facebook even though I already have one open. Of course my UR balance has not gone up and I still don’t see an approved Chase Sapphire Reserve in my curation of cards. Still, I find the process to be relaxing.
I ranked Chase as #2 for online banking though I have to say that the new landing page for personal accounts is too messy. I hope they don’t change the business landing page which is the old style.
Anyhow, the point of my pointless rambling is to ask Chase when they are going to get rid of this ugly picture of Steph Curry with his mouth open, presumably using Chase QuickPay to send money to Russell Westbrook to soften the blow of Durant’s cowardly departure. Unless Steph is sending me money, I see no reason to have to look at him and that grotesque goatee every day.
That is all. Go Pistons!
No, my username is not thepointsoflife but I will accept cash should you feel the urge to send it.
This is the easiest 
