See the Picture Preview here and see how this $60,000 trip cost $1999 here.
There are certain things that no one can get sick of. These include silly string, bubble wrap, and any review having to do with Emirates Airlines. The only thing that tops an experience on Emirates is doing it again and again.
The last time I had flown Emirates was part of the Trip Report: A Trip to the Far East in Style. I was so young and points were so abundant. I didn’t think the day would come that Alaska would require almost double the points to pull off the same trip. Alas, that is the reality now so this Emirates review will be my last for the time being.
If I had to use one word to describe the lounge it would be comfortable. It isn’t over-the-top and it isn’t particularly large. Yes there is excellent food and endless champagne but that’s not what makes this lounge unique. What makes it unique is the anticipation from waiting to board (directly from the lounge) onto an immaculate A380. What can be better than knowing that the greatest ride of your life is parked right outside?
Sun Country!Emirates!Maharaja Lounge!Emirates Lounge!The anticipation as I enterSends me to the toiletSmell the roses, I’m taking my time post deval to do soWhy are the minutes not the same!We’ve arrivedTime to eatAnd drinkVOSSMerry-go-roundMy babyArtsy VOSSFresh juicesMarshmallows haaA light bagel and salmon snackEnough photos, time to eatOkay one moreAnd anotherTPOL in FirstRelocating to bar #2Skip the beer for the champagneDatesThe countdown to boardingIt’s a nice lounge for relaxationOne more before I boardThere she is
Here is the Picture Preview.
Cheap WOW air flights, free hotels at the 1919 and Saga Hotel, allow me to travel to places that I can’t afford or otherwise would not pay to go. Points travel is a beautiful thing that I have not taken for granted. I’m well aware of the devaluations, the 5/24 rules that could end the points lifestyle virtually overnight.
If that happens, we will have to face the horrible reality of paying for flights. Sure there deals to be had but what happens if a certain person, let’s call him TPOL, needs a last-minute flight from KEF-JFK because that imbecile inexplicably booked his flight from OSL-JFK and didn’t realize it until he arrived at KEF airport.
This was besides my visa issue the dumbest thing I have ever done while traveling. The next may be publicizing my mistake which most certainly undermines my credibility as a travel expert. Still, if this saves one person from making the same mistake then writing this post was worth it.
Having said that, I have no idea how I committed such an egregious mistake. It all started when I was booking the return from Iceland to New York but couldn’t find any good deals on WOW. I found that it was cheaper to go to Copenhagen and then to Oslo for a few days then fly back to the US from there. That way I could add two more countries to my passport.
A few days later, I found a cheap flight from what I thought was KEF to JFK on Norwegian using Google Flights. I went to book it and used Google Translate to make the reservation. The next day I received the confirmation email and that was that. When I was in Iceland, I even checked my departure time on the reservation and confirmed that it was 3PM. When I arrived at the airport, I couldn’t find any Norwegian flights. I pulled up the email again and that’s when I found out that the flight was departing from Oslo!
$628 later I booked a flight on Icelandair to JFK. I couldn’t use Alaska Airlines points because a)I didn’t have enough and b)I’d never waste those precious points. Delta had a flight the next day but that was 60k + $200 which was not worth it. The final option was to use Skyscanner for any flight out of KEF. Bristol, England was the only one that popped up. In no mood to figure out where Bristol was or how I would get home from there, I accepted my disgraceful defeat.
On a not so shitty note, the Icelandair flight wasn’t that bad.
Look, I have pics!
Look at all those seatsA hashtag pillow! That’s worth about $200Free bottle of water. That’s another $100Everyone laughing at me. That’s another $50No legroom. That’s worth…damn it I’m stupid.
Here is the Picture Preview.
I usually write about airport lounges and not airports. I’m making an exception for two reasons: First, I did not have access to the Icleandair lounge. Second, the pizza and beer are worth writing about.
TPOL has a rule. Eating at the airport is not allowed because the prices are outrageous and the quality is equally abysmal. This was not the case at Keflavik Airport. With my flight delayed and hunger growing, I could not resist ordering a lobster pizza. With my hand shaking from withdrawals, I couldn’t resist a few more Icelandic craft beers.
At this point in the trip, I stopped calculating how much everything cost so I couldn’t tell you the price.
As far as the airport goes, be careful about flight delays. My flight became un-delayed while I was in the food court area and I had no idea. I went off to the gate and then it was re-delayed. I’m not sure how that works.
YumYum again
Here is the Picture Preview.
Getting There: The Saga Hotel is a twenty-minute walk from the city center or a five-minute taxi.
Radisson Blu Saga HotelLocation
After a long day traveling to and from the Glacier Lagoon, I stopped at the hot dog spot one more time before checking out of the Radisson 1919. I took a taxi to the Saga Hotel and arrived at midnight with only 12 hours to spend there before heading to the airport. Since it was Sunday night and the bars closed at 1:30AM, I didn’t mind that I was not in the heart of the action. At the same time, there is a lobby bar with multiple TVs, perfect for watching GS’s meltdown in the NBA Finals.
The barLiving roomNBA FinalsThe Room
The room was basic but the bed was a lot more comfortable than the 1919.
A real bedThe blue wallWhen’s the last time anyone sat at a hotel desk?No Nespresso, lameA chairNot the same view as 1919The balconyThe Bathroom
The bathroom was much smaller than the 1919 and had a spaceship for a shower.
SpaceshipRetro sinkFuturistic deviceThe Hotel Itself
The hotel is old. There’s nothing wrong with it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay here, especially if I had to pay for the room.
The lobbyThe Service
Like the 1919, the service at this hotel was great. The front desk was very helpful in arranging the bus to the airport.
Overall
Like this review, my stay at the Saga Hotel was brief. If you have Club Carlson points to burn and don’t want to pay the premium for 1919 then this is a suitable option.
Here is the Picture Preview.
Getting There: Rent a car. Taxis are absurd and you will need a car to see the sites. You can return it within the city.
We arrived at the Radisson Blu 1919 around 7AM and were not surprised that we could not check-in. I was also not surprised that Club Carlson Gold members do not get free breakfast, a brash assumption that I made in Tahiti. Sleep deprived and confused by our surroundings, we made the wise decision to delay the Golden Circle drive till the next day. After the hotel made Blue Lagoon reservations for us, we set off to find some breakfast.
The Location
The Radisson Blu 1919 has the best location in Reykjavik. Let me detail why in order of importance:
It’s right next to the hot dog shop.
It’s one street away from bars.
It’s a few minutes away walking from the harbor.
It has the best breakfast restaurant.
Hot dogsIn the center of it allDelicious food is at the harborThe Breakfast TPOL paid for breakfast! And this time it was delicious. For around $20, this is one of the best hotel breakfasts I have ever had. It’s very hard to describe the spread without having to take a break from writing to go get a snack. The highlights were the omelette, the salmon, and TPOL’s favorite, the croissant. Even the baby muffins were delightful.
1919 Breakfast Buffet1919 Breakfast BuffetAwesomeBreadsJuice barMorning MarySalmonOmeletteThe Front Desk
Since I stayed at the 1919 for four nights and was up at all hours, I became familiar with everyone that worked at the hotel. They were very helpful and willing to assist in any way. This included doing research on golf courses, on tour companies, and providing recommendations for where to eat. The best service the hotel provided was allowing us to check-in at 10AM so we could try to get some sleep. The second was when they personally came to our room to wake us up for the Glacier Lagoon tour after we ignored our 7AM wake up call. The third was supplying us with endless Nespresso capsules to keep our Iceland binge on track.
The Hotel Itself
The hotel is weird. It’s dark and quiet with crazy sculptures of guys on the wall. Even though it was mostly sold out, I barely ever saw another guest.
Radisson 1919Radisson 1919Note the balconyRadisson 1919The entrance to the strangest lobbyThe exit from the strangest lobbyThese guysThese guysThese guysParticular favoriteThe Room
I would be lying if I said the room was a disappointment. I fully expected the typical Club Carlson prototypical tin box. We were upgraded to a business class room which was bigger than the average room and to my surprise had a huge balcony, the only one in the hotel. The view from the balcony became an ongoing joke as the view never changed, day or night.
The problem with the room was the two hospital beds that were not comfortable and too tiny for a grown boy like myself to sleep in. The other problem was the torture of either drawing the shades for a dark room and roasting in the heat (for obvious reasons hotels in Iceland don’t have AC) or opening the curtain and allowing the cool breeze to come in along with perpetual blinding brightness. We settled for a mixture of the two depending on our threshold for pain.
Other than that the room was fine. Sill, I could never rationalize paying $400-$500 a night for an uncomfortable bed and a room that was so basic. I attribute the cost of the hotel to the location and the service.
Hospital bedsHospital robesUnlimited espressoTiny TVUnused minibarGold amenity gift
Guess the time
1 of 4
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The Bathroom
The water pressure was good and the soaps were basic. I’d like to caution the disoriented or elderly when getting in and out of the shower as you have to step about a foot off of the ground to access it.
Basic soapBasic bathroomDangerous showerParking
For those that rent a car, know that the hotel doesn’t provide parking. There are parking spots outside of the hotel that go off of a meter. Figuring out how to use the meter was a bit tricky initially.
What?Spark parked safely belowOverall
This is a great hotel. I doubt I will stay here again post Club Carlson devaluation but I am glad that I used my 2*1 nights for a memorable, sleep-deprived Icelandic experience.
Calling all phontrepreneurs. If someone can solve the riddle of not paying for rent (food truck, squatting, etc.) then I highly suggest making your way to NYC where the demand for pho is high but the quality is lower than low.
This latest disaster comes from a restaurant called Spice Saigon. The name intrigued me enough to break my rules and dine at a place that is 1)too fancy for a pho restaurant 2)does not list pho tai as a menu item 3)serves Chinese and Thai cuisine in addition to Vietnamese food.
Wrong spicesPretty plate at leastNo pho tai
When a restaurant combines the best of all worlds, inevitably disaster follows. Before the soup came, I was served a salad that was good but out-of-place. Then the summer rolls came which were stuffed with the same salad ingredients, something that I had never seen before.
Decent saladWTF are these
After that, the ingredients for the pho came. Instead or sriracha, there was sriracha’s cousin, chili garlic sauce. In Vietnamese restaurants, a home-made variety of that sauce is provided in addition to the traditional sriracha and hoisin. Here, it was the principal hot sauce.
No, no, no
Unimpressed by the summer rolls, I waited for the pho to come. Here’s where things get really strange. The broth smelled like chicken noodle soup. The whole point of pho broth is that it is made from beef, not chicken. Hungry, I went in for a taste. My tongue confirmed what my nose suspected: this was chicken noodle soup. Adding in the wrong sriracha and mixing everything around would not change this fact.
Wrong colorLame!
Annoyed, I asked for my checked, was outraged that it was $17, and left. What the pho!
Awful!
Here is the Picture Preview.
After our run in with the rental car people, we managed to find our way to the hotel using common sense and street signs. I thought my Blackberry Passport which I had used in New Zealand for navigation would direct as on our journey to the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle but for some reason Blackberry doesn’t know where Iceland is.
Instead of breaking out the old school map and pretending like we spoke Icelandic, we went to the hotel, hopped on the WiFi and used the Samsung S7 Edge to download Google Maps for all the places we intended on going. Using offline maps was a lifesaver because we never would’ve known where to go, where to stop, or how to get back in a timely manner.
Using Google Maps offline is something that is easy to forget about which is why dedicated a post for those of you who want to rent a car in a foreign country but don’t want to deal with paying for an antiquated GPS that somehow is less reliable than the phone.
No navigation could be a problem
Here is the Picture Preview.
There are two things that TPOL especially is terrible at: 1)Visas (see China Visa Disaster Again) 2)Transport. I love the strategerie of gathering points, the rush of booking, and don’t mind the actual trips. What I hate is logistics. These ‘minor’ details that I do not address invariably end up costing me a fortune yet somehow I don’t learn from my mistakes.
Enter renting a car in Iceland.
My friend had told me that renting a car was a must because taxis in Reykjavick are ridiculous and guided tours, for me, are hell on earth. Since I’m not an expert in car rentals, have a superficial understanding of credit card protection for rentals, and am lazy when it comes to things that I am not good at, I foolishly decided to try to rent a car when I arrived at KEF airport. (I’m not going to attempt to spell the name of that city.)
Of course, as it is peak season, the familiar rental car companies were sold out. One of the agents directed us to go outside of the airport, past the red hotel, where there was a curation of rental car companies to choose from.
It was 6AM and as was the case the entire time I was in Iceland, the sun was shining brightly. I went into the first rental company that I saw that was open and they looked at me like Arnold trying to buy a TurboMan doll on Christmas Day. The second guy was not as friendly. He wouldn’t quote me a price. He wouldn’t suggest another rental company. He wouldn’t even tell me the logistics of returning a car to a different location if his company had one available. “It depends on the day, it depends on the color, how can I make a speculation about price if we don’t have one available?”
When Michael Jeries went to the third company, the quickly showed him the door citing no available cars. I immediately pounced on their fabrication of the truth and pulled up a list of available cars which could be booked via Expedia. It was only after showing them the availability (not an actual reservation) that they reluctantly admitted that they had cars for rent. The fun continued as the price Expedia showed and the price I was quoted was $100 more. Exhausted and delirious, I agreed to pay whatever was asked and figured I would deal with Expedia later (a call I have yet to make). The antics didn’t stop there. The representative said that I had to buy the super-duper premium insurance if I wanted to be covered through and through as he didn’t know if Expedia covered something like a crack in the windshield. I asked him how much that was and it was another $100. I politely declined and took out my Chase British Airways card (luckily that min spend is done), a card that has some level of protection for car rentals. Since I declined the car rental company’s insurance, I was charged 1500 euros which he said could take a couple of weeks to return should there be an issue with the car.
Then he tried to sell me navigation. Then he tried to sell me the whole tank of gas. Then he tried to sell me life insurance and then he finally let me go. (All are true minus the last).
Feeling robbed, duped, and dumb, we set off from KEF to Reykjavik with only the bright sun and signs with too many consonants as our guide to the hotel.
Chevy Spark!IS!0-100 real quick, real quickMichael sad to give up his ride
For those interested, the name of the car rental company was Sixt and the price of a two-day rental with a drop off in the city was $228. We managed to return the car with no damage and I already had my deposit returned.
Here is the Picture Preview.
Be happy, you’re bypassing bag fees!
This is a review of the Baubax: The World’s Best Travel Jacket which I waited forever to receive. Think James Bond meets Inspector Gadget. The Baubax travel jacket has a pocket for everything from your passport to your iPad. It has a hood to keep you dry and enough zippers to make you forget where you placed half of your stuff. Even with all these bells and whistles, the best feature of Baubax’s travel jacket is the illusion it creates that my pockets are empty.
As I had written, when I traveled on WOW air, the airline had a strict 5 kilo carry-on policy. Mindful of this, I stuffed everything from my Samsung Fast Charge to the rest of My Travel Technology into my pockets to assure that I would make-weight. If I had to guess, I’d have to say that my overstuffed turkey hoodie weighed more than the book bag that I had brought. Business cards, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, and even a long sleeve shirt were strategically placed in each of the compartments of this architectural marvel.
Besides using the jacket as a mule to bring more than the permitted amount of cargo, I also found the jacket handy for going through security quickly. For TSA PreCheck, all I had to do was throw my phones in one of the pockets and walk through without having to take the time to repack.
For day-to-day use, I found the jacket to be very comfortable and very warm. While I do have suggestions to improve the jacket including zippers on the front pockets and a pen that is more reliable, I am very happy with this purchase. Eventually the jacket will pay for itself as I will continue to use it to avoid paying silly bag fees.
I’ve been watching, reading, and dreaming about the Brexit gloom and doom. Not one to bite my tongue, I have to give my 2 pence worth. Unlike John Oliver, I am in complete support of Britain’s exit from the European Union. To begin, Britain never went all in on the EU idea because it kept its own currency, the British sterling. They refused to give up control of their money supply and rightfully so.
I understand that their currency, at present has taken a sharp dive, that their decision has impacted foreign markets, and that there are unforeseeable consequences of such a bold departure. I also believe that the politicians, bankers, and businessmen played to the unjustified fears of people by making Brexit an immigration issue. That was the easiest way to drum up support for this initiative.
Even with all that, the outlook for the British economy is a lot brighter than a summer’s day in London. Britain no longer has to be under the control of the over regulated EU bureaucrats, a governing body whose interests are to protect the strong nations like Germany and France while holding poor nations like Greece and Spain hostage with their unreasonable restrictions. (see Payday Loans: Germany’s Shady Solution for Greece) New trade deals will have to be ratified, alliances will have to be reestablished, and the short-term pain will have to be endured. This may be a bit painful initially but it will prove to be worthwhile in the long run. Once the market does stabilize and the world realizes that there is no apocalypse, I expect more countries will follow in Britain’s footsteps. This won’t include Scotland leaving the UK as their desire to uphold the status quo will only grow stronger given what they have to lose. (see The Trouble with Single Malts: Why Scotland Should Stay in the UK) In the end, the EU will dissolve but this dissolution will not be the end of globalization. This is only the beginning of the beginning.
Brexit? In the words of the great politician Aaron Rodgers, the world needs to R-E-L-A-X
