El Doble: Happiest Hour in Madrid. And There’s Fresh Seafood

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El Doble: Happiest Hour in Madrid. And There’s Fresh Seafood

El Doble is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report. Read TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?

I enjoy receiving restaurant recommendations from locals or from friends who have been to where I am going. In Madrid, I was told to go to Ten Con Ten and Taberna de Rincon. Both were excellent. While it’s nice to have insight into great places, it is more rewarding and fun when I discover such places on my own. Enter El Doble, an internationally known seafood cervecería right down the street from my apartment. After waking up promptly at 3 PM (see Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine), I left my apartment in search of my morning café. I headed west on Calle de José Abascal. At the corner of Abascal and Ponzano, I came across a place that was as lively as anywhere I had been in Madrid. I popped my head inside to see people eating, drinking, and chatting. But, there were no signs of coffee. Groggy, I thought that I should go get a double shot and then return to join the festivities. I walked out. Seconds later, I walked back in. I have been to enough places to know that when you see something you do something (see Expat Lessons). I found a spot at the bar and took it upon myself to order fresh shrimp, octopus, and draft beer. a row of beer taps and bottles on a wall two plates of food on a table TPOL’s Tip: Order shrimp or octopus, not both. It’s a bit pricey to pay over 20 euros per plate. TPOL’s Tip: Check the prices before ordering anywhere and everywhere (another one for the Expat Lessons). Pointing at what looks good instead of referencing it on a menu because you don’t know the name in the local language is a recipe for disaster. I switched from beer to wine and from jumbo shrimp, an oxymoron, to little shrimp, a redundant combination of words.a tray of shrimp in front of a beer tap a pile of shrimp on a plate a shrimp on a plate Before I could order more, the owner came by with the check. 4:15 PM is closing time. I was happy that I got there in time but sad to go home so early.
a group of people sitting at a bar
From slammed to empty in a matter of minutes.
a building with a sign on the side
One would never suspect that there was a raving party going on in here just minutes ago.
My friends gave me great recommendations for places to eat and drink in Madrid. And now I can do the same.
a wall of pictures of people
What does it take to get your picture on the wall?

Simply The Best: May 2023

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Simply The Best: May 2023

Best of May you say? I have that here:

  1. Iraqi Homecoming: My 40th Birthday in Baghdad
    a man standing in front of two large buildings
    The birthday arrival trip theme will be impossible to top in terms of culture, family, and meaning.
  2. This Is The Best Use of 40k AA Miles
    a map of the world
    For 207,000 points, I am paying $235 for a business class itinerary that retails for $13,075 and flying 27,237 miles.
  3. Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine
    a woman sitting at a table with drinks
    The idea of a residency means living like a local. In Madrid, locals may have a drink at brunch. The difference is they probably did some work that morning before indulging.
  4. Bangkok Residency Booked! BKK-SIN-JFK SQ Return
    a screenshot of a flight schedule
    The residency plan gets better and better, making me, TPOL, Simply The Best.
  5. Ejected! Taxi Bangkok
  6. Early Bird Audible: BKK to Full Moon Party
    a sign post with many different colored signs on it
    There are good ideas and then there are great ideas. The decision to leave Bangkok after a night out in Bangkok was a great one.
  7. One Night in Bangkok: A Marathon Party Guide
    a sign in a bar
    I couldn’t imagine running this gauntlet for another night.
 

This Is The Best Use of 40k AA Miles

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This Is The Best Use of 40k AA Miles

40k AA Miles is part of the Over Under Trip Report.

I am not excited when I book a boring awards flight from point A to point B. The fun comes from finding crazy routes to get to my destination (see The Marginal Return of Booking An Added Segment) that do not require an outrageous amount of points (see No Fun Round The World Trip Planning). My Melbourne residency begins with a flight to Fiji for 55k Alaska Miles (see 55K Alaskan to Fiji And My New Melbourne Residence). After that is complete, I immediately move to Bangkok for my next residency. To get back to the US, I booked  SQ business for 112,000 miles (see Bangkok Residency Booked! BKK-SIN-JFK SQ Return). This left me with one last flight to book: MEL-BKK. Doing an awards search for that exact route yielded no results. Trying to find routing ideas, I searched for revenue flights. There was a direct flight on Thai Airways, but the rest connected in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. If I wanted to pay, the cheapest option was on Scoot.
a screenshot of a flight schedule
I’m not flying Scoot again (see Scoot SIN-BKK: Hard Product: Dreamliner, Soft Product: Not).
I searched for award availability from MEL-SIN and MEL-KUL. Again, I came up with no good options. Recalling my epic JFK-YVR-HKG-BKK trip (see Cathay A350 HKG-BKK: I Miss First Already), I searched AA.com for an award flight to Hong Kong. To my surprise, my new friend, Fiji Airways appeared. For 40,000 AA miles, I could fly business to Nadi then lie flat for 11 hours to HKG. I put the itinerary on a courtesy four-day hold while I searched for the final leg from HKG-BKK. Searching on BA.com, I saw the same Cathay flight as I mentioned above available in business departing the following day at 9:55 AM. All that was left to do was to call AA and have them add the extra segment. That led to three different calls to AA. Call #1 Agent: We can make the change but you have to book it now. We can’t put it back on a courtesy hold. If you do book it now and want to make changes in the future, we would have to cancel the itinerary, refund your miles, and refund your taxes. Me: Let’s book it now. Agent: Let me put you on hold for a few minutes while I finalize this. Me: [pacing to AA hold music] AA: Please give us feedback on your call. Me: What? Feedback? AA: Goodbye! Call #2 Agent: We can’t make changes to this itinerary. And I can’t find any award availability from Melbourne to Bangkok. Me: Thank you. I’ll keep what I have. When I get stuck with points bookings, I email Matt from Live and Let’s Fly. Before doing so, I Googled ‘adding a segment on aa flight award on hold.’ Google must be spying on me because the first result was this article written by him American Airlines Restricts Changes on Partner Award Tickets. After reading this bad news, I emailed him to explain my predicament. He said to keep trying but was not confident that it would work. Call #3 Me: I would like to add a segment. Agent: Sure, please hold while I confirm that. AA: [hold music] Agent: [Post cc info being exchanged]. It’s confirmed. Me: It still showing as ‘on hold.’ Agent: Let me check it. Oh, it seems there is a problem. Me: [silence] Agent: Let me have your credit card one more time. Me: No problem. Agent: Go check it now. Me: It worked! Agent: Anything else? Me: Nope! AA: Please provide feedback on your call. Going forward, I will put my AA itinerary on hold and then try this technique again. If that doesn’t work, I will attempt to feed the agent the flights manually. If that doesn’t work, then as Matt wrote, this would be a major devaluation and a major buzzkill to the process for booking creative routes. Here, instead of paying 27,000 Avios for adding the extra HKG-BKK segment, I paid $40 extra in taxes. Though I usually reserve the bus schedule spreadsheet for the trip recap, I could not resist sharing a draft of it, along with the Great Circle Mapper. For 207,000 points, I am paying $235 for a business class itinerary that retails for $13,075 and flying 27,237 miles. a green and black table with numbers and letters a map of the world a screenshot of a computer screen TPOL: Simply The Best.

Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine

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Espresso? Beer? Both?: My Madrid Morning Routine

My Madrid Morning Routine is part of The Adios Puerto Rico, Hola España Trip Report.

As I wrote in the post, Why A Second Residency?, I left Puerto Rico because I faced a daily battle of trying to do everything before the sun went down more or less around 6 PM throughout the year. Sleeping in is not an option. In Madrid, I could wake up every day whenever I wanted, knowing that there was always something to do regardless of the time (see Best Tapas Madrid: No Budget Cuts Here). It didn’t take long for me to abuse this process. During the first week of residency, I was up no later than noon because I heard the afternoon church bells. I would make my way to the kitchen and drop in a Nespresso pod before going about my day. By the second week, I had closed the window and lowered the blackout curtains. The wake-up time was a reasonable 1 PM. By the third week, I was lucky if I woke up before two. To make sure I didn’t turn into a complete night owl, I transitioned from Nespresso to espresso doubles at one of the many cafes in my intimate Chamberi neighborhood. I didn’t come all the way to Madrid to spend all my time in my flat, regardless of how nice it was (see Say No to Airbnb, Show Up Start Living at The Blue Ground). Everything was back on track until I ordered a beer to go with my espresso, a vacation breakfast tradition that goes back more than a decade. The first problem is that I was in residency, not on vacation. The second problem is that one beer turned into multiple. Going into the fourth week, I had to get back on track. I responsibly set my alarm for 12:30 PM and went back to budget-conscious Nespresso. The idea of a residency means living like a local. In Madrid, locals may have a drink at brunch. The difference is they probably did some work that morning before indulging. In my next residency, I will be sure not to make such deviations again (see TPOL’s Expat Lessons). But, ever the optimist, I might as well share with you TPOL’s devolution from Morning Joe to drunken toad.
  • My Apartment: It gets boring drinking Nespresso every morning, even with dessert. a black coffee maker on a counter a heart shaped donut and a cup of coffee
  • La Sana: This was the first and best coffee shop. This was pre-drinking.
a woman sitting at a table with drinks
Look at those sweet treats.
TPOL’s TIP: La Sana is located at Calle de José Abascal, 44.
  • Local Bakery: More sweets and no alcohol. Still behaving.
two cups of coffee and a plate of food on a table
  • Local Bar Follow-Up: I didn’t take a photo of every espresso but after going to a coffee house, it was natural to go to the bar. a couple of glasses of beer
  • Rick’s: And this is where I knew I had lost it. In addition to ordering an espresso and enjoying tapas, I also had a burger and multiple beers.
a building with a green awning and a blue sign
a group of people in a restaurant
3 PM, on a Friday, no one working.
a cup of coffee with a packet of coffee a plate of food on a table a burger and fries on a newspaper
a machine with buttons and a game
All that was left to do was to compulsively play slots.
TPOL’s Tip: Located at Esquina, Calle de Espronceda, Calle de Modesto Lafuente, 23 two glasses of yellow liquid TPOL’s Tip: Located at Calle de Bretón de los Herreros, 35, 28003 Madrid, Spain
  • VIPS: Trying to get back on track, we went to Madrid’s version of Denny’s.
a red sign on a building a cup of coffee on a plate
  • El Doble: I came across this iconic restaurant by accident after waking up after 3 PM on a Friday. Fresh seafood, crisp beer, and great vino made me want to abandon the residency life and stay in vacation mode. Houston Madrid, we have a problem.
a building with a door and a sign on the side a tap with a tray of shrimp in front of a counter TPOL’s Tip: Located at Calle de José Abascal, 16, 28010 Madrid, Spain TPOL’s Tip: Don’t sleep in too late, the lunch rush ends at 4:15PM.
  • Gracias Padre Coco Bongo: If you’ve been to Cancun, then you already know. If you’re doing Cancun things for breakfast, you already know where the day is headed.
a restaurant with tables and chairs
a group of beer bottles and mugs on a table
Send help. Gracias, padre.
 

SQ Mile Transfer Anxiety: Come on Chase!

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SQ Mile Transfer Anxiety: Come on Chase!

SQ Mile Transfer is part of the Over Under Trip Report.

Planning award trips is not easy. We’ve all been there when we go to book and the website errors out. In those situations, it is a waste of time to call the airline and complain that there is phantom availability (see Delta’s Website: The Phantom Of the Opera). Another issue is transferring points from a credit card to a travel partner. Glitches are inevitable (see Amex Transfers Points Twice! The Fight Is On!). Searching for a flight from SE Asia back to the US, I was surprised how easily I found a business class flight on SQ from BKK-SIN-JFK for 112,000 points. The next step was to transfer miles to Singapore Airlines. I deliberated which currency I should use. I value URs the most but have the most of them. I value MRs second and have the second most of those. I value TY points the least, have the least amount of experience in redeeming them, and have the least amount of those points. I checked the transfer time for Citi and found it to be less than one day. I checked the transfer time for Amex and found it to be less than one day. I wasn’t concerned about Chase because their points transfer instantaneously. I decided not to use my Citi points, opting to save them for a time when I can learn more about their unique transfer partners, like Turkish. For Ms. TPOL’s flight, I sent 112,000 from her Amex account. For my account, I split the points transfer evenly between Amex and Chase, sending 56,000 from each to my account. Refreshing my SQ account, I saw that 56,000 was already deposited. But where did that 56,000 come from? I checked MS. TPOL’s SQ account and saw that the 112,000 had already gone through. Amex beat Chase? How could this be? Confused, I took to Google to investigate further. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Chase can take up to 7 days to transfer points to SQ. Nervous, I booked Ms. TPOL’s flight, while contemplating what to do about my trip. I debated if I should send over another 56k from Amex. I took to Bing to see if there was a search result that would say that Chase actually transfers much faster than 7 days. I did not find comfort in those results either. Ultimately, I decided that I would wait for Chase and deal with the consequences of not being diligent in my research. I kept refreshing the SQ page to see if the transfer had gone through. All I kept seeing was 56,000 written in the beautiful SQ font. I didn’t dare to search for availability as I did not want to see that the flight had moved from available to the dreaded wait list. Almost 48 hours later, I hit refresh once again. This time it showed 112,000 points. I searched for availability and swore to the gods of points that I would not be so reckless should the flight still be available. Fortunately for me, it was. The ticket was booked and the email confirmation was received. The next morning, 60 hours later, I received an email from Chase saying that my points transfer had been completed. Lessons Learned 
  • It was smart to use 56k from Chase and 56k from Amex to keep my balances high in each.
  • It was stupid to assume all Chase transfers are instant.
  • It was smart not to impulsively transfer over another 56k from Amex as SQ miles expire 3 years after they are earned.
Overall, this worked out perfectly for me but perhaps it is wiser, given the unknown transfer times, to send the points from one card all at once. a close up of a credit card    

Bangkok Residency Booked! BKK-SIN-JFK SQ Return

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Bangkok Residency Booked! BKK-SIN-JFK SQ Return

Bangkok Residency is part of the Over Under Trip Report.

I don’t bother comparing what I do versus that of my friends, colleagues, or strangers because there is no competition. By no competition, I mean that there is no wrong way to travel. You want to explore the world on a Disney Cruise? Be my guest. But should you want to compete either in Country Count or experiences, you are going to come up short. Last year, the native son went to Iraq for his 40th birthday (see Iraqi Homecoming: My 40th Birthday in Baghdad) and Doha for the World Cup in December of 2022 (see Booked! Qatar Qsuites Round 3 for the World Cup). The World Cup was supposed to be the start of my bold residency idea, whereby I live in first-class cities throughout the world twice a year (see Vote for Where TPOL Will Move Next And…) I was supposed to start in Dubai so I could commute to more matches. Due to logistical issues, I had to cancel that plan (see Finalizing the ANA RTW Trip, World Cup & Luck Included). Undaunted, I decided that my first residency would be in Melbourne, Australia in the spring of 2023 (see 55K Alaskan to Fiji And My New Melbourne Residence). I called it the Over/Under Trip Report because of the location and because I did not know the odds that I could actually pull off a second residency. In February of 2023, I made good on my promise to live somewhere else (TPOL in Madrid: Why A Second Residency?). However, I opted for Madrid, (see Adios Puerto Rico, Hola Espana), delaying the Melbourne move to November. The problem with this plan is that it did not take into account my new desire to be abroad during the holiday season (see Living It Up: Favorite Cities, New Residencies, Summer @ the Sea). Accordingly, I had to add an economically reasonable and practical place to go after Melbourne. The obvious choice was Bangkok. While I am still trying to decide how much time I should split between these two cities, I did secure my long-haul flight home. For only 112,000 SQ miles (see Mile Transfer Anxiety), I am flying this glorious route in business: a screenshot of a flight schedule I flew the longer version last September, JFK-SIN, and declared it to be the best business class flight in the world (see World’s Longest & Best Business Class Flight: JFK-SIN). The residency plan gets better and better, making me, TPOL, Simply The Best.

Bangkok Airways [Almost] Direct to Full Moon v. Plane, Bus, Ferry, Boat

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Bangkok Airways [Almost] Direct to Full Moon v. Plane, Bus, Ferry, Boat

BKK Airways Bangkok Samui Flight Review is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.

The year was 2009. En route to starting my MBA exchange at Fudan University in Shanghai, I made an obligatory stop for my first Full Moon Party (see The Pointless Global MBA: Take Two). Budget-conscious, I took a flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani and then a bus to the port in order to catch the ferry to Samui. Then I took a boat to Koh Phangan. It was a long, trying journey.
a smoke coming out of a boat
Not the air that I was expecting.
Because class was starting and because I didn’t want to be sent home before I arrived in China, I had to leave Koh Phangan the day before the official Full Moon party. To make up for it, I returned that same year in November. The second time I was wise enough to avoid flight, bus, ferry, boat combination by taking a direct flight on Bangkok Airways from Samui to Hong Kong. Applying this knowledge to my trip in 2022, I flew from Bangkok to Samui on Bangkok Airways for $250 round trip. Here’s my brief review of this brief flight in pictures: the side of a plane a tray with food and a bottle of milk
an airplane wing and land below
1:10 later.
TPOL’s TIP: $250 round trip is the typical price even if booking in advance. Flying Blue is available for redemption on Bangkok Airways but it is not a good use of points. TPOL’s TIP: The days leading up to the party are better than the party itself. This was true in 2009 and it continued to be true in 2022. Overall If you’re going to the Full Moon party on a budget, make more money before you go and then spend it on a direct flight. Plane, bus, ferry, boat is not the way to go.

Priority Pass Coral Lounge BKK: Pre Full Moon

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Priority Pass Coral Lounge BKK: Pre Full Moon

BKK to Full Moon Party is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.

After returning to the Aloft Bangkok at 5 AM after a night out in Bangkok (see One Night in Bangkok: A Marathon Party Guide), I made the executive decision to go to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party (see Early Bird Audible: BKK to Full Moon Party). At 5:30 I booked a flight on Bangkok Airways that departed at 8:10AM. Since I don’t pack much (see What to Pack: Take 1/4 of the Clothes, 1/2 the Money), I was out the door by 6 AM. With no traffic, a rarity in Bangkok, I arrived at BKK early enough to add another priority pass ‘review’ to my portfolio. The name of the lounge is called The Coral, though I am not sure why. a glass door with a black awning and a potted plant
a room with tables and chairs and plants
Very coral.
Fried Rice Like the Marriott Tang Plaza Singapore (see Who Needs Hanoi?), fried rice was available for breakfast. This should be a global norm. a bowl of rice and shrimp on a stove Espresso The espresso cups were fancy enough to warrant a photo. a coffee machine on a grate Seating The couch was a bit too comfortable. Since I was operating on no sleep, I paced around the lounge instead.
a man sitting at a table with a can of soda and a lamp
Others did not fare as well.
Bathrooms It always grinds my gears when there is not a bathroom within a lounge. Overall Another comprehensive lounge review in the books. Next up Haad Rin.
a refrigerator with drinks and beverages
Super coral.

Early Bird Audible: BKK to Full Moon Party

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Early Bird Audible: BKK to Full Moon Party

BKK to Full Moon Party is part of the Reunion Tour Trip Report.

Fed up with the losers back home “LBH” who come to Bangkok for sex tourism (see TPOL’s Take: Sex Tourism in Thailand), we needed a change of scenery. I was told to go to Pattaya. From what I recalled, Pattaya is another Phuket full of LBH’s and one of the worst places in the world. Wanting to relive the days of my youth and experience unadulterated fun (see Party Time Worldwide), I decided to return to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party.

TPOL’s Truth: A little older, I decided to go only for the days leading up to the party. Age notwithstanding, the pre-party is better than the party itself.

The earliest available flight was at 8AM. Given that it was already 5AM, there was no time to second guess my decision. I hit book, told my friend to pack his bags, and hoped there would be an Uber available (see Ejected! Taxi Bangkok).

For $250 per person we flew Bangkok Airways, a quick one-hour flight, to spend 4 days partying with travelers from all over the world.

a sign post with many different colored signs on it

Overall
There are good ideas and then there are great ideas. The decision to leave Bangkok after a night out in Bangkok (see One Night in Bangkok: A Marathon Party Guide) was a great one. It made up for my Vietnam blunder (see Vietnam E-Visa Not Processed: Another TPOL Duck Up?).
TPOL’s TIP: $250 round trip is the typical price even if booking in advance. Flying Blue is available for redemption on Bangkok Airways, but it is not a good use of points.

No Fun Round The World Trip Planning

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No Fun Round The World Trip Planning

No Fun is part of the And Another One Trip Report.

I have not finished the following Trip Reports: But that’s not why my latest round the world trip is postponed. The reason it is postponed is because the airlines have gone mad. Look at the points required for these flights to China. a screenshot of a computer a screenshot of a calendar What is this madness?! I used to fly Cathay First for 67.5k AA miles (see Cathay First JFK-HKG: Part 1 to Vancouver & Cathay First Booked: Date Determined, Persistence Required). I used to find availability on United.com for my ANA round the worlds (see 25,000 Mile RTW Trip Including Iraq Booked! & Booked! ANA RTW: 22,000 Miles in Glorious Business). This is what the average person must feel like when they go to redeem miles only to find that Delta charges 120,000 to go from DTW to MCO. Devaluations are one thing but this is ridiculous. Not interested in competing with points inflation, I am putting off my trip until the end of August. When another dream rtw itinerary is confirmed and ticketed, I will look back at this post and know, like Brook Koepka, that I still got it.  
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