I know we are less than pleased with Bonvoy but Marriott‘s March Madness commercial receives high marks.
Blue Devil, you get a room at the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton. I wonder where he would put Rameses? Probably at the Moxy Edinburgh.
Here are the current standings before the games resume tomorrow. TPOL is tied for 10th. I wonder who will win and not show up to Puerto Rico?
AC Marriott Belfast Hotel Review is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
Getting There
Take the bus to and from the city center. It was only 11.5 GBP. The problem is that the hotel is a twenty-minute walk from there.
Check-In
I keep my Titanium Elite status alive because of the luxury and courtesy of being able to check-in at all hours. I know it’s not guaranteed but it’s usually granted. It took some fuss for the hotel to let me in at 11AM. 
Room
It’s been quite the trip so far. Running from Ribera del Duero to Copenhagen to Edinburgh on only a few hours’ rest. I was happy to sleep and do nothing in the comfortable AC bed. 
Shower
Following the disappointing showers at the Radisson Blu Copenhagen and the Moxy Edinburgh, I was relieved to have a normal shower. 
Service
Due to Covid (see Scam Covid Test #1: Entering the UK), many restaurants were closed for dine-in. That suited me just fine as I had Indian food for the second time this trip (see Guns & Butter: Madison, Wisconsin Travel Guide & Guns & Butter: Belfast Travel Guide). In need of refreshments, I went down to the bar and was graciously greeted by the bartender. A couple beers and a couple Cokes was the perfect compliment to the meal.
Location
The problem with the hotel is the location. The hotel’s website read as follows: “An urban retreat in an exceptional waterfront location, AC Hotel Belfast by Marriott is a scenic haven in a colourful travel destination in Northern Ireland.” The words are accurate if you know what those words meant. I assumed that it meant there was stuff nearby and that it was relatively near the city center. What it actually means is that the hotel is located where there used to be factories and now it’s being converted into hotels/residences i.e., urban retreat=not near city center. Perhaps I should use Mapquest before I assume that big hotel chain + big city = good location. But when I’m hopping from one city to the next, I don’t have the bandwidth to make sure that every hotel is where I would prefer it to be.
Overall
I am happy to have spent $118 instead of burning points at this hotel.
While you were watching March Madness this weekend, TPOL turned 8 on March 19th. To celebrate, I’ve picked one random post from The Simply The Best collection for the month of March each year.
Guns & Butter: Bangkok, Thailand Travel Guide
Traveling While Arab? Pack Your Sense of Humor
TPOL’s Worst Flight Experiences
Alcatraz: An American Landmark
How to Book Trinidad’s Carnival Last Second for Free*
What’s a Travel Blog Without Travel?
Enter TPOL’s Bracket, Flight to Puerto Rico Included!
The madness continues.
Somehow we got to twenty entrants for the March Madness bracket.
That means I’ll honor my commitment to pay up to $200 for someone to come to Puerto Rico and visit me.
That doesn’t include alcohol or golf as I described.
But it does include aqua aerobics.
That assumes that the winner shows up. If the winner doesn’t respond like last year then it’s up to me to decide if I want to settle for a runner-up.
I’ve had more entries this year than I did last year. And last year I was giving away a free flight to Puerto Rico and a round of golf. This year I decided to give away nothing because no one came last year. I’ll reinstitute the free ticket, up to a $200 value, if I end up with 20 entrants by tip-off tomorrow. If I don’t receive that many, that tells me one of two things: #1 points nerds don’t watch March Madness or #2 people do not actually want to meet me. I hope it’s #2. Stay afraid. Stay away.
Note: There will not be a free round of golf because my comeback date is yet to be determined (see TPOL Is Down). By popular demand, there will be daily free aqua aerobics (see TPOL’s Achilles Rehab Secret: Hydro Revolution).
Nothing.
I tried to give away a free flight last year, and the winner didn’t show up (see Last Call: Giveaway to Puerto Rico). Instead of being jilted at the altar again, I offer bragging rights as the prize. Enter here and let the shit talking begin.
Do you recall opening a Brex account (see Brex: The 110K Application, The Approval, But Only Conditionally, Brex 80k Posted! What About Payroll?, & Brex 110k Finally Complete)? I did it for the points and never used it. The company took notice and is giving me 30 days to move my 113,000 points to one of the following (below). Like selecting an arbitrator, I need to strike & rank these choices:
I’ll get rid of the following right away because admittedly I know nothing about the programs: AeroMexico, Asia Miles, Qantas.
Next to go is Emirates and SQ. I want to fly in the new first-class suites from the US, but who knows when that will happen. Since these miles expire and I don’t have concrete travel plans, these two programs are out.
That leaves me with Air France and Avianca. I once flew from Detroit to Naples for 18,750 points (see Flying Blue Promo! For 18k, I’ll Ride Coach to Napoli). I got what I paid for (Flying Blu, Literally Depressed: DTW-CDG Air France in Coach).
Turning to Avianca, despite the horror stories, I have found LifeMiles easy to redeem (see LifeMiles Great Customer Service: Seriously, True Story). For 87,000 miles I can fly from Germany to the US on Lufthansa First, something that I have yet to do. That sounds appealing.
Assuming I transfer 87k to LifeMiles, I will have 26k remaining. To diversify, I will transfer those to Air France to increase my balance from 16k to 42k, putting me in striking distance of a business class ticket to Europe.
Typically, I try to save my miles for flights to Asia or the Middle East and look for cheap options to get to Europe (see Iberia Business Booked for 25k Avios! Best Deal Ever?). Since I’m being forced to transfer the miles, I don’t feel guilty about allocating miles for a trip to Europe. Unless you have something better in mind, I believe this is the best course of action.
Scam Covid Test #1 is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report. Even if Covid tests are going away for travel, this was written before then and is published to document a time when the public was swindled.
In order to go to the UK, I needed a magical code that said I was registered for a Covid test to be taken my second day upon arrival. The price was $100 which is a rip-off for many reasons. First, the test only cost $35 in Colombia (see Room Service: I’m Here with Your Covid Test). Second, why do vaccinated people need to be tested? The testing inconvenience should be there to compel the anti-vaxxers to get with the program or stay home (see Like the Vaccine, Why Not Get TSA PreCheck?). Those vaccinated who test positive should be able to fly. The idea that they are going to spread covid more than it has already spread and the idea of having a zero covid policy is unreasonable. Covid is not going away, so stopping people who happen to test positive from traveling is pointless. Third, the time required to register for the test, wait for a confirmation email, and fill out the locator form is a buzzkill. We spent the better half of an afternoon in Copenhagen trying to get the right test ordered and the confirmation code. Of course, when we arrived in Scotland, the testing company said that the test would not be delivered before our trip to Belfast two days later.
Priority Pass Edinburgh Lounge Review is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
Welcome to another Priority Pass Lounge Review. I am pleased to announce the Aspire Lounge in Edinburgh does not suck (see Priority Pass Jakarta Lounge Review: Yuck). In fact, it was very nice. Here’s why:
Self Service
I don’t like talking in the morning. In this lounge, the food is self-service. And it was very good.
Drinks
The bar is not self-service but that was fine. I was in no mood to drink following my Edinburgh escapades (see Guns & Butter: Edinburgh Travel Guide).
Soft drinks and juices are self-service. The latter comes from a neat dispensary.
Seating
I stopped taking pictures of every seat at every lounge. I don’t see the point of doing so. I do take pictures of comfortable seats that serve a purpose. Here, there was a booth, perfect for eating and perfect for resting. It was directly next to the boarding gate monitor, allowing me to enjoy the lounge in peace (see Boarding Announcement Paranoia).
Overall
Thank you Priority Pass for a brief but restful stay.
Edinburgh Travel Guide is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report.
TPOL’s Guns & Butter Travel Guide is the best way to see as much as you can in as little time as possible. Here’s how it works – A trip is composed of two factors: Labor And Lazy. 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. The guide includes inefficient activities i.e., tourist traps that should be avoided and aspirational activities that are worth doing but may be impossible to see given the constraints of time and resources.
What to do in Scotland? That’s what I said when I landed in Edinburgh.
Party?
With Covid, most pubs closed by 11. Since I arrived at midnight, that option was out. Luckily, I have a friend whose nephew lives there. An hour after landing, I found myself at 4042. There’s a bar in the front and a dance floor in the back which played all the classic hip-hop hits.
TPOL’s TIP: The address is 40-42 Grindlay St, Edinburgh EH3 9AP
Sleep
I don’t recommend staying at the Moxy hotel which is located at ‘everyone’s favorite neighborhood’ (see Moxy Edinburgh: Not My Favorite Hotel). 
See
If you have been to the campus of the University of Toronto, you’ve been to Edinburgh. The Moxy is actually in the heart of the University of Edinburgh’s campus, so my Toronto comparison was especially true. 
Edinburgh Castle
I just stayed at a castle in Spain (see Guns & Butter: Ribera Del Duero, Madrid Travel Guide (Vino Edition)), but this one was a bit more impressive. Seeing Edinburgh Castle is a mandatory stop, though going inside is not. 
Royal Mile
If you ever go to Shanghai, skip going to E. Nanjing Road. It’s a tourist trap. The same can be said of the Royal Mile which starts from the castle. The mile is full of the following: tourists, cashmere boutiques, whiskey stores, and sweet shops. It’s too busy for my taste. 
Cross the Bridge
Trying to get away from the crowds, we crossed the bridge to see Edinburgh from the other side.
Pho
Looking to satisfy your pho fetish? There are plenty of places that claim to make pho. Finding one that did proved challenging (see Pho Edinburgh: Disappointing Adventure).
Football Match at a Pub
To get excited for the castle, we stopped at Footlights which is at the foot of the mountain. After the walking tour, we returned to the same pub to watch Scotland take on Israel in a World Cup Qualifying game. They were down for most of the game, and the country was tense.
Here’s the reaction after a poorly placed PK.
Here’s the reaction when they won:
Bloggers often write about the cliche ‘authentic, local’ experience. This was it. And it was genuine.
TPOL’s Tip: The address is 7 Spittal St, Edinburgh EH3 9DY
Local Food
Have you ever tried haggis? While not as wild as my goat brain in Marrakech (see Medina, Marrakech: The Definitive Guide To Lamb Brain, Tongue, Eyeballs & More Food), it isn’t the most conventional of foods. Wiki describes it as “A savory pudding containing sheep’s pluck, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach.” Most pubs serve it. We went to Last Drop to give it a try. It was nothing special in comparison to the locally made grapefruit-infused gin.
Shawarma
Salt N Vinegar may go on the list for best shawarma in the world (see The Best Kebab in the World). It’s quality meat in a substantial size wrap. It’s a great way to cap off a day of exploring Edinburgh.
TPOL’s Tip: The address is 75 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH3 9AW
A Note on Weather
Some might ask for sunnier skies but gray and overcast is what I envisioned Scotland to be.
Overall
I saw what I needed to see in Edinburgh.
