My friend Mike recently shared his experience with an SPG Moments event, whereby he got two tickets in the SPG Suite at a Paul McCartney concert, followed byhis experience using the American Express Platinum concierge to secure reservations at Jules Verne, the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.
Continue reading: Review: Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa Johannesburg
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
@Chandan -- I wish I'd been more diligent documenting the flights (and the truly impressive lounge in Dubai) but we were too exhausted and overwhelmed to do anything more than just relax and enjoy. I will say, our experience was similar to Ben's trip reports for CX and EK.
@ Sean -- We paid 70K Alaska miles each for our flights to JNB on Cathay and then another 100K Alaska miles each for our flights home on Emirates for a total of 340K.
@Mike K--What photo gear did you take with you on your safari? We're going to JNB on the EY fare in September and trying to figure out what to pack :).
@ Gaurav -- Think it's highly dependent on where you go. But, in Sabi Sands, you won't need nearly as much gear as you think. I had a Nikon D7100 with an 18-200mm lens. I could capture about 95% of what I wanted with that and didn't think it was worth swapping out other lenses to get the other 5%.
The thing that surprised me the most on the safari was the proximity to the animals. You are really close. At one point a young hyena was chewing on the tire of our land rover. So, don't expect to need a huge lens to capture stuff from far away.
The one thing I wish I had used more was my GoPro. There were times where we were bouncing around dirt roads while tracking a leopard or almost stuck in a drainage ditch that I'm sure would be fun to watch.
Hilarious. My wife and I did this EXACT same trip a month ago. We stayed at the Hyatt, but did eat at Nine Hundred, the restaurant at the Saxon. When we arrived to the Saxon, it was so massive that I wasn't sure if it was a hotel or some kind of condo rental complex.
http://milesperday.com/2015/07/2-5-weeks-in-hong-kong-south-africa-and-dubai-on-miles-and-points/
Great report. Could you please Shed some light on how you got to the Savanna game reserve. Also a little review of the facility and room will be very helpful. Seems like you really loved the place. Thanks.
Another good example of someone getting a great upgrade when they really can't take advantage of it to the fullest (one night stay during a transfer). I'm sure we have all been there getting suite upgrades on business trips and no upgrades on leisure trips 🙁