I’m planning on taking my dad on a trip in around a week, though I can’t seem to decide where to take him. I’m considering Japan, Morocco, or…? I’ll let you guys tell me what you’d most enjoy reading about!
I’m hoping to take my dad on a weeklong trip
I’ve always made it a priority to travel with my parents as much as possible. For the past several years, my priority was traveling with my mom, since she had terminal cancer, so I wanted to make the most of our time together. With my mom having recently passed, it’s now time to focus more on my dad again, as we haven’t traveled together all that much in recent years, though we’ve always had fun when we’ve gone on adventures together (including when we went to Europe together over the summer).
So anyway, I’m trying to figure out the best place I can take my dad in December, for around a week. Before I share some concepts I’m toying with, I’d like to share a few thoughts:
- My dad is super chill and down for whatever, so my goal is always to also review things that are interesting for the OMAAT community, in terms of flights, hotels, etc.; he loves nice meals, nice hotels, new destinations, and ideally somewhere with decent cigar smoking opportunities
- In an ideal world, we’d go somewhere warm (or not that cold), as we’re both Floridians at heart in that regard (though admittedly the places I’m seriously considering aren’t actually warm); my point is that we’re not really looking to go to European Christmas markets, or something like that
- My dad likes to walk for hours per day (it’s basically his full time job), so anywhere with good walking opportunities gets bonus points
- My dad is in his — okay, I won’t actually say his age, since he wouldn’t be happy about that — but my point is that I’d like to keep the logistics fairly straightforward, so we’re not looking to go to Antarctica or Patagonia
With that out of the way, let me share the frontrunners I’m considering for this trip, and then I’d love to hear any other ideas that people may have, as I’m not at all committed to these…
The trip to Morocco I’m considering
My dad has never been to North Africa, so when I mentioned the concept of going to Morocco, his ears perked up. Funny enough, what’s most appealing to him is going to Rick’s Café in Casablanca, based on the 1942 movie named after the city.
In terms of flights, this would definitely be the less “glamorous” trip. I might look to review Royal Air Maroc in one direction (there’s plenty of award availability in business class, though only for one person per flight… grrr), and then British Airways in the other direction, on a plane I haven’t yet flown. At least that’s the most interesting routing I can come up with, while reviewing new experiences.
In terms of hotels, I’d like to balance luxury with also reviewing points hotels, so:
- I guess we have to stop in Casablanca so he can check out Rick’s Cafe, so do we just stay at the Marriott, or is it worth springing for the Four Seasons?
- I know Marrakech is a must-visit place, and while the Park Hyatt doesn’t have an ideal location, I think we’d stay there, as it otherwise looks great
- Should we check out Rabat, which is just a short train ride from Casablanca? It looks like there’s a new Ritz-Carlton there that looks quite nice, but is Rabat worth visiting, in comparison to other destinations in Morocco?
- While I realize it’s not going to be beach weather in December, I’m super intrigued by the St. Regis La Bahia Blanca Tamuda Bay, as it’s very reasonably priced, and I’ve heard good things; is it worth visiting, though?
The trip to Japan I’m considering
I adore Japan, and can never get enough of it. My dad hasn’t been to Japan in over a decade, so I’d love for him to experience it again. Admittedly December isn’t an ideal time to travel there (at least for those who don’t like cold weather), but Japan is such a fun destination in terms of the food, people, culture, etc., so not everything has to be outdoors.
In terms of flights, I’m kind of all over the place. Maybe I’d like to do Aeromexico’s 787 business class in one direction. I actually managed to book tickets in Japan Airlines’ A350 first class for two people. On the one hand, that’s an incredible first class experience that I’d love to share with my dad. On the other hand, I reviewed it early last year, when the product was first introduced. But honestly, what’s the point of miles and points if it’s not to give family members some great experiences? So I’m tempted to do that again.
If we were to go to Japan, here’s what I’m thinking:
- I’d probably make Osaka the focus, as I’d like to review the Osaka Station Hotel (which has an amazing club lounge that’s exclusive to Bonvoy Ambassador members and those who pay), as well as the Waldorf Astoria Osaka and Conrad Osaka
- If I could find availability, I’d love to check out the Park Hyatt Tokyo, which reopens on December 9; it’s currently sold out for the entire month, but my hope is that there’s some last minute cancelations
- If we’re going to be in Tokyo, maybe we should also check out the Ritz-Carlton Nikko, which isn’t too far from Tokyo, and looks amazing (though again maybe it’s not the season?)
- My dad really wants to go to Hiroshima, so maybe we’d try to add that in there as well; anyone have any practical thoughts on the logistics, how long is needed to make it worthwhile, where to stay, etc.?
Bottom line
I’m planning on taking my dad on a trip in around a week. One of the beautiful things about booking with points is that you have tons of flexibility with flights, and can easily plan at the last minute.
I’m not sure how I arrived at these choices, but currently the two frontrunners are Japan and Morocco, for very different reasons. My dad is honestly down for whatever, so if anyone has thoughts on either of these concepts — or any other ideas — I’d love to hear them!
And I’ll just throw this out there — if any hotel has an absolutely epic cigar bar, maybe that’s the destination I should pick, since I know comfortable cigar smoking facilities is probably one of the things that my dad most remembers about hotels… heh.
Where should I take my dad?
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