We spent the third and fourth nights of our trip in Moab, Utah. We decided to spend more time here because we knew there was a lot to do in the area, and we were very happy with our decision in the end. Moab has virtually every limited service hotel…
We spent the second night of our road trip in Page, Arizona, primarily so we could visit Horseshoe Bend. As we quickly learned, the real treat was just being able to drive around this part of the country, as the scenery is breathtaking. Page has virtually…
We spent the first night of our road trip in Springdale, Utah, so that we could visit Zion National Park. Springdale has a variety of limited service hotel options, though nothing terribly exciting beyond that. My loyalty belongs to Hyatt, Marriott,…
While we were in Marrakech, I had a work call, and when I disclosed my location one of the other meeting participants blurted out "Man. I effing hated that medina." And I didn't hate it, but parts of the experience were decidedly unpleasant. Other aspects…
We wanted to stay in the thick of the medina on this trip, but that does come with some safety considerations. We also liked the idea of staying in a small independent riad. I'd had numerous people tell me that in Marrakech, your riad host is essentially…
This lounge review will be short and sweet, and not to put too fine a point on it, but hopefully your stay here will be as well. Bottom line up front: this lounge has little to recommend it, but it's not like the rest of the terminal is super glam either.…
On Wednesday I flew American Airlines first class from Miami to Las Vegas, which was a roughly five hour flight. I've been curious to see firsthand how onboard service has been adjusted as a result of the current pandemic, and wanted to report back on…
I've been sitting on this trip report for three months now (where have three months gone?) because it just hasn't felt like the right time to talk about travel details, and this particular trip was odd from the start. This trip took place in early March,…
Yesterday I took a five hour American Airlines flight from Miami to Las Vegas, which was my first flight in 99 days. I have so many thoughts about the current state of the air travel experience, but first wanted to dedicate a post specifically to some…
Well, the day has finally arrived. I was last on a plane on March 10 (which was 99 days ago), and today I'm getting on a plane again for the first time since then. It's a new world out there, and I'm not sure what to expect. Five days ago I wrote about…
At last it's time for my review of Calala Island. I never thought I'd travel to a private island off the coast of Nicaragua for vacation, but when World of Hyatt points became redeemable here, I couldn't say no. In the previous installment I shared the…
I'll keep this review relatively short, because our stay was short. Friday night we had a quick overnight in Managua, as we were arriving at around 9PM, and had to be back at the airport by 5:30AM for our flight, as we were enroute to Calala Island.…
Ford and I are spending the weekend in Nicaragua to visit Calala Island. In the past I didn't review "run of the mill" flights, though I've realized they have the potential to be useful as well, so am trying to do when it's practical. For example, I've…
Last weekend Ford and I decided we wanted to get out of town. I started looking at options on Friday morning, and a few hours later we were on a flight to Cancun for our three night stay at the Andaz Mayakoba. This is a Hyatt property I had heard a lot…
A bit over a week ago I stayed at The Ben, a brand new Marriott Autograph Collection property in West Palm Beach, Florida. For those of you not familiar with Autograph Collection, it's supposed to be Marriott's collection of luxury, independent hotels.…
After my ground experience in Manila I was extremely excited to board my Philippine Airlines flight to Toronto. So, how is Philippine Airlines' A350? Can they compete with other excellent airlines in the region, or do they still have a long way to go?…
The previous installment covered the disaster which is connecting from T2 to T1 in Manila, and suffice to say that it probably clouded my perception of everything at this airport. In this installment I wanted to take a look at the PAGSS Lounge Terminal…
When I wrote about the Philippine Airlines ticket that I booked, many readers warned me that the connection experience at Manila Airport is the worst in the world. I don't want to say that that I dismissed what people were saying, but I figured they…
For the return portion of my trip to North America I decided to book Philippine Airlines. The airline is trying to reinvent themselves, and they have new A350s with an excellent business class product. I had flown the airline once before in 777 business…
I had quite a bit of time between by 5:30AM visit to the China Airlines Lounge, and my 9:40AM flight to Manila on Philippine Airlines, so I decided to check out another lounge. Plaza Premium has four lounges at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport --…
For the return portion of my trip I was flying Philippine Airlines from Taipei to Manila to Toronto, thanks to a great business class fare (~1,200USD). That would allow me to finally experience Philippine Airlines' A350 business class, which has been…
I provided an in-depth review of Starlux Airlines' A321neo business class on the flight from Taipei to Penang the day prior, so I'll keep this relatively short. In that installment I talked about how I booked, the amazing service, the cabin layout, etc.…
I arrived at Penang Airport at around 1PM for my 3PM Starlux Airlines flight to Taipei, so I had a bit of time to spend in the Plaza Premium Lounge. This is the contract lounge used by almost all international flights at the airport. The exception is…
Here's an instance of a hotel that I found to be absolutely lovely, but that I wouldn't stay at again, because it just isn't for me. I had about 24 hours in Penang, so I needed a hotel for one night. Based on feedback from readers and my own research,…
