After 5 nights at the Hilton Cebu Island Resort & Spa, it was time to head back to Manila. I grabbed the hotel’s pink Corolla instead of a cab, it was right there and the price was right, a few minutes later we were at the airport. As is the case across the Philippines, we had to pay the airport’s departure tax in cash before proceeding through security. We were given a paper receipt, which we handed to a staffer immediately behind the booth where we paid the fee. Presumably they can match the receipts to the cash taken in, and the requirement for the receipt prevents corruption on the part of the staff member manning the booth. At least I can’t think of any other purpose for handing you a receipt and then collecting…
Philippine Cooking Class: a continuation of “Cathay & British Airways First Class, Philippines and Macau, a Presidential Suite, and the Fat Duck Restaurant”
Philippines Cooking Class in Cebu: I try to take cooking classes when I travel, and bring back the food and lessons to my own kitchen at home. I love Thai cuisine in particular, perhaps because I’m most familiar with it and it’s actually pretty easy — I can always fix mistakes (add a little more chili paste? Some more fish sauce?) and there’s not so much precision required. I’ve done both Southern and Northern Thai and Balinese cuisine. So naturally I wanted to take a stab at Philippine cuisine, both to learn to cook but also to better understand the culture through its cuisine. I emailed my hotel to ask for a recommendation, and they suggested the Caro & Marie cooking school. But it turns out that their classes were all featuring international dishes. I…
500 Free American AIrlines Miles for Registering with their eShopping Site By May 31
What was originally a 250 mile bonus for signing up for the American AAdvantage shopping mall expiring March 31 was boosted to 500 miles expiring April 30 and has been extended again — 500 free American AIrlines miles for signing up for their eShopping site, currently valid through May 31. (HT: Vito)
3000 Bonus American Miles Per Hyatt Stay and 10,000 Additional American Miles for 5 Hyatt Stays
This bonus will make Hyatt’s coming point increases go down a bit smoother. Hyatt is offering 3000 bonbus American miles per stay, on top of the usual 500 miles when crediting your stays to American Airline miles. The bonus can be earned 5 times between May 3 and July 5, and if you do earn it five times you earn an additional 10,000 bonus miles. This period coincides nicely with their Big Welcome Back offer of a free night every two stays, which runs through June 30. All told if you make 6 airport stays at $70 each, you might be all-in with tax around $475 and clear 3 free nights at any Hyatt in the world (valid through August 31) and 28,000 American miles. Registration is required. And don’t forget that if you aren’t…
Hyatt’s Upcoming Modest Points Devaluation
Hyatt Gold Passport posted on Flyertalk early this morning that they’d be making changes to their award chart. Currently hotels are spread across five categories. They’re creating a new category 6 as of June 4 at 22,000 points per night. That will include 20 properties. They’re also moving hotels up and down in categories, a total of 89 going up (including the 20 moving to category 6) and 65 going down. On the whole it seems that the reductions are all at the low end, e.g. there are 46 category 2 properties moving down to category 1. And the increases are more evenly distributed and even clustered towards the high end. There are even some two-category jumps, like the Grand Hyatt New York going from Category 4 to Category 6. Hey, I remember when you…
100 Free Continental Miles, This Time for Saving Your Avis Car Rental Account Number to your Onepass Profile
Points, Miles, and Martinis says that you can get 100 free Continental miles for adding an Avis Wizard Number to your Onepass profile. Took just a couple seconds (but then, I know my Avis Wizard number). Many folks complain that the various Continental 100 mile promises never actually materialize, but they do seem to post for me for often than not.
Purchase Starwood Starpoints for 1.45 cents apiece on May 3
Lucky points to an offer where you’ll be able to buy Starwood Starpoints for 1.45 cents apiece (e.g. 10,000 points for $145). Starwood points normally cost $35 per 1000 (but who would buy them at that price except to top off towards a specific award need?). The offer will be up at Discover America Daily Getaways sponsored by American Express on May 3rd. And there are a limited number of each points package, such as only 470 of the 10,000 point offers. And each purchase transaction is limited to 5 packages. There’s been speculation that this means you can only buy a total of 5 points packages, and so the interest has centered around the 10,000 point packages for most effect. But it’s not clear from the rules as to whether that’s per person or…
5000 Delta Miles Per Marriott Stay, Beginning With Your Second Stay
Via TM Travel World, Marriott is offering 5000 bonus Delta miles per stay beginning with your second stay between May 1 and September 6, 2010. The bonus can be earned up to 12 times for a maximum bonus of 60,000 miles. Registration is required (and begins May 1…) and you must set your earning preference to miles.
Ginger Ale vs Tomato Juice Smackdown
In February I said that tomato juice is especially popular on planes. Upgrade: Travel Better throws down with ginger ale. So the real underlying question here of course is: bloody marys or whiskey and ginger?
Hyatt Big Welcome Back Free Nights Giveaway Winners Announced!
Not only do we have two winners of the Big Welcome Back Free Hyatt Nights Giveaway, we also have a theme. Michael plans to use his two free nights for his wedding and Rachel plans to use hers for her honeymoon. Congrats to you both!
