2020 – Page 4 – Cafes and Alleyways

Etihad Business Lounge at Abu Dhabi Airport

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:March 6, 2020
Post category:Destinations General Travel
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On a recent stopover at Abu Dhabi, we had a chance to visit the Etihad Business Class lounge. Here’s a quick pictorial tour. The lounge is locatedin Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi Airport. P.S. There is also a smaller lounge in Terminal 1. The lounge was sizable, here's a directional sign. I liked that they had a room to store luggage. Here's one of the seating areas We arrived while breakfast was being served Bread selection Salad Items Fresh Fruit I'm not sure what it's called, but the cheese on the bottom right was good. The breakfast included many hot…

Ritz Carlton Dubai- Review of Room and Hotel Grounds

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:March 4, 2020
Post category:General
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The Ritz Carlton Dubai, a Marriott Bonvoy property, modern yet beaming with old world charm. Friendly faces greeted us when we arrived in the middle of the night under the carport. They took the luggage to our room while we checked in at the desk. Street View of Ritz Carlton Dubai Ritz Carlton Dubai Driveway Ritz Carlton Dubai Carport and Front Entrance Check In Desk Lobby of the Ritz Carlton Dubai As we walked into the lobby, we saw a beautiful fountain filled with rose petals. In-ground fuchsia lights surrounded the fountain resembling glistening pomegranate seeds. Lobby Staircases Leading to…

Credit Cards We Use For Online Shopping

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 29, 2020
Post category:Points+Miles
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Earn points and miles when shopping online. We share five cards we use to earn points for travel.

How Valuable Is the Rakuten Visa Card?

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 27, 2020
Post category:Points+Miles
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How valuable is the Rakuten Visa for those who collect points and miles? On February 15th, 2020 The Rakuten Visa excluded three stores from earning 3x when shopping through the Rakuten Portal: Giftcardmall, Giftcards.com and Raise. Here is a portion of the statement they shared: Starting February 15, 2020, Rakuten Cash Back Visa® Credit Card purchases made through Rakuten on GiftCardMall.com, GiftCards.com and Raise.com will be eligible for 1% Cash Back instead of an extra 3% Cash Back. Is this a big deal or not? It depends. For many people the card functions as it always has, it earns 3x when shopping…

Review: Aerotel at the Abu Dhabi Airport

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 21, 2020
Post category:Destinations General
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On a recent trip we had a 11 hour, overnight layover in Abu Dhabi. Our incoming flight landed in Abu Dhabi at 9:40 pm. Our connecting flight left the next morning at 8:45 am. That adds up to an 11 hour layover. We decided the best plan was to get a hotel room and try to get some sleep. We looked at hotel options close to the airport and decided on Aerotel. Aerotel is not only close to the airport, it's in the terminal. Aerotel is located airside, within the transit area of Terminal one. If Abu Dhabi is your layover, you don’t…

The Not-So-Obvious Risk of Award Tickets: Buying Miles, Award Tickets and AA Shutdowns

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 20, 2020
Post category:Points+Miles
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We recently wrote a post on why buying points and miles can make sense. Our example involved buy Alaska miles for a business class flight on Emirates. In this post we want to point out a risk when buying miles to book an award ticket. This risk was recently highlighted when American Airlines shut down a number of accounts and cancelled award tickets. But first, a reminder of why buying airline miles can make sense. When Buying Airline Miles Can Make Sense Let’s say you want to fly business class on American Airlines from Los Angeles to London. The cash price for the ticket is…

Sign Up For A Frequent Flyer Account (or other rewards program).

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 19, 2020
Post category:Points+Miles
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Welcome to the world of points and miles! We’re sharing how ordinary people can travel to extraordinary places with the use of airline miles and hotel points. In this series we lay out steps to save money and travel more. These steps include: Getting Started with Points and MilesLook and Learn Before You LeapDecide What Type of Reward Points You Want to Begin EarningSign-Up For a Frequent Flyer AccountEarn Your First PointsEarn Points Through Credit Card Sign Ups- Part 1- Count the CostEarn Points Through Credit Card Sign Ups- Part 2- Ten Steps to FollowEarn Points Through Credit Card SpendingEarn…

Sunset Over the Arctic Circle from 36,000 Feet

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 17, 2020
Post category:Destinations Travel
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Our recent flight from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles routed us over the Arctic Circle. Here are some pictures of the Sunset over the Arctic Circle from 36,000 feet.

Digger’s Lab – La Mer Beach, Dubai

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:February 16, 2020
Post category:Destinations
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As a child I played with Tonka Trucks. In Dubai we came across a Tonka-type attraction called Digger’s Lab. Digger's Lab touts itself as a “construction theme park” and it’s located on the sand of La Mer beach. Digger’s Lab has scaled versions of various construction equipment and gives kids (and adults) a chance to play in the sand. La Mer beach is a fun destination, whether you lay on the beach, or help dig it up. Digger's Lab is located at La Mer Beach. Check out our other post to learn more about our visit to La Mer Beach For more information on…

Booking Our Return Trip from Dubai and The Maldives

Post author:CafesandAlleyways
Post published:January 31, 2020
Post category:General
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Points and miles can help ordinary people to explore extraordinary places. We recently used points and miles to book a trip to Dubai and the Maldives. We locked in the outbound trip on Emirates, and now we needed a way to get home. After exploring our options we decided on flying Etihad Business class. Etihad has a partnership with American Airlines, and so we booked our Etihad flight using AA miles. The cost per ticket was 70,000 American Airline, and $83.23 for taxes. Total for the two tickets came to 140,000 miles and $166.46. This is a great use of AA miles. The trip home consists of…