Montmartre, Paris
We’re hoping to head to Paris this Fall. Here’s a quick video of Montmartre from our last trip in May 2019. https://youtu.be/dHxP0sNceq8
Which Credit Card Should We Get?
Points and Miles have allowed us to travel in a way we couldn't do on our own. Many of these points have been earned through credit cards. Our travel plans have been put on hold during the last year, so we've pivoted to earning cash back for our credit card spending. We’re looking to sign up for a new cash back credit card and we’ve narrowed it down to two options. Card Number #1 - This card earns a sign-up bonus of 40,000 points for spending $3000 in the first 90 days. The 40,000 points can be cashed in for…
Points, Miles and the Waldorf Astoria Versailles, France
Our upcoming trip to Europe will include a stay at the Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace. The hotel is located right next to the Palace of Versailles, about a 30-minute train ride to the west of Paris. In order to minimize our out of pocket expenses, we are looking to maximize points and miles on our journey. Palace of Versailles Gardens of Versailles Mixing Points and Miles into the Equation Travel has been limited over the past year and a half. As a result we’ve accumulated a number of free night certificates and hotel rewards that come from holding…
Covid Testing During our Stay at the Hyatt Zilara in Cancun
Those who travel abroad are currently required to complete a Covid-19 test within 72 hours of returning to the United States. The PCR test detects the presence of a virus if you are infected at the time of the test. On our recent trip to Cancun, Mexico, we had to factor this requirement into our trip planning. Our choice of hotel made this relatively simple. The Hyatt Zilara is our go-to hotel in Cancun, Mexico. As we found out, the Hyatt Zilara offers a Covid-19 nose swab test free of charge for their guests. The test meets the requirement for re-entry into the…
Chair Lift up Monte Solaro in Anacapri, Italy
As part of our visit to the Island of Capri, we went to the town of Anacapri and rode the chair lift to the highest point of the island – Monte Solaro. The Marina at Capri Getting to the Island of Capri We took a ferry from Marina Piccola in Sorrento and after a 30 minute trip, we arrived at the marina in Capri. From the Marina we took the funicular up the hill to Piazza Umberto I. At the piazza we hired one of the multicolored, open air taxis to bring us to the town of Anacapri. The ride…
Frequent Miler Goes the Extra Mile
Our respect for the team at Frequent Miler just went up. A Quick Background In the points and miles space, it's not unusual for blogs to make money from readers who apply for credit cards using links on their website. When the reader is approved for the card, the blog/blogger receives compensation. In light of this, it would make sense for bloggers to post credit card links that directed the money into their pockets. In some cases, the links posted, benefit the blogger, but are not for the best available credit card offers. Readers Come First Philosophy Frequent Miler has a…
Las Noches de las Luminarias
This year we visited Las Noches de las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Lighted paths take you through a series of trails in which the botanical gardens are illuminated in colored lights. Sprinkled throughout the paths are places to stop and buy a drink. We saw visitors drinking coffee, hot chocolate or buying a bottle of wine. This special event ran from November 27th through December 31st. We visited the day after Christmas. Here’s a few photos from our evening. N
The Spa at the Conrad Maldives
We were waiting excitedly at the Male Airport, (Conrad Lounge) for the seaplane. The seaplane would fly us to the Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island. Male Maldives Airport, Walkway to Seaplanes A massage therapist from the The Spa offered complimentary mini massages while waiting to board. We took up the offer! After a mini shoulder and neck massage the therapist let us know about a deal at The Spa. If we signed up for a 60-minute massage on that day (to be done at The Spa on Rangali Island) we could get 30 minutes tacked on for free. So, in essence,…
L’atelier de Torréfaction, Paris
L'atelier de Torréfaction is a coffee shop near Place de la Bastille in Paris. We took the metro from our hotel to Place de la Bastille. We were exploring the area and came across a quaint looking lane - Cour Damoye. As we walked through the open metal gates our nasal passages were smiling all the way to the front doors of the coffee roaster with the bright red canisters, L'atelier de Torréfaction. L'atelier de Torréfaction is located on Cour Damoye What’s in these bright red canisters? Looking South at Cour Damoye towards Place de la Bastille Coffee beans so fresh they…
Keep or Cancel our American Express Hilton Aspire Credit Card?
The American Express Hilton Aspire card comes with a strong set of benefits. This includes: Diamond status with HiltonA $250 resort credit at select Hilton propertiesA $250 Airline creditAn annual free night at Hilton Properties It also comes with a $450 fee. We’ve had the card for over a year, and got great value for the $450 annual fee. This card easily paid for itself during our trip to the Conrad Maldives in February of this year. This week the annual fee once again hit our account. With travel on hold, we couldn’t justify paying $450. So what to do? Options included: Cancelling the cardDowngrading…