DISchurners Hotel Reviews Thread (extension of I love credit cards so much! thread)

[wanderlust7]

Park Hyatt New York
New York, NY
Hyatt Category 8
April 2023

Stayed here for 3 nights after a week at the Manhattan Club on timeshare exchange. It was a Category 7 when I booked it and 35k points/night but is now a Cat 8.

We were able to check-in early at 11 am, but there were some housekeeping issues in the room. There was a used disposable hairbrush and used bar soaps in the bathroom, plus a half empty bottle of juice in the mini bar. The carpet had a large stain in the middle and the curtain sheers were zip tied up (guess it needed to be fixed?). Minor issues, but it made me wonder what else was not done. Hopefully, the sheets were changed! It was a very disappointing first impression for a luxury hotel. I put all these issues on the post-stay survey and was surprised to get an e-mail from the hotel with an apology and that they put 15k points into our account!

We booked a 2 double ADA room since that was what was available with points. We were given a regular 2 double room. As expected, we didn’t get a Globalist upgrade since the standard suites don’t fit 4.

Globalist breakfast in the restaurant was very nice. The lobster scramble has decent sized pieces of lobster. The European Breakfast has 3 types of cheeses, pate, different cold cuts, and a lot of bread. The bagel and lox is deconstructed and comes with a large bagel and good portion of smoked salmon.

There are some complimentary things at the hotel that I would not have known about if not for TripAdvisor reviews. You can get vouchers from the concierge for drinks at the coffee shop in Nordstrom. At the Le Labo store near Madison, you can get a perfume or cologne sample set by showing your room card. It’s a set of 5 small vials. Last but not least, there are free bike rentals for 2 hours. The concierge prints out a letter to show the rental place. DD and I don’t bike, so we explored Central Park and had a picnic while DS and DH rode around. It was a nice day; the cherry blossoms and magnolias were in bloom.

Other than the initial issues, we had a pleasant stay here. Room was comfortable and the location is great. Not sure I’d stay again with the category change, but glad we got to experience it.

 

[MarBee]

Marriott Ocean Pointe
Singer Island, Palm Beach, FL
April 2023

Got 2 nights at a “Point Savers” rate at this Marriott Vacation Club property at 44,000 points per night. I had two FNAs for 35,000 and used 18,000 points to top it off. There was no resort or parking fees for this property. The property itself is very large and consists of 5 large high rise condo-style timeshare buildings. We stayed in a studio that consisted of the most comfortable king bed and queen pull out sofa. The room was equipped with a spacious bathroom, kitchenette with fridge, freezer, sink, microwave, and toaster. We stayed in the Dolphin building which was recently renovated. The room looked like something out of HGTV magazine, but it was cramped when the pull out bed was out. All rooms have a balcony with views of the ocean. The grounds were amazing with 4 awesome pools and several humongous hot tubs, plus basketball courts, tennis, volleyball, shuffle board, fire pits, grills, etc. There was also live entertainment such as bands, trivia, and activities for the kids. It is a beach front property, so you can walk right onto the beach. The on-site restaurants and bars were decent and not horrifically overpriced for a resort. The staff provided the best customer service I’ve experienced at a hotel or resort as far as I can remember.
I’m attaching the stupidest pictures because I forgot to take pics of the room before we junked it up.
If I have to list negatives, they’re doing renovations by buildings so a few buildings haven’t been done yet.

TLDR: Rave review at the best property I’ve stayed at in recent memory. Highly recommend for a beach getaway.

 

[djmeredith]

Conrad New York Midtown
New York City, Manhattan
May 2023

Stayed two nights on points @ 90K per night with Diamond status. Booked a City View Two Queen Deluxe room and got upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite with 2 queens. Location is great with subway stops nearby and it is walkable to many of the sights. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

We got the breakfast buffet at the restaurant because we had the $25 per person credit each day. However, we did it go. If you ask, they will let you have take away containers. It was fine, nothing remarkable. We also had a to go salad and dessert late one night. Salad was good, came with a lot of chicken. We didn't love the dessert.

The negatives include the hodge podge of toiletries they provided. Mixed brands and not even the same brands both days. No slippers or robes were provided, which I thought was pretty unusual for a suite at the Conrad. The hotel does not have an executive lounge, which was also a big negative.

I would stay here again, but only if I had lots of points to burn or found a good rate.

 

[MarBee]

Fairfield by Marriott Anaheim Resort
Anaheim, CA

Booked this hotel for our first ever Disneyland visit. Chose this because it is about a 3 minute walk to the entrance of DL. I believe it totaled 139,000 points for 5 nights (Marriott 5th night free deal); I was able to check and change a few times to bring the redemption down.

This hotel was perfectly adequate. The rooms were set up exactly like a WDW moderate/value resort and had outward facing rooms. There was a small pool and hot tub that we never used; the one time we thought about it, it was completely packed. On site, there is a well stocked gift shop/market, a small arcade, and a small gym. Everything in the room was clean, and the staff were very nice.
There is no restaurant on property, but in the parking lot of the property is a Panera Bread and a McDonald’s.
This is not what I would call a resort by any means, but it was an exceptional motel, and an adequate hotel.
If returning to DL, I would prob opt to stay on Disney property again, though. I found that the DL “bubble” ends exactly one centimeter from the entrance, and I like the bubble.

 

[wanderlust7]

Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, CA
June 2023
120k Hilton points (used FNC)

Stayed here for 1 night since we needed to reposition for our flight to Europe. It would have been more convenient to stay near LAX, but we had an expiring Hilton free night. Lyft was around $35 one-way to and from LAX, which was cheaper than Uber. LA traffic is no joke!

The service here was excellent. Our luggage was whisked away as we arrived. I asked about the house car to go to Century City mall for dinner at Din Tai Fung as we were checking in. The concierge must have heard (their desk is nearby) because when we came down later, they already knew where we wanted to go. We were able to get a ride in their Escalade right away and the driver was very nice. The kids were offered a basket of small plushies to choose from to hang on their backpacks (not WA branded, unfortunately lol).

As Diamond, we got a small upgrade to a terrace view room overlooking Beverly Hills. There was chocolate covered strawberries and cookies in the room. I appreciated that there were 4 of everything so that DH and I could have some too. Often there is only 2, which the kids devour before I even see it. We used the $25 x2 F&B credit on room service breakfast to save some time in the morning. It was jaw-droppingly expensive. We had a ham and cheese croissant sandwich and the pastry basket (3 tiny ones) and still had to pay $13 OOP.

The room was very spacious and luxurious. Slippers are Frette and toiletries are refillable Aesop. We enjoyed our short stay. Well worth the trek from LAX.

 

[wanderlust7]

Hyatt Regency Amsterdam
Amsterdam, Netherlands
June 2023
Hyatt Category 5 (Cat 4 when booked)

Stayed here for 4 nights as the first stop on a month-long Europe trip. We needed 2 rooms as none fit 4. I booked 1 room on points back when it was a Category 4 for 18k/night (peak rate at the time). Then applied a suite upgrade award to a Regency Suite King. The second room was booked with Cat 1-4 FNCs (2 from DH, 2 from me). I booked single nights with points first, then replaced them with FNCs as I got them. There were no award nights by the time I got the last FNC, but I set an alert with StayWithPoints or OpenHotelAlert (forget which one) and something opened up. I e-mailed the hotel to request connecting rooms and was told they would make a note, but it is based on availability. I also requested early check-in around 10 am as our flight arrived early. I was very grateful when we got both requests at check-in!

The Regency Suite King connected to 2 Twin Beds room worked out great for us. It was my favorite layout of the trip. The kids got their own bed and own bathroom. We had a living room plus a great walk-in closet where I could organize all our stuff. There was a small canal view. The green brick on the building reminds me of Minecraft lol.

As Globalist, we were gifted a bottle of white wine and 2 boxes of chocolates. We got a large glass bottle of water every day in each room, and I never ran low. Breakfast is a buffet in their restaurant. It was a decent spread, but I felt the pastries could have been fresher. The Indonesian fried rice and noodles were a nice change. Lounge access was great for drinks. The lady in charge there is super nice and makes a point to get to know everyone.

We found the location convenient. There is a tram stop right in front and a metro station down the street. It was easy to tap in and out with our credit cards (Visa or MC, no Amex). There is an Albert Heijn market across the street (had to use cash there). We did Uber to and from the airport and it was less than 40 euros each way.

 

[wanderlust7]

Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor
Munich, Germany
June 2023
Hyatt Category 5

Stayed here for 4 nights as part of our Europe trip. The Andaz Art Suite fit our family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids ages 11 and 14). The room allows 3 adults, which is defined as age 13+. It’s a premium suite, which I booked as a points + cash upgrade of 9000 points and €290/night. The premium suite would have been 46k/night in points, so I thought this was the better deal.

The suite was large, modern, and open concept to the extreme. Even the bathroom is open to the rest of the suite, though there are shades. There is a wall of closets and a half bath as well. We got 2 rollaways at no charge even though the website says charges apply (not sure if it’s due to being Globalist). The suite has the wow factor, but it was my least favorite layout of the trip. We were on a lower floor and the large windows faced other rooms of the hotel, so we mostly kept the curtains closed.

This being an Andaz, non-alcoholic drinks in the minibar are included. The water is in small glass bottles, and we got both still and sparkling. Germans really like their bubbles! It’s not for me though and it was a challenge figuring out which was the still water.

Globalist breakfast is a buffet in their restaurant. There is also an order form for made to order items. The fruit selection was excellent. It’s interesting that if you order an omelet with bacon, it comes separate and not in the omelet. But if you order ham, then it comes in the omelet. The Globalist gift was 2 chocolates that look like rocks on a display plate with real rocks. The kids got to it first and I didn’t get any.

The location is away from the city center, but it worked out fine for our plans. There is a tram stop right in front and to get to the Marienplatz involves a transfer to the U-Bahn. We found it easier to just get off at Odeonsplatz and walk instead of doing another transfer to Marienplatz. Some TripAdvisor reviews mention a house car, but we were only given a paid option when I asked, so I think they got rid of it.

There is a DM drug store nearby and a small park with a steep slide that DD liked. There is also a Netto market across the street.

We rented a car for the day to go to Neuschwanstein Castle and the alpine coaster at Oberammergau (very fun). We rented from the Enterprise location at Munich Milbertshofen on Bremer Strasse. They picked us up from the hotel and dropped us off at the BMW Welt for the factory tour the next day. Very nice people there, though they ran out of cars, and we were delayed about an hour. We probably should have called earlier to arrange pick up instead of waiting until the day of. The automated phone tree is only in German, so we needed the front desk’s help. Overnight parking at the hotel was €30. Since we were on a points + cash rate and not an award stay, parking wasn’t covered as Globalist.

We did the Lufthansa bus from the airport, which was €27 for a family ticket. It was a bit painful since we arrived during rush hour on a weekday. The bus was late plus packed, so we waited for the next one, which was nearly empty. The bus stops about a 15-minute walk away from the hotel. With luggage, we decided to take an Uber. The first one must have saw our luggage and drove away. The second one took us. I made sure to tip him extra for the luggage help and short ride! In hindsight, we should have just taken a taxi or Uber from the airport.

We ate several times near the hotel, so I will put that here too. One night we stayed in and got to-go sandwiches from the café, Bicicletta, in the hotel (charged to room). It was good and inexpensive. The first night, we had dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant, Jaadin, next to the hotel, across the underground parking entrance. Food was delicious, but a little pricey. The noodle bowls were surprisingly small, I guess they’re meant to be appetizers. We also ate at Lachoni, an Italian restaurant across the street. It was pretty good. DH had the biggest calzone we’ve ever seen! At least double the size of a regular one. There is no tip line or option to tip in Germany but rounding up 5-10% is customary for good service. When paying by cc, you tell them how much you want to pay.

 

[wanderlust7]

Grand Hyatt Berlin
Berlin, Germany
June 2023
Hyatt Category 4

We stayed here for 3 nights after Nuremberg. We needed 2 rooms and I booked the Grand Suite View King (standard suite) for points + cash at 6000 points plus €229/night. Then booked the standard 2 Twin Beds room (no view) with the Family Plan rate at €153/night (50% off the standard rate). The hotel was very responsive to e-mails and blocked these rooms as connecting for me.

When we got there, the rooms were indeed “connecting”, but not through interior doors like usual. There’s a locking door that opens to a hallway to the 2 rooms. When the connecting is not needed, I think they keep that door open. Not quite as convenient as the interior doors since we had to keep the deadbolt out to prevent the doors from automatically locking, but not a big deal.

The suite was spacious with a half bath by the door in addition to the large bathroom. There were drawers in the living room as well as a decent sized closet in the bathroom. It had corner windows with city views on one side and the other side towards an office building. The regular room was smaller but equally as plush. It had automated curtains where the suite did not, which I thought was odd.

The Globalist gift was a bottle of champagne and cookies. We got large glass bottles of still water every day. They also put bottles on the bedside tables. Toiletries were refillable bottles of Balmain.

Globalist breakfast was buffet in their restaurant. It was a good spread with made to order eggs (no menu). One of the servers suggested I order a side of avocado with my omelet, which I enjoyed. The happy hour food in the lounge was quite good with sandwiches, mini quiches, vegetarian sushi rolls (cucumber, asparagus), and a different soup each day. We made a meal of it the night we arrived and didn’t feel like going out.

The location was great, about a 5-minute walk from the Berlin Potsdamer Platz station. We took the train from Nuremberg as well as the train to the airport. The kids found an arcade (Gamestate) in the mall next door. They had some games we haven’t seen before like a life-sized Hungry Hungry Hippo lol.

We went to the Spy Museum, which is less than 10 minutes’ walk away near the Mall of Berlin. Also did a very interesting walking tour with Insider Tours. Plus went up to the dome of the Reichstag Building (reservation required).

Suite:



2 Twin Beds room:

 

[wanderlust7]

Andaz London Liverpool Street
London, United Kingdom
June 2023
Hyatt Category 6 (Cat 5 when booked)

We stayed here for 3 nights after Berlin and before our cruise out of Southampton. DH didn’t want to go on the cruise, so my mom met up with us in London and DH flew back on our embarkation day. With 5 people, I booked 2 standard rooms at 23k points for 1 night and 20k for the other 2 nights (one was the 2 Twin Beds, and the other was the 1 Queen Bed, which was what was left). After we got the suite night awards, I upgraded both to Andaz Suites.

The standard award options are 2 Twin Beds which fit 2 adults and 1 child age 12 and under, or 1 Queen Bed which only fits 2. The Andaz Suites fit 3 adults.

I knew that the Andaz Suites didn’t connect with each other, so all I asked for was for them to be nearby. I was so happy when they upgraded one room further to the Large Andaz Suite (a premium suite) and then found out that it connects to the Andaz Suite! From reviews, it seems that there are many variations of the room layout due to the old building. Our Large Andaz Suite had a separate living room where they put a rollaway (no charge) and a smallish bedroom (only fits the king bed and the bedside tables). The Andaz Suite had a separate sitting room with a pullout sofa that was already made into a bed. DS took that room and said that the sofa bed sagged in the middle. He liked his privacy though and refused other options lol. The hotel sent out a guest preference form a few days before the stay, so they knew about our traveling party. Maybe they took that into account when assigning the rooms. It was a really good layout for us.

The Globalist gift was a pretty plate of chocolates that the kids devoured (and I got none ). There was also a bottle of red wine in each room. After we drank some of one bottle, a new one appeared. So then we were confused if it's part of the complimentary mini-bar.

Globalist breakfast is buffet in their restaurant, Eastway Brasserie, on weekdays it seems. Then moved to a banquet room on weekends. One morning, the banquet room was full, so we were asked to take the food and eat it in the restaurant. It was a bit weird since we didn’t know who to ask for our coffee and made to order items. All the servers in the restaurant seemed busy prepping. Finally, someone came over to help us. It’s a good spread with a menu of made to order items. The spicy masala omelet was different and quite spicy. I appreciated that breakfast was extended to all 5 of us, something that I love about Hyatt compared to other chains.

The location was excellent for our purposes, only steps away from the Liverpool Street Station. It was super convenient to take the Elizabeth Line direct from Heathrow (and to Healthrow for DH when he left). We also walked to Borough Market, though I picked a bad time and it was way too crowded to be enjoyable. We saw Back to the Future The Musical, which was so much fun. The special effects were amazing!

We took a taxi to Waterloo station to catch the train to Southampton. The taxi stand right in front was convenient. Buying in advance, the train ticket only cost £28 for the 4 of us. But the train was delayed by 1.5 hours and became so packed that people were sitting on the floor. It was a Sunday, so I guess it was mostly cruisers. Maybe we should have done the National Express bus or expensive private transfer. On the plus side, I’ll be getting a refund!

Reviews often mention the “discretionary service charge” of 5% that the hotel charges. I saw the charge appear on our folio in the app, but it was taken off before checkout without having to ask.

Large Andaz Suite:



Andaz Suite:

 

[wanderlust7]

Hilton Garden Inn Guanacaste Airport
Liberia, Costa Rica
November 2023

Stayed here for 1 night since our flight into LIR arrived at 9 pm and we didn’t want to drive in the dark. I could have booked it for 30k Hilton points, but went with a cash rate to use up 2 Surpass $50 credits. Paid less then $50 OOP and earned about 6000 points with a double points promotion.

Location is great for an airport hotel. Just across the street from LIR airport with a free shuttle. Shuttle was waiting when we got there (out the main door and to the left). It was about a 5-minute ride to the hotel.

Our room was clean and comfortable. There were glass bottles of water in the room and a note that it’s $5 if you take the glass bottles.

By the time we got checked in and into our room, their restaurant was closing in 15 minutes, so we got takeout. I liked their rice and shrimp. The rice was more like a risotto. Not sure if it’s authentic since when we had it again elsewhere, it was more like a fried rice.

At check-in, we were told Diamond breakfast is for 2 people and kids are $19 each (when I asked). But when we went to breakfast, they said everyone is covered. Super appreciative of that! Breakfast is buffet and had a good spread with some local items, variety of fruit, and an omelet station. We were given a Diamond gift, which was a voucher for 2 drinks at the bar (beer, wine, sangria, water, or soda). We got the sangria at breakfast; it was a large glass and quite good.

We rented a car from Alamo right in the hotel. There is a desk in the lobby for Alamo/National/Enterprise (same company, same guy). There’s another larger location down the road from the airport. I think cars get moved from there because we were a little early for our reservation, so had to wait a few minutes for the car to come. The guy there was very nice. No issues at all with upsell or insurance rip-offs. We paid just under $500 for a week for a midsize SUV without 4WD, including the mandatory liability insurance ($11.95/day, which I added when I made the reservation direct with Alamo). We had the car rental insurance letter from Chase, but he didn’t ask to see it.

The hours at this location is more limited (8 am to 5 pm), but there is a key drop, which we used since we had an early flight. We took the shuttle back to the airport after dropping off the car. They had 2 shuttles running. After overhearing, I think we were supposed to make a reservation. I hadn’t thought to ask, and the driver didn’t check a list. Not sure if that would have been a problem since we were no longer staying at the hotel. I would think it’s a common thing since they have the car rental desk.

I was a little apprehensive about staying here since there are some TripAdvisor reviews about musty rooms, but the hotel exceeded my expectations. I didn’t take photos of the room as I usually do, so here’s a photo of the sangria lol.

 

[wanderlust7]

Tabacon Thermal Resort & Spa
La Fortuna, Costa Rica
SLH – Hyatt Category 6
November 2023

Stayed here for 3 nights. First night was a cash rate since I couldn’t find award availability. The other 2 were with points, booked when it was still at Category 5 for 17k/night. They only had the Orchid King room as an award when I booked (fits 3), but the hotel changed us to an Orchid 2 Queen that fits 4 after I e-mailed to ask.

Cash rate was rather expensive at $560 total with taxes and $65 for DS (third person over age 12). We weren’t charged this for the point nights. I’m not sure if this is policy or they missed it because the first night was cash.

I was able to use an Amex Offer for SLH of spend $300 get $100 back across 2 cards. First card was for the room rate, second card was for dining at the resort. They charged the room rate a few days in advance. I had to call to pay this since the card I booked with was expired. I asked to split the charge, but was told they couldn't do that.

This is our first time staying at an SLH (Small Luxury Hotels). I learned that we earn Hyatt points on the room rate, but not incidentals. If we had charged it to the Hyatt card, it would have earned the Hyatt 4x (but didn’t to use the Amex Offer). We did get the Q4 Bonus Journeys of 3000 points per 3-night stay.

We drove here from the Hilton Garden Inn LIR. It took about 2.5 hours. About half is on smooth highway, half is on winding roads across the top of Lake Arenal. That part reminded us a little of the Road to Hana. In the middle is a section of very bumpy, gravel road.

Since we had 2 separate reservations, I e-mailed a few days ahead to ask that we stay in the same room. Was told that we would be able to. But when we checked in, they seemed to have no record of that and we were told at first that we’d have to switch rooms. But as we were walking out to head to the room, we were told that we can stay in the same room.

The room was nice and spacious. The hot water in the room is heated naturally from the hot springs. I took a shower one night and the water was barely lukewarm. There are some TripAdvisor complaints about that. But we didn’t have any issues with it any other time. Maybe it was because that night had rained a lot. Our last night, there were a bunch of ants on the floor near the small dining table. Not sure what they found. Luckily, not the food we had on the table.

It was a lot rainier in La Fortuna than Papagayo, which we went to next. It rained pretty much every afternoon and 2 out of 3 nights going to/from dinner. We got no mosquito bites here.

The best thing about Tabacon is the extensive hot springs pools and rivers. The hot springs side is across the street from the hotel side. There’s a walking path, but we took the shuttle every time. We never waited more than a couple minutes for a shuttle. One day, we just did the hot springs. After the kids had enough, they went back to the room while DH and I went to the adult area for hotel guests. Every area of the hot springs was lovely. It started raining hard while we were soaking, which was an interesting experience. Getting wet wasn’t an issue, but rain in my eyes was a little uncomfortable.

Breakfast is included for all hotel guests at Ave Restaurant on the hotel side. Selection is good with different local items like rice and beans, plantains, and beef stew. Watermelon, melon, and pineapple every day. One day they had guava. They had gravlax (cured salmon); the color is redder than the smoked salmon I’m used to. The breads and pastries were bad – dense and stale.

We had late breakfasts, filled up, and mostly didn’t need lunch (except DS wanted a burger by the pool one day). We had dinner at Tucanes, Ave, and the pool bar. Food is pretty pricey, but at least we had the Amex Offer. Tucanes is the casual restaurant on the hot springs side. We had rice and shrimp, rice and chicken, which were not bad. The St. Louis ribs were too salty. Ave is the fancy restaurant on the hotel side. They serve a complimentary amuse bouche of steak tartare on baguette that I enjoyed. Their bread is also good, unlike at breakfast. We had steak and the seafood black rice, which were pretty good. DD’s lobster pasta was just okay. Ironically, my favorite meal there was the cheapest, at the main pool bar. We enjoyed the blackened fish tacos and the tuna tostada. The kids had pizza, DS said it was better than the one at the Andaz Papagayo. At Ave and the pool bar, they used an iPad to settle our bill. They just went over the items that we ordered. Nothing to sign, no tip line like on the paper bills. 10% service fee is added, but we always added extra when there’s a tip line. The service was actually the best at these two places, and we would have liked to tip extra (didn’t have cash with us either). In hindsight, we should have done what we did in Germany, which is to ask them to add it.

We only did the Sloth Territory tour while here. It was just okay. I think it would have been better with less people (we had 11 on the tour). We got watermelon and pineapple at the end, which was yummy. The first sloth we saw was the most visible. Fairly low and we saw face too. I wonder if they planted that one there lol.

I wanted to do Fortuna Waterfall after the sloth tour, but I was too ambitious. The kids were done after the sloth tour. It wasn’t that hot, but it was humid. DH got a cold and was tired that day, or we would have gone without the kids. I would have liked to go to a soda (local restaurant) for lunch, but nobody was hungry yet after breakfast. I have regrets about staying on resort so much and not really getting a sense of place. DH and I would like to go back sometime and see more of Costa Rica.





View out of our room, Arenal Volcano in the distance behind the trees:



Hot springs, wish I'd gotten better pictures:



Sloth:

 

[wanderlust7]

Ugh. Had trouble with photos and created a duplicate post.

 

[wanderlust7]

Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo
Papagayo, Costa Rica
Hyatt Category 6
November 2023

Stayed here for 4 nights after Tabacon. Booked it with points back when it was a Category 5 at 17k/night. Used a Suite Upgrade Award to an Andaz Suite. Lucked out with an Amex Offer for Hyatt in Latin America of spend $400 get $100. We were able to use that on 2 cards for food and activities.

At check-in, we were given small coconuts to drink, which were delicious. Since it is an Andaz, the minibar is included (except alcohol). They had a variety of local chips (plantains, taro - my favorite), nuts, and other local snacks, plus soda and canned juice. There was water in glass bottles, as well as a refilling station close by our room. Globalist gift was some chocolates that look house made and a bottle of red wine.

The Andaz Suite is huge. It fit 2 rollaways by the window in the living room with plenty of room to spare. The half bath also came in handy. We were put in building 5 on the second floor, right next to Ostra. We could see the ocean behind trees. Not sure if we got any view upgrade, it only said Andaz Suite in the app. First floor would only see trees. Location was very convenient, but not so private. We could see the adult pool from the balcony.

The location was also very convenient to the beach as there’s a walking path next to Ostra. To the left is Sombrero Oscuro Beach, where they have services (chairs, kayaks, water, drinks for purchase, etc). It’s also where you take the boat to Nacazcolo Beach. To the right is a path to Sombrero Clara Beach, where there are no services and was deserted when we went to take a look.

They had sunblock and bug spray at both beaches with services and the pools. We did get a few mosquito bites.

There were howler monkeys at Sombrero Oscuro Beach. I think we got too close looking at them in the trees and one either pooped on us or threw poop at us. I thought it was an acorn at first, but then I smelled it.

There were lots of capuchin monkeys at Nacazcolo Beach, as well as around the resort. We saw one carrying a baby very clearly right from our balcony, too bad we didn’t get a good picture. There were also lots of coati at Nacazcolo Beach. People were feeding them and the capuchin there, which probably isn’t good. We went to Nacazcolo Beach twice. It’s a very pleasant, short boat ride there from the resort. There’s also a shuttle, which they offered to us when it started raining (they don't run the boat when it's raining), but we decided to wait it out. The kids liked collecting hermit crabs and then letting them all go at the end.

Too bad the Beach House was closed for renovations. Someone told us they’re putting in a pool there. Nacazcolo Beach had a small food menu. We were offered boxes of complimentary fruit skewers after most people left due to the rain.

The main breakfast restaurant is Rio Bhongo, but there is also Globalist breakfast at Ostra. There’s a buffet at Rio Bhongo plus an a la carte menu. We got full on the buffet and didn’t try to order a la carte. We did order specialty coffees and it was all included. No bill to sign either. We went to breakfast at Ostra twice since it was closer plus I preferred it. There’s a menu to order from and then they come by with a tray of pastries to choose from, bowls of fruit, cheese, and cold cuts if you want them. The drink menu had specialty coffees, smoothies, and fresh juices (watermelon was my favorite). The pastries are very good (unlike at Tabacon), especially the croissants and the Costa Rican bread flavored with green onion. I was sad that we didn’t get to have breakfast the last morning since we had an early flight. We asked for a box of pastries to go the day before.

We filled up at breakfast and only needed dinner. We tried each of the restaurants once. Chao Pescao was my favorite with tapas from around Latin America. We ordered the rice and beans with chicken as an afterthought, but the chicken was super flavorful. Steak was good too. Only complaint was I wouldn’t have minded if dishes came out a little slower lol. Rio Bhongo, the more casual restaurant, was good too and one of our cheaper meals (relatively). Ostra is the seafood restaurant. I didn’t like it as much, but maybe it was what we ordered. The kids shared the Japanese breaded chicken, which was good and an interesting fusion of Japanese and Caribbean. Our last night, we ate at their pop up Italian restaurant, La Piazza. Service was slow and our waiter was frazzled (he said something about how he doesn’t usually work there). We didn’t complain, but he gave us a salad in apology. The kids each had a pizza (DS said Tabacon’s was better). I enjoyed my gnocchi. It was a lot of food and we ended up with left over pizza for our flight the next day.

DH and I did the ceviche class ($35/person). We made 2 different ceviches and got full, so we had to push back dinner lol. All the ingredients are measured out already, so it was just a matter of mixing it up. But we did learn to make an avocado rose.

3 of us did the kayak tour, which was $25/person (DS didn’t go). It was just us with the guide in double kayaks, so DD went with the guide. It was nice and relaxing. The guide was very knowledgeable, pointing out different types of trees, birds, crabs, sea urchin, and coral in the water (a bit hard to see though).

There seems to be a bit of disconnect between the hotel, activities website, and the people running the activities. The website and concierge told me that the minimum age for the kayak tour is 12, but the activities people said it’s fine for DD (who’s 11) to go with the guide or an adult. The website says the kayak tours run from Sombrero Oscuro Beach some days and from Nacazcolo Beach on other days. I made a reservation online for one location, but then got an e-mail reminder for the other. I thought maybe they changed the location, so I went and asked the activities people, who told me that I could choose to go from either beach and it doesn’t matter where I made the reservation.

We ended up staying on site the entire time. I had looked into zip lining at Witch’s Rock and a Palo Verdes boat tour but didn’t book anything to keep it flexible. DS was sick with a cold for a couple days, so we didn’t end up doing any of it. I considered going out to eat at the Dive Bar at the Marina the last night, but we were close to using the Amex Offer on the second card, so stayed onsite instead.

We used WeChat for requests, which worked well for getting a golf cart to pick us up. They always came quickly and it was also easy to take one back to the room after dinner. WeChat didn’t work well for rescheduling housekeeping, but it could have been housekeeping’s issue. We had someone else’s lunch charged to our folio. Messaged them on WeChat and they said they’d look into it and then never got back to us. I dropped by the front desk the night before we left, and they said they’d “investigate”. I think she took off the alcohol charge, but the rest was still on there at check-out. It then took some time and 2 people at the computer to get it off. Complicating things is that the app shows the total of the meal charge, but the front desk print out is the food, alcohol, taxes, service charge, and tip broken out.

Aside from that, people are friendly and service ranges from good to excellent. We were mostly happy with the food and it’s a beautiful resort. We’d like to see more of Costa Rica next time, so no immediate plans to come back, but happy we got to experience it.











Howler monkey, maybe the guy who pooped on us:



Capuchin monkeys:



Coati:



Lovely lobby:

 

[wanderlust7]

Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach
Dana Point, CA
December 2023
95k Hilton points (used FNCs)

Stayed here for 2 nights using FNCs to use up 3 Aspire $250 resort credits. Amex changed the benefit, so it was use it or lose it by end of the year. Diamond status also gave us $50/day dining credit.

We were upgraded to a Fireside Terrace room near the pool. Not very private with people passing by, but we still enjoyed it and bought marshmallows from the supermarket to roast. There was a s’mores kit in the drawer, but I wasn’t sure if we would be charged $40 if we used it since we didn’t book into the room. The room was comfortable. Hot water took a while, and water pressure wasn’t great.

Our first night, we had dinner at the Monarch Bay Beach Club. It’s exclusive to club members and resort guests. I made a reservation with the concierge 7 days in advance (the earliest you can do so). The tram ride from the hotel to the restaurant was fun, with the driver pointing out different houses (Mariah Carey used to own that house, the owner of Costco lives there, etc.). We had clam chowder, fish tacos, shrimp scampi, and the burger. Food was good and service was friendly. I enjoyed sitting outside on the patio watching the waves crash. It was dark by then, but we could still see it. Sunset would be nice, but it’s way too early this time of year.

Second night, we had dinner at Burbon Steak. I was able to make that reservation online. Did that one a couple months in advance, which was a good thing since it filled up. We had the steak trio special for $198 (I think it was 10 oz Delmonico ribeye, 6 oz Mishima ribeye, 3 oz Hokkaido Wagyu) plus the Mishima striploin. The Hokkaido Wagyu was melt in your mouth. But the other cuts were just okay, especially for that price. I thought some of the temperatures were a little over, but we didn’t send it back. Our sides of truffle mac and cheese and brussel sprouts were delicious. There were several complementary items. The truffle butter bread was to die for, and the trio of fries were yummy too (each had a different coating and sauce). The sip of tomato bisque was good and so were the chocolates at the end. Service was very good. But overall, I was a little disappointed. Glad we didn’t pay OOP!

Billing was a mess. The first night was under DH and the second was under me. But both dinners ended up on the first folio, which meant the $50/day dining credit wasn’t applied properly. I felt gaslit by the front desk trying to convince me that’s the way it works. But he ended up applying a credit to the second night. Valet parking ($70/day) was never charged for the second day, so I guess the credit went into the ether. But I was satisfied with the end total, and I used up the 3 Aspire credits, so all’s well that ends well.

 

[wanderlust7]

The Shay
Culver City, CA
December 2023
Hyatt Category 6

Stayed here for 3 nights using a Category 1-7 FNC, 25k points, and 1 night cash. Not the best use of the FNC, but with a 6-month expiration, I always find it hard to maximize.

We were put on the 6th floor, same floor as the Canopy Club and roof top pool. There’s a key access door that separates the common areas from the rooms. Our room overlooked the patio dining area of the restaurant on the first floor, but there weren’t any noise issues. We didn’t get any upgrade that I could tell. The King bed suites don’t fit 4, but I thought maybe we’d get a balcony room. I didn’t care enough to ask though. The room isn’t particularly big, but stylish and well laid out. It’s a fairly new hotel, so everything was in good order. The shower hot water was instant with excellent water pressure.

Parking is valet only. As Globalist, it was free on the award nights and $50 for the cash night. Valet service was very good, except for when we checked out. Oddly, no help at all with our luggage. It was January 1, so maybe it was someone temporary.

Breakfast at the Canopy Club was delicious with friendly service. I especially liked the breakfast sandwich. Our bill each day was around $160, all wiped off. We even ordered an alcoholic kombucha ($8 for a can) that was covered.

The fire alarm went off in the wee hours of January 1 and we walked down the stairs to the lobby only to be told it was a false alarm. At least we didn’t have to wait to get back into our room. Two more false alarms came after that, but they quickly went on the speaker system to say they were false. Other than that, it was a good stay and a lovely hotel.







Breakfast sandwich with Canopy Club logo (a little hard to tell lol):

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

The Shay
Culver City, CA
December 2023
Hyatt Category 6

Stayed here for 3 nights using a Category 1-7 FNC, 25k points, and 1 night cash. Not the best use of the FNC, but with a 6-month expiration, I always find it hard to maximize.

We were put on the 6th floor, same floor as the Canopy Club and roof top pool. There’s a key access door that separates the common areas from the rooms. Our room overlooked the patio dining area of the restaurant on the first floor, but there weren’t any noise issues. We didn’t get any upgrade that I could tell. The King bed suites don’t fit 4, but I thought maybe we’d get a balcony room. I didn’t care enough to ask though. The room isn’t particularly big, but stylish and well laid out. It’s a fairly new hotel, so everything was in good order. The shower hot water was instant with excellent water pressure.

Parking is valet only. As Globalist, it was free on the award nights and $50 for the cash night. Valet service was very good, except for when we checked out. Oddly, no help at all with our luggage. It was January 1, so maybe it was someone temporary.

Breakfast at the Canopy Club was delicious with friendly service. I especially liked the breakfast sandwich. Our bill each day was around $160, all wiped off. We even ordered an alcoholic kombucha ($8 for a can) that was covered.

The fire alarm went off in the wee hours of January 1 and we walked down the stairs to the lobby only to be told it was a false alarm. At least we didn’t have to wait to get back into our room. Two more false alarms came after that, but they quickly went on the speaker system to say they were false. Other than that, it was a good stay and a lovely hotel.

View attachment 839953

View attachment 839954

View attachment 839955

Breakfast sandwich with Canopy Club logo (a little hard to tell lol):
View attachment 839956

Thanks for this, I'm staying here for one night post-Disneyland trip in August. Looking forward to the breakfast

 

[wanderlust7]

Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts
Santa Monica, CA
January 2024
105k Hilton points (used FNCs)

Stayed here for 2 nights using FNCs as part of our Los Angeles trip. It’s not a resort as defined by Hilton, so I wasn’t able to use the Aspire credits that reset on January 1. I was able to use the Surpass $50 credits on two cards. Plus Diamond status gave us $50/day dining credit.

On check-in, I double checked the use of the dining credit and was told that the first night’s credit can’t be used for breakfast the next day. This doesn’t make sense, but luckily we planned to have dinner at the hotel, so didn’t need to put this to the test.

I asked about upgrades since I saw that their suites can fit 4 but was told no upgrades available. I think they’re very reluctant to upgrade 4 people into those suites with king beds. I didn’t push it and we were put in the 2 Queen room that I booked with a view to an alley and an apartment building lol. I think it could have been worse though if we got one of the rooms that directly faced the wall of the apartment building next door.

The room was spacious with upscale, beachy décor, but several spots that showed signs of wear or slight stains. The location is good, in a quieter area of Santa Monica and about a 20-minute walk to Santa Monica pier. Parking is valet only and $65/day, but it was easy to find street parking.

We had dinner and lunch at their restaurant, Sandpiper. It was just me and the kids since DH was off helping his sisters. Portions are fairly big, so we were able to share 2 entrees for the 3 of us. The credits mostly covered our meals and I only paid about $20 OOP. Food was good and so was the service. It was quiet both times we were there with only one other table.

 

[wanderlust7]

Grand Hyatt at SFO
San Francisco, CA
February 2024
Hyatt Category 5

Stayed here for 1 night before a morning flight to Cancun. Used points, it was off-peak at 17k. We took BART from home; it was easy to transfer to the AirTrain at SFO and then walk a few steps to the hotel. Also, easy the next morning to take the AirTrain to our terminal.

We were given a small upgrade to a runway view. The room was comfortable and felt quite new.

The lounge is open in the evening from 5 to 7 pm. We just made the tail end of it. Since we were rushing to the lounge, I tried to use the mobile key to open the door, but it didn’t work. Luckily, someone let us in. It was a good spread and enough for a light dinner. Too bad not much sushi left though lol.

The next morning, we went to breakfast at Quail + Crane. The front desk gave us Globalist vouchers, so nothing to sign. The waitress told us it covers juice, coffee, entrée, and a side dish. Portions are big and it was a lot of food! We ended up taking the fruit plate to go, which was enough to tide me over on the plane until we got there.

We enjoyed our stay, and I can see us staying here before an early flight again.

 

[wanderlust7]

Impression Moxché By Secrets
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
February 2024
Hyatt Category F
Adults only, all-inclusive

Stayed here for 4 nights, booked when it was still a Category C and 29k points/night (peak). A steal at that price!

The Impressions side is the higher end hotel within a hotel at the Secrets Moxché. We were upgraded from the regular Signature Suite to the Signature Suite Ocean View. It was a lovely view over the pool complex and the ocean beyond. The room is huge. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. The minibar is included, as well as the wine in the room. We were also gifted two different tequilas. For the second bottle, we were given a choice and we picked white rum, but the tequila appeared.

All we did was relax and eat. We didn’t really leave the property, except to walk along the beach in front of the other hotels nearby. It’s quite far just to get to the gated entrance of the larger complex that the hotel is in.

For the Impressions side exclusive restaurants, we had lunch at Cielo twice, breakfast and lunch at Seaside Beach Club. The Observatory restaurant is available to Impressions guests and “preferred” guests (I think that’s like club level at the regular Secrets Moxché side). We had lunch there once. On the regular Secrets Moxché side, we had dinner at Bisou (French), Dos Almas (Mexican), Suki (Japanese), and Ember (grill). Also had breakfast at SeaSoul once. We hit most of the restaurants, but it wasn’t enough time to hit all of them. We also enjoyed the coffee and ice cream at Coco Café.

If you spend 5 nights at the Impressions side, dinner at Teodoro is included, otherwise it’s $250/person(!). Too bad I couldn’t find another award night to add after I read that on TripAdvisor.

Food is so subjective, but our favorite food was at Ember. We went there a second time for a snack to have our favorites again (grilled oysters and grilled shrimp). The clams were also really good. The no upcharge steak was meh. The beef in puff pastry (like a Beef Wellington) at Bisou was a standout. We also enjoyed many of the appetizers at Cielo, favorites being the hamachi tartar, baja oysters, and corn ribs.

The Roads Through Mexico themed night is highly reviewed. But it had rained on and off that day and they moved it into the buffet restaurant. I was disappointed given the reviews. Probably the atmosphere is different when it’s inside. The show was then moved to the theater, which we skipped and opted for second dinner instead lol.

We only went to one show, which was Boogie. I wasn’t expecting much, but I enjoyed the street dancing group and the guy roller skate dancing while juggling.

We didn’t need much from our butler, but he added us to a WhatsApp group and sent us daily schedules. I found that easier to use than the app. He made a reservation for us for teppanyaki, but the time didn’t work out, so then he helped us cancel it. He also arranged for luggage service on our check out day and the bellman came very promptly.

We went to the bank beforehand to break $100 to $1 and $5 bills. It was enough for the 4 days (tipping is also subjective).

For the airport transport, we used USA Transport and it worked out very well. It was $140 roundtrip for the two of us in a private van. It was the cheapest for private transport of the ones I checked. It wasn’t too hard finding the greeter holding their sign as we exited the airport. She then called the van over and it was a short wait. They came on time for the pickup. We tipped the greeter $2 and the drivers $10 each way.

We had a relaxing time and ate way too much lol. I’m glad we got to go at the old rate. It’s a beautiful hotel, with great service and delicious food.









Day time view from balcony (next 3):







Impressions pool:



Observatory pool:



Impressions rooftop pool:

 

[calypso726]

Conrad Orlando
March 2024
3 Free Night certificates from Aspire card

We had a few FN certs expiring soon from our Aspire cards. I decided to book 3 nights at the new Conrad Orlando next to Evermore this past weekend. Two nights from 2 of my cards and 1 night from one of DHs two cards. We requested a continuous reservation. The rates this past weekend were $800 per night so it was definitely a good use for FN certificates.

Diamond members get a $25 per day dining credit so we had $50 a day. Not sure if it would have been $50 if only one of us was Diamond due to the Aspire card but I think so. I didn’t ask. There is no self parking, only valet which is $50. That might be per stay as I was only charged $50 for my 2 nights and DH did not get a valet charge on his invoice.

The Aspire card now has a $400 resort credit split into two $200 credits. Once in Jan-June and again July-Dec. The Conrad Orlando was on the list of eligible resorts for the credit so we charged everything to the room and used the Aspire card to pay. This will earn 14x on that spend. Diamond members also get a complimentary one hour of paddle boarding or kayaking in the Evermore Lagoon. There are a number of on site restaurants but we didn't try them out. Perhaps the next visit. We did order room service and the sliders and kung pao chicken wings were a favorite.

We received an upgrade without asking to their deluxe king room with a pool view and balcony. The room was spacious and really nice. We enjoyed the stay and have already booked another weekend using the last expiring FN cert and 90k HH points. We blow the remainder of the resort credits on our Aspire cards between dining or a spa experience I'm sure.