This weekend I’m not traveling – which means I’m at home jealously looking at my friends’ Facebook pictures of their holiday weekend jaunts. It also means I’m booking trips for myself, or at least researching good fares and uses of miles (like my Aer Lingus JFK-DUB I just booked yesterday).

I’m planning a trip to South America this December and I was just able to book some pretty competitive business/first class fares for peak season in December – $2,500 for roundtrip business class on American (and I’m desperately in need of elite miles/points!) and for $250 more each way you can confirm into first class on the 777. I could have used EVIP systemwide upgrades, but I value them more than $250 each, so I think I’m just going to suck it up and splurge for first since I can sleep in the Flagship First suites vs. crumpling myself up in their angled lie-flat business class seats (woe is me, I know).

Reasonable business and first class fares to Buenos Aires this December

Considering economy was $1,637 (and there are no confirmable EVIP upgrades available), I don’t think paying $928 ($464 each way) to confirm in business class is a bad deal for a 4,406-mile flight.

I checked fares for this summer from Miami and found business class on the esteemed Aerolineas Argentinas $1,787 total roundtrip for several dates in July. These fares book into C class, which only earns 75% MQMs if you bank to SkyTeam partner Delta, but still it is a cheap business class fare to Buenos Aires. Plus, as Ben mentions, flying Club Condor is so exclusive you can send faxes from the sky!

Cheap airfare on Aerolineas for summer travel

American and United have ~$2,500 fares from NYC via Miami for summer travel (winter in Buenos Aires).

Reasonable business class on AA and United to Buenos Aires

Stilll, I don’t mind off-peak travel. Hotel rates are cheaper, top restaurant reservations easier to get and doing touristy type things is more tolerable. Sure, July is the “coldest” month with averages in the high 50′s, but it may be nice to take a summer reprieve from the scorching hot weather in the US. Especially if you can get great airfare!

Buenos Aires Monthly Averages

I’m using the nifty ITA Search Matrix (tutorial)to do these fare searches and then will buy my airfare through Travelocity to maximize my point earning (as outlined in this post). Has anyone else been able to find “good” fares recently? Please feel free to share below!

A group of friends and I are going to Dublin for a friend’s birthday this summer and we were trying to decide how to get there. We wanted to leave the return open-ended since we’ll be making a whole trip of it (potentially to Croatia) and aren’t sure yet where we’ll be returning from, but we do know that we need to get from NYC to Dublin.

Tickets this summer are already running pretty expensive, so we were thinking of using miles. Delta, American, United and Aer Lingus all fly NYC-Dublin non-stop, and even though I don’t have any Aer Lingus miles, they are partners with British Airways and their awards have very low fees, which is one of my favorite tricks for avoiding huge fuel surcharges on award flights to Europe using Avios.

The next step was actually making sure there were award seats available on our dates. A quick search of ExpertFlyer revealed that there were 9 business class award seats available on the flight we wanted (!) from JFK to Dublin. ExpertFlyer doesn’t always match up exactly to partner inventory, but I started to alert the troops that we’d each need 40,000 Avios (since Avios is a distance-based mileage program) for a one-way business class ticket into each of our accounts to book the flights.

Amex
I had the Avios, but my friends did not. The easiest top-up I recommended is American Express Membership Rewards, which is a transfer partner of British Airways and is currently offering a 35% transfer bonus to Avios until June 7. This means that the 40,000 Avios needed for the award would only require 30,000 Membership Rewards points! That’s what most programs require for one-way economy class awards and less than the bonus I got from my recent round of credit card applications when I got the Mercedes-Benz Platinum Amex with a 50,000-point sign-up bonus. Amex points transfer instantly so you can process the transfer while on the phone with the British Airways representative. The Amex Business Gold also offers 50,000 points after $5,000 spent within 3 months with the $175 annual fee waived the first year.

Chase
My one friend didn’t have any Amex points (ridiculous, I know), but he did recently get the Ink Bold, so that 50,000 point sign-up bonus alone was more than enough to cover the flight. Ultimate Rewards points transfer in instantly, so he was good to go (even though I cringed thinking that transferring Amex at 35% is such a better deal, sometimes you need to let people learn the hard way. The Ink Plus also has a 50,000 point sign-up bonus after spending $5,000 within 3 months with the $95 annual fee waived the first year. The Sapphire Preferred has a 40,000 point sign-up bonus after $3,000 spent within three months and is the other Ultimate Rewards cards that allows points to be transferred to United or British Airways. Chase also issues the British Airways Visa that offers 50,000 Avios after just $1,000 spent within three months with a $95 annual fee.

Starwood
Starwood points also transfer to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio and you get a 5,000 Avios bonus for every starpoints transferred. So to get the needed 40,000 Avios, you’d only have to transfer 35,000 Starpoints (though transferred 40,000 would yield 50,000 Avios so you’d have some leftover for future flights). However, transfers can take well over a week, so this method is not recommended for last minute bookers, because British Airways will not let you put an Aer Lingus award on hold. To boost your SPG account, you can get the Starwood Amex and Business Starwood Amex each have 25,000 points bonuses after $5,000 spent within the first 6 months with the $65 annual fee waived the first year.

Getting It Booked
I had to call up British Airways’ customer service number at 1-800-247-9297 (I didn’t have to sit on hold for long either) and ask a representative to search for the flights for me. British Airways phone agents are always a bit brusque and this one was no exception. Still, she was efficient and found the flights in a jiffy, so I can’t complain, but she informed me that there were only two available seats on the flight we wanted. However, 4 hours earlier there was another JFK-DUB flight and there were two business class seats on that. As much as I wanted to all fly together, it really isn’t a big deal to split into two, so we went ahead and got them booked.

**United Angle
Aer Lingus is a partner of United, but recently United.com stopped showing award availability. I called United to see if they had the same availability as British Airways or if it matched up with ExpertFlyer and it took the agent a while to figure it out, but United had much more availability and I was able to book up to 9 seats on a given flight. United charged 50,000 miles and since I value United miles more than British Airways Avios, I decided to stick with Avios for my reservation- even though we had to split up. Though note that booking an entire family or group together may be easier using United miles than Avios. Always good to know your options!

Waiving the Phone Fee
Unsurprisingly, the agent I got told me I’d have to pay a $25 phone booking fee, but I politely explained that I had tried booking the award online but the website would not allow me to search for it so I asked her to waive the fee and she did. If I change or cancel my ticket, I have up to 24 hours ahead of time to do so and will pay a $40 fee to do it online or a $65 fee to do so over the phone.

All told, my ticket came to 40,000 Avios (30,000 MR points!) and $30.57 in taxes and fees.

That same ticket would have cost me $2,150, giving me a very decent value of 5.3 cents per Avios.

Now, I’m not chomping at the bit to fly Aer Lingus’s business class since it’s not an amazing product, but using just 30,000 Amex points and paying $30 was just too good a deal to pass up to get across the Atlantic, and I like not having to connect anywhere…and all my friends and I are going to be able to get where we need to go for a great time. And plus, I’m Irish so I gotta see what the Irish national carrier is all about!

Aer Lingus’s business class isn’t top-notch but it’ll do for a quick flight.

If you’re thinking of using Avios to get to Europe this summer but are trying to avoid paying huge fees by transiting through London, you can also consider flying BA’s Oneworld partner, Air Berlin, which has hubs in Berlin and Dusseldorf and doesn’t charge huge fees, or flying Iberia via Spain instead since taxes and fees on those routes are always much lower.

Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:

Join Hyatt in supporting the affected communities of the recent tornado in Oklahoma.

Join Hyatt in Supporting the Oklahoma Tornado Relief Efforts: Earlier this week, a massive tornado struck Oklahoma where thousands of lives and numerous communities have been devastated by this disaster. Hyatt is encouraging your support to help this cause by donating $50,000 to the American Red Cross for immediate support and long-term recovery for the affected communities. In addition, they will match the total donations from Hyatt guests through June 30, 2013, up to $25,000. Gold Passport members can help by donating their points in increments of 5,000 points. Each 5,000-point donation will equate to a $25 USD gift to the American Red Cross. To donate your points, you must call Hyatt Gold Passport Customer Service at 402-593-8615. You can also make a cash donation, which Hyatt will match (and which will be tax deductible, so that’s probably the way to go unless you’ve got a lot of points to burn and don’t want to spend the cash).

Bonus on British Airways Purchased Avios:  As a recap from earlier this week,British Airways has announced that Executive Club members who purchase Avios now through June 13, 2013, will receive a bonus of up to 7,000 Avios. The amount of bonus Avios you receive will be based on the amount you purchase. Purchase 2,000 – 6,000 Avios and receive 100 bonus Avios; Purchase 7,000 – 12,000 Avios and receive 1,000 bonus Avios; Purchase 13,000 – 18,000 Avios and receive 2,000 bonus Avios; Purchase 19,000 – 23,000 Avios and receive 4,000 bonus Avios; or Purchase 24,000 Avios (your full annual allowance) and get 7,000 bonus Avios. The bonus is hard-coded into the britishairways.com “Purchase Avios” page, so you don’t have to enter a special code to be eligible for this offer.

Delta’s Sky Deck at the new Terminal 4 at JFK.

Delta’s Terminal 4 at JFK is Now Open: Yesterday marked the opening of Delta’s new Terminal 4 at JFK, part of the $1.4 billion redevelopment program. The terminal’s new amenities include nine new and seven renovated international gates; improved and renovated check-in areas, including a dedicated Sky Priority check-in; a centralized security checkpoint with TSA PreCheck, new dining and retail offerings, a new 24,000-square-foot flagship Delta Sky Club with the first ever Sky Deck at Delta Sky Club outdoor terrace, an in-line baggage system to streamline and improve the baggage handling system and improved Customs and Border Protection, baggage claim and re-check facilities. Construction on phase 2 has already begun and will add 11 additional gates for Delta’s regional jet operation which is now being operated out of Terminal 2.

Earn triple Iberia points with Marriott.

Triple Iberia Points with Marriott: Marriott and Iberia have teamed up to offer Iberia Plus triple points when staying with Marriott. You’ll earn triple Avios starting with your first stay, up to 30,000 bonus Avios, when staying at any of 3,700+ participating Marriott brand hotels, including over 70 AC Hotels in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy from June 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013. To be eligible, you must register prior to your first stay. The bonus points will take 4 to 6 weeks to be posted to your Iberia Plus account.

Earn bonus Starpoints plus Elite-Qualifying Nights on Group Bookings.

Bonus Starpoints and Elite Qualifying Nights on Group Bookings: Now through December 31, 2013, Starwood is giving SPG members the chance to earn bonus Starpoints plus elite-qualifying nights on group bookings. Here’s how it works: Preferred members earn one Starpoint for every $3 spent on group bookings, and Gold and Platinum members earn one Starpoint for every $2 spent on group bookings, including meeting spaces and room nights. In addition, you’ll earn one elite-night credit for every 10 group nights. This is in addition to the regular points and elite-qualifying nights that the guests attending the meeting or event will earn. I’ve written before about how Starwood allows SPG members to earn night and stay credits for multiple rooms at once but that is limited to up to three rooms. This new promotion however, is intended for larger group bookings with a minimum of 10 rooms booked.

Earn a $50 Gas Card after Two Stays with Choice Hotels: Choice Hotels has launched a summer promotion where Choice Privileges members can earn a $50 gift card for dining, shopping, or gas after two stays. Here’s how this offer works: First, register for this promotion before your trip, then you must stay twice at participating choice properties from now until August 21, 2013. You’ll then receive enough Choice Privileges points to redeem for a $50 gift card of your choice for a participating dining, shopping, or gas retailer. In addition, Choice Privileges Diamond and Platinum members who register and book will receive an additional 100 Choice Privileges bonus points.

Earn 2,000 Aeroplan miles per Best Western stay this summer.

2,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles With Best Western: Now through August 31, 2013, Best Western is offering Aeroplan members who earn miles on stays 2,000 miles per stay up to a total of 5 stays/10,000 miles. This bonus is only good for stays at properties in the US, Canada and the Caribbean and is 8X the normal amount of miles you’d usually earn (just 250 per stay). Register here.

One of the things I was most excited for on my trip to Italy was all the great food I was going to have. Italy of course is known for their pizza, pasta, and desserts (gelato!) among many other things so I wanted to make sure I covered all the bases and got to try a bit of everything in my short time there.

While we were in Florence, we spent our two days roaming around the streets, going shopping and checking out some of the famous and historic sites. For breakfast we got free Platinum breakfast at the St. Regis and for lunch we kept it simple and would eat at little cafes, pizzerias or panini shops that we found along the way. One day it was raining so we went to the Gucci museum to kill some time and have spiked coffees underneath their outdoor canopies. I was impressed by the fact that even the sugar cubes in the cafe at the museum were in the shape of the Gucci “G.” How “on-brand” of them!

We stopped in the Gucci museum where even the sugar cubes were shaped in a G.

After sorting through several reader recommendations, my friends and I decided on two restaurants to try for dinner. On our first night we went to il Latini, on via dei Palchetti in Palazzo Rucellai and for our second and final night in Florence we ventured over to La Giostra on Borgo Pinti. Both restaurants are very popular and it can be difficult to get last-minute reservations, especially on a Friday night, which is when we went to La Giostra. Luckily, as I mentioned in my review of the St. Regis Florence, the hotel concierge was extremely helpful in getting us reservations at preferred times for both restaurants.

il Latini

On Thursday, three of us arrived at il Latini during a time when there was no line and we were able to be seated immediately. Many times if you come with a group smaller than 4 you will get placed at a table with strangers and have a family-style dining experience, but we were seated at our own table. Instead of choosing our meals from a menu we went with suggestions from the server who continued to bring out different sample dishes and house wine.

Salami tartare

First they started us off with a plate of salami tartare. I have never been a big fan of salami so I didn’t enjoy it too much and only had a taste, but my friends liked it and finished off their plates.

The chicken liver toast was my one of my favorite things that I had to eat in Florence.

Next came a plate of crostini topped with chicken liver pâté. I’ve had pâté before, but this Italian version was buttery, warm and delicious.

Penne with lamb ragu

Penne with lamb ragu was the third dish that we tried. I’m not much of a lamb eater, but I thought this was really good and it would definitely be something that I would order in the future.

Ravioli – simple but delicious.

Adding on some more carbs we had ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese. Although it was tasty, to me this was just average. It was a simple dish so there was nothing really spectacular about it.

Panna cotta topped with fresh strawberries and chocolate-covered almond cake.

Finally we ended with dessert, which came as two plates, one with a fresh strawberry and ricotta tart and the other a chocolate-covered almond cake with strawberries and a strawberry sauce. Needless to say, we were completely stuffed to the gills after this meal but everything was delicious and nice sized portions. We all agreed that it was well worth it to spend 50 EUR ($64) each to be able to try several traditional Tuscan courses and have unlimited Chianti throughout our dining.

La Giostra

Friday night we had a late reservation at La Giostra and arrived around 10pm. The hostess had us wait around for about ten minutes before we got a little pushy and had them finally bring us to our table. This atmosphere was much more romantic and dimly lit than il Latini with candles on each table and surrounding the restaurant.

Complimentary plate of appetizers.

Right after ordering our waiter came over with a sample appetizer platter on the house and a complimentary glass of prosecco for each of us. The appetizer came with my favorite crostini with chicken liver pate, fresh bruschetta, risotto balls, sliced meat with olives, and marinated eggplant. What a way to start off a meal!

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocci

Instead of ordering more appetizers we went right for the pasta and had some really nice house Chianti to go along with it. One of their house specialties is the spinach gnocchi. In my opinion it was good, but a little too rich for me. A few bites were enough and then I was ready to move on to the next dish.

Amazing lobster spaghetti.

One of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in a long time is definitely the lobster spaghetti from La Giostra. There was a perfect amount of lobster in the dish and it wasn’t too heavy.

Florentine steak for two.

For our main course we ordered the Florentine steak for two. It was just an incredible as everyone has made it out to be and was more than enough for the two of us that split it.

For dessert we tried the tiramisu, gelato with fresh berries and dark chocolate cake.

Of course we had to top off our meal with dessert so we tried the tiramisu, gelato with strawberries and raspberries, and a dark chocolate cake. Overall it was a fantastic meal and I would definitely recommend eating there if you make the trip to Florence – just make sure you make a reservation ahead of time or ask your hotel if they can make one for you!

TPG reader Jason had sent me an excellent resource list that his friend Allison put together while she lived in Florence. I found it to be incredibly useful and I hope you do too! Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments below.

Restaurants

Inexpensive:

Za Za – 055214441 – Great food for lunch or dinner.  Casual, close to school and San Lorenzo Market, and lots of outdoor tables.  All the food is good.  You can pretty much get anything here.  They have really good sliced steak with Parmesan, or truffle sauce or mushrooms.

***MUST GO -1:*** Acqua al Due – V. Vigna Vecchia, 40 – 055284170 – This is THE BEST restaurant.  I went at least once a week.  Must make a reservation.  The salad sampler, pasta sampler, grilled chicken, and steaks are amazing.  In the salad sampler they give you 3 different kinds of salads and in the pasta sampler they give you 5 small portions of different pastas.  All the food is great though.  Tell them you’re a student and they’ll give you a 20% off card.  BLUEBERRY STEAK is unbelievable!  (Do not be fooled by the name it is absolutely the best thing on the whole menu.  The recipe is copyrighted, that is how good it is!) If you go there enough you get a plate on the wall, become friends with the owner! 

Yellow Bar – Via del Proconsolo 39r  # 055 211 766 On one of the streets behind the Duomo.  Casual and all the food is good. Salads, pizza, pasta (quick, easy, cheap, very American)

Gusto – Via del Proconsolo Diagonally across the street from Yellow Bar.  Also casual. They make the best pizzas and salads. Tell them you’re a student and they give you a discount card. One of the only places to get a big salad, they are good!

La Spada – Via Spada Opens at 7 Casual restaurant with good “home cooked” food.  You can take out or eat there, have great roasted chicken.  They are known for their chicken. A good place when you are trying to be a little healthier.

Sostanza – 055212691 – I never ate here but they are famous for their steak.

Capocaccia – Lungarno Corsini 12-14 – It’s located on your side of the river next to the Ferragamo store.  Outdoor seating when it’s warm out and it’s right on the river – so nice.  They have a great lunch buffet every day.  $9 all you can eat. (Definitely Suggest!!)  On Sat. and Sun. they have a brunch buffet for $17.  You can get bagels, cream cheese, lox, eggs, pancakes, orange juice. Etc….

Borgo Antico – Piazza Santa Spirito, over the Ponte Vecchio – 055210437 – Must make a reservation. Big portions, good food, and the seafood starter is really good. Their pasta is really good especially Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce.

**Pizzaiuolo – Via de’ Macci, 113 – 055241171 – Must make a reservation because it’s really small. One of the oldest pizza places in Florence, great crust, but really think center. Known to make the best pizza in Florence, It was pretty good, but that statement is pretty objective.

Baldovino – Via San Giuseppe, 22. (near Santa Croce) – 055241773 – They change their menu every month and they have great food.  GREAT  pizza and salads, and their famous chocolate cake. One of my favorite restaurants, ate their once a week. Not very expensive and everything there is delicious.

Beccofino – 055290076 – Across the river. Trendy place with a huge wine menu.

Anna’s Bagels – Via Ginori (near school).  New York bagels, cream cheese, turkey, lox, etc. They are so friendly too. It is on the same street as CTS ( student travel agency). This place is great, when you are craving something American. They also have pretzels there, which are hard to find!

Antico Noe – In an alleyway near lion’s fountain. – Go here for turkey subs  They are amazing, real turkey! You can get anything on the turkey sandwich.  It is a very small place, but it is everyone’s favorite including mine. Next door is a salad place. Across the street is the Pita Man.

EBY’s – Mexican Burriots (chicken, turkey, veggie, tuna) also has really good fresh fruit drinks, alcoholic and non-alcholic. Across from Antico Noe, Greek place next to it. Supposedly they have a good happy hour with really cheap drinks..

Dantes – Borgo San Frediano Great pizza. Cheap too! Next to Momo Yama

Pizzarito – Pastarito: By the train station, really cheap, pick any pasta with any sauce. Huge portions. Very good pizza and big salads.

Osteria sel Olio:  Across from the replay store by the Duomo, next to an Irish pub, really good mussels in tomato sauce, also homemade pasta with fresh mozzerrella and tomato sauce, and zitti with eggplant and ricotta.

House of Sizzle: Via de Benci, burgers, wraps, not great!  (Very Americanized.)

Ciro & Son’s: Right next to school on Giglio, good pizza and caprese salad, also delicious vegetable soup. Family owned.

Café Mezzanote – Delicious gelato, by Piazza Repubblica, also makes fresh crepes

Festival of Gelato –  Via Corso. Huge selection of gelato. Basically, the Baskin Robbins of Florence.

Mister Jimmy’s:  Via San Niccolo 47 #055 248 0999 or Via san Niccolo 54 # 055 200 1144  Bagels, muffins, chocolate chip coolies, brownies, you can call and order stuff like banan break, cheesecake.  It is basiclly an American bakery.

Expensive:

Momo Yama – Borgo San Frediano 10r  #055 291 840 Very good Sushi, kind of pricey, but worth it!  Cool atmosphere also.  One of the only places, I would trust for sushi.

La Posta – Piazza Republica, good fish, expensive.

Fusion Bar:  In the gallery art hotel, asian fusion, brunch on Sunday, costs 21Euro.  It is more like lunch  — they have sushi, tuna, miso soup… etc.

Cibreo – Via de’ Macci, 118. – 0552341100 – More on the formal side.  Must make a reservation.  There is the regular restaurant and across the street is the “trattoria” which doesn’t take reservations, prices are lower, and the food is identical to the restaurant.

Trattoria Garga:  Via del Moro, 48r # 055 239 8898 Really great food, a little expensive.

***MUST GO – 3: La Giostra – Borgo Pinti, 10. – 055241341 – AMAZING FOOD!  Formal.  It’s a little on the romantic side with dark lighting and candles on each table.  Everything is good here but one of their specialties are the spinach and ricotta gnocchi.  They give you a platter of different appetizers for free while you wait for your meal.  The owner/chef also comes around to each table and explains things about the wine/food that you order.  This place is definitely worth a visit! One of my favorites! The food is really delicious, and there is a great history to the restaurant, and it is really nice that the owner/chef comes around.

Buco Mario – 055214179 – I never went here but it’s supposed to be good.

***MUST GO – 2: Il Latini – This place is a meat lover’s paradise!  You must make a reservation, because there is always a line outside.  The choices are 7:30 and 9:30. Go on an empty stomach because there is so much food! Good for large parties. They feed you and feed you until you can’t breathe and they are very friendly. The veal and lamb are really good. You are not given a menu but you can request certain things. They also continue to bring out wine throughout your meal.  It feels like they never stop serving you and the price is good for what you get. Make friends with the waiter, and they are even nicer to you, and also look for Mr. Latini he is sooo nice!

Pondemonio – Over the Ponte Vecchio. – 055224002 – Need reservations. Ask for Mama! This place is delicious. Mama owns the restaurant and also serves you and gives you all her opinions and is funny. It is great, and the food – so delicious!

Nightlife:

Yab – Great on Monday nights.  They play hip-hop and R&B.  It’s a club and it’s always packed!  Become friends with one of the bouncers outside so they will hook you up every time you go.

Full Up – Across the street from Acqua al Due – Good on Wednesday nights. They play hip-hop and R&B.  Bar upstairs, and club/lounge downstairs. Always a good time here.

Central Park – Same owners as Yab.  I think it’s only open in the warm weather but I’m not sure.  We went once but it was great.  They have 5 outdoor dance floors each playing different music and an indoor club too I think. It’s a taxi ride away but it was a lot of fun.

Slowly – Near Yab – Lounge/restaurant. Very much like New York City. Great drinks and good any night. Great for people watching. Everyone (male and female) is gorgeous!

Angels – Near Yellow and Gusto – More formal restaurant with a bar. We pre-drank here every Wednesday before Full Up.  Awesome drinks but it takes forever to get one!  Be prepared.

Astor – Right at the Duomo. You’ll find it. It’s a bar/lounge type place to pre-drink or just relax.

Capocaccia – Good on Tuesday nights and Sundays too.

Robin Hood Bar – Off 1 of the streets from the Duomo. We went here some Monday nights before Yab. They play hip-hop, etc. They have the best beer there. It’s called Tenants Super and has like 9% alcohol or something.

Lion’s Fountain – Near Antico Noe, La Giostra, etc. Bar that plays hip-hop (I think). I only went here once. They also show sports, if you are interested. I watched the US Open here and caught Monday Night football.

Lochness – After hours place. A little shady but fun if you’re out late.

Bebop – I never went here but Tuesday nights they supposedly have a Beatles cover band.

Art Bar – Supposed to have “pretty drinks”.  Never went though.

Monte Carlo – Across the river. Cool place. Used to be a whorehouse so it’s decked in leopard, etc. Lounge-type place. They serve candy at the tables and you can play board games, pretty cool!

Tenax – Club that I never made it to but is supposed to be awesome and I heard lots of fun. It’s a taxi-ride away though.

Faces – On the other side of the river. Small club/lounge. Fun on Wednesday nights-  $20 all you can drink. The drinks are usually gross but you go there to get tipsy.  Drink champagne instead!

Adromeda – Club. Good on Thursday nights. Play a mix of music. Hip-hop, R&B, 80’s, etc.

Amedeus – Near Piazza de Republica and the Odeon movie theater – Bar.  Plays hip-hop.  Good to go when it’s warm so you can sit outside. 

Dolce Zucchero – Via de’ Pandolfini (on 1 of the streets off the Duomo) – Cool place.  Club/Lounge.  Good on Thursday nights.

 General Tips:

-       Order house wine – it’s always good and so cheap!

-       Do not tip the waiters.

-       Get bottled water without “gas” unless you like bubbles in your water.

-       Sales are in January

-       The Odeon Movie Theater (Piazza Republica) plays English movies on Mondays and Tuesdays!

Food: 

      – Fish is delivered on Wednesday, good through Saturday.  Do not order fish Sunday through Tuesday. Also, fish is different in Europe, light fishes are spigola, and branzino, similar to fishes like swordfish and sea bass, they do have salmon. Also, most restaurants don’t open until 7:30 or later.

Shopping:

-       The obvious designer stores = Tournabouni. If you can’t find that street than you don’t deserve to shop.

-       Raspini – Sells Miu Miu, Prada, and their own brand.

-       Louisa – Sells all designer labels and had a really good sale when I was there.

-       The market: San Lorenzo by school.  Great vintage gear! Always bargain here.

-       Barney’s – Women’s store, great coats and clothes, next to Internet Train by La Posta and the Post Office.

-       Fotolocchi –   Via del Corso 21r, # 055 213 743Sunglasses and fild development.  Erica is the owner.  She gives students 20 % discount and if you are below tax free she allows you to add your bills together for each month, until you hit it, so you can get more of a discount.  She can also order glasses for you if she doesn’t have them.

-       Peruzzi – by Santa Croce Church, sells Fendi discounted and also sells Burberry, Longchamp etc…

-       Sisley – same owner as Benetton, but much better and great prices, and great coats!

-       Matucci – Via del Corso, sells Miss Sixty, Diesle, Kookai…good store!

-       OUTLETS:  Prada is in Montevarchi. You take the train about 45 minutes (buy a round trip ticket from the tobacci shop in the station for $8).  I thought Prada was the best.  They have the most, always re-stock, and have really good prices. Great for makeup bags, key chains, wallets and shoes! It’s insane!  Don’t go on the weekends if you can help it because all the tour buses arrive, tons of Japanese people invade the store, and then you pick a number and wait in line for hours!    For Fendi, Gucci, Armani, Bottega Venetta, take the train to Inchisa, a few stops before Motevarchi, about 20 – 25 minutes.  There is only 1 Taxi Driver there so you really need to go during the week.  Everything is together in a place called “THE MALL”, except for Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana.  You can take the train to Prada and go to Gucci from there, but it is expensive and the taxi driver only gives you an hour at the mall.  It best to try and pay a taxi in Florence or get a driver to take you but it can get pricey.  We got a driver for the day for the 100 Euro total, which was amazing.

Internet Cafés:

-       Internet Train was my favorite.  They play music, have comfortable chairs, newer computers, better speed, and I think they give the best deals.  They are also located all over the city.

-       Webbuccino – I got my cell phone here but I’m not sure if it’s the best deal.

Markets:

-       Standa:  Santa Croce, recently renovated great prices and decent food

-       Huge Market by school – San Lorenzo, has everything and anything

Leather:

-      Vinci Leather Company: Via Del Proconsolo 4/R

While traveling to Chile with my mom last month, an airport etiquette question came up when I was given TSA PreCheck while she had to wait it out in the regular security line. At my mom’s urging, I went through the quicker line, but a similar conundrum came up on last week’s trip to Italy where I had Global Entry and could bypass the immigration line at JFK while my friends could not. This time I waited it out with them, but I thought it might be time for a reminder post on why Global Entry is such a great travel tool and how easy it is to get – especially as many of you jet off this weekend and European summer travel heats up.

Global Entry is one of the best time-saving travel tools out there.

Global Entry is the US government’s expedited immigration program for frequent travelers. It costs $100 and is good for 5 years. However, if you have the Amex Platinum, Mercedex-Benz Platinum or Business Platinum (or Centurion) cards, the fee is refunded to you as a statement credit. The good news is that this fee is even refunded to additional cardholders as well – and the annual fee for up to three additional Platinum cardholders is just $175 ($175 per cardholder after that), so even if two of your friends/family members gets Global Entry you’ll recoup that fee and then some. Plus, remember that the additional cardmembers also get lounge access to Delta, American, US Airways and Priority Pass Select, so this can be a screaming good deal. Additional cardholders are not eligible for their own annual $200 airline fee rebate, though and eligible charges they make will get refunded out of your $200 total. You can also get Nexus for $50 and that includes Global Entry, however it is a more complicated process (you have to go to Seattle or one of the 8 Canadian airport facilities) and Amex recently sent out notices saying they will now only reimburse for Global Entry- not any other program, though in reality their systems may still actually refund Nexus.

American Express is not the only kid in town giving free Global Entry- if you have the new Citi Prestige card, you also get the fee refunded, and if you are a United Global Services, Premier 1K or Platinum, United will also refund you.

How to Apply
You apply through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.globalentry.gov. The application process takes about 10 minutes and you get an email confirmation. Then within usually about a week to 10 days (though it can be as quick as just 1-2 days), you get an email that lets you know you are conditionally approved. Then you must log back into your GOES account and select an appointment time and location.  A Customs and Border Protection officer asks you questions and whether you have a criminal record, takes your photo (so try not to schedule one after you’ve been on a long flight!), and scan your fingerprints. It’s all pretty quick and painless.

Here is the list of 35 enrollment centers, most of which are at international airports including:

Albuquerque Airport ABQ
Atlanta Port Office
Austin-Bergstron Airport AUS
Baltimore/Washington Airport BMI
Boston Logan BOS
Bowling Green Customs House
Charlotte-Douglas CLT
Chicago O’Hare ORD
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport CVG
Dallas/Ft. Worth DFW
Denver Airport DEN
Detroit Metropolitan Airport DTW
Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport FLL
Houston IAH
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport ATL
Honolulu HNL
New York JFK
Los Angeles LAX
McCarran International Las Vegas LAS
Miami International MIA
Milwaukee MKE
Minneapolis St. Paul MSP
Newark Liberty EWR
Orlando MCO
Orlando-Sanford SFB
Philadelphia International PHL
Phoenix Sky Harbor PHX
Portland International PDX
Salt Lake City SLC
San Antonio SAT
San Francisco SFO
San Juan Airport SJU
Seattle-Tacoma SEA
Anchorage ANC
Washington-Dulles IAD

Assuming you pass the “interview” – and there’s no reason you shouldn’t if you are conditionally approved in the first place – you should receive your new Global Entry card in about two weeks, but your Global Entry profile is activated in about 24 hours. Then when you enter the United States (there are also kiosks in two Irish airports) you can skip the huge immigrations line and instead go to the Global Entry lane, put your hand on the scanner, smile into the camera and check the boxes to answer a few questions on the touchscreen then breeze through immigrations and head straight for customs. Plus, GE recently partnered with Australia’s SmartGate program to expedite your entry into Australia as well. To find out how the SmartGate system works, you can check out this page. Now if only the EU would offer something similar!

The Fun Doesn’t Stop There
Once you get your card, you will find your Trusted Traveler number on it and you can then log into your frequent flyer accounts and enter that information into your profile under “Known Traveler ID.” And it should automatically register you for TSA PreCheck on reservations you make on each airline that participates when you fly through airports that have PreCheck. Granted, this can be something of a crapshoot and people don’t seem to qualify every single time, but even if it works just most of the time, it’s such a timesaver and a valuable tool – plus you don’t have to take off any clothes or remove anything from bags! – that it’s worth the couple minutes’ of time you take entering this info in your profile on each airline site individually.

Those few minutes will really seem worth it when you hit the ground after a 14-hour flight and see a huge, snaking immigrations line waiting for you then realize you can simply bypass it thanks to Global Entry.

Happy (expedited) travels!

For today’s Destination of the Week, TPG contributor Adee Braun takes us to a medieval fortress town that is one of her favorite seaside destinations. It is packed with history, beauty and plenty of dramatic views. We’re headed to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

WHAT TO DO
Croatia’s most-visited city, Dubrovnik is a medieval town that sits on a little outcrop on the Adriatic Sea. The Old City is entirely fortified, a strategic medieval military decision that today gives the town its unique character (and a mighty good location for cliffside bars with spectacular views). The fortification did not stop the Venetians from ruling over the city for 150 years, and later Napoleon, followed by the Austrians and the Hungarians. The result is a unique blend of architectural, cultural and culinary influences. The city’s characteristic marble streets have been well-trod by tourists since the end of the Balkan Wars. But forgiving the throngs of visitors, chintzy souvenir shops and overpriced food is relatively easy because, well, it’s just so beautiful.

View of the Old Town (Photo Credit- Adee Braun)

The fortified Old Town is tiny and entirely car-free. There are only a handful of distinctive sights, but the entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The true joy of visiting Dubrovnik is found in meandering through the medieval passageways at dusk, peeking into flower-lined courtyards and lingering at outdoor cafes surrounded by Renaissance palaces. Most visitors enter the Old Town through the Pile Gate with a drawbridge over a dried moat. Extending from the gate is the marbled Placa Street which cuts straight through the center of town.

There are several notable churches and monasteries throughout the city, one of the most striking being the Franciscan monastery and museum, which includes a lush cloister and the oldest working pharmacy in Europe. At the end of Placa Street is the Clock Tower that dominates the Dubrovnik skyline. Across the square is the Sponza Palace, an imposing structure which was originally a customs house and today houses the state archives. There are several lovely fountains that were part of a 12th-century water system. The Onofrio Fountain sits by the Pile Gate and the Little Onofrio Fountain flanks the other end of Placa Street by the Clock Tower. Around the corner is the Rector’s Palace which was once the seat of Dubrovnik’s government and today houses a museum devoted to the history of the city. There are several other notable museums including the Ethnographic Museum, Maritime Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and War Photos Limited, a gallery devoted to war photography including a permanent exhibit on the Balkan Wars.

The Clock Tower on Placa Street (Photo Credit- Adee Braun)

The best way to see the city is by walking above and around it. That is, along the city walls which wrap around the city for over a mile. From atop the narrow wall you can see across the sea on one side and over the patchwork of terracotta roofs on the other. There are several cafes along the wall serving light food and drinks. Linger and enjoy the atmosphere with a glass of crisp Croatian wine in hand and the crashing Adriatic on the rocks below. Food within the city walls can be overpriced and mediocre. But fine dining with views can be found at 360 Restaurant which looks onto the harbor and offers regional food with international twists. More food options await outside the fortification in the seaside restaurants, or konobas, that serve up fresh local seafood while you go for a dip.

Old Town Harbor (Photo Credit- Adee Braun)

Most beaches around Dubrovnik are both pebbly and private. But a great way to get some beach time is on one of the nearby islands. Lokrum Island is a small wooded island less than a mile from Dubrovnik with a botanical garden and the ruins of a medieval monastery. Boats also take visitors to the Elafiti Islands, a small archipelago about 30 minutes from Dubrovnik. Ferries run frequently in the mornings during the summer months.

YOUR EXPERIENCES
Destination of the Week pieces are not meant to be comprehensive guides to destinations since we don’t have the time or funds to visit all these places in person and report back to you. Nor are they endorsements of all the hotels we mention. They are simply roundups of top destinations that we have specifically pinpointed for the opportunity they present to use your miles and points to get to and stay there. As always, we welcome your comments to help enrich the content here, provide opinions and first-hand experiences of these destinations.

Croatia Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance.

GETTING THERE
When it comes to getting here, none of the major US carriers fly to Dubrovnik, whose airport serves the very southern part of the country. The Zagreb airport, almost 400 miles away, is Croatia’s largest. Croatia Airlines is the national carrier, however there are many other carriers, but most of them only offer seasonal service. Croatia Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, so you’ll most likely have to connect when coming in from the US. Dubrovnik’s Čilipi Airport is located about 12 miles from the Old Town. Atlas Buses run frequent service to the bus station at the port in Gruž for 35KN (~$6) and takes about 30 minutes. From there you can take a 5-minute taxi ride to the Old Town. A taxi straight from the airport to the Old Town costs about 250KN ($42). Public buses operated by Libertas run frequently from the airport to the Old Town. A ticket costs 10KN ($1.69) if you buy it at a kiosk, or 12KN ($2.03) if you buy it on the bus.

HOTELS

Exterior of the Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik.

Hilton
Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik: This is a palatial hotel in pink and white with gilded balconies. Located steps from the Old Town, the hotel offers convenient and contemporary accommodations. The more humble interior has generously sized rooms simply decorated in warm tones and wood accents with marble bathrooms. WiFi access is available for a fee in the guest rooms, but free in the public areas. Hotel amenities include a fitness center and a pool. The Porat Restaurant serves contemporary Mediterranean cuisine with local ingredients. The Lounge Bar located on the balcony of the restaurant offers drinks and light food, as does the Lobby Bar. Rates in June start at 225 EUR ($290) per night. This is a Category 8 property and requires 70,000 Hilton HHonors points for a free night redemption (40,000-70,000 seasonally).

Club Carlson

Standard king room at the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens.

Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens: This large beachfront resort is located about a 20-minute drive from the Old Town. The hotel offers a gym and lots of options for sports enthusiasts with tennis, beach volleyball, squash and badminton courts, a soccer field and rock wall. The hotel also offers “Jet Ski Safaris” to explore the surrounding islands. The extensive spa offers an abundance of different treatments, or you can just relax by the waterfall in the lagoon pool, or in the aromatherapy steam room followed by an invigorating cold plunge. Rooms are simply furnished in marine colors and blonde wood and wide windows, many overlooking the cobalt Adriatic Sea. Guests have free Wifi access in all the rooms. The hotel also offers some three-bedroom apartments for families. There is an abundance of restaurant and bar options that range in cuisine and style, though the theme remains more or less Mediterranean. This resort is a Category 6 hotel requiring 50,000 Gold Points or room rates starting at 225 EUR ($290) in June.

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
Fine Hotels & Resorts is a loyalty program for Amex Platinum cardholders who receive special benefits at participating hotels such as early check-in and late check-out, complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, and other perks.

Pool area at the Villa Dubrovnik.

Villa Dubrovnik: This seaside hotel is just under a mile outside the Old Town. It’s a gleaming white modern resort that hangs off the cliff, with balconies that sit right over the shimmering Adriatic. Rooms are compact and minimalist in design with lots of glass and mirrors to make the most of the views and light. Even the balcony railings are glass, lest your feet miss the spectacular views. All rooms have sea views either of nearby Lokrun Island or the Old Town, flatscreen TV’s and WiFi. Additionally, the resort offers private residences in the nearby Villa Kolin. Back at the main building, Restaurant Pjerin serves Mediterranean small plates and the Al Fresco Bar Giardino offers more casual meals on a balcony perched over the water. The Prosciutto & Wine Bar has lounge seating on a balcony with the same viewing trifecta of water, island and Old Town (trust me, it does not get old). The more somber Library Lounge lures you back indoors for some tea and literature. There’s also a fitness center and a spa (with more spectacular views) with a tranquil pool, balcony for more sunbathing and lounging, saunas and massage treatments. Or, bring your water shoes (those pebbles are not kind on the feet) down to the resort’s private beach for a swim. Rates in June start at 375 EUR ($480) per night.

Visa Signature
When cardholders use a Visa Signature credit card to book a room through the Visa Signature Hotels program, they are eligible to receive extra perks such as discounted room rates, room upgrades, free breakfast, early check-in and late check-out, dining and spa credits and more. Visa Signature cards include the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire, British Airways Visa, the Hyatt card, the Marriott Rewards Premier and Marriott Rewards cards, the Southwest Plus card, Bank of America’s Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines cards, Capital One Venture, Citi Hilton HHonors and Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve, US Bank FlexPerks, Citi AAdvantage Visa Signature, and many more, so chances are you’re carrying at least one of them in your wallet.

King guest room at the Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik.

Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik: Another sleek cliffside hotel, this one is about a mile on the other side of the Old Town. The hotel overlooks a private beach on the Miramare Bay. The room interiors are decorated in neutral tones and warm woods so as not to compete with the star attraction: the miles of blue water outside your window. Rooms also come with free WiFi, flatscreen TVs, slippers, bathrobes and L’Occitane products. The spa includes a lagoon-shaped pool and Jacuzzi that overlook the sea, a fitness center and massage treatments. You’ll find a Mediterranean menu at the Vapor Restaurant and more international influences at the less formal Nevera Restaurant and more sea views. The Spice Lounge offers cocktails and small plates to go with your sea-gazing. Rates in June start at 335 EUR ($430).

Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik is a cliffside hotel that sits in a secluded part of the bay.

Dubrovnik Palace: This modern cliffside hotel sits in a secluded part of the bay surrounded by pine trees. Rooms are modern with lots of natural colors and textures and include flat screen TVs, WiFi, bathrobes, slippers and, oh yeah, a private balcony for equal opportunity water-viewing. Amenities include a fitness center, spa, three outdoor and one indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish bath. The Lanterna Glorijet poolside bar offers post-swim refreshments. The hotel’s three restaurants range in price and style but are heavily Mediterranean inspired with lots of seafood and other local ingredients. Room rates start at 180 EUR ($230).

Throwback Thursday, also known as #tbt on Twitter and Instagram, is when people post old pictures of themselves from the past. Well, I thought I’d do a fun walk down memory lane including pictures from some of my memorable past flights/trips. For me, some of my best trips may not be the best in-flight products, but in my eyes if a flight can deliver me to an unforgettable experience, then it achieved its goal and I’ve achieved mine.

1) While maybe it isn’t throwing back too far, this past week I flew Milan to JFK on Alitalia’s A330 with their new Magnifica Class lie-flat seats (full review to come). Cost: I booked the flight using SkyMiles and since it is a partner, it was at the low 50,000-mile level for the one-way (my outbound was mid-tier so it was 150,000 miles total roundtrip).

Alitalia’s new Magnifica business class on the A330.

This trip was memorable because I went to the Beyonce concert in Milan last Saturday and actually got to meet the queen bee herself after the show, thanks to some friends who are friends with her people. She was incredibly friendly and funny, which was impressive after putting on an incredible 2-hour show and having to fly out that evening!

BK + BK in Milan

2) When I quit my job at Morgan Stanley in June of 2011, I left my cubicle on my last day and headed straight for JFK for my first trip to Tokyo. This was a couple months after the terrible earthquake in Japan and tourism there had dropped off a cliff. Delta actually comped my flight since flights were empty and they wanted to let people know what their LAX-Haneda 777-LR flight was like (I do not take comps from the travel industry anymore and haven’t since this trip). Needless to say, this was my first solo trip and first time to Japan and visiting during the crisis aftermath ended up being great because I was able to see so much of the city in a short amount of time. I even got a behind the scenes tour inside the Tsukiji Fish market, which you normally can’t do when tourism is booming.

This was my first trip as a full time blogger. Delta LAX-Tokyo Haneda in aboard the 777LR.

My awesome Tsukiji guide Naota-san

3) Flying behind Madonna in British Airways First Class in June 2010. In 2009, I encouraged my friend to get in on the first British Airways 100,000 (now 50,000) credit card offer and he ended up spending $30,000, which qualified him for the Travel Together Ticket. We had a friend’s wedding in London that summer, so he agreed to use the companion ticket for me – as long as I paid the ~$800 in taxes/fees for my ticket. $800 for a roundtrip flight in British Airways First Class to London? Sign me up!

On the outbound leg Madonna ended up boarding as the very last person and she was seated in front of me. Unluckily for me, I had just taken a sleeping pill so that I could sleep immediately upon takeoff on the short hop to London. The flight ended up being delayed for about 90 minutes and Madonna diva’d out a couple times and I had to struggle to stay awake to enjoy the shenanigans! At one point the pilot came out and apologized for the weather (the cause of our delay) and Madonna asked that he “step on it” once airborne. Lesson learned: never take sleeping pills until airborne!.

I did speak to her briefly in the morning and asked her about a concert she was supposed to perform in Rio for that New Year’s – there was a lot of internet speculation, but not confirmation so I decided to ask the source directly. She confirmed she had to cancel, but apparently she may be returning this year or next. I remember she said “Hi Sweetie” when talking to me, which was a highlight for me…being called Sweetie by the Material Girl. Thanks to the British Airways Visa companion pass for making it happen!

The cabin crew doting over Madge during our ground delay

4) In November 2012 I got to fly on the United 787 from San Francisco to Houston to Chicago on the Star Mega Do #4. I was in coach, but in the bulkhead, and I really enjoyed the ride, especially since it was grounded just a couple months later. United just resumed flights this week and I hope the 787′s troubles are behind it, because its a spacious, smooth aircraft. I look forward to testing it out internationally, which is where its jet-lag-reducing benefits are really supposed come into play.

My first time flying the United 787 was on the Star Mega Do.

Boarding the 787

5) My Grandmother, who lives in Asheville, NC is now 90 years old and while she’s still sharp as a whip, her body is frail and traveling takes a toll on her. One of her favorite things to do is visit my aunt in Santa Barbara, California, but since she had a hip replacement, she can’t do the trip alone. So for Thanksgiving 2011 I burned some US Airways miles and redeemed for first class Charlotte-Los Angeles and made the pilgrimage with her. I learned a lot traveling with someone who had mobility issues, but we had an amazing trip. Even though it wasn’t the fanciest use of miles, it was one trip I’ll remember forever.

Taking my grandmother on a special trip to Santa Barbara.

6) In July 2010 I burned 120,000 Delta SkyMiles and booked a trip to Paris and Seychelles. Air Seychelles was pleasant and very unique. I remember getting scented oils in the amenity kit and the food was definitely…tropical. It was my first time to the Indian Ocean and probably the most exotic place I had been at the time so the trip was extra special. Sadly, Air Seychelles no longer offers codeshared flights from Paris to SEZ, so it’s much harder to get there using SkyMiles.

Air Seychelles Pearl Class CDG-SEZ.

7) Last April I spent a couple weeks in Thailand, Cambodia and Hong Kong and I flew home on Cathay First using British Airways Avios. It was a great experience and one I hope to do again in the near future. Cathay First is one of the top first class products, so if you haven’t experienced it yet, put it on your to-do list!

Cathay Pacific First Class.

8) This January I went Capetown, Johannesburg and Kruger and flew South African Airways in business class roundtrip for 110,000 US Airways miles. While the seat was a bit short and the service wasn’t great, I have to say my South Africa trip was probably my favorite I’ve ever taken. South Africa has so much to offer – from beaches in Cape Town, amazing wine and food in wine country (just an hour outside of Cape Town), history and culture in Johannesburg and life-changing safari experiences.

JFK-JNB on South African Airways.

My South African Safari was a breathtaking experience especially seeing this rare leopard just feet away.

What are your most memorable flights/trips?

Yesterday USA Today’s Nancy Trejos (who has been on a roll breaking travel stories) covered Consumer Reports’ annual airline satisfaction survey and to be honest, I wasn’t really surprised with the results given the poll questions. Voters were asked to rate their satisfaction with the airlines’: check-in ease, cabin-crew service, cabin cleanliness, seating comfort, baggage handling, and in-flight entertainment.

The results were as follows:

1. Virgin America, 89

2. Southwest Airlines, 85

3. JetBlue Airways, 85

4. Hawaiian Airlines, 82

5. Alaska Airlines, 81

6. Frontier Airlines, 78

7. Delta Air Lines, 71

8. US Airways, 66

9. American Airlines, 66

10. United Airlines, 63

11. Spirit Airlines, 50

My Thoughts
I still haven’t flown Virgin America because the opportunity cost for me, as a top-tier flyer with American, Delta and United, is just too high. I’d have to forego complimentary first/business class upgrades (Virgin America only allows their elites access to premium coach seats) and earning frequent flyer miles in my preferred accounts (Virgin Elevate points are okay, but not great for premium travel). As a travel enthusiast I want to try them out to see what all the fuss is about, but I’ll do it when I need to do a short hop on the west coast so the opportunity cost is minimized.

Virgin America took the top prize for good in-flight entertainment, seats and overall comfort

As for Spirit, I’m not surprised at all. Not only do they have a horrible frequent flyer program with a consumer-unfriendly mileage expiration policy that expires miles when an account becomes inactive for a period of 3 months or more (most airlines allow at least 12-18 months), but they nickel and dime their passengers on ancillary fees, carry-on luggage, online booking fees and soft drinks on board. However with all of the customer horror stories of lost luggage, nasty employees and gotcha fees, Spirit continues to operate as a profitable carrier, with 2013 results so far beating analysts expectations. Why would consumers choose the “worst” airline? Because they beat out other competitors on price and serve airports not focused on by other airlines. So clearly consumers choose airlines based on price, so why would Consumer Reports not include price as part of their survey?

Methodology
I think many people would argue that the best airline is the one that gets them from point A to point B safely, cheaply and in a timely manner. Especially on shorter flights, who cares about in-flight entertainment? I personally never use in-flight entertainment since I always bring my own laptop/iPad/book/iPhone with my own Bose headphones. Even when I think an airline offers inflight entertainment, there’s no guarantee the system will work or provide actual entertainment (try finding a good movie to watch on Air Europa!).

To boldly name the “Best Airlines,” I’d also think you’d want to take into account fees, frequent flyer program, on-time performance and of course fares. But I understand that polls need to be kept to a minimum amount of questions and I do think overall the survey captures a generic snapshot of US airlines.

What are your thoughts on the survey?

After arriving in Milan last week on Delta’s 767-400, my friend and I took the train from Malpensa Airport to Milano Centrale railway station so we could then connect to the high-speed train to Florence. Our plan there was to spend two nights there before returning to Milan.

The airport train to Milano Centrale airport made a number of stops and ended up taking about an hour. While it was a little exhausting after a transatlantic flight, paying 11 euros sure beat paying a taxi 90 euros – and with morning rush hour traffic, the taxi may have taken almost as much time.

The exterior of the St. Regis Florence.

Unaware of the travel time between the airport and railway station, we arrived at the station late and had only few minutes to grab tickets before departure. Had I known exactly what train we’d be catching to Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence, I would have bought the tickets in advance and secured us seats in business or first class, but by the time we got there only coach seats were available. Although coach was fine, I would have much rather been in a better class since it was a packed train and we wanted to be comfortable for the hour and 45 minute ride after our transatlantic flight. I would recommend buying tickets in advance to avoid the hassle at the train station and to avoid the train you want from being sold out. I’ll be doing a review of our train ride from Milan to Florence so stay tuned for that.

St. Regis Florence – Rates

On the day of our departure when I realized it was best to cut out Rome and focus on Florence and Milan, I booked two rooms at the St. Regis and added my friend’s name on one of the reservations. However, when we were boarding our flight at JFK, I noticed only one reservation was showing in my SPG account. Nervous that there was a mistake and only one room booked for us I emailed my Starwood ambassador to find out if the second reservation was still in place. She confirmed that there was only one room and asked for my reservation information, though I was onboard my Delta flight and had to turn my phone off before I could respond. I figured I’d handle it when I landed, which would have been in the middle of the night for her, but luckily a new initiative of the Starwood Ambassador program is that hey have a 24 hour help desk so even when my ambassador is off duty someone else on the team was able to help me and get both reservations back under my name and Starwood number. The hotel apparently had stripped my SPG number off my friend’s room, which they should not have done since I paid for both rooms.

Deluxe rooms go for 720 EUR or 35,000 Starpoints.

When I first made the reservations I booked one room on points for 35,000 a night and one room at the paid rate of 562.50 EUR ($722) per night. I also applied suite night awards to the room I would be staying in. Luckily what ended up happening was after all of the back and forth about my second reservation, they ended up combining reservations, which resulted in the suite upgrades being re-deposited back into my account, but they kept me in the same junior suite and didn’t take the upgrade certificates back, so it worked to my benefit. So even though there was some confusion and it was a bit annoying, I did get my upgrades back, got a really nice junior suite, and my friends who stayed next door to me were placed in a Premium Deluxe Room.

I will admit that 70,000 points for two nights was a huge hit to swallow since I value SPG points around 2 cents apiece but the hotel lives up to the price. Normally room rates are really high – especially during the summer where it is not uncommon to see 1,000 EUR ($1,283) a night for a Premium Deluxe and 1,920 EUR ($2,465) a night for a Junior Suite, and the hotel is routinely sold out. Valuation-wise I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of my redemption, but I feel like I got a pretty good value since all our needs were met and the hotel staff really went out of their way to accommodate us and make us truly feel like VIPs. In my opinion, points are meant to be used for unforgettable experiences and staying at the St. Regis Florence was definitely one of them.

Rooms

King bed and chandelier in the Premium Deluxe Room.

The Premium Deluxe room that my friends were staying in was almost as big as my Junior Suite and had an ornate canopy over the bed as well as a sitting area with a sofa and chair. The king size bed could be split into two twins if needed, which we ended up doing for the second night of our stay once another friend arrived.

Sitting area in Premium Deluxe room.

Premium Deluxe rooms are usually around 30 square-meters and come with a work desk, Bose sound system, and 42-inch TV. As for the bathroom, it was covered in marble and had a large tub/shower combo, vanity, and double sinks.

Living room of the Junior Suite with king bed in the mirror reflection.

The junior suite, which was a bit larger at 40 square-meters, had beautiful ornate artwork and Florentine decorations and had a spectacular view of the mountains in the distance. This room did have a separate living room area with sliding doors which was nice, but no canopy over the bed.

Junior Suite Bathroom

The bathroom in the suite was very similar to the other room and had a deep soaking tub/shower, double sinks, and vanity.

Two things that were annoying about our rooms was that we were in 333 and 332 which are located way in the back of the hotel.  It was about a ten-minute walk from the main lobby back to the room and you had to go up a few steps to get there. I don’t think there was an elevator so these rooms don’t seem to be handicapped accessible. And second, there was only one key per room which you had to leave at the front desk when you leave the hotel. If you’re staying with a friend and come back to the room at different times you’ll have to be escorted back to the room by someone from the staff if the main key is no longer at the front desk.

Concierge

I can always count on my readers for great recommendations for my trips and you guys definitely pulled through this time with places to eat. We went out to two really great restaurants for dinner, La Giostra and Il Latini (which I will review in an upcoming post, but thankfully we had the hotel concierge to help us make last-minute reservations at the two very popular eateries). During the day we debated whether to go on different tours of the city, but we decided against it and and explored on our own. If we had wanted to book a few tours, the concierge told us they would have been more than happy to take care of it.

The only time the hotel failed was when we were on the other side of the city and couldn’t get a taxi. We called the hotel and the concierge basically said tough luck and nicely told us to figure it out on our own. We asked if they had a car service that could come and pick us up and they said no. They were extremely unhelpful in this situation and I don’t think that it was St. Regis-quality service. Luckily we were eventually able to snag a cab, but I was highly unimpressed by that experience and have relayed that feedback to the hotel manager. Tip: Getting taxis on the street in Florence isn’t easy so plan in advance when possible!

Our butler brought us a nice tray of coffee and biscotti.

Butler Service
All suites (even if you’re upgraded!) come with St. Regis butler service. With this you have the option to have your bags packed and/or unpacked for you, get two items pressed, have your shoes shined and you could have complimentary coffee and tea service at any time upon request. We ended up taking advantage of the coffee and tea on the afternoon of our arrival. After traveling several hours and being jet-lagged it was nice to sit down and have a cup of coffee and some biscotti in my room.

The Garden Room where the nightly Champage Saber was held.

One of the highlights of my stay was the Pommery champagne saber that occurs every evening from 7-8pm in the Garden Room. It was a perfect time to mingle and grab a drink before heading out to dinner. I actually visited Pommery when in Champagne last summer and really like their bubbly, so it was nice to get the free toast and snacks each night before dinner.

Location

The St. Regis Florence is in a great central location of the city. Within minutes you can walk to the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo, all must-see spots in Florence. I loved that the hotel was situated right on the Arno River, close to both great shopping and sightseeing. While the Piazza del Duomo tends to be heavily congested with tourists, I enjoyed wandering down the less crowded streets checking out the small shops and restaurants where I could get a real feel for the authentic part of the city.

City rooftops view from my Junior Suite window.

The hotel website states that it is a quick 5-7 minute walk from Santa Maria Novella train station, but I am very thankful that I didn’t listen to that and opted to take a cab once we arrived in the city. The cab ride alone was about 10 minutes and the walk would have to be at least 10-15 minutes long. That length of a walk paired with cobblestone streets, luggage, and tried travelers could have been a disaster. If you’re energized and traveling light the walk is doable, but not at the end of 14+ hours of travel with luggage.

Overall I absolutely loved Florence and would definitely stay at the St. Regis if I find myself back there any time soon. With the exception of that taxi incident, the hotel staff were all extremely nice and friendly and did whatever they could to make us feel comfortable there. To be able to share an experience like this in such a beautiful city with great friends was worth every point/penny!

Chase just announced that beginning June 1, 2013, the United MileagePlus Explorer Card will no longer charge a 3% foreign transaction fee. This is a nice change and I hope it prompts other issuers to get rid of these fees, especially on travel rewards cards that encourage people to go abroad! I yearn for the day we can live in a no-foreign-transaction-fee world.

I just got the Explorer card through a targeted 60,000 mile sign-up bonus so it’s nice to know I can use it abroad. I generally use my Sapphire Preferred for purchases abroad to take advantage of the 2x on all travel and dining expenses (vs. just 1x on the United Explorer) especially since it has primary auto insurance benefits, which will come in handy when traveling in other countries.

Primary auto insurance is a rare credit card benefit- especially at no extra cost

For international travelers, avoiding foreign transaction fees is critical. Most credit cards will charge a ridiculous 1-3% fee on all purchases processed outside of the US. Note: you don’t even need to leave the country to get hit with these fees – if you ever purchase something and the vendor processes the charge outside of the US, you can expect to get dinged with the nuisance fee.

Luckily, there are many great travel credit cards that do not charge these fees and here are some of the best including their current sign-up bonus offers.

50,000 Avios for the Chase British Airways Visa. $95 annual fee.
50,000 points for the Chase Ink Bold. $95 annual fee, waived for the first year.
50,000 points for the American Express Mercedes-Benz Platinum. $475 annual fee.
40,000 points for the Chase Sapphire Preferred. $95 annual fee, waived for the first year.
40,000 points for Barclaycard Arrival. $89 annual fee waived for the first year.
30,000 points for the Citi Thank You Premier. $125, waived for the first year.
25,000 points for the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Card. $99 annual fee.
25,000 points for the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business Card. $99 annual fee.
1 Complimentary night for the Chase Ritz-Carlton Visa. $395 annual fee.
2 Free nights + 1 each anniversary for the Chase Hyatt Visa. $75 annual fee.
2 Free nights with the Chase Fairmont Visa. $95 annual fee.
2 Weekend night certificates with the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve. $95 annual fee.
7 Free nights for the Chase Marriott Premier Visa. $85 annual fee, waived for the first year.
60,000 points for the Chase Priority Club Visa. $49 annual fee, waived for the first year.
25,000 points for the American Express Platinum. $450 annual fee.
25,000 points for the American Express Business Platinum. $450 annual fee.
30,000 miles for the Citi Executive AAdvantage World Mastercard. $450 annual fee.
20,000 points for Barclaycard Arrival. No annual fee.
20,000 points for the PenFed Travel card. No annual fee.
10,000 points for Capital One Venture card. $59 annual fee, waived for the first year.
10,000 points for the Capital One Venture One card. No annual fee.
10,000 points for the Bank of America Travel Rewards. No annual fee.
$100 Statement credit for the Chase United Club Club. $395 annual fee.
5% Cash Back on gas purchases on the PenFed Platinum Cash Rewards Visa. No annual fee.
Capital One Spark for Business. No annual fee.

If you know of any other fee-free points/miles cards, let me know and I’ll add them to the list.