As a lover of hotel rooms with a view, the Radisson Blu Plaza was an easy selection in Oslo. This hotel boasts expansive views over the city and Oslofjord as the tallest building in Norway and sixth tallest in Scandinavia. Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge…
About alex
Alex loves to travel and does so a lot. Logging 100,000 flight miles each year over the past 4 years, Alex uses points and miles to power his passion. Alex is continuously striving to experience the far reaches of the globe. In his day job, Alex is a Management Consultant frequently on the road advising Technology organizations. I love thinking about, reading about, and talking about all things travel. Feel free to reach me at pmmalex@gmail.com
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North of Norway – Exploring Longyearbyen
I only gave myself about 30 hours to explore Longyearbyen so time was of the essence. Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo SAS Economy Class Oslo to Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen Exploring Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo…
North of Norway – Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen
The Radisson Blu Polar Hotel is the northernmost full service hotel in the world. As a Category 6 hotel in the Club Carlson rewards program, I booked a standard twin bed award for one night using 50,000 points I had earned from booking a cheap Radisson stay in Maryland. Based on the hotel’s remoteness and…
North of Norway – SAS Economy Class Oslo to Longyearbyen
If the cold doesn’t take your breathe away, the landscape surely will. Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo SAS Economy Class Oslo to Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen Exploring Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo Exploring Oslo Park Inn…
North of Norway – Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo
With the First Class portion of the itinerary behind me, it was time to get back to reality and head North to Norway. Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo SAS Economy Class Oslo to Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen…
North of Norway – Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge
I begrudgingly exited the Lufthansa First Class flight experience and headed towards the Lufthansa First Class lounge to experience their ground service for the first time. This lounge is the real deal. Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo SAS Economy…
North of Norway – Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich
“Now I know what everyone else is talking about.” Introduction and trip planning Lufthansa First Class Dulles to Munich Lufthansa Munich First Class Lounge Lufthansa Business Class Munich to Oslo SAS Economy Class Oslo to Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Spitsbergen Exploring Longyearbyen Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo Exploring Oslo Park Inn By Radisson Oslo…
Should this be displayed in a major US International Airport?
One thing most people don’t know about me is that I have a (manageable) fear of flying despite logging around 100,000 butt-in-seat miles per year. Even with the frequency and volume of travel, I still get nervous each and every time the engines fire up on the runway. Generally speaking, I would say the majority…
North of Norway – Introduction and Trip Planning
My recent trip to Norway was a trip of firsts. For me, each trip I take inspires the next. Last year I made it up to a respectable 71 degrees North to chill with a Polar Bear in Barrow which inspired me to go further north. Longyearbyen, Norway at 78 degrees North, is the northernmost…
The best Hyatt property of all is…
…subjective I know. However I do get a lot of reader emails asking what is the absolute best hotel possible for redemption using Hyatt points. My response has always been that if you can go anywhere, use your 22k at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Well that has changed. This week I checked into the Park…
Lucrative (targeted) AirTran Promotion
Points, Miles and Martinis reader Pdubs alerted the PMM team to a very lucrative targeted promotion from AirTran. The email sent out to targeted flyers reads as follows: “As a highly-valued Member, we’ve created a special offer that will help you earn a one-way reward flight when you purchase a one-way flight! Yes, you’ve read…
My suite has 26 framed paintings
On Monday this week, we checked into the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas for a 5 night stay. I had heard other reviews about the hotel needing a renovation but as the only major chain hotel near Port Douglas, we decided if nothing else, this property would be a good home base for SCUBA diving the…
Park Hyatt Sydney – Ridiculous view for breakfast
Our Qantas A380 touched down early this morning at Sydney International Airport. We hopped on the train towards downtown and the Park Hyatt Sydney. We checked in around 8AM and the Park Hyatt graciously extended same day complimentary Diamond Breakfast for both of us. For a first time visitor to Australia, this was a great…
Journey to Easter Island – Exploring Santiago De Chile
And so our journey would come to a close in Santiago De Chile, a city I knew very little about before visiting. I was amazed to find such a livable world city. Trip Report Trip Motivation and Planning LAN Flight Experience Tambo Del Inka Resort Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley JW Marriott Lima Exploring…
The one weekend each year I refuse to travel
As you may be aware, I enjoy being up in the air a good bit. In fact, before last weekend I had been traveling for 30 straight days and had not stepped foot in my Chicago apartment. However, there is one weekend per year I absolutely refuse to be away from my apartment in Chicago. …
SPG Ambassador program knocks it out of the park
SPG launched the Ambassador program in March for those members who stay over 100 nights per year at a Starwood property. I happen to be one of the lucky (unlucky?) few who stays over 100 nights per year at their properties and thus received a personal Ambassador when the program launched. As can be expected…
Journey to Easter Island–W Santiago
While there are four promising SPG properties in Santiago de Chile, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to see how South America does the W, at the W Santiago. Trip Report Trip Motivation and Planning LAN Flight Experience Tambo Del Inka Resort Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley JW Marriott Lima Exploring Lima Exploring Easter…
Southwest offering Live TV on select flights…but I won’t try just yet
Last week, I was traveling to Denver from BWI on my preferred domestic carrier for business travel, Southwest. I am always (cautiously) thrilled when the flight attendants announce we are on a WiFi enabled plane, especially on a 3+ hour flight. As an A-List Preferred member on Southwest, I have complimentary access to WiFi when…
Journey to Easter Island – Easter Island and the Moai
The most common response I received when I told people I was going to Easter Island was, “Oh, is that where they have those funny big heads?” As I learned first hand from this experience, those ‘funny big heads’ have a fascinating story and are what I now consider some of the world’s finest and…
PMM’s travel tip to take the edge off
We’ve all been in this situation before. After a long day of work or play, you come back to your limited service hotel room with a few bottles and just want to relax. As you go to pour out your prize for the evening you realize the bottle you have chosen is not twist off…