Bonvoy Babymoon ideas in Europe?
Jun 10, 2019, 11:42 pm
#1
formerly leemaj
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: California
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium and LTP, Hyatt Globalist, UA Gold, SW Companion Pass
Posts: 217
Bonvoy Babymoon ideas in Europe?
My wife and I are planning a babymoon to Europe this August. We have booked flights in and out of AMS and will spend 1 night there on the way in and out. Other than that we are looking to split the rest of the trip (8 nights) into 2 locations, one beach and one city.
I have enough points to do 5 nights at a Cat 7 hotel and will probably do cash for the other 3 nights. For Amsterdam we will probably use 35k credit card certs.
Looking for suggestions for places to go that are easily accessible by flight (under 3 hours ideally) from AMS and have good luxury Bonvoy hotel options. I am Titanium Elite, so want to take advantage of breakfast and upgrade benefits.
Things we like to do - nice restaurants (with vegetarian options), historic and picturesque sights, nice beaches. Generally don't like hikes or anything too active
Any suggestions? So far I have looked at San Sebastian (Maria Cristina), Santorini (Vedema), Corfu (Domes), or Mykonos (Aegon) for beach and Lisbon (fontecruz) or Vienna for city, but we haven't felt strongly about any of the options.
I have enough points to do 5 nights at a Cat 7 hotel and will probably do cash for the other 3 nights. For Amsterdam we will probably use 35k credit card certs.
Looking for suggestions for places to go that are easily accessible by flight (under 3 hours ideally) from AMS and have good luxury Bonvoy hotel options. I am Titanium Elite, so want to take advantage of breakfast and upgrade benefits.
Things we like to do - nice restaurants (with vegetarian options), historic and picturesque sights, nice beaches. Generally don't like hikes or anything too active
Any suggestions? So far I have looked at San Sebastian (Maria Cristina), Santorini (Vedema), Corfu (Domes), or Mykonos (Aegon) for beach and Lisbon (fontecruz) or Vienna for city, but we haven't felt strongly about any of the options.
Jun 11, 2019, 12:39 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In the air
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy LT Plat, Hilton Gold, GHA Tit, BA Gold, Turkish Elite
Posts: 8,712
Santorini and Mykonos are not the world’s greatest beach properties and are IMO a bit chaotic if you’ve got a baby on the way.
My number one piece of advice would be that given it’s August and Southern Europe will be overflowing is to combine your city and beach into a combo which makes sense. Vienna is lovely in August, but neither Amsterdam or Vienna is close to any good beaches.
Following your guidelines my first thought would be Rome and then Sardinia (though Rome in August can be a chore). Not entirely following your guidelines but free styling a little bit I think you could really enjoy Istanbul and then Bodrum (I love the Caresse, but others enjoy the Edition). Portugal (Lisbon + other) and/ or the Canary Islands could also make sense, but I’m not sure a fan of any of the Marriott properties.
My number one piece of advice would be that given it’s August and Southern Europe will be overflowing is to combine your city and beach into a combo which makes sense. Vienna is lovely in August, but neither Amsterdam or Vienna is close to any good beaches.
Following your guidelines my first thought would be Rome and then Sardinia (though Rome in August can be a chore). Not entirely following your guidelines but free styling a little bit I think you could really enjoy Istanbul and then Bodrum (I love the Caresse, but others enjoy the Edition). Portugal (Lisbon + other) and/ or the Canary Islands could also make sense, but I’m not sure a fan of any of the Marriott properties.
Jun 11, 2019, 6:13 am
#3
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
Santorini and Mykonos are not the world’s greatest beach properties and are IMO a bit chaotic if you’ve got a baby on the way.
My number one piece of advice would be that given it’s August and Southern Europe will be overflowing is to combine your city and beach into a combo which makes sense. Vienna is lovely in August, but neither Amsterdam or Vienna is close to any good beaches.
Following your guidelines my first thought would be Rome and then Sardinia (though Rome in August can be a chore). Not entirely following your guidelines but free styling a little bit I think you could really enjoy Istanbul and then Bodrum (I love the Caresse, but others enjoy the Edition). Portugal (Lisbon + other) and/ or the Canary Islands could also make sense, but I’m not sure a fan of any of the Marriott properties.
My number one piece of advice would be that given it’s August and Southern Europe will be overflowing is to combine your city and beach into a combo which makes sense. Vienna is lovely in August, but neither Amsterdam or Vienna is close to any good beaches.
Following your guidelines my first thought would be Rome and then Sardinia (though Rome in August can be a chore). Not entirely following your guidelines but free styling a little bit I think you could really enjoy Istanbul and then Bodrum (I love the Caresse, but others enjoy the Edition). Portugal (Lisbon + other) and/ or the Canary Islands could also make sense, but I’m not sure a fan of any of the Marriott properties.
For me, the actual hotel doesn't matter much in cities, but much more at the beach -- I find that I'm rarely spending time at the hotel in a big city, but much more so at the beach where you're likely to use beach, pool, and F&B amenities at the hotel.
Personally, I like the OP's idea of Lisbon + Cascais, although I can't speak to the Marriott hotels at the latter. Fontecruz is a smaller boutique hotel in a very nice location, and Lisbon is one of my favorite European cities. Or head down to the southern coast of Portugal rather than Cascais.
Jun 11, 2019, 7:53 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM; Marriott Ambasador Elite
Posts: 626
San Sebastián could be interesting if you want to do, say, some of the 2/3 star restaurants, as I believe they would not be options again until your kids are older (or if you leave them at home with someone or bring a nanny along, etc.).
We did a trip from AMS-Prague-Vienna-Budapest-Istanbul when my wife was about 5 months in. What I remember most about Vienna are the meals we had at Steireich and Silvio Nikol (both may be slightly misspelled). Both amazing meals that I certainly wouldn’t take a small child to. The city itself we found to be attractive but a bit stuffy and dull, to be honest.
Jun 11, 2019, 9:07 am
#5
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: dca
Programs: Delta Plat, United Silver, Marriott LT Titanium, HHonors Silver, Hertz PC
Posts: 337
Spain
You could go to Seville, the Alfonso is fantastic property and then for the beach you could take short flight to Mallorca or Tenerife both islands have high end Bonvoy resorts.
Jun 11, 2019, 5:05 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: DL DM; Marriott Ambasador Elite
Posts: 626
-It will be quite hot in Seville, which may be uncomfortable for a very pregnant woman
-Seville is extremely welcoming of children (as is Alfonso), so you may want to prioritize less kid-friendly places while you still can.
That said, it’s hard to beat Seville and Alfonso XIII.
Jun 11, 2019, 10:02 pm
#7
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,735
We are in Italy right now. We have found even secondary historic cities heaving with tourists, to the point that it can be frightening to move thru the press of people in old city centers. Also, the heat might be significant in August in many of the places that have been mentioned. Let me throw out an outlier for your consideration. The winner by an order of magnitude on this trip has been Cristallo, a Marriott Luxury Collection property in the Dolomites. The hotel is surround by mountains. Everywhere you look is beautiful. You can take drives from the hotel and see completely different looks of mountains. The hotel is exceptional with impeccable service. It is just a two hour drive from the Venice Airport.
Jun 11, 2019, 11:17 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
I like the idea of San Sebastian, and I had a wonderful experience at the Maria Cristina. Of course, the food options in San Sebastian are excellent.
Helsinki or Stockholm in August might be nice, and the days will be long. There aren't really true luxury Bonvoy options in either city, but I am a fan of the St. George in Helsinki (too bad The Kamp is no longer part of SPG/Marriott). The food scene in both cities is also great (Stockholm is the more established but Helsinki is definitely up and coming).
You might look into Sopot, Poland. The Sheraton is solid but not luxury. Sopot reminds me very much of a European version of Carmel.
Helsinki or Stockholm in August might be nice, and the days will be long. There aren't really true luxury Bonvoy options in either city, but I am a fan of the St. George in Helsinki (too bad The Kamp is no longer part of SPG/Marriott). The food scene in both cities is also great (Stockholm is the more established but Helsinki is definitely up and coming).
You might look into Sopot, Poland. The Sheraton is solid but not luxury. Sopot reminds me very much of a European version of Carmel.
Jun 12, 2019, 10:36 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: LEJ BRU
Posts: 1,156
