The Trip of a Million Lifetimes: 30 F/J Flights Around the World in 69 Days
Aug 30, 2013, 6:29 pm
#106
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
16. IGU-GRU on JJ in Y
Foz de Iguacu, Brazil - Sao Paulo
JJ 3556
Departure Time: 6:00 AM
Airbus 320
Economy Class Seat 4F
Duration 1 hour, 45 minutes
Out of all of our flights so far, none have allowed us to do online check-in yet and send boarding passes to our mobile phone, until now. .And this is ironic, because the last random airport I figured would have mobile boarding pass capability was the tiny outpost of Foz de Iguacu, Brazil. .But sure enough, the day before we got an e-mail inviting us to check-in, and when we did we were able to get boarding passes on our phone. .This was great since this was a 6AM flight, meaning we had to be up at our Posada in Argentina at 4:00AM, in our pre-arranged taxi at 4:30AM, across the Argentina border, into Brazil, and into the airport by 5AM. .The last thing we wanted was to get there sooner to get a boarding pass.
Once we arrived at Foz de Iguacu airport, at around 5AM, it was very crowded. .It turns out there was a 5:45AM departure to Curtiba, Brazil, and our 6AM departure on TAM to Sao Paulo. .The check-in line was long, but with our mobile boarding passes, we cleared security and were at the gate by 5:10AM.
This flight is our only on the trip of a million lifetimes in which we actually paid out of pocket. .We started the open-jaw of our AA Oneworld Explorer Award when getting off the plane at Puerto Iguazu, Argentina (IGR), and pick up with our ANA Award Ticket in Sao Paulo (GRU). .In between, we had to get from the Iguazu Falls area to Sao Paulo. .We found economy tickets on Expedia on TAM for $59 each from IGU to GRU, so we made it happen.
The boarding area at Foz de Iguacu
The airplane to take us to Sao Paulo as seen walking up on the tarmac in the early morning. .While we had mobile boarding passes, when entering the jetway they were not scanned, just a visual check from the flight attendant. .I thought this was interesting.
On-board we had some badly needed waters, and some snack boxes which included some toast and Brazilian cream cheese and jam spread.
The leg room on this TAM A320 was.awful. .I don´t know what the seat pitch was, but my knees were literally jammed up to the seat in front of me.
Interestingly, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), a global consulting firm, sponsored the headrest covers on this plane.
During the flight, Lady Tocqueville and I discussed how much we were looking forward to resuming Business Class flights as part of our Business Class trip. .We had been fortunate to bounce around South America, although many of these flights are economy only. .And with 6AM departures, and knees-to-the-seat seat pitch, we are ready to start to hit some of those long-haul flights on premium carriers.
We landed at Sao Paulo without incident, and enjoyed another remote-stand bus ride into the terminal. .From there we bought tickets on the Airport Express Bus, where for about $15USD a person we had a comfy seat on a coach bus for our ride into Sao Paulo. It was about an hour´s ride into the city, and by 10:30AM we arrived at the entrance of the Renaissance Hotel in Sao Paulo´s Paulista district.
Foz de Iguacu, Brazil - Sao Paulo
JJ 3556
Departure Time: 6:00 AM
Airbus 320
Economy Class Seat 4F
Duration 1 hour, 45 minutes
Out of all of our flights so far, none have allowed us to do online check-in yet and send boarding passes to our mobile phone, until now. .And this is ironic, because the last random airport I figured would have mobile boarding pass capability was the tiny outpost of Foz de Iguacu, Brazil. .But sure enough, the day before we got an e-mail inviting us to check-in, and when we did we were able to get boarding passes on our phone. .This was great since this was a 6AM flight, meaning we had to be up at our Posada in Argentina at 4:00AM, in our pre-arranged taxi at 4:30AM, across the Argentina border, into Brazil, and into the airport by 5AM. .The last thing we wanted was to get there sooner to get a boarding pass.
Once we arrived at Foz de Iguacu airport, at around 5AM, it was very crowded. .It turns out there was a 5:45AM departure to Curtiba, Brazil, and our 6AM departure on TAM to Sao Paulo. .The check-in line was long, but with our mobile boarding passes, we cleared security and were at the gate by 5:10AM.
This flight is our only on the trip of a million lifetimes in which we actually paid out of pocket. .We started the open-jaw of our AA Oneworld Explorer Award when getting off the plane at Puerto Iguazu, Argentina (IGR), and pick up with our ANA Award Ticket in Sao Paulo (GRU). .In between, we had to get from the Iguazu Falls area to Sao Paulo. .We found economy tickets on Expedia on TAM for $59 each from IGU to GRU, so we made it happen.
The boarding area at Foz de Iguacu
The airplane to take us to Sao Paulo as seen walking up on the tarmac in the early morning. .While we had mobile boarding passes, when entering the jetway they were not scanned, just a visual check from the flight attendant. .I thought this was interesting.
On-board we had some badly needed waters, and some snack boxes which included some toast and Brazilian cream cheese and jam spread.
The leg room on this TAM A320 was.awful. .I don´t know what the seat pitch was, but my knees were literally jammed up to the seat in front of me.
Interestingly, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), a global consulting firm, sponsored the headrest covers on this plane.
During the flight, Lady Tocqueville and I discussed how much we were looking forward to resuming Business Class flights as part of our Business Class trip. .We had been fortunate to bounce around South America, although many of these flights are economy only. .And with 6AM departures, and knees-to-the-seat seat pitch, we are ready to start to hit some of those long-haul flights on premium carriers.
We landed at Sao Paulo without incident, and enjoyed another remote-stand bus ride into the terminal. .From there we bought tickets on the Airport Express Bus, where for about $15USD a person we had a comfy seat on a coach bus for our ride into Sao Paulo. It was about an hour´s ride into the city, and by 10:30AM we arrived at the entrance of the Renaissance Hotel in Sao Paulo´s Paulista district.
Sep 2, 2013, 9:55 am
#107
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
17. Marriott Renaissance Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo Renaissance
Sao Paulo, Brazil
2 nights point redemption
Club Lounge Access
Our bus ride from Sao Paulo airport to the Renaissance Sao Paulo in the Paulista district of Sao Paulo was an uneventful hour long journey on a very comfortable coach/charter bus called Airport Bus Service. We arrived at the hotel at 10:15AM, and were greeted by a very friendly check-in agent. He noted that we were staying for two nights on points, and thanked me for being a Platinum Marriott Rewards member. He said a room was available for us for being a Platinum member, and although it was not an upgraded room, it had a great view and for two weary travelers who had just stayed in three different non-hotel lodgings it was a site for sore eyes. For our Platinum Check-in Amenity we selected local beer and cheese, which was to be delivered at 5PM.
Overall, the Renaissance Sao Paulo was very generous to us. They gave us an early check-in at 10:15AM. On the day we left, they gave us a most generous I've ever had check-out of 7:00PM. Their concierge lounge was huge, it took up 1/2 of the 23rd floor. It had many comfortable seating areas, great views, and massive complimentary food and drink spreads. And with our early check-in, we went up and had breakfast there on the first day of our stay.
Room 1902, near the elevator bank. Now that I think about it, the walls and doors were a tad bit thin, but the noise of traffic to and from the elevator wasn't materially distracting.
The entrance to room 1902
A Marriott Renaissance king bed after our last three accommodations really hit the spot. I took a photo of our amazing view of massive Sao Paulo, but I think I accidentally deleted it. It kind-of-sort-of looked like this.
A comfortable bathroom with seperate tub and shower. I can't figure out if that thing next to the toilet is a bidet or a foot wash or what.
The recently renovated club lounge was massive. Here during the mornings was the grains and fruit portion of breakfast. At night, these were canapes and mini-appetizers. To the right is the full bar, with a bartender at night making awesome complimentary mixed drinks, including Caipirinhas.
More awesome breakfast spread.
Hot breakfast spread continued
A view of some of the night time munchies. To the right they also had 4 different hot dinner entrees. They were all delicious.
One oddity of the hotel was that when we first arrived and whenever we left or came back there were two dozen or more teenie-boppers standing on the sidewalk outside of the hotel. At first, I thought they were a field trip. And then we kept seeing them, sometimes as many as 100, and always more than 25. Even after a big night out, when we took a taxi back to the hotel at 2:30AM, they were there! What the hell?
Well, we asked the hotel, and they said the hotel had an American music group staying at the hotel for an upcoming concert. They couldn't share the name of the band for client confidentiality sake, so we went outside and asked the gaggle of girls who they were waiting on. They told us Emblem3. Neither of us had ever heard of Emblem3, so we looked them, and I felt like their top song on youtube was rubbish. However, these girls are fanatical. In fact, we were taking a nap one afternoon around 4PM, when we were awaken to shouts and screams. Yes, Emblem3 had either come or gone from the hotel, and the girls let loose so loudly that we were able to hear it on the 19th floor. Incredible!
We really enjoyed our stay in Sao Paulo, and the awesome location of the Renaissance. It is in a great business area, with lots of shopping, people watching, and things to do. It was right on the subway line, and we never had difficulty keeping ourselves entertained in the Paulista area.
The hotel's concierge, Sergio, was extremely attentive and helpful. He gave us great walking tour itineraries, restaurant, bar, and club reservations, and even helped us exchange a little money when in a pinch. One bar he recommended, BarAstor, in the Villa Magalena district, was our favorite. They have an underground speakeasy with very professional bartenders making top notch unique cocktails. For us that is a must visit if you like bar nightlife.
We did our 7PM check-out, and then went to the club lounge until 11PM to wait around until we took a taxi to the airport for our next flight, the monster 13 hour Sao Paulo - Istanbul on Turkish airways. The flight wasn't to leave until 3AM, so we had plenty of time to kill. So we just chilled until the cab came.
Next time I am in Sao Paulo, I will definitely stay here! At 25,000 Marriott Points per night, this was an excellent value for a $300+ per night hotel.
Sao Paulo Renaissance
Sao Paulo, Brazil
2 nights point redemption
Club Lounge Access
Our bus ride from Sao Paulo airport to the Renaissance Sao Paulo in the Paulista district of Sao Paulo was an uneventful hour long journey on a very comfortable coach/charter bus called Airport Bus Service. We arrived at the hotel at 10:15AM, and were greeted by a very friendly check-in agent. He noted that we were staying for two nights on points, and thanked me for being a Platinum Marriott Rewards member. He said a room was available for us for being a Platinum member, and although it was not an upgraded room, it had a great view and for two weary travelers who had just stayed in three different non-hotel lodgings it was a site for sore eyes. For our Platinum Check-in Amenity we selected local beer and cheese, which was to be delivered at 5PM.
Overall, the Renaissance Sao Paulo was very generous to us. They gave us an early check-in at 10:15AM. On the day we left, they gave us a most generous I've ever had check-out of 7:00PM. Their concierge lounge was huge, it took up 1/2 of the 23rd floor. It had many comfortable seating areas, great views, and massive complimentary food and drink spreads. And with our early check-in, we went up and had breakfast there on the first day of our stay.
Room 1902, near the elevator bank. Now that I think about it, the walls and doors were a tad bit thin, but the noise of traffic to and from the elevator wasn't materially distracting.
The entrance to room 1902
A Marriott Renaissance king bed after our last three accommodations really hit the spot. I took a photo of our amazing view of massive Sao Paulo, but I think I accidentally deleted it. It kind-of-sort-of looked like this.
A comfortable bathroom with seperate tub and shower. I can't figure out if that thing next to the toilet is a bidet or a foot wash or what.
The recently renovated club lounge was massive. Here during the mornings was the grains and fruit portion of breakfast. At night, these were canapes and mini-appetizers. To the right is the full bar, with a bartender at night making awesome complimentary mixed drinks, including Caipirinhas.
More awesome breakfast spread.
Hot breakfast spread continued
A view of some of the night time munchies. To the right they also had 4 different hot dinner entrees. They were all delicious.
One oddity of the hotel was that when we first arrived and whenever we left or came back there were two dozen or more teenie-boppers standing on the sidewalk outside of the hotel. At first, I thought they were a field trip. And then we kept seeing them, sometimes as many as 100, and always more than 25. Even after a big night out, when we took a taxi back to the hotel at 2:30AM, they were there! What the hell?
Well, we asked the hotel, and they said the hotel had an American music group staying at the hotel for an upcoming concert. They couldn't share the name of the band for client confidentiality sake, so we went outside and asked the gaggle of girls who they were waiting on. They told us Emblem3. Neither of us had ever heard of Emblem3, so we looked them, and I felt like their top song on youtube was rubbish. However, these girls are fanatical. In fact, we were taking a nap one afternoon around 4PM, when we were awaken to shouts and screams. Yes, Emblem3 had either come or gone from the hotel, and the girls let loose so loudly that we were able to hear it on the 19th floor. Incredible!
We really enjoyed our stay in Sao Paulo, and the awesome location of the Renaissance. It is in a great business area, with lots of shopping, people watching, and things to do. It was right on the subway line, and we never had difficulty keeping ourselves entertained in the Paulista area.
The hotel's concierge, Sergio, was extremely attentive and helpful. He gave us great walking tour itineraries, restaurant, bar, and club reservations, and even helped us exchange a little money when in a pinch. One bar he recommended, BarAstor, in the Villa Magalena district, was our favorite. They have an underground speakeasy with very professional bartenders making top notch unique cocktails. For us that is a must visit if you like bar nightlife.
We did our 7PM check-out, and then went to the club lounge until 11PM to wait around until we took a taxi to the airport for our next flight, the monster 13 hour Sao Paulo - Istanbul on Turkish airways. The flight wasn't to leave until 3AM, so we had plenty of time to kill. So we just chilled until the cab came.
Next time I am in Sao Paulo, I will definitely stay here! At 25,000 Marriott Points per night, this was an excellent value for a $300+ per night hotel.
Sep 3, 2013, 4:12 pm
#108
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
18. GRU - IST on TK in J
Sao Paulo, Brazil - Istanbul, Turkey
TK 16
Departure Time: 3:00AM
Airbus 340-300
Business Class Seat 3K
Duration 12 hours, 50 minutes
We arrived in Sao Paulo airport around midnight, and came to the Turkish Airways check-in area. The line for economy check-in was pretty long, and even the Business Class line had about 10-12 people ahead of us waiting to check-in. It appeared that the Business Class cabin had multiple families who were traveling together. I took a quick glance at www.flightstats.com for the flight loads, and it looked like Business Class would be full. After waiting in line for about 25 minutes, we were issued our boarding passes, and directed to the Gol Smiles lounge just past immigration.
We were both looking forward to this long-haul business class experience. Until recently, this flight was served by a 777 aircraft with horizontal, lay-flat seats. On the last schedule change, Turkish swapped this plane to an older A340-300, with inclined, lay-flat seats. I searched online for trip reports of the Turkish A340 business class, but didn't find any with photos, or especially of the seats. So I wanted to make sure I captured a good bit of the feel of this very long-haul flight.
The entrance to the Smiles Lounge, which serves Turkish Airways customers in Sao Paulo
Measley food selection in the Gol Smiles lounge
Drink station, including some complimentary booze
The look and feel of the Gol Smiles lounge.
Overall, we were very unimpressed with this lounge. Just across the way was a TAM lounge, which we had access to by virtue of our US Airways Chairman Status giving us Star Alliance Gold Lounge access. However, the TAM lounge, which is much nicer than the Gol Smiles lounge, closed at midnight, and we were stuck in the Gol lounge. The Gol lounge was bland, spartan, and kind of dreary. Was it better than waiting in the main terminal area? Sure, free bottled water, booze, or some snacks are better than nothing. But this is not the kind of place I would want to hang my hat for a while. Boarding was to take place starting at 2:05AM, so we left the Gol lounge around 1:30AM, just to get a change of pace.
We were departing out of gate 27 at Sao Paulo Terminal 2.
The A340-300 to take us the 13 hour jaunt to Istanbul. It had previously arrived from Buenos Aires (EZE), where it did a 5th freedom flight EZE - GRU. All passengers from this flight were unloaded at GRU and had to reboard.
The crew marching to the gate, about 15 minutes before boarding. They were looking fresh and ready for the challenge of a 13 hour, full flight.
Right at 2AM, they called for Business Class boarding, and we were amongst the first to board. My initial impression of the interior cabin was that it was decent, and the seats looked comfortable enough.
View looking backwards from seat 3K
View looking forwards from seat 3K
The pillow and blanket provided. While the blanket was comfortable, and somewhat "down", it was not very long, and only covered part of my torso. This did not end up being an issue while I slept, but I found it odd to adjust to.
A view of the "bar" staging area at the front of the cabin, where the crew prepared drinks they would serve throughout the flight. You can also see the cupholders, and the excellent size of the TV screen.
We were served fresh mint lemonade upon boarding.
An amenity kit was passed out, with some decent goodies. I had my own eye-shade and earplugs, but used the socks, and pocked the toothpaste, hand cream, and lip balm. Newspapers were also passed out, and I went with the Wall Street Journal weekend edition.
A menu was passed out, with the name of each passenger written at the top. There would be 2 meals on this 13 hour flight, a breakfast just after take-off, and a dinner about 2 hours before landing. We were very tired for this 3AM departure, but decided to stay up and fill our bellies with the breakfast, and then go to sleep. The breakfast sheet on the left was to be filled out with a pencil with our selections and turned in to the flight attendants. The dinner choices would be verbally made later when they begun the dinner service.
A pretty solid breakfast, including some fresh fruit, a cheese plate, and some sliced ham and mushrooms. Coffee and Orange Juice also came out as a default.
Here is the view of the seats, one fully flat, the other just in recline "chillax" mode. We both agreed the seats in full flat were only marginally comfortable, and certainly not as comfortable as the full-flat LAN 787 or 767 we had taken a couple weeks prior. For one, the seat around the legs/feet area would not stay up, and when pressure was applied by your feet, as if you are just laying in bed, the seat would "give" and lose its full-flat stature and put your feet towards the floor. This was the main grievance about the seat, which otherwise were generally comfortable.
continued at next post...
Sao Paulo, Brazil - Istanbul, Turkey
TK 16
Departure Time: 3:00AM
Airbus 340-300
Business Class Seat 3K
Duration 12 hours, 50 minutes
We arrived in Sao Paulo airport around midnight, and came to the Turkish Airways check-in area. The line for economy check-in was pretty long, and even the Business Class line had about 10-12 people ahead of us waiting to check-in. It appeared that the Business Class cabin had multiple families who were traveling together. I took a quick glance at www.flightstats.com for the flight loads, and it looked like Business Class would be full. After waiting in line for about 25 minutes, we were issued our boarding passes, and directed to the Gol Smiles lounge just past immigration.
We were both looking forward to this long-haul business class experience. Until recently, this flight was served by a 777 aircraft with horizontal, lay-flat seats. On the last schedule change, Turkish swapped this plane to an older A340-300, with inclined, lay-flat seats. I searched online for trip reports of the Turkish A340 business class, but didn't find any with photos, or especially of the seats. So I wanted to make sure I captured a good bit of the feel of this very long-haul flight.
The entrance to the Smiles Lounge, which serves Turkish Airways customers in Sao Paulo
Measley food selection in the Gol Smiles lounge
Drink station, including some complimentary booze
The look and feel of the Gol Smiles lounge.
Overall, we were very unimpressed with this lounge. Just across the way was a TAM lounge, which we had access to by virtue of our US Airways Chairman Status giving us Star Alliance Gold Lounge access. However, the TAM lounge, which is much nicer than the Gol Smiles lounge, closed at midnight, and we were stuck in the Gol lounge. The Gol lounge was bland, spartan, and kind of dreary. Was it better than waiting in the main terminal area? Sure, free bottled water, booze, or some snacks are better than nothing. But this is not the kind of place I would want to hang my hat for a while. Boarding was to take place starting at 2:05AM, so we left the Gol lounge around 1:30AM, just to get a change of pace.
We were departing out of gate 27 at Sao Paulo Terminal 2.
The A340-300 to take us the 13 hour jaunt to Istanbul. It had previously arrived from Buenos Aires (EZE), where it did a 5th freedom flight EZE - GRU. All passengers from this flight were unloaded at GRU and had to reboard.
The crew marching to the gate, about 15 minutes before boarding. They were looking fresh and ready for the challenge of a 13 hour, full flight.
Right at 2AM, they called for Business Class boarding, and we were amongst the first to board. My initial impression of the interior cabin was that it was decent, and the seats looked comfortable enough.
View looking backwards from seat 3K
View looking forwards from seat 3K
The pillow and blanket provided. While the blanket was comfortable, and somewhat "down", it was not very long, and only covered part of my torso. This did not end up being an issue while I slept, but I found it odd to adjust to.
A view of the "bar" staging area at the front of the cabin, where the crew prepared drinks they would serve throughout the flight. You can also see the cupholders, and the excellent size of the TV screen.
We were served fresh mint lemonade upon boarding.
An amenity kit was passed out, with some decent goodies. I had my own eye-shade and earplugs, but used the socks, and pocked the toothpaste, hand cream, and lip balm. Newspapers were also passed out, and I went with the Wall Street Journal weekend edition.
A menu was passed out, with the name of each passenger written at the top. There would be 2 meals on this 13 hour flight, a breakfast just after take-off, and a dinner about 2 hours before landing. We were very tired for this 3AM departure, but decided to stay up and fill our bellies with the breakfast, and then go to sleep. The breakfast sheet on the left was to be filled out with a pencil with our selections and turned in to the flight attendants. The dinner choices would be verbally made later when they begun the dinner service.
A pretty solid breakfast, including some fresh fruit, a cheese plate, and some sliced ham and mushrooms. Coffee and Orange Juice also came out as a default.
Here is the view of the seats, one fully flat, the other just in recline "chillax" mode. We both agreed the seats in full flat were only marginally comfortable, and certainly not as comfortable as the full-flat LAN 787 or 767 we had taken a couple weeks prior. For one, the seat around the legs/feet area would not stay up, and when pressure was applied by your feet, as if you are just laying in bed, the seat would "give" and lose its full-flat stature and put your feet towards the floor. This was the main grievance about the seat, which otherwise were generally comfortable.
continued at next post...
Sep 3, 2013, 4:13 pm
#109
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
...continued from previous post
During breakfast, we each watched a movie from the relatively extensive in-flight movie selection. I went with Jack Reacher since I had recently read my first Jack Reacher novel. It was pretty entertaining, although Turkish Airlines censored some of the scenes for violence and language.
After eating, we put in on our eye-shades and ear-plugs, and went to sleep. The seats were alright, although some tossing and turning was had. I woke up after some-time, and after the tossing and turning figured I had only slept 2-3 hours, and was very surprised to find 5 hours of sleep had gone by! Lady Toqueville had also gotten in 5 hours of sleep.
View of our progress 7 hours in, after 2 hours of meal/movie and 5 hours of sleep. We were already over the Sahara desert, wow!
Grainy view of other passengers sleeping.
We woke up and watched a movie together, Identity Thief. It was alright, and had some good laughs, but was premised on some ridiculous assumptions to make some of the scenes happen. And the movie definitley quoted the song "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" about three times too many.
With about two hours to go, they started the dinner service. Turkish Airways is very unique in that they have an in-flight "chef" in their business class cabin. Yes this is a grown man, who wears a white chef's costume and had, and is presumably the one preparing and helping to serve the food. In reality, it just felt like he was another flight attendant. He was very helpful, but we saw him in the aisles quite a bit, taking meal orders and delivering out courses as they came out of the galley. I wouldn't call having the chef a gimmick, but it wasn't much different than an extra set of hands in the cabin.
The first course was a food trolley of awesome Turkish appetizers like Tabbouleh, Burek, Asparagus, Eggplant, and yogurst sauce. You can also see the "chef" in the other aisle serving customers.
The next course was potato leek soup, with olive tapenade bruschetta. The soup was delicious.
For the main course we had Turkish Airways hallmark dish, Shish-kebabs serviced with Potato Gnocchi in a mustard sauce. Both were pretty solid, and a delicious treat at 35,000 feet in the air while reclined. We also paired some Turkish rose and white wine to go with each of our courses. Not a bad way to travel!
Dessert course one included more fresh fruit, and cheese.
Dessert course two was a Turkish sweet pastry, I forgot the name, but I think it was Phyllo roles. They were also tasty, especially with the chopped pistachios on-top.
For a 13 hour flight, it went by pretty quickly. We both felt like 5 hours of sleep was a good result, and the movies, meals, and chatting kept us entertained. There wasn't much turbulence, and the cabin crew did a solid job handling the full business class cabin. I would say they weren't 100% attentive, at least twice we had to ask for refills on water or wine. Overall, this is the kind of first world problem I like to have, and felt comfortable on this flight.
We landed in Istanbul at 9PM the same day, almost 1 hour early. After a quick taxi, we were at our gate and amongst the first passengers off the plane. The line to purchase the Turkish $20 visa was empty, and with our business class boarding cards we could use the priority immigration line in Istanbul, which we were also through in seconds. With only carry-on bags, we whisked by customs, and were out in the arrivals area from the plane in less than 10 minutes. We had pre-arranged a taxi pick-up, and a driver coordinator was standing in the arrivals hall with a sign with our name on it. While we were waiting on the driver, we went by the ATM to get some Turkish Lira, and by the time we were done we walked out with the driver coordinator to meet the driver outside on the curb. He helped us with our bags, and minutes later we were on our way to Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district for a one-night stay.
During breakfast, we each watched a movie from the relatively extensive in-flight movie selection. I went with Jack Reacher since I had recently read my first Jack Reacher novel. It was pretty entertaining, although Turkish Airlines censored some of the scenes for violence and language.
After eating, we put in on our eye-shades and ear-plugs, and went to sleep. The seats were alright, although some tossing and turning was had. I woke up after some-time, and after the tossing and turning figured I had only slept 2-3 hours, and was very surprised to find 5 hours of sleep had gone by! Lady Toqueville had also gotten in 5 hours of sleep.
View of our progress 7 hours in, after 2 hours of meal/movie and 5 hours of sleep. We were already over the Sahara desert, wow!
Grainy view of other passengers sleeping.
We woke up and watched a movie together, Identity Thief. It was alright, and had some good laughs, but was premised on some ridiculous assumptions to make some of the scenes happen. And the movie definitley quoted the song "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" about three times too many.
With about two hours to go, they started the dinner service. Turkish Airways is very unique in that they have an in-flight "chef" in their business class cabin. Yes this is a grown man, who wears a white chef's costume and had, and is presumably the one preparing and helping to serve the food. In reality, it just felt like he was another flight attendant. He was very helpful, but we saw him in the aisles quite a bit, taking meal orders and delivering out courses as they came out of the galley. I wouldn't call having the chef a gimmick, but it wasn't much different than an extra set of hands in the cabin.
The first course was a food trolley of awesome Turkish appetizers like Tabbouleh, Burek, Asparagus, Eggplant, and yogurst sauce. You can also see the "chef" in the other aisle serving customers.
The next course was potato leek soup, with olive tapenade bruschetta. The soup was delicious.
For the main course we had Turkish Airways hallmark dish, Shish-kebabs serviced with Potato Gnocchi in a mustard sauce. Both were pretty solid, and a delicious treat at 35,000 feet in the air while reclined. We also paired some Turkish rose and white wine to go with each of our courses. Not a bad way to travel!
Dessert course one included more fresh fruit, and cheese.
Dessert course two was a Turkish sweet pastry, I forgot the name, but I think it was Phyllo roles. They were also tasty, especially with the chopped pistachios on-top.
For a 13 hour flight, it went by pretty quickly. We both felt like 5 hours of sleep was a good result, and the movies, meals, and chatting kept us entertained. There wasn't much turbulence, and the cabin crew did a solid job handling the full business class cabin. I would say they weren't 100% attentive, at least twice we had to ask for refills on water or wine. Overall, this is the kind of first world problem I like to have, and felt comfortable on this flight.
We landed in Istanbul at 9PM the same day, almost 1 hour early. After a quick taxi, we were at our gate and amongst the first passengers off the plane. The line to purchase the Turkish $20 visa was empty, and with our business class boarding cards we could use the priority immigration line in Istanbul, which we were also through in seconds. With only carry-on bags, we whisked by customs, and were out in the arrivals area from the plane in less than 10 minutes. We had pre-arranged a taxi pick-up, and a driver coordinator was standing in the arrivals hall with a sign with our name on it. While we were waiting on the driver, we went by the ATM to get some Turkish Lira, and by the time we were done we walked out with the driver coordinator to meet the driver outside on the curb. He helped us with our bags, and minutes later we were on our way to Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district for a one-night stay.
Sep 4, 2013, 1:19 pm
#112
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Plat Pro, UA Silver, DL Silver, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,851
Sep 5, 2013, 12:56 pm
#113
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
19. Hotel Sphendon Istanbul
Hotel Sphendon
Istanbul, Turkey
1 night cash
Standard Room
Originally, I had booked a room on AIRbnb.com for Istanbul. We were only going to be in Istanbul for about 20 hours, and all the major brand hotels were outside of the historic center. Since we were to be there for such a short time, I wanted a room to rent near the historic sights like the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque in the Sultanhamet district of Istanbul.
About 9 months ago, I made a prepaid reservation on AIRbnb.com for a guestroom furnished by Ferdi. It was for this room, and for 75 Euros, plus some AIRBNB booking fees.
Well with a few days before the stay, Ferdi e-mailed me and said there is a problem with the room, and he would not be able to accommodate me there as I prepaid. He offered to refund my money, or let me stay at the Hotel Sphendon. I think he was in cahoots with the Hotel Sphendon. I looked at the Hotel Sphendon website, and at the Trip Advisor reviews. It had high reviews on Trip Advisor, although no reviews in English, mainly Turkish, French, and other languages. Being proficient in French, I went ahead and read those. They all noted that the hotel was agreeable with a breakfast correcte. Basically, if it was good enough for the French, who are amongst the hardest tourists to please in my opinion, it would be good enough for us. All I wanted was the good location, which it had right in Sultanhamet, and a decent Wi-Fi signal since I wanted to watch the University of Georgia vs. Clemson football game which would take place at 8:22PM Eastern Time, 3:22AM Istanbul time. So we told Ferdi this would work.
From the airport, the taxi drove into the historic Sultanhamet district, which seems like it is surrounded by an old and beautiful city wall. We wove our way through some narrow streets, until we pulled up to a relatively non-descript but pretty building which the driver told us was our hotel.
We walked in, and were greeted at check-in by a middle-aged Turkish man. He greeted us in English, and we told him we had a reservation confirmed through Ferdi. He knew instantly of us, and gave us a key and let us know the wi-fi password and breakfast time for the next day. His colleague/family member/friend, also a Turk, helped us hustle our bags up 3 flights of stairs into our room, room 301.
Room 301 at the Hotel Sphendon. It appeared there were probably 12-20 rooms in this small family-run hotel.
The bathroom was immediately to the right when you walked into the room, and appeared very clean with a shower, toilet and sink.
The room itself was on the small side, but had enough room for us and our luggage. The queen sized bed was comfortable enough. There was an air conditioner, a small TV, and a desk with chair. I hooked up my laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable I brought on the trip to be able to watch the football game using a friend's slingbox/
A view of the lobby area of the Hotel Sphendon.
Watching football at 3:30AM after sleeping the night before on the airplane makes for a tiring, but entertaining experience.
Basically, we arrived at 10PM and went out to see some nightlife in the Taksim districit of Istanbul until 12:30AM. We went to sleep at 12:45AM, at which time I woke up at 2:45AM to begin watching the game. The game went until 6:30AM, at which time the Georgia Bulldogs lost a close match to the Clemson Tigers in the season opener by 3 points. I slept from 6:30AM - 8:00AM when our alarm went off to pack, grab breakfast, and to check out the Hagia Sophia and do some shopping.
A very impressive and homemade breakfast spread, especially for a small family run hotel.
A view of the outside of the back of the Hotel Sphendon from the breakfast nook patio in the back.
We were out and about as noted above from 8:45AM - 2:00PM, at which time we returned to Sphendon to claim our bags they had put in the luggage room. The hotel called us a taxi, and by 2:15PM we were on our way to Istanbul airport to catch our flight to Santorini, Greece via Athens.
Overall, this small hotel exceeded expectations. It was small, but comfortable, clean and efficient. The front desk staff was friendly, helpful, and non-intrusive. The wi-fi was strong enough to stream an American football game over the internet. Also, rates seem to be 100 Euros and up for the Hotel Sphendon, so we got a left-handed deal by booking through Ferdi and having us transfer to this hotel. I will stay here again when I come back to Istanbul.
Hotel Sphendon
Istanbul, Turkey
1 night cash
Standard Room
Originally, I had booked a room on AIRbnb.com for Istanbul. We were only going to be in Istanbul for about 20 hours, and all the major brand hotels were outside of the historic center. Since we were to be there for such a short time, I wanted a room to rent near the historic sights like the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque in the Sultanhamet district of Istanbul.
About 9 months ago, I made a prepaid reservation on AIRbnb.com for a guestroom furnished by Ferdi. It was for this room, and for 75 Euros, plus some AIRBNB booking fees.
Well with a few days before the stay, Ferdi e-mailed me and said there is a problem with the room, and he would not be able to accommodate me there as I prepaid. He offered to refund my money, or let me stay at the Hotel Sphendon. I think he was in cahoots with the Hotel Sphendon. I looked at the Hotel Sphendon website, and at the Trip Advisor reviews. It had high reviews on Trip Advisor, although no reviews in English, mainly Turkish, French, and other languages. Being proficient in French, I went ahead and read those. They all noted that the hotel was agreeable with a breakfast correcte. Basically, if it was good enough for the French, who are amongst the hardest tourists to please in my opinion, it would be good enough for us. All I wanted was the good location, which it had right in Sultanhamet, and a decent Wi-Fi signal since I wanted to watch the University of Georgia vs. Clemson football game which would take place at 8:22PM Eastern Time, 3:22AM Istanbul time. So we told Ferdi this would work.
From the airport, the taxi drove into the historic Sultanhamet district, which seems like it is surrounded by an old and beautiful city wall. We wove our way through some narrow streets, until we pulled up to a relatively non-descript but pretty building which the driver told us was our hotel.
We walked in, and were greeted at check-in by a middle-aged Turkish man. He greeted us in English, and we told him we had a reservation confirmed through Ferdi. He knew instantly of us, and gave us a key and let us know the wi-fi password and breakfast time for the next day. His colleague/family member/friend, also a Turk, helped us hustle our bags up 3 flights of stairs into our room, room 301.
Room 301 at the Hotel Sphendon. It appeared there were probably 12-20 rooms in this small family-run hotel.
The bathroom was immediately to the right when you walked into the room, and appeared very clean with a shower, toilet and sink.
The room itself was on the small side, but had enough room for us and our luggage. The queen sized bed was comfortable enough. There was an air conditioner, a small TV, and a desk with chair. I hooked up my laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable I brought on the trip to be able to watch the football game using a friend's slingbox/
A view of the lobby area of the Hotel Sphendon.
Watching football at 3:30AM after sleeping the night before on the airplane makes for a tiring, but entertaining experience.
Basically, we arrived at 10PM and went out to see some nightlife in the Taksim districit of Istanbul until 12:30AM. We went to sleep at 12:45AM, at which time I woke up at 2:45AM to begin watching the game. The game went until 6:30AM, at which time the Georgia Bulldogs lost a close match to the Clemson Tigers in the season opener by 3 points. I slept from 6:30AM - 8:00AM when our alarm went off to pack, grab breakfast, and to check out the Hagia Sophia and do some shopping.
A very impressive and homemade breakfast spread, especially for a small family run hotel.
A view of the outside of the back of the Hotel Sphendon from the breakfast nook patio in the back.
We were out and about as noted above from 8:45AM - 2:00PM, at which time we returned to Sphendon to claim our bags they had put in the luggage room. The hotel called us a taxi, and by 2:15PM we were on our way to Istanbul airport to catch our flight to Santorini, Greece via Athens.
Overall, this small hotel exceeded expectations. It was small, but comfortable, clean and efficient. The front desk staff was friendly, helpful, and non-intrusive. The wi-fi was strong enough to stream an American football game over the internet. Also, rates seem to be 100 Euros and up for the Hotel Sphendon, so we got a left-handed deal by booking through Ferdi and having us transfer to this hotel. I will stay here again when I come back to Istanbul.
Sep 6, 2013, 8:09 am
#114
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 147
Very smart to do this before you have kids. My wife and I have a three year old, and are about to start trying for our second.
We are very extensively traveled, having grown up all over the world (me all over Europe and the US, her all over the US, Europe, and in Singapore). Once our daughter was born, that slowed way down. Quite frankly, the combination of time off from work you're taking as a parent (eats up your PTO), the time you spend with your child, and the money you spend ($2k+ a month just in daycare) leaves you with little resources for travel as a couple.
At the same time, we both switched jobs into positions where we would not need to travel as much, as it's a pain when you both have to be gone at once, and it is tough on the other spouse to have even one of you gone. So, that slowed down our travel, our butt-in-seats miles, and we lost all our status (Hilton, Starwood, Delta, and United, all gone).
We are heading to Asia next month for two weeks, and leaving our daughter with the grandparents. While we still travel pretty heavily domestically, this will be our first trip out of the country since 2010.
Not trying to scare you off; don't get me wrong, having our daughter was the best decision we ever made. But I wish I took even more advantage of the opportunity to travel while it was still just the two of us, and I definitely wish I had gotten into the app-o-rama game earlier.
All of this is to say: I admire your wisdom, forethought, and the effort you took to put the trip together.
We are very extensively traveled, having grown up all over the world (me all over Europe and the US, her all over the US, Europe, and in Singapore). Once our daughter was born, that slowed way down. Quite frankly, the combination of time off from work you're taking as a parent (eats up your PTO), the time you spend with your child, and the money you spend ($2k+ a month just in daycare) leaves you with little resources for travel as a couple.
At the same time, we both switched jobs into positions where we would not need to travel as much, as it's a pain when you both have to be gone at once, and it is tough on the other spouse to have even one of you gone. So, that slowed down our travel, our butt-in-seats miles, and we lost all our status (Hilton, Starwood, Delta, and United, all gone).
We are heading to Asia next month for two weeks, and leaving our daughter with the grandparents. While we still travel pretty heavily domestically, this will be our first trip out of the country since 2010.
Not trying to scare you off; don't get me wrong, having our daughter was the best decision we ever made. But I wish I took even more advantage of the opportunity to travel while it was still just the two of us, and I definitely wish I had gotten into the app-o-rama game earlier.
All of this is to say: I admire your wisdom, forethought, and the effort you took to put the trip together.
Sep 6, 2013, 11:11 am
#116
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Texas
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 279
My advice is the same though, go big while it is "easy"!
Sep 7, 2013, 4:41 pm
#119
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
20. IST-ATH-JTR on A3 in J/Y
We arrived to Istanbul's airport by Taxi, and came to am empty Aegean Airlines counter to receive our boarding pass. Since we were business class, we were given a "Fast Track" yard to use the expedited immigration lines in Istanbul airport.
We made our way over to immigration, and the area was a massive zoo, with a long line extending way past the rows of belted gates. Even the "Fast Track" line had a long line. It took us about 40 minutes to clear immigration.
After immigration, we made our way to the Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge. Boy, were we impressed! This is one of the nicest business class lounges I have ever seen. Right away, there is a pool table and a massive bookshelf. The place with huge, and it seems like at every corner was a food or beverage station. They had fresh pide (turkish mini-pizzas) cooking. Baklava and Burek everywhere. We went for some Turkish Coffee, pide, and some fresh mint lemonade to refresh ourselves while we waited for our flight.
The empty Aegean Airlines check-in area at Istanbul Airport.
"Fast Track" cards to get through immigration quickly
Long lines at Istanbul Immigration
The fabulous Turkish Airways lounge in Istanbul
A pool table? Maybe I get excited easily, but that's what's up!
We had to enjoy some freshly brewed Turkish coffee while we were there.
Our flight from Istanbul to Athens on Aegean Airlines was in Business Class. It gave us a 1 hour, 50 minute connection in Athens to catch our flight to Santorini. About 15 minutes before boarding, we made the ten minute walk to the gate. Already the flight was showing a 20 minute delay, and regrettably that quickly escalated to a 1 hour delay. 1 hour had passed, and there was still no incoming aircraft, and with nervous exchanges we had a feeling we would not make our connection in Athens to Santorini. I knew we were on the last Aegean flight of the day from Athens to Santorini. We asked the ground staff if there were later flights, or other accommodations that could be made. They noted nothing could be done for now, however Olympic Airlines had later flights that we could be rebooked on should we miss our connection. It was somewhat comforting to know there was that as insurance, because we definitley did not want to spend the night in Athens.
Finally the plane arrived, and after a decently quick turn, we were boarded onto the flight to Athens.
Istanbul - Athens
A3 993
Departure Time: 4:00PM (Actual Time: 5:25PM)
Airbus A320
Business Class Seat 2C
Duration 1.8 hours
Gate 207 in Istanbul Airport.
When they called for boarding, it was a big bum rush, although we were amongst the first to board. We quickly got to our seats and got our bags up in the overhead.
View from our seats, Business class had only 3 other passengers on it. This row next to us was empty.
Leg room was pretty good compared to Economy, my knees had 2-3 inches of space when my butt was pushed all the way back into my seat.
Sparkling wine was brought out shortly after boarding.
A menu was passed out, which was great for such a short flight. We both went for the "Chicken Thighs" for our entree.
Our entree. For an Intra-Europe short-haul flight, I felt pretty good about the taste and the freshness of the meal, particularly the salad.
Well after a 1 hour and 50 minute flight, we landed in Athens. This left us with 20 minutes to make our flight to Santorini. This included going through European Union Immigration, exiting into the main terminal, and then coming back into the terminal, and going through security. This was to be a real skills challenge.
Athens - Santorini
A3 358
Departure Time: 7:10PM
Airbus A320
Economy Class Seat 5F
Duration 35 minutes
But guess what? We made it! Luckily the airport was empty, we were amongst the first off the plane, immigration had no line, security had no line (although they did scrutinize my 80ml bottle of Gillette Shaving Cream for 1-2 precious minutes). And we didn't even fun, because I don't run for flights. We just walked really fast. There were about 6-7 others who were making the same connection as us, and so they held the plane for us for about 10 minutes. Had they pushed back on-time, we probably would have missed the flight with 2-3 minutes to spare. But as soon as we deplaned from the Istanbul flight, an Aegean agent was there to tell us they were waiting and to hurry. So I knew we would make it.
This flight was economy only, and was very short and full. The seat pitch was tight, and my knees were firmly pressed up against the seat in front of us. Being on a Sunday, the flight was loaded with honeymooners, fresh from their Saturday weddings all over Europe. It kind of made us feel like we were on our honeymoon all over again.
A view from our seats on the Economy Only Aegean A320.
We arrived in Santorini about 20-30 minutes late due to waiting for us, and some air traffic control delays. We arrived at a remote parking stall and were unceremoniously bussed into the main terminal. We were excited to be there where we would be spending five days at the Starwood Vedema Luxury Resort. After hustling to make the flight, and me being exhausted from watching American Football all night, we were excited to be there!
We arrived to Istanbul's airport by Taxi, and came to am empty Aegean Airlines counter to receive our boarding pass. Since we were business class, we were given a "Fast Track" yard to use the expedited immigration lines in Istanbul airport.
We made our way over to immigration, and the area was a massive zoo, with a long line extending way past the rows of belted gates. Even the "Fast Track" line had a long line. It took us about 40 minutes to clear immigration.
After immigration, we made our way to the Turkish Airlines Business Class lounge. Boy, were we impressed! This is one of the nicest business class lounges I have ever seen. Right away, there is a pool table and a massive bookshelf. The place with huge, and it seems like at every corner was a food or beverage station. They had fresh pide (turkish mini-pizzas) cooking. Baklava and Burek everywhere. We went for some Turkish Coffee, pide, and some fresh mint lemonade to refresh ourselves while we waited for our flight.
The empty Aegean Airlines check-in area at Istanbul Airport.
"Fast Track" cards to get through immigration quickly
Long lines at Istanbul Immigration
The fabulous Turkish Airways lounge in Istanbul
A pool table? Maybe I get excited easily, but that's what's up!
We had to enjoy some freshly brewed Turkish coffee while we were there.
Our flight from Istanbul to Athens on Aegean Airlines was in Business Class. It gave us a 1 hour, 50 minute connection in Athens to catch our flight to Santorini. About 15 minutes before boarding, we made the ten minute walk to the gate. Already the flight was showing a 20 minute delay, and regrettably that quickly escalated to a 1 hour delay. 1 hour had passed, and there was still no incoming aircraft, and with nervous exchanges we had a feeling we would not make our connection in Athens to Santorini. I knew we were on the last Aegean flight of the day from Athens to Santorini. We asked the ground staff if there were later flights, or other accommodations that could be made. They noted nothing could be done for now, however Olympic Airlines had later flights that we could be rebooked on should we miss our connection. It was somewhat comforting to know there was that as insurance, because we definitley did not want to spend the night in Athens.
Finally the plane arrived, and after a decently quick turn, we were boarded onto the flight to Athens.
Istanbul - Athens
A3 993
Departure Time: 4:00PM (Actual Time: 5:25PM)
Airbus A320
Business Class Seat 2C
Duration 1.8 hours
Gate 207 in Istanbul Airport.
When they called for boarding, it was a big bum rush, although we were amongst the first to board. We quickly got to our seats and got our bags up in the overhead.
View from our seats, Business class had only 3 other passengers on it. This row next to us was empty.
Leg room was pretty good compared to Economy, my knees had 2-3 inches of space when my butt was pushed all the way back into my seat.
Sparkling wine was brought out shortly after boarding.
A menu was passed out, which was great for such a short flight. We both went for the "Chicken Thighs" for our entree.
Our entree. For an Intra-Europe short-haul flight, I felt pretty good about the taste and the freshness of the meal, particularly the salad.
Well after a 1 hour and 50 minute flight, we landed in Athens. This left us with 20 minutes to make our flight to Santorini. This included going through European Union Immigration, exiting into the main terminal, and then coming back into the terminal, and going through security. This was to be a real skills challenge.
Athens - Santorini
A3 358
Departure Time: 7:10PM
Airbus A320
Economy Class Seat 5F
Duration 35 minutes
But guess what? We made it! Luckily the airport was empty, we were amongst the first off the plane, immigration had no line, security had no line (although they did scrutinize my 80ml bottle of Gillette Shaving Cream for 1-2 precious minutes). And we didn't even fun, because I don't run for flights. We just walked really fast. There were about 6-7 others who were making the same connection as us, and so they held the plane for us for about 10 minutes. Had they pushed back on-time, we probably would have missed the flight with 2-3 minutes to spare. But as soon as we deplaned from the Istanbul flight, an Aegean agent was there to tell us they were waiting and to hurry. So I knew we would make it.
This flight was economy only, and was very short and full. The seat pitch was tight, and my knees were firmly pressed up against the seat in front of us. Being on a Sunday, the flight was loaded with honeymooners, fresh from their Saturday weddings all over Europe. It kind of made us feel like we were on our honeymoon all over again.
A view from our seats on the Economy Only Aegean A320.
We arrived in Santorini about 20-30 minutes late due to waiting for us, and some air traffic control delays. We arrived at a remote parking stall and were unceremoniously bussed into the main terminal. We were excited to be there where we would be spending five days at the Starwood Vedema Luxury Resort. After hustling to make the flight, and me being exhausted from watching American Football all night, we were excited to be there!
Sep 8, 2013, 1:29 pm
#120
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
21. Starwood Luxury Collection Vedema Santorini
Starwood Vedema
Meglachori, Santorini, Greece
5 nights points redemption
Dorian Suite
After arriving at Santorini Airport, we went to find the Avis Rental Car counter, where I had a reservation for a car for the 5 days we would be in Santorini. However, when coming into the small rental car area, we only saw Sixt, Hertz, Budget, and a couple others. But no Avis. I walked up to the Budget desk, where the clerk was chiefing away on a cigarette. I asked him, "where is Avis?" He responded, "outside." We went outside, and saw many people with name placards picking people up. But no Avis. But then in the corner of my eye, I saw a guy wearing an Avis jacket. Sure enough it was the Avis guy, and he along with another colleague, were checking people outside on the curb. Like literally sitting down on the curb. Haha! The Avis guy was very friendly, and after a few minutes we were away in our car. We were told that on return, we should park anywhere at the airport, leave the key under the seat, and leave the doors unlocked. How about that for a return?
It was a 15 minute drive to the Vedema in Meglachori. Meglachori is a small village on the island of Santorini. It kind of reminds me a yet-publicized Vernaza in Cinque-Terre Italy. It was beautiful. We cruised through the narrow cobble-stone and volcanic-stone streets, until we reached the Vedema.
We parked next to the front up on the sidewalk, and went to check-in. A very friendly front desk clerk named Christina welcomed us and went through the check-in formalities. She acknowledged our Platinum status, but noted that regrettably no upgrade rooms were available due to relatively high occupancy. For the check-in amenity, we were offered 500 Starwood points, or breakfast. Considering the breakfast costs 35Euro per Day, per Person, and you get the full breakfast as the check-in amenity, we went for that. Can you imagine? That right there is an almost $500 benefit of having status with Starwood.
Christina walked us to our room, Theta-2, which had a beautiful vineyard view. It was a Dorian Suite, which is their standard room, and each one is unique.
Entrance to our room, Theta-2.
Beautiful marble was everywhere. The room had a sofa, coffee table, king bed, spacious bathroom, and comfortable outdoor private patio.
The hotel had sent some local Rose wine, a fresh fruit tray, and a hand-written note to our room to welcome us. That was a very nice touch!
The bathroom had a full tub, marble sink, and full rain shower. It was very comfortable and relaxing over our 5 nights here.
A view of our vienyard at night from the private back patio.
I had reserved the hotel in December 2012, before Starwood's most recent devaluation. We got it for 20,000 points per night, and with four nights Starwood gives you the fifth night free. So 5 nights for 80,000 SPG points total. To us this was a great value for a room and breakfast that can often go for 500 Euros per night or more!
We were exhausted, and went right to sleep in the very comfortable bed. We slept for almost 11 hours, it was some of the best sleep I had a long time. We were quite refreshed the next day to face the tough job of lounging on the beach.
Speaking of the beach, Santorini has dozens of beautiful beaches, many are black sand. Meglachori and the Vedema are in a small village inland. However, the Vedema has contracted with the Black Rose beach club to let its guest use the chaise lounges, umbrellas, and facilities there. You could order drinks or food there, and charge it to your room. And the Vedema even has a shuttle to get you back and forth. For us, it was a 10 minute drive in our rental car.
The Black Rose Beach Club, with flags for the two Starwood properties served there, the Vedema and Mystique.
Some shots of the Vedema. This one here shows the public area near the spa, which had a unique sculpture. In the distance is another courtyard which has the entrance to the restaurant, which is in a 400 year old wine cellar.
Views of entrances to some of the other suites at the Vedema.
At 70 Euros per couple, the breakfast is normally very steep. Since we had it free as a virtue of SPG Platinum status, we enjoyed it extensively each of the 5 days we were there. We were informed that the hotel was showcasing a "Greek Breakfast" as of late, and I snapped a photo of the menu.
XXX
The fabulous fruit station as part of the breakfast.
The cheese and meat zone which I loaded up on each morning.
The wait staff would take your drink order and then you could help yourself to the buffet. I usually went for an espresso or hot tea, and Lady Tocqueville a cafe Americano or Cappuccino.
We enjoyed five blissful days exploring Santorini and relaxing in the comforts of this fabulous resort.
Starwood Vedema
Meglachori, Santorini, Greece
5 nights points redemption
Dorian Suite
After arriving at Santorini Airport, we went to find the Avis Rental Car counter, where I had a reservation for a car for the 5 days we would be in Santorini. However, when coming into the small rental car area, we only saw Sixt, Hertz, Budget, and a couple others. But no Avis. I walked up to the Budget desk, where the clerk was chiefing away on a cigarette. I asked him, "where is Avis?" He responded, "outside." We went outside, and saw many people with name placards picking people up. But no Avis. But then in the corner of my eye, I saw a guy wearing an Avis jacket. Sure enough it was the Avis guy, and he along with another colleague, were checking people outside on the curb. Like literally sitting down on the curb. Haha! The Avis guy was very friendly, and after a few minutes we were away in our car. We were told that on return, we should park anywhere at the airport, leave the key under the seat, and leave the doors unlocked. How about that for a return?
It was a 15 minute drive to the Vedema in Meglachori. Meglachori is a small village on the island of Santorini. It kind of reminds me a yet-publicized Vernaza in Cinque-Terre Italy. It was beautiful. We cruised through the narrow cobble-stone and volcanic-stone streets, until we reached the Vedema.
We parked next to the front up on the sidewalk, and went to check-in. A very friendly front desk clerk named Christina welcomed us and went through the check-in formalities. She acknowledged our Platinum status, but noted that regrettably no upgrade rooms were available due to relatively high occupancy. For the check-in amenity, we were offered 500 Starwood points, or breakfast. Considering the breakfast costs 35Euro per Day, per Person, and you get the full breakfast as the check-in amenity, we went for that. Can you imagine? That right there is an almost $500 benefit of having status with Starwood.
Christina walked us to our room, Theta-2, which had a beautiful vineyard view. It was a Dorian Suite, which is their standard room, and each one is unique.
Entrance to our room, Theta-2.
Beautiful marble was everywhere. The room had a sofa, coffee table, king bed, spacious bathroom, and comfortable outdoor private patio.
The hotel had sent some local Rose wine, a fresh fruit tray, and a hand-written note to our room to welcome us. That was a very nice touch!
The bathroom had a full tub, marble sink, and full rain shower. It was very comfortable and relaxing over our 5 nights here.
A view of our vienyard at night from the private back patio.
I had reserved the hotel in December 2012, before Starwood's most recent devaluation. We got it for 20,000 points per night, and with four nights Starwood gives you the fifth night free. So 5 nights for 80,000 SPG points total. To us this was a great value for a room and breakfast that can often go for 500 Euros per night or more!
We were exhausted, and went right to sleep in the very comfortable bed. We slept for almost 11 hours, it was some of the best sleep I had a long time. We were quite refreshed the next day to face the tough job of lounging on the beach.
Speaking of the beach, Santorini has dozens of beautiful beaches, many are black sand. Meglachori and the Vedema are in a small village inland. However, the Vedema has contracted with the Black Rose beach club to let its guest use the chaise lounges, umbrellas, and facilities there. You could order drinks or food there, and charge it to your room. And the Vedema even has a shuttle to get you back and forth. For us, it was a 10 minute drive in our rental car.
The Black Rose Beach Club, with flags for the two Starwood properties served there, the Vedema and Mystique.
Some shots of the Vedema. This one here shows the public area near the spa, which had a unique sculpture. In the distance is another courtyard which has the entrance to the restaurant, which is in a 400 year old wine cellar.
Views of entrances to some of the other suites at the Vedema.
At 70 Euros per couple, the breakfast is normally very steep. Since we had it free as a virtue of SPG Platinum status, we enjoyed it extensively each of the 5 days we were there. We were informed that the hotel was showcasing a "Greek Breakfast" as of late, and I snapped a photo of the menu.
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The fabulous fruit station as part of the breakfast.
The cheese and meat zone which I loaded up on each morning.The wait staff would take your drink order and then you could help yourself to the buffet. I usually went for an espresso or hot tea, and Lady Tocqueville a cafe Americano or Cappuccino.
We enjoyed five blissful days exploring Santorini and relaxing in the comforts of this fabulous resort.