Hotel Review: Intercontinental Resort Tahiti

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Tara

Sadly our trip to French Polynesia was over. We had seen some amazing birds on Ua Huka and Rimatara and now we were heading home. Our flight left at 7:30am so we needed a hotel near the airport and preferably available on points. The Intercontinental Tahiti Resort fit the bill perfectly. Rooms cost 40,000 points which is a decent value and this is a pretty spectacular “airport hotel”!

It is easily reachable from downtown or the airport on any Outamaoro bus. They drop you right at the driveway and you just walk down to the entrance.

My platinum status (courtesy Chase IHG Mastercard) got us upgraded to an ocean view room!

Small turtle pond in the garden

Overwater bungalows. I didn’t seek an upgrade to these as it was only an overnight stay with check out at 4:30am.

Lagoon and overwater bungalows

Watching the sunset by the swimming pool

Happy hour!

Planes coming in to land

Cabana boy with conch shell

The next morning we were up at 4:00am and checked out around 4:30-ish. The one thing I don’t like about visiting French Polynesia is the uber-early morning flights! We walked out to the main road, prepared to walk with our backpacks to the airport. A bus came along and we flagged it down. No need to pay $25 for a taxi to go a couple kilometers! Check-in wasn’t too crowded so we quickly checked in and passed security.

We were in economy so no lounge for us, the main terminal is pretty comfortable anyway. Goodbye French Polynesia and keep looking after your birds!

Hotel Review: Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Tara

Since we had two days to kill before our flight home, I really wanted to check out the Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa. I had enough points to get us a freebie and booked the usual room offered for awards, a lanai room.

I was very pleased to see that my platinum status (courtesy of the Chase Mastercard) got us upgraded to a Garden Pool room! I’d say this was an excellent use of points!

Very quiet at reception when we checked in.

Boutique in the lobby

We were driven to our bungalow in a little buggy.

Our garden bungalow with private pool

And there it is, our own pool!

We had a few visitors, they were mostly interested in the leis we had on the chairs.

We took a stroll around the grounds to the main swimming pool to watch the sunset.

This is the main building where most award stays would be booked into.

The sunset did not disappoint!

Time for happy hour!

The next morning our feathered friends were back after the leis!

“Can I share your pool?” Of course!

Intro to scuba class

IHG Pointbreaks Through 30 Sept Unveiled, Some Good Ones For Eco-tourists

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Tara

Last time they were so bad, I was calling them “Disa-Pointbreaks“! The new list which is valid from July 28- September 30th has much better options for eco-travelers. For those new to the program, PointBreaks properties are Reward Nights for only 5,000 points per night. Bookings will be open on 28 July. Unfortunately, it seems Oceania has been left out in the cold – pun intended since it is winter Down Under! The entire list can be found here, but I’ll point out a few that may be of use to those traveling to Central & South America. Remember, don’t go crazy booking multiple nights at these city based hotels, you just need a night before and after a flight, what you really want is to be out in the bush where the birds are!

I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Belem, it’s a good gateway to the Amazon region of Brazil. There is a plaza within walking distance where you can see Jenday Conures and White-winged Parakeets, you can also take a river cruise to Parrot Island to see 100’s of Orange-winged Amazons. Manaus is also an excellent gateway to the Amazon.

Another travel blogger, Weekend Blitz has created a very handy Google map to show where the concentrations of Pointbreaks are. Click on the image to see the map full sized and be able to zoom in on locations.

Notice poor Oceania left out in the cold!

IHG Reveals A List Of Disa-Pointbreaks Valid Thru 31 July

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Tara

Really not much to interest eco-travelers here. Or anyone for that matter. Here’s a few that would be good for layovers before heading out to more interesting parts of the country. Goa would be a nice place to hang out for a beach holiday though for India I much prefer Kerala. Full Pointbreak list is here.

INDIA
HOLIDAY INN RESORT GOA

THAILAND
CROWNE PLAZA BANGKOK LUMPINI PARK

SOUTH AFRICA
CROWNE PLAZA JOHANNESBURG – THE ROSEBANK

COSTA RICA
CROWNE PLAZA SAN JOSE COROBICI
HOTEL INDIGO SAN JOSE FORUM COSTA RICA

PANAMA
HOLIDAY INN PANAMA CANAL

AUSTRALIA
HOLIDAY INN TOWNSVILLE

FIJI
HOLIDAY INN SUVA

Small town America seems to be the winner here as there are tons of hotels listed. This could work well if you need to visit family in one of these towns. Otherwise, this is a pretty boring list.

IHG is even having trouble selling points at a discount on Daily Getaways, lots of packages are going begging!

For me, I will use up what remaining points I have but won’t be chasing any more. I’d rather book indie and have more choices!

Daily Getaways First 2 Weeks Announced

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Tara

In the past, Daily Getaways were one of my favourite ways to buy airline miles at very cheap prices. Back in the day, you could acquire United, American, US Airways & other miles for around $7-8 per block of 1000 miles by purchasing Wyndham miles at Daily Getaways and then transferring them.

Last year the price was raised to around $13 per block of 1000 miles which still wasn’t bad if you live outside the USA and can’t manufacture spend. Earlier this year, Wyndham cut the transfer rate to airlines in half without warning which basically kills this deal as no one is going to pay $27 for 1000 miles unless they are desperate for a top up. And most people can do a helluva lot better than a Super 8 if they have a budget of $84!

This year there isn’t much to interest eco-tourists. I wouldn’t buy points for a hotel, I would rather use a portal such as Pointshound and have a wider choice. Here are the first 2 weeks in case anyone is interested. The only possible bargain I can see is Choice ONLY if you are going to use them in Europe. Don’t bother using them in Australia, the rates are too high. The program also has an annoying 60 window for booking hotel rewards which cramps the style of those who like to book early.

IHG Rewards are a good deal if you are planning to use them at an expensive place like Bora Bora, Paris or any of the 50,000 point properties which would cost $292.50 a night if you have an Amex. Hilton is way too expensive, at that level I would be Pricelining for a 4 or 5* hotel. Don’t bother!

In past years I used to get up at 3am in Brisbane to buy these and they sold out in seconds. This year, I’ll probably wake up at my normal time to see packages going begging.

Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Perth City Centre

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Tara

No matter where you stay in Perth, you are likely to get sticker shock from the prices. This is where having a free night certificate from the Chase IHG Visa comes in very handy! At the time we stayed, room rates were over $300! Not a bad deal for a $49 annual fee! Of course you can always use 35,000 points for a free room as well.

The location is excellent – right downtown and walking distance to almost everything. What you can’t walk to, you can get to using the free CAT buses. There are plenty of restaurants in all price categories nearby and we enjoyed our dinner of Mexican takeaway from across the street. If you aren’t up for a taxi fare, bus # 37 will drop you a couple blocks away. The Rottnest Ferry terminal is also only a few blocks away.

1 – Mexican Takeaway
2 – Bus 37 from airport
3 – Rottnest Ferry

The staff were very friendly and happy to show us things like where to catch a CAT bus or how to get to Hertz and the Coles Supermarket so we could stock up for the trip. Rooms are pretty much cookie-cutter Holiday Inn, clean, reliable and free internet for IHG Rewards members.

The one criticism I have is the cost of parking. They offer $20 self-parking nearby or $35 valet under the hotel, both of which I thought were too expensive. The cheapest I could find was the Wilson garage at 517 Hay Street. If you know your rego number (unlikely if you are renting a car) you can book online for $7. Otherwise there is a night rate of $10 if you only park between 1700-0600.

I also have a full guide to using Perth as a gateway city to Western Australia and a guide on how to get to Australia using airline miles.

New IHG Pointbreaks List A Snoozefest – Valid To 31 May

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Tara

The new IHG Pointbreaks list is due to go live soon and bookable on their website. In the meanwhile, another blogger – Points to be Made has kindly published a preview of the complete list. I did a quick scan through to see if anything stood out as possible value to eco-tourists & bird watchers.

India (could be useful if you are flying into or out of Mumbai, nice hotel in great location)

InterContinental Marine Drive-Mumbai

Kenya (perhaps a place to rest up after a safari)

Crowne Plaza Nairobi

Brazil (Fortaleza is about 12 hours by bus from the Lear’s Macaw stronghold of Canudos. Sao Paulo has good connections by bus and plane to the Pantanal).

Holiday Inn Fortaleza

Holiday Inn Express Sumare Ave. Sao Paulo

Ecuador (Do you have an early flight to the Galapagos? What about Napo Wildlife Centre and their parrot clay lick?)

Holiday Inn Express Quito

Peru (You may need a night before or after Tambopata Research Centre because you can never have too many parrot & macaw clay licks)!

Crowne Plaza Lima

Looks like Australia & Oceania have been left off this round, maybe next time?

IHG Pointbreaks Thru March 31 – Possible Gateways For Eco-Tourists

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Tara

I know this has already been blogged to death so I am just going to point out a few of the properties that are suitable for eco-tourists to use as gateways to more interesting adventures. You would use them when connecting to or from an early flight to your final destination.

ASIA-PACIFIC

InterContinental Phnom Penh

Holiday Inn Jaipur

Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini

Crowne Plaza Semarang

Holiday Inn Vanuatu

SOUTH AFRICA

Holiday Inn Sandton-Rivonia Road

CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

Holiday Inn Sao Luis

Holiday Inn Express Puerto Montt

Crowne Plaza Suites Tequendama Bogota

Crowne Plaza Guatemala

Holiday Inn Express San Pedro Sula

The full list will be live and bookable on IHG sometime on Monday 27 Jan.

Best IHG Pointbreaks For Eco-Tourists Through 31 Jan

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Tara

The entire list has been released on FlyerTalk and numerous blogs so I am only going to focus on the ones that stand out for eco-travelers.

INTERCONTINENTAL TAHITI

Tahiti is a gateway to one of my bucket list birding destinations, Ua Huka in the Marquesas for the dazzling Ultramarine Lorikeet and also Rimatara where you can see the beautiful Rimatara Lorikeets. The bad news is that it’s almost impossible to get an award to PPT from AKL (Auckland) on Air New Zealand. You may be able to get one on Air Tahiti Nui with American miles but it’s not searchable online so you have to call them. As of this time, awards are available on:

Notice how February (when the deal is over) has heaps of availability!

CROWNE PLAZA PANAMA

Although this is a city based hotel, it is fairly close to the Metropolitan Natural Park and about a half hour drive from Soberania National Park so get up earlier!

INTERCONTINENTAL JOHANNESBURG SANDTON TOWERS

Useful as a gateway to Kruger, Magoebaskloof and other South African national parks.

CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL BENGALURU ELECTRONICS CITY

Bangalore is the gateway to many of India’s wonderful national parks & birding paradises such as Wayanad, Coorg, Nagarhole and Mudumalai. I will be there in a month or so. I am currently booked at the Park Plaza which has a better location and free breakfast for all guests so considering switching to this hotel. I probably won’t do it though because I don’t want to be in Electronic City and the breakfast costs extra here.

CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL KOCHI

Gateway to Thattekad Bird Sanctuary but it may not be necessary as it’s just as quick to go from the airport directly to the sanctuary by taxi as it is to go to the city.

FULL LIST OF POINTBREAKS CLICK HERE

Central American Adventure – Choosing Accommodation

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Tara

With an eco-tourism trip, the highlight is going to be the eco-lodges so you need to choose wisely. You will need to research the species you are hoping to see and find national parks with lodges in those areas. Although airline miles are of use to everyone, hotel points will only be useful for stays near airports to accommodate early morning flights. There is one exception as you will see below. Also, this itinerary is unusual in that I organized a stopover in Hawaii on the way back to Australia so I could burn some hotel points and celebrate my birthday! If you are USA or Europe based, this won’t be an option. Here are my choices, how I booked them and my reasons for choosing them. Detailed reviews on each will be forthcoming in future blogs.

BELIZE

Crooked Tree Lodge: booked direct by email (don’t use aggregators), paid cash. Chosen because the area is known for Yellow-headed Parrots, Red-lored Parrots and White-fronted Parrots and they have a good local guide.

Parrot’s Nest, San Ignacio: booked direct by email, don’t use aggregators, paid by Visa on checkout. Chosen because there are parrots in the area sporadically but primarily for the experience of sleeping in a treehouse.

GUATEMALA

Tikal Inn: booked direct by email, don’t use aggregators, paid by Amex on checkout. Chosen because it’s in the Tikal National Park, there are parrots and other birds in the grounds and they have a pool. Also they offer a free sunset/sunrise tour and some of the guides are familiar with the local birds.

Radisson, Guatemala City: booked online with Club Carlson points. Chosen because of proximity to airport, free shuttle and cheap points redemption.

COSTA RICA

Selva Verde Lodge, Sarapiqui: booked online at Hotels.com. Used 10% promo code and Ultimate Rewards Mall. Chosen because of excellent guides and known for being home to Great Green Macaws and many other birds.

Laguna del Lagarto Lodge, Boca Tapada: Booked on Pointshound for UA miles. Chosen because of recommendation by friend who was just there and area is extremely rich in birdlife.

Volcano Lodge, Arenal: Booked on Pointshound for UA miles. Chosen because of volcano views, garden, pool and it being a nice place to relax after full-on birding.

Cala Lodge, Monteverde: Booked on Pointshound for UA miles. Chosen because near town for easy meals/shopping and easy to get taxi to Monteverde Cloud Forest for Respendant Quetzals.

Villa Lapas, Tarcoles: Booked on their website, don’t use aggregators. Chosen because it is adjacent to Carara National Park for Scarlet Macaws and other birds.

Savegre Mountain Lodge: Booked on their webiste, don’t use aggregators. Chosen based on recommendation by friend who had been there recently, excellent guides and ease of finding Resplendant Quetzals.

Park Inn, San Jose: Booked using Club Carlson points on their website. Chosen because of cheap mistake rate of 5000 points, otherwise would have stayed closer to the airport. Easy enough to get Alajuela bus to airport in the morning.

PANAMA

Radisson Summit: Booked using Club Carlson points on their website. Chosen because easy 15 minute drive to Soberania National Park and also because some rooms have spectacular view of the rainforest.

Courtyard by Marriott, Panama City: Booked using Marriott points on their website. Chosen because I wanted to burn my last 10k points and it was near the airport.

USA

Holiday Inn (Desert Inn), Las Vegas: Used Chase free night certificate. Chosen because I had to use the cert or lose it and they wouldn’t give me Venetian or Palazzo on Labor Day weekend.

Four Points Sheraton, LAX: Got BRG with 2000 SPG point bonus. Chosen because of this deal and free airport shuttle.

Maui Seaside Inn: Booked on Hotels.com using free night after 10 stays and this one was the closest to the value I had on my free night. Chosen because we wanted to stay in Kahului for easy access to Road to Hana and Haleakala. Also rumours of Mitred Parakeets in nearby area.

Hyatt Regency Maui: Used Chase Ultimate Rewards sent to Hyatt to book free nights. Chosen because of resort facilities and a great place to spend my birthday!

Sheraton Waikiki: Used SPG cash & points. Chosen in hopes of an ocean view upgrade (got one!) and infinity pool.

Royal Hawaiian: Used SPG cash & points. Chosen because I have wanted to stay in the “pink palace” since I was a kid and never thought I could afford it!

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