19 Sunday Jan 2014
Posted in Accommodations, Japan, Marriott, Okinawa
After packing up the car, Mrs. Selfish and I drove an hour north from Naha to our next stay, the Ritz-Carlton Okinawa. This was our first Ritz-Carlton stay, so I was a little unsure what to expect.
Golden chandeliers? Martini-fueled Bentleys? Diamond-encrusted butlers?
While it didn’t have any of these things, the Ritz-Carlton Okinawa still managed to ooze luxury.
01 Wednesday Jan 2014
Mrs. Selfish and I have been living in San Francisco for the last few months, exploring the city and the Bay Area. Well, “living”, might be more accurate.
While we’re physically in San Francisco, most of our stuff is still in a pod somewhere in Orlando, Florida, so we’re still living out of suitcases. Normally, I’d view this as a disadvantage, but after traveling for a year I’ve become pretty accustomed to the lifestyle. It’s nice to be able to leave and hop on a plane at the drop of a hat.
So it was with much anticipation, that Mrs. Selfish and I started our annual Thanksgiving trip. This year we decided to visit the Maldives, and Okinawa, Japan, stopping by Hong Kong, Fukuoka, and Tokyo along the way. An odd routing, to be sure, but we were in pursuit of an elusive beast.
The whale shark.
More on this guy, in a few posts.
27 Friday Sep 2013
Tags
Conrad Maldives, Doubletree Naha, Fukuoka, Intercontinental Hong Kong, Maldives, Okinawa, Ritz Carlton Okinawa, Selfish Year, Selfish Years
When we first started traveling abroad, I figured our year long wanderings would end one of two ways:
1) After traveling for a year we’d be so sick of it, that we’d immediately settle somewhere and never leave.
2) Our travel obsession would get worse and we’d have problems staying anywhere for longer than a month.
Unfortunately, it looks like it’s #2.
Mrs. Selfish and I have been settling into San Francisco for two weeks now, and I’m already starting to get antsy. While it’s nice to have a slightly more permanent home (at least for the next few months), I miss the call of the open road.
Fortunately, I anticipated this outcome and booked a new trip back in July. Come late November, we’re heading to the Maldives and Okinawa for scuba diving, by way of Hong Kong and Fukuoka, Japan!
Let’s see if the Maldives is everything it’s cracked up to be!
Okinawa, Japan’s Winter Paradise.
11 Saturday May 2013
Posted in Accommodations, Asia, Beijing, China, Marriott, Travel Hacking
Redeeming for miles and points is a strange beast. On the one hand, part of me (and I suspect part of many miles & points addicts) wants to redeem my points for the most expensive hotel I can get. On the other hand, another part of me wants to stretch my miles and points across as many days as possible since we’re in this for the long haul.
Sometimes there’s a happy intersection where a quality hotel, for whatever reason, is a complete steal at its current redemption rate. The JW Marriott Beijing is one such hotel.
07 Sunday Apr 2013
Posted in Accommodations, Asia, China, Marriott, Travel Hacking
For our stay in Hong Kong I booked a last minute 5-night award to the JW Marriott HK only a week before we arrived. Under the old category definitions, the JW was a category 7 hotel, meaning it cost 35,000 Marriott reward points a night. Thankfully, Marriott Rewards gives you the 5th night free on award bookings, so our stay cost 140,000 Marriott Reward points.
Since Mrs. Selfish and I both applied for the Chase Marriott Rewards card, we both had a free night and 70,000 Marriott Reward points to burn! Marriott is also nice because multiple family members can apply points toward one award, allowing me to Mrs. Selfish’s points if I fell short. This was especially useful, because for our time in China I was planning on getting platinum status.
Unlike other hotel chains, Marriott allows just about anyone to try their “Taste of Platinum” challenge. By completing 9 paid stays in 3 months, plus the month you request the challenge, you’ll earn Marriott’s platinum status for the next calendar year. Although it’s an amazing shortcut, the biggest benefit is the “taste” itself – for the duration of those ~3 months you’ll actually get platinum status, which gets you free internet, breakfast, a welcome gift, your choice of amenities, and an upgrade to a better room. We pulled a similar trick in Spain with Mrs. Selfish, but the AC Hotels didn’t really recognize platinum status quite the way Marriott-branded hotels in Asia do.
In Asia, they do one better, since there’s a great chance you’ll be upgraded to a suite.
