There are currently 2 flights to Osaka daily (3rd one coming in April), either the red-eye at or a noon flight. Although I would have preferred to try out the Dreamliner, the timing was rather not conducive for my short travel as I end up losing one day. I opted instead for the ungodly hour of SQ618 which departs at 130am (for 5.5 hours flight).
Over the years, my preference for my hotel bookings has slowly switched from 3rd party sites (Expedia – mainly for its 6 miles per dollar promo with Citibank previously) to that directly from the hotel. This is due to progressively less bonus promo from credit cards (DBS Visa Altitude still has 6 miles per dollar promo) and more expensive hotels (Kaligo offers 10 to 12 miles per dollar but at a significantly higher price).
My preference further changed once I signed up for the IHG Ambassador programme which then make me choose IHG properties as my first option (direct booking with IHG). There are indeed benefits one can get from booking directly with the hotel (especially when you have status with them) e.g. my stay in Holiday Inn Munich. Another of my preference (but only if I will be staying for 4 nights) will be utilizing the Citi Prestige’s Hotel Night benefit (in which the 4th night will be free!). One can occasionally double dip on this privilege (e.g. for my upcoming stay in Osaka where I managed to book on IHG for Holiday Inn Namba using member’s rate, getting the points and get the 4th night free!).
2018 had been a pretty busy year, and from the look of things – 2019 will be the same. What bad news we have that another round of devaluation from Krisflyer is just around the corner.
It was only in March 2017 that we had one round of devaluation (the biggest being the removal of the 15% discount for online redemption). To soften the blow, Singapore Airlines removed the fuel surcharge. This round, there is nothing to soften the blow as Business Class and First Class award tickets starting from Zone 1! (while Economy Class redemption remained). Perhaps, the permanent feature of Spontaneous Escape will be this round’s cushion but only a select few will be able to take advantage of the Spontaneous Escape promotion).
For my Hokkaido Trip this time, I will be traveling with my parents (both in their mid-70s). The tour group they signed up with is Organised by Parlo Tours (of Malaysia), which I will try my best to review as well. Instead of following the tour group from Kuala Lumpur itself, I chose to fly in from Singapore via Haneda instead.
I had to arrive one day earlier before the group do on October 9. After some research, I chose Terminal Hotel for its convenience as it is located inside the Domestic Terminal of New Chitose Airport. I made my booking via Expedia using my Citibank Premier Miles Card (for the 6 miles per dollar promotion). I paid about SGD $110 (inclusive of tax) and the rate comes with free buffet breakfast and entry into the airport Onsen (located at 4th floor in the Oasis Park). The entry fee for the Onsen cost about 1500 JPY (about SGD $20). The price I paid is for a single room.
Getting miles from credit cards in Singapore is not easy (compared to USA) but not exactly the hardest too. There are many credit cards out there that offer miles from paying annual fee.
To those who are against paying annual fees, this option is not for you. For those who don’t get enough miles for redemption on premium class, you probably should think twice before doing this. For those who don’t mind paying annual fees, these are the credit cards that you can consider:
I shall switch my focus to credit card for today’s post. Citibank Prestige card is one of the best card for miles earning with many benefits that come with the card. It may not be the best card if we are to judge it based on the number of miles earned on spending alone (that accolade belongs to ANZ Travel card, among general consumer cards).
The Haven by Jetquay is a lounge located in the arrival hall of Terminal 3. This is one of the partner lounge of Priority Pass and unlike the other lounges in Changi Airport, this lounge is actually located on the landside! This allows one to access it even without the need of a boarding pass. This lounge will come in useful for those who:
Date : 22 to 26 November 2015 (4 nights)
Price : SGD $900 (including tax)
Type of room : King room
Inclusive : none
I booked this room utilizing Citibank Prestige’s 4th night free. I chose this hotel mainly for the convenience, Amtrak Thruway Bus (continuation from my Amtrak Coast Starlight trip) stops right in front of the hotel. I definitely do not want to lug my luggage around San Francisco at 10:30 pm. I had wanted to book the Club room but as I will be spending most of my time away, I decided to just go for the King Room without any additional options (including breakfast).
The hotel is located conveniently at the junction of Market Street, California Street and Drumm Street and just next to Embarcadero. The BART, Electric Street car, MUNI Metro and cable car is just at the doorstep of the hotel! This makes traveling around the city extremely convenient. The San Francisco Ferry building is just a stone throw away. Using the above transport options, one can go to Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Chinatown, Union Square and other places easily. There are eateries nearby with Walgreens and 7-Eleven nearby too.
Date : 19 to 22 November 2015 (3 nights)
Price : SGD $899 (including tax)
Type of room : Studio Suite
Inclusive : Breakfast
Residence Inn in Downtown LA is located at one of the newest part of downtown, named L.A. Live. The hotel building is actually 2 hotels in 1 (i.e. Residence Inn and Courtyard, both under Marriott Group). I booked this hotel via Expedia (for the 6 miles per dollar under Citibank promo) as it was cheaper than booking with Marriott directly.
Date: 18 to 19 November 2015
Price: SGD $160 (inclusive of tax)
Type of room: Queen Room
Inclusive: None
We had to stay overnight in Pearson as our flight to Los Angeles the following day (AC791) departs at 8:00 am. With the US Border pre-clearance in Toronto, I had to make sure we arrive in Pearson by 5:30 am. There are many hotels around Pearson but the 2 most convenient hotels are Sheraton Gateway (at Terminal 3) and ALT Hotel at Viscount Station.
