http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/ en Tue, 21 May 2013 00:31:27 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.luxurylink.com/community/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/some-musings-italy-1537/ Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:37:37 GMT I spent three weeks in Italy in October with my wife and here are some things that I noticed while I was there: 1) Italian women wear really high... I spent three weeks in Italy in October with my wife and here are some things that I noticed while I was there:

1) Italian women wear really high heels. It's amazing watching the women walk on cobblestone streets with their stilettos on.

2) Gelato is awesome! We quickly became gelato snobs and didn't buy any from shops that had it stacked up high in open containers. The best gelato was in shops that keep their gelato covered.

3) Even in the best hotels, Italian bathrooms don't have fans. That leads to steamed mirrors and subjecting others in your room to rude bodily noises.

4) Italians like their coffee, but it's served in microscopic amounts by U.S. standards. Starbucks would go out of business if they charged $3 or $4 dollars for a thimble sized shot of cappuccino.

5) Many shops and restaurants close for a few hours in the middle of the day.

6) Italians have fancy dogs. Some of the dogs looked like they stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book.

7) Italian women look like they never sweat.

8) Pizza. Wow! It's delicious! Pizza comes in one size and Italians order one pizza per person. They also eat their pies with a knife and fork. Unlike Americans, Italians don't share their pizza. In fact, Italians in general don't share anything when they are in a restaurant.

9) People have boring ring tones that sound like old-fashioned telephones.

10) House wine in Italian restaurants is good and cheap.

11) Don't tip in Italy, except for bellmen.

12) Waiters don't ask you how your meal is, if you would like more water or wine, etc. You get your menu, you order, you eat, you pay. The bad part of this is that you might want something. The good part is that they don't push drinks like they do in American restaurants.

13) Italian women must spend two hours getting themselves ready in the morning. Their clothing, hair and makeup always look perfect.

14) Italians wear very expensive designer eyeglass frames.

15) Italians are very passionate about food. Ask any Italian and they will go on and on about a particular dish that they love. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/some-musings-italy-1537/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/experiencing-pamplona-running-bulls-17-year-old-backpacker-1467/ Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:57:48 GMT I took a two month backpacking trip around Europe with a buddy when I was seventeen years old. We had spent a couple of weeks in France and had... I took a two month backpacking trip around Europe with a buddy when I was seventeen years old. We had spent a couple of weeks in France and had taken a train south to Spain when we got stuck for several hours at the border, waiting for a train into Spain. We were talking to some Canadian backpackers who suggested that we go to Pamplona, instead of Madrid, for the Festival of San Fermin. Since the wait for that train was several hours less than for the Madrid train, we decided to go to Pamplona. We arrived in the evening, stashed our backpacks in lockers at the train station, and proceeded to the town square. Thousands of people were singing and dancing in the central plaza to a group playing "It Never Rains in Southern California", a song that was popular at the time. We headed to a liquor store and bought a bottle of what was probably the cheapest wine in the store, being the impecunious kids that we were. People jammed the narrow streets and wine flowed freely. Other celebrants grabbed our bottle, took swigs, and handed it back to us. Brass bands approached us and we joined the informal parade following them. At some point, both of us passed out from all the wine we had consumed. We woke up in a park and my first instinct was to check my pockets to make sure that I still had my passport and wallet. Luckily, they were still there. We staggered over to the main street, where crowds had already lined up to see the running of the bulls. I vaguely remember sitting on a wooden fence as the massive wooden gate opened and the bulls charged out, hordes of locals and tourists running at breakneck speed to keep from being trampled. After the bulls had passed, we wandered down the streets to the bullring, where we watched several bullfights.

I travel quite differently these days in terms of sleeping accommodations and the quality of wine that I drink, but I have very fond memories of that trip. After all, it was that trip that gave me this travel bug that I can't seem to get rid of. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/experiencing-pamplona-running-bulls-17-year-old-backpacker-1467/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/doing-maui-cheaply-yes-its-possible-1421/ Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:36:25 GMT I just returned from nine days on Maui and I'm happy to report that I still have a bank account. As you probably know, Hawaii is extremely expensive, but there are ways to get around that if you're willing to plan ahead. My wife and I both have Alaska Air credit cards, which entitle each to an annual $99 companion ticket. (It was $50 until a year or two ago.) Since we were bringing our two teenagers, we had to pay full fare for only two of us, meaning that I saved around $400 on each of the kid's tickets (total savings of $800). My wife and I each have a Hyatt Visa card that came with two free nights, so not only did we stay at the Hyatt Kaanapali for free for four nights, but we didn't even have to pay the $25 per night resort fee. With rooms going for around $400 per night, including tax, we saved approximately $1700. Our partial ocean view room was very nice, but the wallpaper started peeling off in a corner of the room so we were upgraded to an ocean view room and given a $50 resort credit. Our room had a small refrigerator, so we stocked up at a local health food store in Kahului and made our own breakfasts and lunches. We splurged on dinners, eating at the Lahaina Grill our first night, at Roy's the second night, and at Hula Grill the third night. Roy's was our favorite restaurant on Maui when we lived there and in a strange coincidence, Alaska Airlines had placed $10 per person coupons on every seat prior to our flight, saving us another $40. The four of us went on a Molokini and Lanai snorkeling and whale watching trip one day. The ocean was too choppy for us to snorkel at Molokini or Lanai, so we snorkeled close to the Maui shoreline. We saw tons (literally) of whales, including a mother and calf twenty feet from our boat, and two whales breaching. At one point, several dolphins swam beside us. As we headed back to the dock, the captain announced on the loudspeaker that, because we weren't able to snorkel at Molokini or Lanai, everybody would get half their money back. We had an awesome trip and weren't expecting that! We spent our last four nights at a friend's house in Hana, so we didn't have any lodging expense there.

All told, we saved around $2700, which is a good start to our next vacation. I have no idea where that will be, but I'm already scouring Luxury Link and looking for some packages to buy. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/doing-maui-cheaply-yes-its-possible-1421/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/march-madness-luxury-link-style-1415/ Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:44:36 GMT I had been keeping my eye on the Mystery Auction for Albergo al Sole in Asolo, Italy, for several days. I'm planning a trip to Europe for some time in the next year, and I thought that Italy would be a great destination since I hadn't been to the country since I was a teenager. The package looked absolutely amazing and, having done my research, I noticed that the identical package was available as a regular auction item for $540, roughly a third of its retail value.

Bidding was going up very slowly, a dollar or two at a time, and several hours before the auction was due to close, it was still at around $250, an amazing bargain. I was hoping that the auction would somehow slip by unnoticed, but I was very wrong. I definitely underestimated the astuteness of the Luxury Link community.

My strategy was to refrain from bidding until there was one minute left, thinking that I could sneak in a winning bid. The problem was that five minutes is added to the auction if someone bids in the last five minutes before closing. So, although I had the lead bid for a short time, the clock reset and the bidding continued. Another community member must have had the same idea, since he/she also placed his/her first bid in the closing seconds. The bidding frantically continued and we went into double overtime. Then triple overtime. I decided to bow out when the price was only $30 less than the regular auction price.

The auction was a lot of fun. Although I've purchased many packages from Luxury Link, this was the first one that lasted so long. It was definitely March Madness, Luxury Link style! ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/march-madness-luxury-link-style-1415/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/teenage-trials-tribulations-europe-1404/ Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:15:05 GMT I took a year between off high school and college and worked for an office supply wholesaler. One day, I got a letter from a friend whom I had known... I took a year between off high school and college and worked for an office supply wholesaler. One day, I got a letter from a friend whom I had known since birth (my mom and his mom were and still are best friends), asking me if I wanted to backpack through Europe with him before heading off to college. You know that this happened a long time ago because people used to send letters back in the early 1970's. Going outside the U.S. was the furthest thing from my mind, but my parents encouraged me to spend some of the money I had earned during that year and I gamely accepted my friend's invitation.

Being only seventeen years old, we managed to get ourselves into several predicaments, but the one that sticks in my mind was in the Munich train station. We were out late and my friend had to use the restroom. We couldn't find a bathroom and it was becoming an emergency situation, so we went into the station where my friend proceeded to get onto a train. He checked the time to make sure that it wasn't going to leave soon and proceeded to take care of business, which is absolutely forbidden while the train is in the station. I waited patiently outside. Suddenly, the train lurched forward and began moving down the track. I panicked because I had no idea where the train was going. In addition, I had both of our passports and most of our money. Just as suddenly as it had started, the train stopped, only to move again seconds later. When it finally stopped again, my friend jumped out of the train with the most embarrassed look on his face. He told me that the incident scared the *^%$ out of him! ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/teenage-trials-tribulations-europe-1404/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/my-first-hostel-experience-many-many-years-1352/ Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:26:26 GMT I returned from Chile last week and the highlight of my trip was four wonderful days in San Pedro de Atacama. I flew to Chile with my wife to visit... I returned from Chile last week and the highlight of my trip was four wonderful days in San Pedro de Atacama. I flew to Chile with my wife to visit our daughter who is studying in Valparaiso. After two weeks in Santiago, Valparaiso and Mendoza, Argentina, we parted company. My daughter took a bus back from Santiago to Valparaiso, my wife boarded a plane to return to the states, and I got on an overnight bus heading north. After stopping for a day in Chanaral in order to visit Pan de Azucar National Park, I took another bus to San Pedro. Arriving late on a hot day, I opted to go for budget accommodations and found a bed in a hostel. For some strange, inexplicable reason, I was really excited to stay in a hostel. It had been many years since I had traveled this way and it really seemed appealing to me. The only other person in my two bunk bed room was a retired French lawyer five years my senior. He was traveling solo for two months because his wife doesn't enjoy staying in budget accommodations.

In the four nights that I stayed at the hostel, my other roommates were a young Israeli guy, a young German guy, and a thirty five year old German lady. All were traveling by themselves for various lengths of time with the German lady planning to be on the road for fifteen months. I had great conversations with my roommates, all of whom spoke English very well. I had forgotten that at any given time, there are thousands of people who are travelers, not tourists, finding their way around the world for long periods of time. I had also forgotten the freedom that one has when staying in budget accommodations, the only luggage being my big backpack and a smaller one for day trips.

The hostel was excellent. There were perhaps a dozen rooms clustered around a central courtyard. Some of the rooms had private baths, but the shared baths were immaculate. It seemed that they were cleaned hourly. The small shared kitchen was clean and functional. The staff was helpful and friendly, even though most of the them didn't speak English. It's amazing how we can convey what we mean even with just a rudimentary knowledge of a foreign language and some hand signals. For the bargain price of 7,000 CP ($14) per night, I had a clean bed in a quiet room.

Although I thoroughly enjoy staying in luxury accommodations, there's something to be said for hosteling. It's very easy to strike up conversations with other guests and it's a great way for solo travelers to meet people. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/my-first-hostel-experience-many-many-years-1352/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/sudden-about-face-airlines-1333/ Wed, 13 Jul 2011 03:18:32 GMT After spending hours and hours over several weeks trying to make a reservation to get me down to Buenos Aires, and then having the airline cancel my... After spending hours and hours over several weeks trying to make a reservation to get me down to Buenos Aires, and then having the airline cancel my reservation without telling me, and then spending more hours and hours getting them to reinstate my reservation, I was tempted to write a blog titled, "Why I Really, Really, Really Hate Dealing With Airlines."

However, my next phone encounter with United made me do a complete 180 and I've decided to blog about the exact opposite.

My mom was hospitalized on the East Coast for two weeks. After taking a turn for the worse, I got calls from my brother and sister, telling me that she wasn't doing well. That evening, I went to the internet to book flights that would take my daughter and me across the country some time in the next few days. I found an itinerary with a decent departure time and good layovers for only 12,500 miles one way, leaving in around 36 hours, just enough time or me to tie up some loose ends at home.

To my dismay, United was going to charge me $75 extra per ticket since I was booking less than 21 days in advance. I called United and explained to the agent that I would be traveling to see my hospitalized mom, who, because of her medical condition, had cancelled a United flight to see me. Although he was sympathetic to my situation, he told me that there was nothing he could do. I asked him to please talk to his supervisor, which he did, and he informed me that the $75 per person fee would be waived as a one time courtesy, but he had to charge me $25 per person because we were using a live (as opposed to dead?) agent. I explained that I had to talk to an agent because there was no way to avoid the charge on the internet without talking to one. Once again, he talked to his supervisor, and once again, they waived the fee as a one time courtesy.

But that wasn't all. Not only did the agent get two fees waived, but he also informed me that the flight would cost me only 10,000 miles, not 12,500 as stated on the internet or by the agent when we first started talking about the flight. I have no idea why this happened since the flights were over 2,500 miles, but I'm certainly not complaining. It just goes to show that it can't hurt to ask. I've had that $25 live agent fee waived as a one time courtesy several times now. I guess once is a relative term. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/sudden-about-face-airlines-1333/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/bought-nick-time-luxury-link-rescue-1313/ Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:05:39 GMT Before going to Cancun for Spring Break with my wife, daughter and daughter's friend, I spent a lot of time searching Luxury Link, Trip Adviser, and other travel websites to find the ideal hotel for our stay. We had never been to the Yucatan and I wanted this to be the perfect vacation. I had found a room for the last few nights of our trip, but not the first four. Unfortunately, I was having a very difficult time finding a hotel that offered what we wanted. There seemed to be something wrong with ever hotel. Either it wasn't located in an area where we wanted to stay, it was too expensive, the room wasn't big enough for four of us, etc.

Two weeks before leaving, I still didn't have a room for our first four nights and I was getting worried. After all, it can be very difficult to find a decent hotel in Cancun over Spring Break. One day, while doing my almost daily perusing of the Luxury Link listings, I noticed a package at Casa Turquesa, offering a suite with ocean view, welcome drink, free bottle of tequila and fruit bowl, breakfast every morning and two massages. Not only that, but the hotel was located on a quiet portion of the strip, far from the vacationing college kids. The only problem was that I had to buy two packages because the hotel would not allow all of us to stay in one room. Besides, having all of us in the room would have been uncomfortable and not very romantic.

The auction was supposed to end in two or three days when I found the package, so I thought that I would wait until just before closing to place my bid. No sense in driving up the price. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the Luxury Link website for a few days and I wasn't able to bid on the package and lost it. Now I was getting very nervous. I called Luxury Link and asked them how many more Casa Turquesa packages they were going to offer and I was told that there were three more. The next day, the identical package appeared. I placed my bid at the last minute and got it for the minimum price. Now all I had to do was buy the second package. If I didn't succeed, then two of us would have a place to stay, but two wouldn't. For four days, I impatiently watched as the time disappeared on the second package. Suddenly, someone else submitted the minimum bid. Now I was frantic. I didn't want to get into a bidding war with another person because I absolutely had to buy the package. I was leaving in less than a week and I didn't want to have three angry ladies on my hands. With trepidation, I placed my bid and watched as the clock reset and added five additional minutes to the auction. The seconds slowly ticked away. Five, four, three, two, one. The auction was finally over and I was now the proud owner of that second package. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/bought-nick-time-luxury-link-rescue-1313/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/abigails-hotel-victoria-willows-lodge-woodinville-1250/ Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:03:04 GMT With my 25th wedding anniversary rapidly approaching and no ideas what to get for my wife, I spent hours scouring Luxury Link and other websites for... With my 25th wedding anniversary rapidly approaching and no ideas what to get for my wife, I spent hours scouring Luxury Link and other websites for ideas. When the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington appeared as an auction item, I placed a bid and was elated to get the package. Not only are we getting four nights in a nicer suite with a fireplace and oversized whirlpool, but we're getting a welcome wine tasting, breakfast for two every morning, a lunch basket one day, $100 credit towards spa services or the restaurant, and full use of bicyles for riding nearby trails and wineries. There are close to sixty wineries in the vicinity and we're going to have a great time winery hopping. The deal clincher is that the Willows Lodge is located next door to the Herbfarm, arguably the top restaurant in the Pacific Northwest and one of the finest dining establishments in the country. We celebrated our tenth anniversary at the Herbfarm, and it will be great to celebrate our 25th there as well. Eating at the Herbfarm isn't a meal; it's an experience.



Shortly after buying this, I noticed an auction for a three night stay at the Abigail Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia. Aha! I could buy this and make our anniversay celebration a full week long. I bought this package, too, and it includes a bottle of champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries and fresh flowers upon arrival, breakfast for two each morniing, appetizers each evening and a 60-minute couples massage.



I'm still working out the logistics of our trip, including the dates and whether or not we'll drive to Victoria from Oregon or take the ferry from Seattle, but it's going to be a great trip and I'm really looking forward to it. A trip such as this, with all of the amenities, should be very expensive, but thanks to Luxury Link, it's extremely affordable.
Message Edited by thepiranha on 06-25-2010 10:04 AM ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/abigails-hotel-victoria-willows-lodge-woodinville-1250/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/great-mexican-gasoline-rip-off-1249/ Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:38:16 GMT The day before I was to turn in my rental car, I went to a PEMEX gas station in Tulum, Mexico. I was supposed to return the car with half a tank of... The day before I was to turn in my rental car, I went to a PEMEX gas station in Tulum, Mexico. I was supposed to return the car with half a tank of gas, which is the amount in the tank when I got possession of it. I figured that by the time we drove all the way to Punta Allen, back to Tulum, and then to the Cancun airport, there would be around half a tank of gas left.



All gas stations in Mexico are owned by the government, but that doesn't mean that the people who are pumping the gas are honest. I told the attendant to fill the tank with regular gas and while the pump was on, he was very friendly and we got into a conversation. A female attendant came up to my wife and also started conversing with her in Spanish. When the tank was full, the first attendant told me that I owed him 430 pesos, which is around $35. Since my last fill up cost me 271 pesos, I immediately got out of my car and told him in my limited Spanish that he was "no correcto," especially since the previous fill up required more gas than this one. By my calculations, I should have paid around 200 or 225 pesos, based on the position of the gas gauge prior to filling the tank. Even if the tank was bone dry, with a capacity of around 13 gallons, or around 50 liters, the gas would have cost less than 430 pesos since gas costs around 7 pesos in Mexico.



The attendant started writing some numbers on his hand, showing me that I owed him the full amount, but I pointed out that the pump said that I had used only 4.30 liters, which would cost around 30 pesos. I figured that he had pumped some gas, then zeroed it and pumped some more, thinking that I would be confused by the 4.30 on the pump. The attendant then dropped the price of the gas to 390 pesos, and after I told him that I wasn't paying, dropped the price some more. At this point, he told me that he had sold me premium, rather than regular gas, and that was what accounted for the price difference. Since premium is only two pesos more than regular, he was wrong, since he was asking for way too much money.



Meanwhile, the other four attendants had come over to see what the dispute was about. I firmly held my ground and told him that he had given me 200 pesos worth of gas. He laughed, but he kept lowering the price until we negotiated a final price of 220 pesos, slightly more than half the original 430 peso price.



So, what did I learn from this situation?



1) If you ever get gas ini Mexico, step out of your car to make sure that he/she zeroes the pump before pumping your gas. Attendants in some countries are known to leave the amount from the previous customer on the pump and then charge the next customer for the previous customer's gas as well as the new customer's.



2) Tell the attendant that you want x amount of gas, for example 200 pesos, rather than asking for a fill up. I learned this from the owner of the hotel I stayed at in Tulum, after I told him what had happened.



It's unfortunate that we can't trust everybody when we travel, but it is far better to be cautious than to get ripped off. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/great-mexican-gasoline-rip-off-1249/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/rose-bowl-here-i-come-1248/ Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:00:28 GMT Since moving to Eugene in 2000, I've become a big fan of the University of Oregon football team. I usually attend two or three home games each year and the games tend to be very exciting. Over the years, the Ducks have evolved from being the doormat of the Pac-10 to being a perennial contender and playing in some major bowl games. This year, the Ducks are doing what they haven't done since 1995, when they lost to Penn State. In fact, the last and only time the Ducks won the Rose Bowl was in 1917, which is a long, long, time ago.



I managed to procure two tickets to this year's game and my daughter and I are going to take two days to drive to L.A. We don't have any plans other than going to the game, but we're going to spend a few days in L.A. and will probably take advantage of the sunshine and go to Venice Beach, which is one of my old stomping grounds, drive through Bel Air, go to Hollywood, and possibly Disneyland.



One of the best things about going to L.A. is the great variety of restaurants. We're very adventurous eaters and we'll probably find some very good Ethiopian, Indian and Thai restaurants and maybe some others. Pizza from Pizzeria Mozza on La Cienega is definitely on our list.



I'll report back after we return from our road trip. Happy holidays! ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/rose-bowl-here-i-come-1248/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/memories-bali-1247/ Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:11:24 GMT Several years ago, my wife and I spent two weeks on Bali. We stayed in Ubud in a small bed and breakfast, which was actually just a room in... Several years ago, my wife and I spent two weeks on Bali. We stayed in Ubud in a small bed and breakfast, which was actually just a room in somebody's house, but the breakfasts were some of the best that I've had in my life. Pancakes, fresh fruit, fresh mango juice. We decided that we wanted to explore the island, so we asked our host about renting a car. This was many years ago and there weren't any offical car rental agencies in town. Our host told us that a friend of his, a local shop owner, may be willing to rent his car to us. Later that day, we met his friend and negotiated a price for the car rental. We were amazed at how different this transaction was from what we would normally do at home. We didn't sign any papers, provide a security deposit, or even give a credit card number. In fact, he didn't even know our names! We could have very easily wrecked the car and left for another island.



Later that afternoon, we headed out to explore the island. Spotting a hand painted sign that said "Waterfall" and had an arrow showing the direction, we turned onto a bumpy road away from the ocean. We parked our car in a small parking lot and were immediately surrounded by several children. One of them, the oldest, asked us if we would like to go to the waterfall with him. He must have been about fourteen and his English was quite good. He seemed very friendly and sported a big Balinese smile. We followed him through down a path to the waterfall and cooled off under the cascading water.



Afterwards, our guide asked us if we wanted to visit his house. Thinking that this would be a great opportunity to see the home of a native Balinese person, we eagerly agreed to go with him. As soon as we entered his small village, we heard a lot of noise coming from down the street. A Balinese funeral was approaching us and a parade of people were carrying the corpse in a wicker casket. Everybody seemed quite joyous and children were scurrying around picking up coins that were thrown by the participants.



When we got to our guide's house, a small hut made of branches and leaves, we were greeted by his grandmother. We were quite shocked that she was topless and her breasts were, well, what you would expect breasts on an old woman who had never work a bra to look like. She offered us coffee and, not being a coffee drinker, I politely declined. My wife accepted a glass and told me that it was the worst cup of coffee that she had ever had in her life. She drank it to be polite, but didn't enjoy it at all.



I look forward to going back to Bali one day. From what I've heard, the island is much more developed and not as laid back as it used to be, but I still want to see it again. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/memories-bali-1247/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/travel-so-much-more-complicated-than-used-1246/ Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:11:30 GMT So here I am, doing some last minute packing, thinking about how much easier air travel used to be. I remember just being able to pack a bag and not... So here I am, doing some last minute packing, thinking about how much easier air travel used to be. I remember just being able to pack a bag and not having to worry about what was in it. Less than 3.4 ounces of liquid? No sharp objects? Small enough to fit into the overhead rack? Will my checked baggage weigh too much?



I took my first trip overseas when I was seventeen. I had taken a year off after graduating from high school. One day, I received a letter from a friend of mine, asking me if I wanted to backpack through Europe with him. Going to Europe couldn't have been further from my mind, but I discussed this proposition with my parents and they encouraged me to take the trip. After getting a passport, plane tickets and a Eurailpass, I crammed some clothing into a backpack and took off for two months.



When I travel now, I make sure that I have my cell phone charger, a battery charger, extra batteries for my camera, e-mail addresses for friends, family and neighbors, copies of my passport and credit cards, the list goes on and on. I'm staying in far nicer accommodations than I used to stay in, but the planning is so much more complicated that it takes some of the joy and spontaneity out of traveling. But that's okay. I still have the travel bug and the joy of travel far outweighs the hassles that are involved. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/travel-so-much-more-complicated-than-used-1246/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/canary-islands-1245/ Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:29:48 GMT When my daughter was in eighth grade, her French teacher took a group of students to France over Spring Break. I went along not as a chaperone, but... When my daughter was in eighth grade, her French teacher took a group of students to France over Spring Break. I went along not as a chaperone, but as a participant, since the teacher had chosen fellow teachers to chaperone with her. Since my daughter and I wanted to spend longer than ten days on the trip, we were put on a different outbound flight from the rest of the group. When we showed up at the airport, we were told that the flight was full and were asked if we would like to take the same flight the following day. In compensation, each of us would receive $800 in Lufthansa vouchers. I immediately told the attendant that we would volunteer to be bumped, but my daughter was extremely hesitant because she wanted to catch up with her classmates whose flight had left half a day earlier. After explaining to her that the airline was offering us a combined $1600 in vouchers and that we would use those vouchers to buy tickets for another great trip in the future, my daughter reluctantly agreed to get bumped.



We spent that night at the Embassy Suites near the airport, going for a swim and having a great dinner at the airline's expense. The next morning, we took a shuttle into Portland and spent the day shopping and eating a good lunch. Upon arrival at the airport, we were once again told that the flight was full and that each of us could have another $800 in Lufthansa vouchers, but this time, my daughter was adamant about leaving Portland. I noticed that one of my daughter's old soccer coaches was checking in in the next line, and I asked him if he would keep an eye on her. Being a very precocious thirteen year old, I felt confident that she would be able to fly by herself. I collected my $800 voucher, giving me a total of $2400, and waited with her at the departure gate.



I caught up with my daughter and the entire group a day and a half later in Anguleme in the south of France. We had a great trip and the best part was the extra week that my daughter and I spent in Spain without the group.



After returning home, I had one year to figure out how I wanted to spend my vouchers and another year in which to fly. As the year went along, I kept thinking about the vouchers and how I wanted to use them. After much deliberation, we decided to use our vouchers to get to Frankfurt and from Frankfurt get to the Canary Islands on our own. We chose the Canary Islands because it was December and we wanted to go somewhere warm. In addition, while most people have heard of the islands, few people can identify them as part of Spain, and very few Americans actually travel there. The Canary Islands are the southernmost points in Europe, and being that we had to use our vouchers to fly to Europe, we opted to do a four island trip.



Our first stop was in Lanzarote, where we spent a week. Lanzarote is a beautiful island that is easily explored in several days. The art of Cesar Manrique is everywhere on the island, and you can see it at roundabouts, in museums and in buildings that he designed. We ate our share of potatoes with mojo, the most famous local dish, and enjoyed the warm weather. From Lanzarote, we took ferries to Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife. Each island has its own distinct environment and flavor. Unfortunately, all of us far preferred Lanzarote to the other islands and we were disappointed after we left Lanzarote.



The Canary Islands are a great place to visit, but they've become overrun with tourists from England and Germany. The most popular tourist destinations are teerming with condos and time shares and there is very little that is quaint or authentic in those areas. My advice to anyone who is considering a trip to the islands is to avoid the tourist areas. Spend some time in the city of Gran Canaria. Rent a car and get off the beat path. But most important, spend a lot of time in Lanzarote. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/canary-islands-1245/ http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/how-make-your-first-experience-buying-luxury-link-package-enjoyable-one-1244/ Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:14:16 GMT I recently purchased a fantastic package from Luxury Link. The package includes four nights of accommodations in a suite with a jacuzzi, breakfast... I recently purchased a fantastic package from Luxury Link. The package includes four nights of accommodations in a suite with a jacuzzi, breakfast for two every morning, one dinner for two including wine, and a personal tour of Guanajuato with a bilingual guide. Although I have been a member of the Luxury Link community for several months, I was slightly apprehensive about purchasing my first package. I finally decided to take the plunge and bid on a package after I found one that fit my criteria, which were a nice hotel that could accommodate the four of us, located in a city where I wanted to go, available at a time when we could go. I found the package by going to the Mexico properties listed under Destinations. It was easy for me to weed out the packages that I wasn't interested in because most of them are located in places that I'm not interested in going to or they aren't close to airports where Alaska Air flies to. I have two companion tickets as well as a lot of miles on Alaska, so I wanted to make use of one of these options. After narrowing the selections to a handful of hotels, I looked at the packages that they were offering, the price, and dates of availability. Some packages include a lot of very worthwhile extras such as a bottle of wine, meals, excursions, etc. The hotel that I was interested in was an auction item as well as a buy now item. The buy now price was considerably higher than the starting auction price, and well below the retail value of the package, so I went to the hotel website to find out more about the hotel and room prices.

After I was satisfied with the location and amenities of the hotel, I e-mailed the hotel manager to find out about availability during the time when I was interested in traveling. I also inquired about accommodations for four people since we will be bringing our kids with us. The hotel manager responded promptly and was extremely informative and helpful. Had she been in the United States, I would have called her, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on international calls so I corresponded by e-mail.

Meanwhile, I was keeping an eye on the auction to make sure that I got the property that I was interested in. My heart skipped a beat when I missed the deadline without placing a bid, but the same property came up on the auction list the following day. Since there were no bids on the package, I waited until a few minutes before auction closing before placing my bid. The auction closed and I immediately received an e-mail telling me that I was the high bidder on the package. It was late on the Friday before Labor Day, so Luxury Link was not open for the following three days. On Tuesday, I called Luxury Link, provided my credit card information, and became the happy owner of a great package. The whole process was extremely easy, efficient, and enjoyable. In conclusion, don't be afraid of dipping your toes into the water and buying your first package. Luxury Link makes it very easy for us to explore our big world. ]]> thepiranha http://www.luxurylink.com/community/blogs/thepiranha/how-make-your-first-experience-buying-luxury-link-package-enjoyable-one-1244/