trip report

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Review: Air France Lounge JFK @ Terminal 1

by Harlan 8 Comments

people sitting in a room with large windows

Also see: 

Before I headed down to Martinique to stay at the Hotel La Pagerie (with the 4th night free!), I had to get to JFK to experience my first Norwegian flight, departing out of Terminal 1.

What lounges are there? The Air France Lounge and the KAL (Korean Air Lines) Business Class Lounge – Priority Pass gets you into both.

I’ve been to the KAL Lounge before and was underwhelmed. Plus, the Air France Lounge was literally right next to my departing gate (Gate 1). Perfect!

I got free admission for me and up to 2 guests thanks to the Priority Pass I got with Citi Prestige. But day passes are between $35 and $50, depending on time of day. I brought Jay with me, so I peg this visit for at least $70, and have updated the Citi Prestige by the Numbers page to reflect this visit.

The lounge

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Hotel Review: La Pagerie, Les Trois Ilets, Martinique

by Harlan 4 Comments

a courtyard with palm trees and buildings

Also see: 

The ticket to Martinique cost $67 out-of-pocket ($317 fare – $250 Citi Prestige airline credit). And I booked Hotel La Pagerie through Citi Travel Concierge and got the 4th night free.

Citi Prestige saved me a boatload of cash on this trip. Safe to say I love this card.

Grounds of the Hotel La Pagerie

Grounds of the Hotel La Pagerie

Arrival and check-in

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Austin/Arboretum

by Harlan 5 Comments

a lobby with a reception desk and chairs

File this under “Writing about it before I forget it happened.”

First impression: Wow – there are a LOT of chain hotels in Austin. I… had no idea there were so many.

In fact, there are three Hyatt Place locations in Austin:

But I’ll focus on the last one.

We passed many, many other hotels on the way to it.

I flew down to Austin for a work meeting, and that’s what I did most of the time. So I didn’t get to enjoy the amenities of the hotel, like the pool or gym.

I kinda flew down, checked in, and slept there in the evenings. Which was fine. Here’s my take on it.

Arrival and check-in

Great! I was harried. I’d left my ID in the rental car, and was a mess of bags and random crap after traveling all day. But the desk agent could not have been more thorough or professional or welcoming.

My Hyatt Platinum elite status was acknowledged, and she asked which room I’d prefer. I opted for the bigger room on a higher floor near the elevator: PERFECT.

Hyatt Place Austin lobby

Hyatt Place Austin/Arboretum lobby

I got room 516 on the 5th floor, was given a wifi code, and was told about the free breakfast in the morning.

The room

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