Park Hyatt Istanbul – Maçka Palas, the Hotel Review

This summer we spent a few weeks in Turkey, and we absolutely fell in love with this country. We began our Turkish journey in Istanbul, one of the oldest and biggest cities in the world. We were happy to discover that Istanbul has several Hyatt properties, which not only meant that we could enjoy our stay in Istanbul for free (on points) but also would get exceptional service.

For our first 3 nights in Istanbul, we chose to stay at Park Hyatt Istanbul – Maçka Palas. This hotel is located in the Nişantaşı district of the city, within the walking distance of Taksim Square, various restaurants and shops, and just a short ride to the historical part of Istanbul.

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Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa, the Hotel Review

If you are looking for a family-oriented oceanfront resort in Southern California, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort and Spa is one of them. This Spanish-inspired hotel has a great location, just minutes away from the beach, with gorgeous Pacific Ocean views. Spanning across several acres, the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach has various dining options, pools, and a spa, and offers resort activities for kids and adults (including surfing lessons!).

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Waterfront Hotel, Oakland CA, the Hotel Review

We spent a weekend at the Waterfront Hotel in Oakland, CA a few weeks ago. The Waterfront Hotel is a boutique hotel located in the heart of the Jack London Square. A famous marina area on the Oakland Harbor and the Alameda Oakland Ferry Dock, the Jack London Square offers dining with water views, nestled with breweries and stores. It hosts special outdoor events and a Sunday morning Farmer’s Market.

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The Confidante Miami Beach by Hyatt, the Hotel Review

This post is about our 4 night stay in Miami Beach, Florida at the oceanfront hotel The Confidante Miami Beach by Hyatt.

This Category 5 hotel is from the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, with 20,000 Hyatt Points per night on a standard night (17,000 Hyatt Points on off-peak nights, and 23,000 Hyatt Points on peak nights).

We were lucky enough to book our room before March 22, 2022 when it was still a Category 4 hotel, before Hyatt updated its award chart and bumped some of the properties to a higher category.

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Park Hyatt Washington D.C., the Hotel Review

This early April, we spent three days in the Nation’s Capital – Washington D.C. To enhance our experience, we chose to stay at Park Hyatt Washington D.C.

We arrived at the Washington Dulles International Airport late evening and took a taxi to the hotel. If you are arriving at this airport, remember that it’s located more than 30 mi from Downtown Washington D.C. (in Virginia, to be exact); therefore, the ride could be relatively expensive.

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Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel And Spa On Del Monte Golf Course, the Hotel Review

Recently we spent a weekend at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel And Spa On Del Monte Golf Course in Monterey. So far, this was our fourth stay at this property, and we always enjoy it.

The hotel is a 22-acre property with two large outdoor pools, hot tubs, dining, a little outdoor area where you can play ping pong or a giant jenga, a gazebo with a fire pit for roasting marshmallows, and obviously a golf course.

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A summer trip to Houston, Texas, June 2021

Last summer we took a short trip to Houston, Texas to take care of some family business.

We booked this trip with Southwest Airlines and paid with cash which of course went towards the minimum spend requirement for a credit card signup bonus (at that time we were working on the Hilton Honors Aspire card, to learn how we spent the signup bonus, read about our Hawaiian vacation here). We had the A-List status with Southwest Airlines so we got our seats in the front of the plane.

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A weekend at the Carmel Valley Ranch

Vineyard at Carmel Valley Ranch
Vineyard at Carmel Valley Ranch

A couple of weeks ago, we spent a weekend at the luxurious ranch in the Carmel Valley, California — Carmel Valley Ranch.

We love Carmel-by-the-sea and usually go there to spend some time on the beach and walk around downtown, but we had never been to the Carmel Valley, which was only 20 minutes further inland.

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