Hyatt Credit Card

Pondering Perks just took advantage of the Hyatt Credit Card from Chase.

The big perk:

Free nights at Hyatt properties, worldwide*

Receive 2 free nights after making $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months with the Hyatt credit card. This product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

That is any Hyatt- we have used this perk for our upcoming stay at the  Park Hyatt Sydney.  The rate for the Park Hyatt Sydney is approximately 1000 AUD per night- ($750 USD per night).  Incredible perk and savings!

The Park Hyatt is a 5 star hotel located in the beautiful Sydney Harbor.   We look forward to staying there and reviewing it for you.  Stay Tuned....coming in August.

                                                 

About 5 years ago- look forward to returning!

Spring Break 2016- Puerto Vallarta

                                                  

                                                 

1/2 of Pondering Perks went to Puerto Vallarta for Spring Break- their first time there!
We stayed at 2 hotels- Dreams Villamagna and Now Amber.

Flights-
Non stop United out of Chicago (ORD) -35K points per ticket
A little delayed getting out of Chicago but they allowed passengers to come up and take a picture with the pilot!

Our First Stop
 Dreams Villamagna is located in the Riveria Nayarit area of Puerto Vallarta.
Beautiful views in the Banderas Bay. 

We were upgraded to the preferred section of the resort on arrival.  This was a nice upgrade as it gave us a private check in and a lounge area that always had snacks and drinks available as well as an upgraded mini bar in our room  and wifi in our room (2 devices).

This was a great hotel with a lot of big pools- beautiful infinity pool but even better shallow pool that ended up being perfect for our son to meet friends and toss around a football.

                                                                                                                            

Dining- our favorite was the rooftop sushi bar- great sushi and even better sunset views!


The sea is a little rough- but great for boogie boarding (complimentary rentals available at the hotel)

They had a great kids club-our son meet friends right away at the pool and then they made plans to go to the kids club every night.


Next Stop
Instead of taking a taxi from Dreams to Now- we decided to rent car from the hotel- we rented from Avis and could return to Avis at Now.  We wanted to check out a little town called Sauylita (about 30 minutes from Dreams).


Sauylita 
this was a great little stop- sleepy little surfing town with cute shops/restaurants.  No hotels- just bed and breakfast, inn's and house rentals.  And a lot of surf camps!

On a friends recommendation we also stopped at Le Kliff for lunch- what an incredible drive to the restaurant and a spectacular view!

Now Amber
               We arrived to Now Amber and were greeted with a beautiful view from the lobby

This hotel was a Wow hotel- from the lobby, to the rooms, to the kids club, to the restaurants.  We were very happy with everything!

Now shares its space with the adults only property next door- Secrets.  You are able to go over there for dinner as long as you made a reservation with your concierge (reservations were not needed at Now for dinner).   We never made it over there for dinner as the dining at Now was amazing.  Our favorite was Castaways- very fresh tuna!

The Spa- located over at Secrets -it is a spa with a full wellness circuit (hot/cold plunge pools, pools with different water jets, saunas, steam rooms).  Included with any treatment-you can use the spa pools- or else purchase a spa pass. 

 The Kids Club here was one of the nicest ones I have seen and our son loved going there!  The first night we checked him in they gave him a little backpack with a t shirt and coloring materials.

Great activities for the kids- soccer, rock climbing, campfires, big screen movies and a great playground.  He went to dinner nightly with the kids club and couldn't wait to go back every day.

There was also a teens club that I didn't get a chance to check out but heard they had a great set up for the teens.  Pool Tables, Air Hockey, Video Games, Archery and basketball court.  They also had their own bon fires and nights out.

My son enjoyed the pool with the slide during the day but also enjoyed all the activities around the pool- giant Connect 4, Foosball tables, Giant Chess and the daily water balloon contest (2nd place!)

Both Resorts were very enjoyable and I wouldn't hesitate to go to back to either one!  I can be picky with all inclusive resorts and these both checked off items that are important to me.  Kids Clubs, Food and Atmosphere!

I did not use points for the all inclusive so I do recommend using a travel agent, especially one with knowledge in those areas.   Using an Ensemble Agent will also allow you to get additional perks at their preferred hotels (early check in/late check out,  resort credits and possibly room upgrades).

             


                                Until next Spring Break! Already starting to think about it and plan!

Last minute weekend get away with the kids to Arizona - on perks!

Sedona, Arizona

 By around February or March every year I start to get very tired of winter in Michigan.   I am always looking at flight prices from the mid-west to anywhere warm.   I always have a stock pile of miles on various credit cards too, in case I need a last minute get away!   One of my favorites airlines for points is Southwest.   Right now there is a 50,000 mile bonus if you sign up for a Chase credit card.  

During one of my flight searches I stumbled upon a round trip, nonstop flight from Chicago Midway to Phoenix, Arizona for 12,356 miles.    Yup, you read that right.  Since I had signed up for the Southwest Chase credit card previously, I had 50,000 Rapid Reward miles already banked in my Southwest account - so I immediately grabbed 4 tickets.     For $44.80 ($11.20 fee per ticket), I had 4 flights to Phoenix, leaving - the next day!  Ya - sometimes you have to be spontaneous!

My kids got home from school and I told them to pack their bags, because we were going on a mystery trip!

Me and my boys upon arriving at our resort!

After booking the flights (and making sure my hubby was OK with me and the kids leaving town), I started my lodging search.  I started by looking at the Hilton, Marriott, SPG/Westin and IHG/Holiday Inn websites, to see if there were any good point deals.   I made sure to choose "flexible dates" when I searched, to see what days were the lowest points (and possibly stay at 2 different places, depending on points needed).   I lastly tried hotwire, to see if there were any places that were just plain dirt cheap.   I always use the website Hotwire Revealed, when looking for lodging on hotwire, to determine what hotel I would end up with if I had booked through hotwire.  

Through my searching I found the Point Hilton Squaw Peak Resort for 24,900 Hilton Honors points per night.    I loved the resort because it had mountain views and several pools, including one with a lazy river, water slide and waterfall, along with a kitchen, including a full sized refrigerator and microwave.   I had enough Hilton Honor points already banked, so I booked the resort with points and $0 in fees!    (Hilton often times has 75,000 bonus point credit card offers and sometimes even as much as 100,000 bonus point offers).   Because I try to stay at Hilton's whenever I can, we are Gold Members at Hilton, so upon arrival at the resort we were upgraded to a 2 room suite, with a beautiful, large balcony overlooking the mountains and within a short walk to the Hole-in-the-Wall River Ranch.   Another great perk that we got to use!

Hole-in-the-Wall River Ranch at our Resort

My last step was to find a car to rent.  I generally find the best rental car prices right on the rental car websites (Avis, Hertz, Budget, National, etc).   I was able to find a mid-sized car for around $100 for the length of our stay.

After we arrived at the resort, I found a grocery store and planned out meals and snacks for our stay, to try to keep spending down. 

We did splurge on a few activities while in Arizona, including a day trip to Sedona to do some hiking and a horse back ride through the desert.  Both absolutely amazing along with a great inexpensive get-away that was a much needed break from the blizzard that was going on in Michigan!

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave Tour in Cayo, Belize

My husband loves history and one-of-a-kind adventures and I love new experiences, so after reading many reviews on the ATM caves we decided to go for it.   We were a bit nervous, but hoped that our status of "average physical shape for our age" would get us through the tour.

Lobby at Cahal Pech Village Resort

We booked Carlos the Caveman Tours and we met at Cahal Pech Village Resort to start our journey.   We were both wearing bathing suits, with quick dry shorts and shirts over top and we had both purchased and were wearing "swim tennis shoes" which I thought worked great for hiking in the water.    Other people in our group were wearing everything from standard hiking boots to swim sandals and had on long pants and jackets, to shorts and t-shirts.  We had bug spray and sun screen on.  Sun screen really wasn't needed because we weren't really out in the sun and we did not have any issues with bugs either, so probably could have been OK without both.   We were always a comfortable temperature.   The temperature inside of the caves and water temperature was always very comfortable.

We brought with us a complete change of clothes, including different shoes, to leave in the van for after the tour, a dry pair of socks to wear for part of the cave tour, and a bottle of water.    Nothing else was allowed in the cave.

There is a maximum amount of people allowed in the caves per day and a maximum number of people allowed on each individual tour (which is 8) so you should plan on booking your tour as early as you can.   With that being said, the caves were not crowded.

We met our group and I was very pleased to see a women that was probably around 70 years old in my group and her name was Anna.   I thought if she could do it, I could do it!  The rest of our group ranged in age from a newlywed couple in their mid 20s to a married couple in their 50s.

The tour started out with our group traveling in a van for about 45 minutes down some VERY bumpy roads.  I am a wimp and get car sick easy, so I sat in the front of the van and had no issues.
When we arrived at our destination our tour guide fitted each of us with hard hats with headlamps and we were offered life jackets.   Anna decided to wear a life jacket and the rest of the group did not.   We all put our dry socks in the top of our hats and headed off on the hike.

Start of the hike (although this
picture is from after the hike,
after we had changed our clothes)

We hiked through the rain forest for about an hour to get to the mouth of the cave.  The hike itself is very flat and our group was very leisurely paced, but you do have to walk across rivers to get to the mouth of the cave.  All of the river crossings had ropes you could hang on to as you crossed.  I found it was easier to just walk on my own.

Once we arrived at the mouth of the cave our tour guide went in first.  He would explain to us every step we should take, including exactly where we should put our feet when we were going over rocks.   The guide had the safety of our group, along with preserving the artifacts, as his top priority.  He had Anna go after him and then the rest of us followed along.   You kind of work as a team with your group as you go through the cave.  I watched the foot placement of the man in front of me, so whatever he did, I did, and he was doing everything the trained guide told him to do.  I knew if he did it and was OK, then I would be OK too.

As soon as you enter the cave you swim a short distance.   The swim was an easy swim (and you could have a life jacket on if you wanted) and the water was a nice temperature - not too hot and not too cold.   Anna actually said half way through the hike she wished she did not have the life jacket because it was just getting in her way and the swims were easy enough that it wasn't needed.

From that point on we were wading through water, climbing up rocks, swimming every now and then, and squeezing through a couple of tights spots.  I am having a really hard time describing the experience because it was so truly different than anything I have done before or probably will do again!   The caves were breathtaking.  The Mayan Ruins were unbelievable.  You really feel like you are back in time getting to peak into a world that you never thought you would experience first hand.  

Overall everyone on in our group loved the experience.   Something you have to see to believe and I really think it is something everyone should see!  

Passports

Did you know it has been 10 years since passports became mandatory for U.S. Citizens to travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. 

And since passports are valid for 10 years, the U.S. State Departments excepts a surge in renewal requests this year, possibly taking up to 16 weeks to process.

Most countries require that your passport be valid for up to 6 months at time of arrival to your destination. 

Check out the State Department Website for renewals.
http://www.state.gov/travel

And check those passports, don't get stuck!

Dining Rewards

         




One 1/2 of pondering perks was not taking advantage of this easy way to earn points!

Are you doing this easy reward system?

Just link your credit card and when you dine out at participating restaurants- you will earn points!  I am embarrassed to say-a place I have breakfast at least once a week is a participating restaurant-shame on me!

These are the most lucrative out right now- you can also look at Southwest and Jet blue.  And for hotels- Hilton and IHG.   You can sign up for them all-just use a different card for each one.

Delta 
Right now they have a  bonus- 3K points when you dine at a participating restaurant

https://skymiles.rewardsnetwork.com/

For a limited time, join SkyMiles^® Dining and earn (within your first 30 days):

• 500 bonus miles* for your first visit to a participating restaurant;
• 1,000 bonus miles for your second visit to a participating restaurant;
• 1,500 bonus miles for your third visit to a participating restaurant

for a grand total of 3,000 bonus miles.

*SkyMiles^® Medallion Members earn 1,000 bonus miles for their first visit, for a total of 3,500 bonus miles!

Fine print-

To earn rewards through this bonus, you must first register for the bonus. Within 30 days of creating a dining profile, you must dine at any participating restaurants, bars, or clubs and spend at least $30 (including tax and tip) on each check. Within 30 days of every visit, you must also complete a post-dine survey of the restaurant, bar, or club. Please note that all checks must be paid for with a credit or debit card registered with SkyMiles Dining at the time of the visit.

American 

 Right now they have a bonus of 1K if  you dine at a participating restaurant within 30 days of signing up.

https://aa.rewardsnetwork.com/ 

Fine Print

 Within 30 days of creating your dining profile, you must dine at any participating restaurant, bar, or club and spend at least $30 (including tax and tip) on your check. Within 30 days of that visit, you must also complete a post–dine survey of the restaurant, bar, or club.

 United

Right now-they have a 1K bonus for just signing up! With their bonuses right now-can earn up to 3500 miles. 

https://mpdining.rewardsnetwork.com/

Fine Print

Upon creating your dining profile, you will earn 500 bonus award miles. Plus you will earn an additional 500 bonus miles, for a total of 1,000 bonus miles, when you create your dining profile between March 1, 2016 and April 10, 2016.
To earn each additional 500 bonus miles (up to 2,500 bonus miles), you must dine within 30 days of creating their dining profile at any participating restaurant, bar, or club and spend at least $25 (including tax and tip) on your check. All restaurant visits must be completed by May 10, 2016 at 11:59 pm Eastern time to qualify for this promotion. Limit one bonus–qualifying visit per restaurant per day. Please note that all checks must be paid for with a credit or debit card registered with MileagePlus Dining at the time of the visit. You may earn this additional bonus amount five times for a maximum amount of 3,500 bonus miles (initial 1,000 bonus miles plus 2,500 bonus miles).

 

Tikal

                                                           Guatemala/Tikal

Tikal was a highlight to our San Ignacio portion of the trip.   Since we had 4 of us- it made more sense to go private ($150 pp)  as it was about the same as a group tour and we would then be on our own schedule.

The price included - transportation to and from the hotel, Tikal entrance fee, Tour Guide, road tolls, lunch, water and sodas.  We did have to pay a separate tax to enter Guatamala.

We were very close to the border -only about 20 minutes but it was about an hour and 1/2 to Tikal.

We stopped for a photo  at a Lake- it was nice to get out and see some local life.  No boats or houses on the Lake though-it was a national park.

After entering Tikal- we spent about 2 hours with our guide exploring the ruins and the park.  Our guide was great having us avoid any crowds (though it seemed like a light day at the park) and leading us through the jungle a bit which I did not see any of the bigger groups doing.

                                        Star Wars Trivia!  Take a look at the below picture.
                                                    Top photo is from my i phone
                                             Bottom picture is the rebel base on Yavin 4.

After a Belkin Break with our guide it was on to the best part-the Tikal Temple.






It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the Pre-Colombian Maya Civilization dating back to 4th Century BC though it reached its peak between 200-900 AD.  It was re discovered in the jungle in 1853 and became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

Pictures don't do the site justice.  We all felt like this day was a must do and really enjoyed the whole experience.  Our guide was great and it was a nice day spent in Guatemala!

Ka'ana Belize

                                          Belize- Part 1- San Ignacio

After some quick thinking to avoid Winter Storm Jonas- we all did arrive together into Belize.  A quick stop at the duty free store at the airport and we were on our way!  We had arranged our private transfer directly with Ka'anna and they included a free stop at the Belize Zoo.

Belize Zoo-
"The Best Little Zoo in the World" and it was!  The animals are all native to Belize but they are also all either rehabilitated or rescued. I think we were all surprised at how much we enjoyed the zoo! It was a perfect stop on our drive up to San Ignacio.

Ka'ana- luxury boutique resort in San Ignacio
 We stayed 3 nights here and fell in love with the hotel.  The location is set right off the highway but you don't realize that once you are on the property.  It is about a 10  minute drive into town (and a somewhat expensive taxi ride considering the distance- $15-20).

The Rooms- 
Stayed in Balam Rooms- we preferred room 15 as it had a day bed, bigger sitting area and a table and chairs (perfect for early morning room service!)

We checked out the suites- the infinity pool suites are worth an upgrade especially if you are on your honeymoon  or celebrating!

The food was outstanding!  Local Beers, fresh seafood and a substantial continental breakfast was included with our room.  Everything was Farm to Table- with their own Farm on site.

Continental Breakfast- great French Press Coffee

Ceviche!

Eggshells- farm to table

Farm to table

Bar Menu- we took a picture so we could remember what was in our favorite soup- 

We went into town one night  to grab dinner locally and explore the town.  The Town is not very big and not a ton of restaurants.  A couple that we wanted to try out where closed that night (Sunday) so we went to Han nah's.  It was excellent!

Chicken, coconut rice and plantains

Inside Han-Nah's

More to come on the tours we did while staying in San Ignacio...

UnBelizable Vacation!

                     Pondering Perks just returned from an UnBelizable Vacation to Belize!

Airfare:
 Had signed up for the US Airways Credit Card (now AA Advantage Credit Card) where you received 50K miles for only one purchase.  YES-only one purchase! No longer available but it was a deal to good to pass up.  With those we secured flights to Belize for 37K miles round trip.

Before we were scheduled to depart- Winter Storm Jonas made a wreck out of east coast Airports.  We were able to reroute via Dallas vs Charlotte saving our trip!

Itinerary:
3 nights in the Jungle, 4 nights at the beach
Activities- ATM, Barton Creek Cave, Tikal and Snorkeling

Hotels-
Ka'ana-- http://kaanabelize.com/
Victoria House -http://www.victoria-house.com/

Stay Tuned for reviews and pictures of our adventure!