V-Flyer

With some good reward availability, a decent sale and one ex-EU my travel plans for 2016 are complete. I normally book a month before so this is very different for me but every time I've looked at prices or availability recently it's been too good to pass. All VS Upper which I'm very pleased about and 3 VX First flights which I'm really excited to try out. Was hoping to make Japan in 2016 but that can go on hold for another year.

Jan - BOS & NYC. £950. MPM.
Mar - DXB. £880. (M/K - both uprgaded with miles [FlyingCo])
July - Into SFO and out of LAS. Dublin the night before. £930.*
Sept - MCO. £1700. It's my 30th so this was slightly above budget but hey, screw it.

* - I've had trouble recently finding these flights on Expedia. I was using the multicity option which wasn't working. Managed to get that fare tonight and very happy!

Couple of questions...
1. Any hotel suggestions for SFO, SEA (can't wait for the Boeing factory again) & LAS?
2. Any quick legal schemes to pay for all of the above?

Great set of trips you've got booked there. I love having a few in the bank to look forward to

What sort of budget are you looking for with the hotels? We had a great stay at the Bellagio a few months ago, we had a suite which gave us lounge access and really quick check in Not cheap but not insane given how much space you get compared to say New York.

In San Fran we stayed at the intercontinental near Union square. Hotel was lovely and had good modern rooms with a great view. The surrounding area isn't the best but I'd definitely stay again.

Re: paying, how many kidneys do you have? ;)

Look on the hotel web pages for Vegas. Also check the dates to see if there are any planned events.
You can get very good deals booking direct & even call to haggle.
When there are no events on, then buyer is king. I would be tempted to leave it last minute & see what you can negotiate.
Tens of thousands of hotel rooms in vegas all wanting your business.

Before booking hotels in Vegas, sign up to the loyalty schemes like MLife for the MGM resort hotels. You can sometimes find that by booking through MLife you can get some reasonable discounts. If you download the myvegas app as well, and start playing the online slots (free) you can save the gold coins for discounts on food and drink whilst you're out there. We stayed at the Luxor which we enjoyed but it was one of the furthest south, so next time we are looking further up the strip. For SF, we stayed at the Handlery just off Union Square. Fantastic hotel with a great Irish bar behind it, and Leftys for great food and drink just down from the hotel. I'm not jealous at all!!!

Salsasam wrote:For SF, we stayed at the Handlery just off Union Square. Fantastic hotel with a great Irish bar behind it, and Leftys for great food and drink just down from the hotel. I'm not jealous at all!!!

Are you referring to Johnny Foley's by any chance? I LOVE the downstairs in that bar.

Yep - Johnny Foleys Irish bar and Lefty o'douls on Geary, just a couple of doors down from the Handlery. Great food, drink and atmosphere. Became firm favourites and bar staff in both were brilliant.

http://www.leftyodouls.biz
http://www.johnnyfoleys.com/index.php

ahh myvegas
I played when it first came out & there was no restrictions on purchases.
Between my missus & I, we had lots of freebies. 2x Tickets for the beatles show (priced as $400 on the ticket), 3x Buffets, $100 Diner Credit, $75 diner credit, Dueling Piano tickets/table, various dice & playing cards. etc.

I have stayed at the Omni in San Fran twice, and it was excellent both times. I know that it got Bretty's approval, too

In Vegas, we stayed at the Mirage for 2 nights due to its location (we wanted to stay in the middle of the strip, as it was our first time there), followed by one night in the Four Seasons (after our overnight trip to the Grand Canyon), mainly on the basis that it was near the hotel, with a great pool, and that it is possibly the only Four Seasons in the world that we can afford! We much preferred the Four Seasons but the Mirage, although not perfect, was a decent stay.

Personally I tend to book refundable rates where possible as I'm booking months and months ahead, and when more rooms and last minute bargains become available, I would happily cancel and rebook. You've got to be organised if you are organising a few trips/multi-stoppers on the go, but that is my way of getting the best value for money.

Are you a member of any big hotel chains? eg HHonors, IHG Reward Club? If you haven't already got it, it might be worth getting the HHonors Barclaycard, since upon hitting £750 spend you get a voucher to use in pretty much any Hilton hotels globally for a weekend night. If you could get your travel companion to do the same, that could result in a couple of nice stays in 2016.

Glad to see someone else who is as organised as me with the holiday planning!

We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in LAS. Oustanding is an understatement for this hotel. I is not cheap but compared to other MO's it is a bargain

It is central strip so in the action area, but not a casino hotel and so is a haven of peace in the midst of mayhem, which, for me, was a BIG bonus. The large casino hotels are anonymous and impersonal I think. There are some good deals to be had and it is a snip for a hotel of this standard.

The Wynn loked good should you prefer a casino hotel.

As mrsw has said, I'm a fan of the Omni in SFO. It's a fabulous hotel with great staff, and the concierge is excellent too. It's central and therefore offers easy access to everywhere, and is on one of the cable car routes.

I'm booked I at the Wynn / Encore in LAS in May at a ridiculous cheap rate but am also looking at alternatives, including the MO. I'm with Maximus and mrsw and have several hotel reservations on the go ready to cancel if a better deal comes along.