OT Vacation Deals

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SlyPokerDog said:
Who or what do you use when booking a vacation?

Seems like there are a ton of deals out there right now.

I'm looking at the Riu Palace for 7 nights in Playa Del Carmen for $700 including airfare. Using a combination of credit card points and cash to get that price.

Seems like until the majority of the population gets the vaccine vacations are cheap right now.

But... I might be missing out on even better deals and nicer places.

So who do you use? Travel agent? Costco? Southwest Airlines Vacations?

Costco normally has good deals but right now they're more expensive than others.

I've gotten emails from Travel Zoo for years but all of their deals use other places to book the trips and that always makes be suspicious.
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Don't use priceline.
I start with Kayak.
 
EL PRESIDENTE said:
The Resort World towers are basically they'll have the casino and resort part. Each tower is a different Hilton property. One is a hilton, one is a conrad and one is something else. I think it'll be expansive like Hilton Hawaiian Village or some shit, who knows.
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I don't like paying for a property owned by that lame brain Paris Hilton although we did spend one night at the Embassy Suites during the power outage, which is owned by Hilton.
I remember the time when Embassy Suites use to offer the greatest complimentary breakfast ever but this time it was lousy. Must have something to do with Covid-19.
 
Lanny said:
We discovered our free coupons after we checked out. The coupons were in the form of business cards and tucked in with our room keys. That was our first night without power. We were so worn out that we had a night cap anyhow just to relieve some of the stress. Don't recall how much it cost and didn't matter 'cause we needed that one.
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Coupons? They have fallen far. Used to be 2 hrs free drinks time with snacks.
 
Was looking to book a flight to Hawaii, seeing its only $300 RT for memorial day weekend. May do that.
 
https://bigislandnow.com/2021/02/23/47-new-covid-cases-identified-across-all-islands/
47 New COVID Cases Identified Across All Islands
The Hawai‘i Department of Health reported 47 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, raising the statewide total to 27,270. No new COVID-related deaths were reported.

The state’s two-week average is 49 new cases daily, with a test positivity rate of 1.1%.


Zero new cases were identified on the Big Island Tuesday, according to DOH statistics. The state’s virus tracker, which maps cases by district across all islands, can be accessed here.

The island-by-island case count is as follows:

O‘ahu: 21,829
Hawai‘i: 2,234
Maui: 2.071
Kaua‘i: 181
Lana‘i: 108
Moloka‘i: 27
Pending: 0
Out-of-State: 820

A total of 1,840 individuals have been hospitalized as a result of COVID-19 infection since the pandemic began, while at least 431 people have died.

kona positivity rate is 0.4% last 2 weeks and most were travelers to island
 
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Tyrant of Ants said:
@EL PRESIDENTE , your trip to Vegas a few weeks back, did you see smokers at the gambling tables? Specifically talking about the casinos on the Strip. Wanting to bring a few Cuban cigars if I have enough time to hit the tables when I'm there.

Just wondering if smoking at the tables is banned during this Covid time.
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Smoking is fine at most tables.

Circa in downtown is 100% cigar friendly.
 
Tyrant of Ants said:
@EL PRESIDENTE , your trip to Vegas a few weeks back, did you see smokers at the gambling tables? Specifically talking about the casinos on the Strip. Wanting to bring a few Cuban cigars if I have enough time to hit the tables when I'm there.

Just wondering if smoking at the tables is banned during this Covid time.
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Yes, people smoked inside. I belive they were at tables, but it may be different for each location.
 
Cancun in late June. We’re going just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

preferably all inclusive and adults only.

a couple years back went to Isla Majures and it kicked ass. Super fun trip.
 
MickZagger said:
Cancun in late June. We’re going just haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

preferably all inclusive and adults only.

a couple years back went to Isla Majures and it kicked ass. Super fun trip.
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I booked the Riu Palace in Playa Del Carmen for May.

There are some smokin' deals out there right now.
 
MickZagger said:
What site did you use to book and do you usually do flight included?
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I transferred my Chase Sapphire miles to my Chase Southwest CC, SW is having a really good sale right now so it was only 7000 miles per person for each way, so 28,000 miles. Grabbed a discount code off of FB and booked directly with Riu.

8 days, 7 nights, suite, all inclusive, $1100.

Plus we're going to spend one night in Vallodid so we get morning access a few archeology sites.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...exico-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I looked at a bunch of different options and sites. SW Airlines Vacations came close but it worked better just burning the CC points.
 
MickZagger said:
What site did you use to book and do you usually do flight included?
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I looked at SW Airlines, Costco, Azumano, Chase, Travel Zoo, Expedia, and a few others.

If you're a resort guy the new Planet Hollywood in Cancun looks sweet! Costco and SW have nice deals there.

We thought about it but I really love checking out the Mayan ruins and I like the vibe of Playa Del Carmen better.

Almost did 3 days at Planet Hollywood and 4 days at Riu in Playa but the discounts were better with a 6 or 7 night stay.
 
SlyPokerDog said:
I looked at SW Airlines, Costco, Azumano, Chase, Travel Zoo, Expedia, and a few others.

If you're a resort guy the new Planet Hollywood in Cancun looks sweet! Costco and SW have nice deals there.

We thought about it but I really love checking out the Mayan ruins and I like the vibe of Playa Del Carmen better.

Almost did 3 days at Planet Hollywood and 4 days at Riu in Playa but the discounts were better with a 6 or 7 night stay.
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Im gonna have to check out Costco. My parents have used them for trips before and have been impressed.

My mom is persuading me to stay at her friends time share in Isla Mujures which is $125 a night and another $60 if we want all inclusive. But I went to the island last time and I’m thinking I wanna go to Playa Del Carmen this time

Thanks for the heads up.
 
MickZagger said:
Im gonna have to check out Costco. My parents have used them for trips before and have been impressed.

My mom is persuading me to stay at her friends time share in Isla Mujures which is $125 a night and another $60 if we want all inclusive. But I went to the island last time and I’m thinking I wanna go to Playa Del Carmen this time

Thanks for the heads up.
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Costco has no current deals for Playa, check SW Air's vacation packages.
 
SlyPokerDog said:
I looked at SW Airlines, Costco, Azumano, Chase, Travel Zoo, Expedia, and a few others.

If you're a resort guy the new Planet Hollywood in Cancun looks sweet! Costco and SW have nice deals there.

We thought about it but I really love checking out the Mayan ruins and I like the vibe of Playa Del Carmen better.

Almost did 3 days at Planet Hollywood and 4 days at Riu in Playa but the discounts were better with a 6 or 7 night stay.
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IF THEY HAVE THE PLANET HOLLYWOOD RESTAURANT, THE CAP'N CRUNCH CHICKEN FINGERS ARE OFF THE HOOK
 
SlyPokerDog said:
I transferred my Chase Sapphire miles to my Chase Southwest CC, SW is having a really good sale right now so it was only 7000 miles per person for each way, so 28,000 miles. Grabbed a discount code off of FB and booked directly with Riu.

8 days, 7 nights, suite, all inclusive, $1100.

Plus we're going to spend one night in Vallodid so we get morning access a few archeology sites.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...exico-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I looked at a bunch of different options and sites. SW Airlines Vacations came close but it worked better just burning the CC points.
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#sapphirepokerdog
 
Get a Priority Pass membership though Chase Sapphire reserve or Citi Prestige. At PDX you get like $28 dining credit per guest up to 4 at Capers Cafe. The Amex version you don't get the dining credits.

Lounges too in Mexico City and Beyond. The best part of the membership is the bathrooms are way cleaner in the lounges. Free food too, faster wifi and unlimited drinks (Inc booze)
 
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Also download the mobile passport app. Saves a shit ton of time coming back in customs.
 
We are going to Cancun for christmas and new years, big extended family trip to an all inclusive. Alaska is starting a their direct route to Cancun from PDX in November also! In the mean time my wife is too busy to plan anything solid so just doing the odd weekend at the coast, like this weekend at Newport.
 
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HailBlazers said:
Love Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, Isla Majures, Cozumel.
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I asked my wife to marry me on the beach in Tulum in 1989. Little different then! There were only a few ramshackle places to stay.

We stayed on a little cabana on the beach for $15 a night. The only electricity was a generator that ran during the day. I got so friggin' bored there that I carved a coconut shell into an ashtray; nothing else to do. We also ran out of money and so kept hitchhiking up to Cancun to the Thomas Cook office to see if the wire from my brother came in.

Different world.

Not surprisingly, the only thing I had to read was a book by Chris Matthews, Hardball. Great book.
 
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Tyrant of Ants said:
@EL PRESIDENTE , your trip to Vegas a few weeks back, did you see smokers at the gambling tables? Specifically talking about the casinos on the Strip. Wanting to bring a few Cuban cigars if I have enough time to hit the tables when I'm there.

Just wondering if smoking at the tables is banned during this Covid time.
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Cubans? How did you get those? Canada? Mexico? How?
 
Stevenson said:
I asked my wife to marry me on the beach in Tulum in 1989. Little different then! There were only a few ramshackle places to stay.

We stayed on a little cabana on the beach for $15 a night. The only electricity was a generator that ran during the day. I got so friggin' bored there that I carved a coconut shell into an ashtray; nothing else to do. We also ran out of money and so kept hitchhiking up to Cancun to the Thomas Cook office to see if the wire from my brother came in.

Different world.

Not surprisingly, the only thing I had to read was a book by Chris Matthews, Hardball. Great book.
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You should have brought a Wilson basketball and named it Nolan.
 
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