Monthly Archives: January 2014

(Hotel Review) Hotel De Monti in Rome with Breakfast in Bed for 64 Euros/Night

(Hotel Review) Hotel De Monti in Rome with Breakfast in Bed for 64 Euros/Night

Good evening from Rome! I am going to give a hat tip to Trip Advisor for this one. I found this gem of a bed and breakfast for 64 Euros a night. Room rates are even cheaper now, only $55 for tomorrow’s stay. Don’t let the price fool you, this bed and breakfast is one of the best hotels in Rome. According to Trip Advisor, it is the 24th best hotel, out of more than 1,200 hotels in Rome!

The coolest part of this hotel is that they bring you breakfast to your room every morning. This is what we had for breakfast the first morning: biscottis, croissants, yogurt, hot cocoa, 2 glasses of orange juice, cappuccino, toast, prosciutto, Nutella, and marmalade.

Continue reading →

Virgin Atlantic Transfers to Hilton HHonors Ratio Changing from 1:2 to 2:3, use AMEX Membership Reward Points to Liquidate Balance

UPDATE 3/1/14 @ 5:30PM PST: my transfer from Virgin Atlantic to Hilton HHonors took 22 days to complete (see photo below).

HH Honors

Virgin Atlantic Transfers to Hilton HHonors Ratio Changing from 1:2 to 2:3, use AMEX Membership Reward Points to Liquidate Balance

(Hat Tip to Mommy Points for breaking the story)

Good morning from Rome! That title is a mouthful, I know, but here is the breaking news of the morning:

Please note from 6 February 2014 the exchange miles to points rate is changing. Flying Club members will be able to exchange miles at the following rate: 2 Flying Club miles for 3 Hilton HHonors points.
You can currently exchange miles at a rate of (up until 5 February 2014): 1 Flying Club mile for 2 HHonors point.
Minimum Level: 10,000 miles and then in increments of 5,000. Just call the Flying Club Helpline (1-800-365-9500) with your HHonors account number.

Now that the cat (news) is out of the bag, it pays to be proactive. I have a small balance of Virgin Atlantic miles (only 11,260). I want to get my balance up to 15,000 so I can transfer them out to my Hilton HHonors account.

Here is my Virgin Atlantic account. Copy your account number and head over to your American Express Membership Rewards Account. I’m skipping a lot of steps below, but you can see the entire step-by-step guide here. The guide shows you how to transfer to British Airways, but the process is exactly the same. Continue reading →

The Best Universal Travel Adapter Under $5 and a Funny YouTube Video Review

The Best Universal Travel Adapter Under $5

If you travel internationally with electronics, you need to be aware of any voltage differences and the type of plugs used at your international destination. The US uses the 100 volt standard, while most of Europe uses the 240 volt standard. In the US, most modern electronics are capable of supporting 100 volts through 240 volts. My laptop, iPhone, and iPad are all compatible in Europe. Look at the small print on your battery chargers or power adapters to see what the voltage requirements are (see photo below). If they look like this photo, all you need is an adapter to plug into European outlets.

But first, a warning…

If your electronics say 100 volts only, then stop reading this post and get a step up/down voltage converter. I don’t have a voltage converter to recommend, but I think I got mine at Radio Shack a few years ago. Don’t get a cheap voltage converter, since a cheap one might kill your electronics.

Now back to the best travel adapter under $5…

To read the entire article, please click here.

The Best International All-In-One Travel Adapter

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Grant. 11 Replies

Updated 7/5/2018 at 7pm: There is an updated version of this travel adapter, so I updated this post.

Good morning everyone. If you travel internationally with your electronics, you need to remember to bring a travel adapter with you. Most electronics in the US run on the 100 volt standard, but most new electronics can also run on the 240 volt standard (common in Europe and around the world). You just need to look at the back of your electronic device near the charger to see if your device can run on the 100 volt and 240 volt standard. If they look like this photo, all you need is an adapter to plug into European outlets.

This is where the universal all-in-one travel adapter comes in handy. I have 2 of these devices and they work perfectly. I can plug my laptop into the front charger, charge my iPhone through the side USB port, and charge my iPad through the other USB port.

In case you were wondering, here are all the plugs that are included in this universal travel adapter. When not in use, all the plugs fold in compactly and fit nicely in suitcases or backpacks.

If you have any questions about this universal all-in-one travel adapter, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!

(Hotel Review) Hilton Vienna and Executive Lounge (Great Breakfast and Appetizers)

(Hotel Review) Hilton Vienna and Executive Lounge (Great Breakfast and Appetizers)

Good morning/evening from Vienna, Austria! I am finally glad to be here since these 2 nights are my 2 free weekend nights from my Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve credit card. I got the 2 certificates last year and they were going to expire in a few weeks. I’m not staying at some high end tropical beach-front paradise hotel (Vienna is quite the opposite), but a free night is a free night. Here is what each night would have cost.

The Hilton HHonors Points rates are very good. The Hilton HHonors Points + Money rate results in 1.325 cents per point and the 40,000 Hilton HHonors Points rate results in 0.7 cents per point.

The twin room with city facing windows would result in even higher cent per point returns. Ideally, I would have used the Points + Money rate, but these certificates were going to expire, so you gotta do what you gotta do. I’m not a very good planner, obviously.