Rome (FCO) – New York (JFK)
AZ608
28 JAN 2013
Boeing 777-200
Economy Class
Seats 40A, 40B

Both Joann and I can easily say that this was the worst flight of our lives… and it had nothing to do with the airline.

Because I wasn’t able to check in online, I had to get our seats assigned at the counter in Madrid and by that time, there weren’t many seats left. We were assigned the second or third to last row.

Normally, that’s not a problem. This time, we had a mother and her two kids behind us. The kids were seated behind Joann and me. Our seatmate was lucky and sat in front of the mother. Oh and we had a couple whose terror of a toddler was in front of us.

First, one of the kids was in a car seat that stopped one seat from reclining AT ALL.

Second, the older kid, a toddler, seemed to enjoy kicking our other seat for the entire duration of the flight when he wasn’t sleeping.

Third, the toddler in front of us was just a terror – standing up on the seats, throwing things (at us!), etc.

We have a niece and nephew that we babysit often so we understand the pains of traveling/caring for children, but this was one of those cases where the parents made zero attempt at controlling their children.

That is a #1 pet peeve of mine when people travel with kids. If you make an effort, it will be noticed and people will have sympathy for you. If you just put on your headphones, go to sleep, and let your kids run rampant, that will also be noticed and you’re just an a-hole in my book, to be honest.

That’s enough of my rant. Suffice to say it was a terrible flight and we could not wait to deplane as soon as we landed.

The bright spot was that Global Entry is still awesome! We landed at 1:45 PM and the immigration hall was pretty packed.

It’s always a great feeling to bypass everyone and head straight for those glorious GE machines!

We would have made a clean getaway had our checked bags not taken over 30 minutes to come out! Oh well, wish we could have packed lighter!

]]> http://thehustleblog.com/2013/05/23/mistake-to-madrid-alitalia-economy-class-rome-new-york/feed/ 0 http://thehustleblog.com/2013/05/23/mistake-to-madrid-alitalia-economy-class-rome-new-york/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thehustleblog/~3/IWMFxugjtBk/ http://thehustleblog.com/2013/05/21/mistake-to-madrid-leaving-madrid/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 02:15:30 +0000 infamousdx http://thehustleblog.com/?p=4381 TRIP INDEX

After a few short days in Madrid, it was time for us to leave. I called down to the front desk so we could get some help with our bags and have taxi waiting for us. We said goodbye to the best upgrade we’ve gotten to date and went downstairs to the lobby.

Executive Suite

Waking up for a 6 AM flight is never fun; it was still dark out.

So long, Westin Palace

The taxi ride was about 30 minutes with barely another car on the road. It cost about 30 Euros. If our flight was later, we would have taken the cheaper Metro, but it doesn’t open until 6 AM.

We arrived at the airport at 4:30 AM, which was apparently too early for our 6 AM flight because the check-in desks weren’t even open yet but the queue was dozens of people long.

To top it off, Madrid-Barajas Airport was in the midst of a cleaning worker strike due to salary cuts so there was garbage EVERYWHERE. I should have taken some photos, but it was too early for anything of the sort. Check out this article for a picture of what it was like.

Eventually, some pleasant Alitalia agents manned the desks and the line moved slowly but surely. It was still plenty of time to go through security where bottles and other trash was just piled up in corners.

At this point, it was around 5:15 and we didn’t even have anything to eat. Nothing was open so we grabbed a few drinks from the vending machine (they take credit cards, woohoo!) and sat at the gate.

Nothing else to do but sit and wait, in the dark. Apparently, it was too early to start turning on lights.

Madrid (MAD) - Rome (FCO)
AZ59
28 JAN 2013
Airbus A320
Economy Class

The great thing about the first flight of the day is that boarding is usually pretty quick. Everyone is still groggy, just wanting to get on the plane and into their seat to get some rest. 

That’s exactly how this flight went and, after two and a half hours, we landed back in Rome for a short layover.

Food in Madrid

When people think of food in Madrid, they think of jamón, tapas, and wine. At least, that’s what we thought of initially. While that might pigeonhole a destination, there’s nothing with pointing out the bright spots of a city!

Like any major city, there were places to grab a quick bite and also places where you could sit down and have a masterfully crafted meal. Joann and I usually like to experience a bit of both whenever we go anywhere.

Museo del Jamón

Museo del jamón

As I said before in a previous post, this was THE first thing we ate in Madrid. It was on our way from the subway stop to the Westin Palace. If you visit Madrid, you must visit one of their handful of locations.

It’s a great place to stand at the bar, have a 1 Euro beer (that come with free mini sandwiches) and eat some Spanish ham. Is it the best quality stuff? Of course not, but for the price, there’s no reason you shouldn’t pop in every time you pass one.

Jamón y queso bocadillo

Jamón ibèrico

Bodega de la Ardosa

Bodega de la Ardosa

This was on the radar when I was doing some research. When Anthony Bourdain paid the authentic and very old venue a visit on No Reservations, that helped push it to the top of the list.

It’s a very small bar that is all standing room only. To get to the back section, you have to duck under the bar, right past the bartenders. Weird, and I never would have known that if I didn’t read some reviews.

Salmorejo

Croquetas de jamón y queso

Amazing tortilla de patata

This was another great stop for some small bites and more vino. The service is quick and you should brush up on your Spanish a little bit.

Chocolatería San Ginés

Chocolate con churros

Another Madrileño institution, Chocolatería San Ginés started serving this beautiful snack in 1894. It’s so simple but also delicious.

The churros are the perfect texture, especially when you get them right out of the fryer. The hot chocolate is so rich and decadent, definitely unlike any hot chocolate you’d get in the US. Its viscosity is almost that of melted chocolate bars, perfect for dipping hot churros.

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel

Mercado de San Miguel is another tourist spot of Madrid. It was definitely worth a visit.

It is set up as a large market with many vendors throughout. If you can’t find something great to eat in here, you must be doing it wrong. We started off with some paella, which was delicious. The toasty socarrat was definitely my favorite part; the rice, most importantly, was cooked perfectly.

Paella y vino

The market isn’t cheap by any means. The picture above was about 5 Euros; I guess that’s not terrible considering that wine came with it as well.

Various fish tapas

The bites above were pretty awesome as they were only 1 Euro apiece. Plenty of flavor for a 2-bite snack.

My favorite part of the Mercado de San Miguel was definitely the jamón ibèrico. It was amazingly, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It was definitely leaps and bounds ahead of Museo del Jamón in terms of quality.

I wish I could take that pig leg home!

Beautiful jamón ibèrico

Le Cabrera

The restaurant so nice we went there twice! Yes, this has actually never happened before. We’ve never gone back to a pricey restaurant on such a short trip, but Joann and I felt that the creativity and quality of food warranted a return visit.

A classically trained French chef, fluent in French, Spanish, and English was very passionate about the food that night (and I’m sure every night). Chef Ben was eager to explain each dish to us and you could feel the sense of pride beaming from him as he served us each course.

We dined at the bar, which was right in front of the kitchen, and I’m glad we did. We were able to see each part of the meal come together and the care with which each part of the dish was created. It was a really great culinary experience!

Pan con tomate & anchoas w/passion fruit vinaigrette

Rabbit risotto

Falafel w/house made mustard

I forgot the name of this dish but it was eggplant with some creme fraiche… second best dish!

Bombon de carne w/caramelized foie gras & truffle cream… the reason we came back!

“Cheesecake” in a mason jar

This is actually great news because that form was a pain and I had mixed results while traveling. Sometimes, even though I filled out the form, my card would get declined. Obviously, I always carry back up (non-Chase) cards while traveling. Nevertheless, it was an unnecessary hassle.

Remember this thing?

Travel notifications no longer required
Your Account Ending in 1058

Dear Michael Las:

As part of our continuous efforts to improve your experience with your Chase Sapphire card, we’ve made an update to your account.

In the past, you may have notified us of your travel plans to ensure uninterrupted service while traveling. Because we value your business and your use of this card, you no longer need to provide us with your travel information.

Our fraud detection systems will continue to protect and monitor your account, and we may still decline charges that appear fraudulent.
Your account satisfaction and security is our priority. Should you need us while traveling, call the number on the back of your card anytime. Thank you for choosing Chase.

Sincerely,

Chase Card Services

This is taking after American Express who also does not require any travel notification. They must have confidence in their fraud detection systems.

One thing to note is that this is specifically for my Chase Sapphire card. It makes no reference to the other 3 Chase cards I have.

Since we had never been to Madrid prior to this trip, Joann and I did some research and talked to some friends who had been before. The general consensus was to enjoy museums, vino y jamòn, and just the history of the city itself! I couldn’t be happier with that as a foundation of our short time in Madrid.

Museums

Our hotel, The Westin Palace Madrid, is in perfect location if you would like to be within easy walking distance to all three main museums in Madrid – Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Museo Reina Sofía. Together, they are known as the Golden Triangle of Art.

I won’t be the one to pretend to know things about art or anything like that. I’m the furthest thing from an art lover. What I do know is that I enjoyed all three. They were all different, featuring different works from different countries and eras.

My favorite works were Picasso’s Guernica, located in the Reina Sofía, and Goya’s Black Paintings, which are featured in the Prado.

Someone (not me!) snuck a pic!

Sights

I won’t go into much detail about the things we did because I’d just be regurgitating stuff I read on Wikipedia or Trip Advisor, but here are the main things we did during our 3 days in Madrid.

Buen Retiro Park is a large and beautiful park just on the edge of the city center, a 10 minute walk from The Westin Palace and very close to the Puerto de Alcalá. The park is lovely to walk around, seeing street vendors and performers, countless large sculptures, fountains, and more. There is even a large artificial lake in the middle of the park where you can go for a boat ride.

Retiro Park is so huge that we didn’t even get a chance to see all of it. I would imagine you could easily spend a half day or more here just wandering around, taking in sights or even just lounging anywhere. Plenty of people were doing it when we went.

Monument to Alfonso XII

Puerto de Alcalá is a grand gate in the eastern part of the city. Carlos III demanded a majestic gate for royalty to enter the city, as he did not feel the original Puerto de Alcalá was fit for a king. The original one was demolished and the one you see now was completed in 1769. We saw it multiple times during our stay since it was close to the hotel. It was much nicer at night than it was during the day.

Puerto de Alcalá

Puerta del Sol is the more famous and much busier gate in the city. It is where several roads meet and is a beautiful place to hang around on sunny day and people watch. Tourists and Madrileños alike were swarming this place when we were there.

People watching at Puerta del Sol

The Plaza Mayor is the main plaza in all of Madrid. It is a huge rectangular plaza surrounded by three-story buildings on all sides. There were a few shops and restaurants surrounding the Plaza, but, other than that, there isn’t much to see unless there is a scheduled event. For us, it was just a check off the list of touristy things to see. It is a very short walk away from Puerta del Sol.

The Palacio Real was probably my favorite sight from our trip. Literally, The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family. Apparently, the current King and Royal Family do not live there; they live in a less ostentatious palace. You are able to tour the palace for 10 Euros (I think) and it is well worth it. The current palace is almost 300 years old, but the site was originally used as a fortress in the 9th century. Everything about it was awe inspiring – the architecture, the history, the opulence. It was amazing to see how royalty lived. There were so many different rooms, all with different purpose, and the palatial decor was fitting for a structure that old and historical. I definitely recommend spending a good bit of time in the Palacio Real.

Palacio Real

Overall

I think there are a number of things to do and see in Madrid, and we were only there for 3 days. Had we been there longer, we might have tried to venture outside of the city for a day trip. Maybe next time though.

A quick recap of the promotion is as follows:

• Earn double Starpoints on all eligible stays from May 1 through July 31, 2013
  • List of hotels not participating
• Get 500 bonus Starpoints for each eligible booking made through our spg.com mobile site, the SPG® App for iPhone® or the SPG App for Android™

Again, it’s nothing ground breaking at all, but if you have Starwood hotel stays in the works, you might as well earn some extra points for them.

Westin Palace Madrid

After chowing down on croissants and beautiful pieces of jamòn and downing 1 Euro beers, we walked the rest of the way to the hotel. It’s a real looker when you come upon it.

Westin Palace Madrid

Planning

When planning this trip, there were plenty of hotels to choose from in Madrid, but this one seemed to be the grandest. I decided to burn some of our Starpoints.

At 4,800 points and $90 per night, this hotel offered great value. The rooms were consistently going for over 200 Euro (almost $300) so each Starpoint ended up to be worth about 3.8 cents. That beats the pants off 1-2% cashback!

About two weeks prior to our stay, I had emailed the GM to ask about upgrade options. He promptly replied with two options:

1. A free upgrade to a “premium view room”
2. A Junior Suite for 7,500 Starpoints per night

I did some research, particularly on Oyster, to see if the room would be worth it to us. Ultimately, I told the GM that we would take the upgrade for 7,500 Starpoints per night. Why not, at the time we had about 160k burning a hole in our pocket anyway. We were confirmed for a Junior Suite for a total of 22,500 Starpoints (3 nights).

Check-In

Upon arrival, the agent at the front desk brought out the Manager who explained that we had been upgraded to the Executive Suite for free! Now THAT’S the way to start a trip. Not bad for an SPG Gold.

The front desk agent also thanked me for being a Gold member and asked which welcome gift I’d like – 250 Starpoints, complimentary Internet, or a complimentary beverage. Normally, the Internet is the best value, but since we were traveling with an international MiFi device, I chose the Starpoints.

Our keys were made and the Manager had a bell hop take our bags to our room. She was going to show us around the hotel. She brought us through the grand lobby, the hotel restaurant, and the other facilities.

Finally, she brought us to our Executive Suite. She walked us through each part of the room and then left us, but not before giving us a few maps and brochures and one thing that I thought was very thoughtful – a new 2012 edition of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide. Funny because Joann borrowed that same book (older edition) from a coworker.

The Executive Suite

What a room! Over 92 square meters, or around 1,000 square feet. This was like an apartment.

The decor was very palatial – lots of mahogany furniture, crown molding, and ornately designed fabrics everywhere.

Foyer

Looking back at the foyer

A sofa, coffee table, and armchairs dominated the main area’s space. There was also a dining table and work desk along with a TV. The space was just huge.

The hotel left us a welcome letter along with a bottle of champagne and a few snacks. Very nice.

Living area

Dining table and work desk

Welcome snacks & champagne

The view from the living room was perfect. It had to be one of the best at the hotel.

Amazing view from Room 436

TV & double doors to bedroom

The bedroom wasn’t overly spacious but it did have enough room for a sitting chair and table. The Westin Heavenly bed was pretty awesome. Joann said she liked it more than our W Hotels bed at home.

Bedroom w/Westin Heavenly Bed

Closet area & bathroom entrance

The bathroom had dual vanities and a separate tub and shower.

Dual vanities

Bathtub

Rainfall shower

Separate toilet room w/bidet

This Executive Suite was definitely the largest room that we’ve ever stayed in.

Other Stuff

The location of this hotel was great for us. It was in the “Golden Triangle” of Madrid museums (Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofia). As far as the other must-see tourist spots in Madrid like the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, it is less than 15 minutes walking distance from those sights.

The Westin Palace Madrid takes part in the SPG Make a Green Choice program, where you receive either a $5 food & beverage voucher or 500 Starpoints each night you forgo housekeeping services (except the day of departure).

You receive 1 liter of complimentary agua sin gas (water without carbonation, i.e. mineral water) each day.

Overall

The Westin Palace Madrid hit it out of the park for us. Even though there are several chain hotels for redemption in the area (Radisson Blu, 2 Marriotts), I don’t think we’d stray away from this hotel if we return to Madrid.

The service was perfect, the suite was beautiful, the location was convenient, and, most importantly, the redemption value was top notch. That’s all we really ask for in a hotel so we were 100% satisfied with our stay.

My favorite all around card just got a mini boost. They announced it the other day on their Facebook page.

Through the end of 2013, the Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card will earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on dining on every first Friday of the month!

As hopefully all of you know, the Sapphire Preferred normally earns bonus points on Travel (2x) and Dining (2x). This isn’t show stopping, but an extra point per dollar is always nice.

Is it a good deal?

I think so. It’s a good deal, not a great deal. It’s just an extra point per dollar. Unless you have really expensive tastes or are going with a BIG group of diners, you won’t get that many extra points.

It is still extra Chase Ultimate Rewards points and they are my favorite brand of points! I’ve written before about their flexibility and ease of earning.

My favorite partners to transfer UR points to are United (for long haul premium cabin flights) and Hyatt (for great value hotel stays).

Planning

For those too lazy to open up a calendar, here is the list of first Fridays left in 2013:

• May 3
• June 7
• July 5
• August 2
• September 6
• October 4
• November 1
• December 6

OpenTable

This promotion is being run in tandem with OpenTable, a service that I use whenever possible.

With OpenTable, you earn 100 points per fulfilled reservation. For some cities, it has a lot of good restaurants. For others, not so much. Regardless, it’s always worth checking first if you’re going out to dinner.

Some restaurants have “specials” where certain reservation times are worth 1,000 points. For every 2,000 points you earn, you can redeem them for a $20 “OpenTable Dining Cheque” that you can use at participating restaurants.

To be clear, you DON’T have to use OpenTable to qualify for the 3x points on first Fridays.

I hope all you Chase Sapphire Preferred card holders can take advantage of this promotion. Now all my friends will know the reason behind me setting up a big dinner on a first Friday where I try to snatch the bill and have everyone pay me back!

After a pretty hard core nap of at least 90 minutes, we packed up and walked to the gate to check it out. It seemed like a pretty light load at the gate so it was actually a pleasant boarding experience, one of the few we’d have on the trip.

Rome (FCO) – Madrid (MAD)
AZ60
25 JAN 2013
Airbus A320
Economy Class
Seats 22A, 22B

Our plane was leaving from a remote gate so we were bused to the aircraft on a beautiful Italian afternoon. The weather was a bit chilly, but the sun and fresh air felt good for the 30 seconds we got to have them.

When we arrived, the plane was being boarded from both front and back. It was efficient to board through the rearmost door since we were close to the back of the plane. It turned out that didn’t matter much because the flight was so empty. Joann and I each grabbed an empty row so we could sprawl out if we wanted to.

Bused to our aircraft

We took off and ascended into the cloudless sky with amazing views of Fiumicino and Sardinia. We basically just enjoyed views and relaxed for the short flight. There was no in-flight entertainment. I wonder if Alitalia has screens installed on any of their narrowbody jets.

Fiumicino coastline

Fiumicino coastline

The only thing out of the ordinary on this flight was that there was a medical emergency. A passenger towards the back of the plane needed medical attention so flight attendants asked everyone to stay seated when we landed so that medical staff could assist the man. It didn’t seem like anything urgent and the guy walked off the plane under his own power so that was good.

From deplaning, we went straight to the baggage claim to get our bags and then that was that. Since we already went through customs in Italy, we were on our own in Madrid. Shame that we didn’t get a Madrid stamp!

Metro de Madrid

I had read that the best bang for your buck travel in Madrid was the Metro. It sounded better than a 35 Euro taxi ride to the Westin Palace Madrid so we purchased two tickets from the agent at the window with the intention to transfer lines to our final destination.

Metro de Madrid Entrance

As an FYI, to purchase a ticket on the Metro, your credit card must be of the Chip & PIN variety. Our American Express Platinum cards were only Chip & Signature so the machines rejected them.

A tip in case you are going to stay at the Westin Palace Madrid, Radisson Blu Madrid Prado, or any hotel in that area:

Take the Metro to the Nuevos Ministerios stop. It’s a large hub for transfers.

Once there, find a machine to buy a ticket (less than 2 Euro) on the Cercanias line.

Take any line that will go southbound and stop at Sol, which is one stop away.

Once you emerge, you’ll be at the Puerto del Sol (middle of this map) and should be able to navigate your way from there.

For the two of us with carry-ons and one big checked bag, it was a 10 minute walk to Westin Palace Madrid… not bad at all.

We also stopped along the way for cheap snacks and beer at Museo del Jamòn. What a fine establishment! How I so badly wish we had one of these by me.

Jamon ibèrico from Museo del Jamòn

After landing, Joann and I followed signs to passport control. This was our port of entry for the EU so we I got stamped. Joann actually didn’t get a stamp. Anyone know why?

The first thing we did was get some food. The food on flight wasn’t at all enough, especially since it was a redeye.

Pizza… real original!

With my hunger quelled, the next order of business was finding somewhere to relax. Thanks again to our American Express Platinum cards, we both have complimentary memberships to Priority Pass. It really comes in handy for the trips in Economy Class where lounge access doesn’t come along with the ticket.

Before we left, I used the website to find out that FCO has three lounges available to Priority Pass members.

Avia Lounge

Our first stop was the Avia Lounge. This is the one we spent the least amount of time in because of how disappointing it was. It looked like the newest with the way it was furnished, but it was just way too small. It was a nice thought but even with only two other people in the lounge, we felt a little crowded.

There are beverages, coffee, and a small selection of alcohol. The only food was some prepackaged snacks. It was very domestic airline club-esque in that sense.

€25 for entry, no way!

Pretty much all of the Avia Lounge

My advice: skip it!

Le Anfore Lounge

This lounge, while not one we visited for long either, was worlds better than the Avia Lounge. It was much bigger so even though it was very crowded, we felt a little more relaxed.

There is so much seating, but not too much privacy. The spread of food is definitely better and they have a massage chair and showers; very handy for a longer layover.

I think this lounge would have sufficed, but we decided to check out the third and final lounge to which we had access.

Mosaic Lounge

The Mosaic Lounge is shared by many airlines, but probably for good reason. We enjoyed it the most. It was larger than the Le Anfore Lounge and was spaced out much better. Again, there was ample seating, but it didn’t feel crowded thanks to the larger footprint.

This lounge also had showers and a food and beverage spread similar to the last one. All I wanted was an espresso, some free WiFi (there was), and then a long nap. Lucky for us, at the far end of the lounge, there is a walled off area with some lounge chairs that are meant for sleeping.

After setting an alarm for an hour before our flight, both Joann and I knocked out cold since we didn’t get sleep on the redeye and it was effectively 7 AM for our bodies.

Mosaic Lounge

Overall

If you have a layover in Rome, consider the Mosaic or Le Anfore Lounges. Don’t even bother with the Avia Lounge; it’s too small.

If we had a layover longer than 4 hours, I think we might have tried to venture into the city to see a few things and grab a bite. As this was a short layover, the lounges did their job and Amex Platinum and its complimentary Priority Pass membership save the day again!