As brands fight for our ever diminishing travel dollar, and travelers become more budget savvy, there has never been a better time to be a member of a hotel loyalty program. While you can expect discounted room rates and a chance to earn points for free nights, not all programs are created equal – some offer more freebies for your membership. Here are my top five loyalty schemes and what you can expect to gain from them: Ritz Carlton Rewards/Marriott Rewards/Starwood Preferred Guest Now these three giants of the hotel industry are in the process of merging, you can link your accounts for extra earning power as well as match…
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How to Make the Most of a 48 Hour Stopover in Doha
I love a good stopover – it’s a chance to regroup at the end of a trip or fire up the start of a vacation – get in the mood so to speak. Or just slip in and sample a new destination with minimal fuss. Whatever the reason, a stopover can end up being one of the highlights of your trip. With Qatar now offering visa free travel to Qatar for 80 nationalities and Qatar Airways offering free stopovers, it’s never been easier to visit Doha on a stopover. And why not? The city makes the perfect halfway point between Asia, Africa and Europe and has some great connections to…
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A Room With a View – Four Days in Florence
When I stepped off the plane in Florence last month, it dawned on me that it had almost been 20 years to the day since I was last in this city. Why I left it so long, I have no idea. But 20 years later I was back – older, a bit wealthier, better dressed but in no way wiser. I had originally planned to visit Rome. But then saw that thanks to Qatar Airways joining One World, I could now book a flight straight through to Florence with a short stop in Rome. I’m relieved to say the city hasn’t changed. It just has more Chinese tourists. I have…
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Living in the Bubble – Restaurant Review
In Australia, brunch is a relatively new concept. We are fairly black and white – it’s breakfast or it’s lunch. The only exception being yum cha (dim sum) which kinda starts at 11am mainly because we all want to bag a table. Although there was a time in the 2000s when “Girl’s Brunches” were all the rage. I blame Sex and the City (for that and the whole cupcake phenomenon). Plus, did Samantha ever finish her fruit platter? Seems she was eating it for six seasons. In the Gulf however, more explicitly the “Expat Gulf”, brunch is taken very, very seriously. It is, in fact, an art form to be…
