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The weekend is here. Well, it is for me and “new date”, we both have the Friday off work. Champagne in the galleries lounge is new for her. I’m loosing Silver later this year and she’s already asked how do I keep it 😝. Flight in a couple of hours.
My flight’s a redemption (Avios out, On Business back), her’s bought with a 2p Avios voucher, and we have a few nights in an apparently wonderful IHG, using a credit card free night and points. I’ve negotiated a cash upgrade to a suite.
Not a cat in hell’s chance she’ll make a player 2, but I have twisted her arm enough to get a Chase account. So the search for a partner in points crime continues.
I booked this trip including the hotel choice nine months ago as a solo traveller. It would appear I selected very well as a spot for a new couple. Lovely coastal property with a nearby interesting city. I can believe how blessed I’ve been to meet someone who is so much fun, nor can I believe she readily agreed to accompany me on a foreign trip so soon after meeting. I’m ridiculously excited.
I snuck off to post this, I’ll do the promised mini-trip report when I’m back (I can’t see me getting much phone-time between now and then).
If you’re in T5 galleries north look out for the loved-up middle aged pair.
I can feel a Movie in the making. What would it be called?
The weekend is here. Well, it is for me and “new date”, we both have the Friday off work. Champagne in the galleries lounge is new for her. I’m loosing Silver later this year and she’s already asked how do I keep it 😝. Flight in a couple of hours.
My flight’s a redemption (Avios out, On Business back), her’s bought with a 2p Avios voucher, and we have a few nights in an apparently wonderful IHG, using a credit card free night and points. I’ve negotiated a cash upgrade to a suite.
Not a cat in hell’s chance she’ll make a player 2, but I have twisted her arm enough to get a Chase account. So the search for a partner in points crime continues.
I booked this trip including the hotel choice nine months ago as a solo traveller. It would appear I selected very well as a spot for a new couple. Lovely coastal property with a nearby interesting city. I can believe how blessed I’ve been to meet someone who is so much fun, nor can I believe she readily agreed to accompany me on a foreign trip so soon after meeting. I’m ridiculously excited.
I snuck off to post this, I’ll do the promised mini-trip report when I’m back (I can’t see me getting much phone-time between now and then).
If you’re in T5 galleries north look out for the loved-up middle aged pair.
I can feel a Movie in the making. What would it be called?
The Points of Love
Sleepless in an aisle seat in old club world.
This is quite some thread. 🙂 Can’t wait for the Tuesday update on this 😀
I can feel a Movie in the making. What would it be called?
Roamin’ Holiday
I can feel a Movie in the making. What would it be called?
Roamin’ Holiday
A happy long weekend is over. This is now wildly off-topic for London, but you did ask! A few highlights:-
BA lounge was Galleries North. New travel partner is a lounge novice, and was fairly impressed, although commented on how busy it was. We “maxed” the drinks as all Brits off on holiday at the airport should.
Uneventful and perfectly serviceable BA flight out to lovely Lisbon. The plane was late arriving and we stayed in a not brilliant but not terrible Star Inn across the road from the terminal. Surprisingly decent buffet for a “breakfast included” rate. Was planning to use IHG points for the nearby HIX, but that was a long looking walk, and then planning to use hotels.com credit for the Star Inn, but the rates available with the option to use credit were not attractive, so paid with cash. 🙄 sorry to let the team down, but occasionally cash makes sense. Slightly worrying if hotels.com credit starts to only be available for unattractive rates, I have a few hundred pounds still to spend. Early start thanks to the tried-and-trusted housekeeping-in-a hurry technique of busting noisily into the room and then saying “sorry”. This was several hours before checkout, incidentally, not part of a reasonable wake up ahead of a rushed departure. One positive point for the Star Inn, breakfast starts very early indeed, so handy for those who might be staying in order to catch a plane first thing. Undoubtably a better option than the HIX.
First full day in Lisbon involved metro to Cais do Sodre station, ditching the baggage at the station left luggage and heading off for touristy activities. Priority one was getting a Pastel de Nata, and the very well located Martinho da Arcada obliged with an excellent custard tart and accompanying beer. All very reasonably priced.
We spent the rest of the day wandering, eating, drinking, shopping, photographing etc. Lisbon is a great tourist city with abundant sites of interest, easy to navigate public transport, fantastic food, good value beer and some decent shady parks. As a destination I was immediately sold on it. As a first romantic break away, I simply can’t think of a spot to beat it. Just perfect.
The welcome on arrival at InterContinental Estoril (good guess @Froggee) was great, all the prior arrangements I’d asked for had been done, including suite upgrade. We ate a lovely meal on the balcony/restaurant, then took a walk up to Cascais for later drinks. I was expecting to like Lisbon, but the location of the IC is also a superb place to fritter away time if the weather is good, and it was. Warm, lots of sun and only once noticeably windy. The following day, after a very good buffet breakfast (with sparkling wine! fantastic breakfast benefit here) it was much of the same, idling at the hotel and some local distractions. In the evening we caught the train back to Lisbon for a late meal (Solar 31 — good food in ludicrous portions) and to sample the nightlife at the Bairro Alto and then near the waterfront. Be warned, visitors, nightlife in Lisbon starts late and finishes much later, plan your eating and drinking schedule accordingly. Given niether of us are spring chickens I think we put in a decent effort at keeping up with the party goers.
We failed to make it back to Lisbon thereafter, preferring Estoril/Cascais. There’s no shortage of watersports (we just watched) and eating and drinking options for all tastes and budgets. Final Sunday night food and drink at the Reverse Bar, which is a rare blend of good food, cheap drinks and lively music. They have some terrible reviews on tripadvisor for their pool, don’t let that put you off the evening dining and entertaining.
Train tickets from the Cais do Sodre station were one of the few things that went wrong. Cash required (and for the left luggage — change only!) and numerous machines out of service. The ticket machine at Monte Estoril was also broken. If you’re making the journey and can find out how to buy a through ticket from the airport, do so. Carry some cash, and plenty of euro coins, and be prepared for a frustrating queue before reaching the non-compliant machine. We opted for the quick option back to the airport, and asked the hotel to arrange a transfer. Late check-out from Ambassador was a massive bonus for the last day.
On reflection the IC is a great hotel, well maintained, good location, coupled with guest services that are as good as I’ve experienced anywhere.
Did it work? Was my date happy? Oh yes. It was a rip-roaring sucess for her, and thus for me. And we spent more time together than we’ve managed since we met (we have busy lives) and discovered we are more in sync than we’d previously realised. It really was a complete sucess.
For the logistics, if not the interpersonal dymanics, I have to give huge credit to @Rob, the writing staff, and the forum participants. I’d likely never have found the hotel, nor had the BA status, nor the included breakfast, nor the free night voucher, or dozens of other little components of my perfect weekend getaway without Team Headforpoints on my side. Thank you all. I did explain a little about “Rob’s blog” while we were away and she’s reconsidering her aversion to credit cards. Perhaps a player two after all. Unfortunately she’s highly unlikely to be on my arm at the summer party — she’s not a Londoner and very busy midweek typically.
I’m not going to disclose my regular username — sorry — still feeling a little shy. But a heartfelt thank you all for the expressions of interest, kind words and advice.
We are back to our busy lives, next meeting scheduled for LHR Terminal 4, Friday after next, believe it or not! And yes, it’s on miles. 🙂
Great news! I’m sure everyone’s just as happy as me that the trip was a success.
Bravo! Lovely to read a happy holiday story with a good chunk of points related success to boot, very pleased for you 🙂 Your rewards and romance segments should become a regular feature, and I’m sure there are plenty of other budding contributors on HfP!
I thought it was going to get saucy at the mention of watersports in Estoril, but merely voyeurs 😉
This is fantastic news @LondonTravels!
Thank you SO much for the update and fab news that it was such a huge success. Onwards and upwards!
New +1 is now super interested in “Rob’s blog” as I keep showing her a good time based on stuff I’ve read about here, and I keep telling her when I got the tips from.
We meet again on Friday, flights on KLM (paid with Virgin) and a hotel (two nights from Emyr and two nights on points) — I expect it to be good as it got a glowing review here when it opened. Very slight potential fly in the ointment as I think the hotel will actual want us to move from the Emyr upgrade room to a standard room for the points nights. Which they are absolutely allowed to do, and I will not complain about, but has never happened to me before (then again, I’ve only “tacked on” a single points night before, so perhaps two is pushing it).
Our relationship is on as sound a footing as you could possibly hope, given the distance between us, and the short amount of time we’ve known each other.
Final word: we’d both been single for a while; both eschewed apps and singles nights; both just looked after ourselves and tried to enjoy life. We met through a shared hobby, which I hasten to add neither of us were participating in in order to “find someone”, it’s not that kind of hobby. I made the first move in seeking her out and striking up a conversation in a pub before an event, a few months later she took the leap in asking for a date. These things can be hard and risky. It was more than likely not going to work out — but it has, and it’s wonderful. I have single friends who are getting really pessimistic about their chances after many years of failing to find the right person. I think the chances are better if you push yourself to meet people in real life, not online, and if you take risks. And if it doesn’t work out you have more friends than you started with and no regrets. That has certainly been my experience.
I’m going to cross-post a link to the trip review above tagged appropriately, and leave it at that. Thanks again all. This community is fantastic, and your interest and feedback quite unexpected and very welcome. I just expected a few restaurant tips!
both just looked after ourselves…. a few months later she took the leap in asking for a date. These things can be hard and risky. It was more than likely not going to work out — but it has, and it’s wonderful….. if you take risks. And if it doesn’t work out you have more friends than you started with and no regrets.
Sage words, not just in love, but for life in general. Heartwarming to read and so happy for you both. Whatever you do please don’t break our hearts & keep posting!
Well done buddy! I am happy you have found someone. Hopefully, one day, we will see a MissLondonTravels turn up to this particular blog post. 🙂
This is a wonderful thread
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