review | Nam Writes.

Berlin Part 8: Review – Hilton Berlin

Berlin Part 1: Getting There
Berlin Part 2: Berlin Is… Complicated
Berlin Part 3: Where To See The Berlin Wall
Berlin Part 4: Never Forget
Berlin Part 5: The Jewish Quarter
Berlin Part 6: Museum Island
Berlin Part 7: View From Above

I picked the Hilton Berlin for two reasons: 1) Location and 2) my Hilton diamond status.

The Positives:

Location: Centrally located in Mitte, we were walking distance to most major sites. Berlin is huge, but our location just south of Unter den Linden meant we could easily get to Potsdammer Platz, Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island, the Jewish Quarter, the Jewish Museum, Checkpoint Charlie, etc. all under 30 minutes. There is also a subway stop right at the corner.
Pretty Hotel: It’s a pretty hotel with nicely appointed rooms and modern interiors.
The lounge/breakfast: As a Diamond member, we had access to the Lounge which provided breakfast, snacks, drinks, and evening appetizers. We also were able to get breakfast in the main dining room (more tourists, but much bigger spread). Most importantly, I had ongoing access to free diet cokes throughout our stay.
Price: Berlin in general is fairly cheap. I booked five nights for 139,000 points in the off-season. That comes out to approximately 28,000 points a night for hotel in the middle of a major European city!
Wifi: Wifi worked well in the room (especially compared to our next hotel).

The Negatives:

Upgrade: As a diamond member, I have received some substantial upgrades in the past (I’m still dreaming about the suite in Barcelona). I pointed out that there were plenty of suites available in the hotel, but they argued that someone could still book those rooms over the course of our five night stay. They “upgraded” us to a room with a view of the Dom across the street. The room itself was fine, but the upgrade was disappointing.

As you can see, I was pretty happy with our stay at Hilton Berlin.

Review: Westin Kierland Resort, Scottsdale, AZ

When the plane touched down in Phoenix last week, the pilot announced that it was a balmy 106 degrees outside and I gasped. The couple sitting next to me chuckled and said, “Oh that’s nothing.”

The advantage of going to Phoenix in the heat of summer is that hotels are reduced cheap. I mean fancy shmancy hotels that normally go for $300 – $400 a night are dirt cheap. So I took advantage of this fun fact.

I booked two nights in the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale which is a category 5 SPG hotel located on a sprawling property with a golf course, pool, lazy river and spa center.

Although I didn’t take advantage of most of the resort’s amenities (I don’t golf, did not have time for the lazy river or yoga classes) I thought the hotel was great, and all for $129 a night (though the second night was free thanks to a free night promotion I had saved).

The room was nice sized – but nothing special, but very elegantly outfitted with small southwestern touches, and this lovely view of the golf course at sunrise.

Thanks The Boyfriend’s platinum status we got free internet and access to the club lounge, which offered free breakfast and free snacks throughout the day. I wouldn’t call it a lavish spread, but there was a refrigerator stacked with free water bottles and diet coke, and that is really the most important thing. A girl’s gotta have her priorities.