Happy New Year Jet-Setters!!!

May 2012 be full of fun, adventure and lots of travel!

Favorite Hotels: The Westin Grand, Berlin “Spa Suite”

“Favorite Hotels” is part of an ongoing segment on Mr. Jetsetter.com in which I showcase properties around the world that stand out.

In this particular case, it is room 513 at The Westin Grand Hotel In Berlin.  The room, is affectionately known as the “Spa Suite.” In fact, that’s what it says right on the door. Normally, the cost of this suite is upwards of 500 euro a night.  I got it using points and paying a supplement of around 78 euro a night. Not bad.  I even extended my stay in Berlin (not only because it is such a great city which you will see here in my Berlin video post,) but also because I didn’t want to give up another night in this incredible suite!  I must disclose I am a huge fan of Starwood Hotels and currently hold Platinum Status.

Brunch In Brussels

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Jet-setter Kei Nozaki shares these pictures of his recent brunch at the Conrad Hotel in Brussels, Belgium. He tells us it was “spectacular,” with seafood galore: Lobster, crab, salmon, oysters and anything else you could ask for. Thanks Kei for sharing this with us!  Makes me hungry! Cost for the brunch: around 65 Euros.

Brunch at the Conrad Hotel, Brussels

 

Brunch at the Conrad Hotel, Brussels

 

Brunch at the Conrad Hotel, Brussels

Restaurant Review: Mama’s House In Santorini, Greece

Mama's House In Santorini

Jet-setter Chrissy Albice shares her review of Mama’s House In Santorini, Greece with us.  She also has a stellar blog for those of you passionate about travel.  Check it out here.

Chrissy and Mama

Visiting Santorini and want a good, authentic home cooked Greek meal on the cheap? Mama’s house is the place. Located in the center of  Fira next to the bus stop, you will find a grand welcome from Mama herself and a family affair to host your culinary visit. They use all local fresh produce with virgin olive oil.

Egglant rolls "Mama Mia" stuffed with feta cheese

Grilled octopus with balsamic

You can sample the Santorini favorites of cherry tomatoes, white eggplant (in the Summer months), fava beans and capers all included somewhere on the menu. The prices are almost unbelieveable. Santorini restaurants are expensive and eating out every day can threaten to bust your budget. Mama’s House solves that problem with good quality food, very generous portions (you could make a meal out of the appetizers alone) a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere all for shockingly affordable prices. Excellent value for the money spent.

Mama's House In Santorini

 

Here are some of the favorites [Read more...]

Dubai, Doha, and A Trip To Oman: Got Any Advice?

I never thought I’d go but there is a trip planned for Dubai, Oman and Doha, Qatar (which will serve as host city of the Fifa World Cup in the kind-of -distant future, 2022 to be exact.  But this is a region completely foreign to me — even as a Jet-setter..  I’m not sure too much about what to do once I arrive other than the “tourist” type things like going to the top of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Al Kalifa in Dubai, doing indoor skiing at ski dubai (because you can), and a desert safari, where you literally take dune buggies and go one on one with the sand dunes. Oman would be strictly for visiting the gorgeous Musandam Peninsula and possibly scuba diving.  And Doha (home to Al Jazeera news)…not sure what to do.  So I’m reaching out.  Anyone been to any of these places care to share a few thoughts on things this Jet-setter should simply not miss????  I would love to hear your thoughts!!

Best Way To Buy Foreign Currency

Various Foreign Currency

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. I’m talking foreign currency…specifically, if it is more beneficial to change money BEFORE you arrive in a foreign country or AFTER.  If you look at it strictly from a cost-saving measure, it is generally better to get your foreign currency within the country you are visiting.  Example: If you are changing U.S. Dollars to Japanese Yen, you’ll get a better exchange rate…

Various Foreign Currency

 

in Japan, than in America. That being said, when it comes to traveling overseas, I don’t like going to a foreign country without having at least some foreign currency on me.  Generally what I will do [Read more...]

Speeding Things Up With Global Entry

If you are an international traveler like I am, then you want to do anything you can to avoid lines.  You’re going to have them when you check in. You’re going to have them when you go through security.  And up until now, you were going to have them when you returned to the U.S. and went through customs and immigration. Notice how I said, “until now.”  That’s because there’s a program called Global Entry that allows “trusted travelers” to join, saving time at the end of your journey.  The program, free to American Express Platinum Card Holders allows certain travelers to receive Global Entry status.  Instead of standing in the cue at customs, they can instead go directly to a kiosk, slide their passports and walk on through to collect their bags. I recently [Read more...]

Lunch At The World’s Best Restaurant : Noma In Denmark

Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark has been voted the World’s Best Restaurant two years in a row.  As a foodie, I wanted to see just what made this place stand out above the rest.  First thing: getting a reservation.  It is all but impossible.  I had to call a friend who called a concierge service who did some favors and low and behold, we were booked.  That was only half the battle.  The next step: flights. I was already going to be in Europe so it made things a little easier.  Suffice it to say, getting to Noma for me meant sleeping at an airport hotel in London, waking up at 5am, flying to Denmark, having a cab take us from the airport to the restaurant, eating our 3 hour lunch which consisted of around 20 courses, then taking a taxi back to the airport, flying back to London and overnighting at the airport (for my return flight to America.)  It was the most expensive lunch I’ve had in terms of just getting there.  An adventure nonetheless.  Would I have voted it the top restaurant in the world? No.  But it was excellent in many aspects: Food, presentation, service.  Here’s how lunch went down for 4 of us.  And on that note, please let me know what your favorite meal was and why?

The All New Look Duty Free

Aviation has come a long way since our parents first stepped foot on a plane. Now, super jumbo jets like the A380 are taking passengers to new heights.  Not just with state of the art cabins, but by re-thinking the entire flying experience. Take for instance the whole concept of Duty Free. The idea is to give passengers flying internationally a chance to stock up on some goodies–tax free–before heading outta town.  Generally the Duty Free is situated somewhere in the terminal, on your walk to your flight. Maybe sometimes there will be a catalog with Duty Free items in your seat back so you can buy stuff right on the plane. (Personally, I rarely buy duty free items because I don’t really think I end up saving too much.  But that’s just me.) Apparently a lot of others don’t subscribe to my buying habits. And that could explain why Korean Airlines has taken a huge, bold step by taking several seats out of its First Class Cabin on the A380, and replacing them with an onboard Duty Free Shop.  You heard right.  Go shopping at 38,000 feet.  Here’s a short video from YouTube that gives you a look at The All New Look Duty Free.

Oktoberfest In Munich

Right now, people are partying like crazy across Europe. Oktoberfest is in full swing.  The annual event, brings millions to Munich, Germany each year to drink a ton of beer, ride rides, let loose and frankly get crazy! I was there a few years ago, and even for non-drinkers, I have to say this is one event that is a must do!  So much fun!

I put together this video to give you a little understanding of what Oktoberfest is all about!