Monthly Archives: September 2018

Review: Airboat Adventures, Lafitte, LA

Posted on September 20, 2018 by 2btravel

As this was my friend’s first trip to New Orleans I let her select most of our activities. One thing on her list was a swamp tour. I admit I was not overly excited about the prospect but it was something I’d never done so I was game.

Based on reviews on Trip Advisor, we selected Airboat Adventures, in part because they would pick us up from our downtown hotel. It’s a $20 charge per person for the ride so while it made sense for us, if you have a larger group it may not. There was a family of four on our boat who’d used Uber to get to Airboat Adventures but cell service is not strong AT ALL at their office and they were having trouble reaching Uber to get a ride back. I don’t know how it turned out but it could be quite costly if you haven’t made prior arrangements for the return trip.

As our visit was in late August, we opted for the 9:45 AM tour, hoping to finish before the heat of the day. We were fortunate in that it was a partly cloudy day which helped to keep us from baking. The airboats have no covering so you are completely exposed during the tour. We slathered up with sunscreen and I was concerned about biting insects (they really like me) but I did not have any issues with that.

Airboat Adventures offers three types of boats: smaller airboats that seat 5-8 people, larger ones that can hold up to 36 and covered pontoon boats which appeared to be able to hold about 50 people. Obviously the smaller the boat the more it can maneuver into side channels of the bayou (as it’s know locally). The fewer people the boat holds, the more expensive it is per person.

Smaller Airboat

Large Airboat

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Categories: Attraction Review, Tours | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Fairfield Inns & Suites New Orleans Airport, Kenner, LA

Posted on September 17, 2018 by 2btravel

One perq of holding the Marriott credit card from Chase is that each year you pay the monthly fee you get a certificate good for one night at a Category 1-5 hotel. I had a certificate that was due to expire in October, when the annual fee is due, and the stay must be completed by that date, not just booked. That’s one thing I’d like to see changed with the Marriott-SPG merger – let me book the certificate within the date range, even if the stay is not completed by then.

Since the annual fee of the “regular” Marriott card is $85 (moving to $95 with the next renewal), you can sometimes get great value from using a certificate. The Fairfield Inn and Suites in Kenner is not an especially great use of this certificate as rooms are just over $100 pre-tax but since the certificate would otherwise be going to waste it just made sense to spend it here. This is also the only Marriott property in the immediate airport area and thus the only one with an airport shuttle.

After touring all day in the sticky heat and being caught in a rainstorm just 2.5 blocks from the Hyatt House, we were fairly drenched by the time we caught our Uber to the Fairfield Inn, arriving in the late afternoon.

While we didn’t spend a lot of time inspecting the exterior it looked to be in good shape and we made our way to the front desk. We were assisted by a very friendly associate who noted our status and that we were staying on an award. She filled us in about breakfast though we’d be leaving too early for the buffet. She did arrange for us to have sack breakfasts available for the next morning and got us booked on the appropriate shuttle.

The lobby looked as if it had been recently refreshed and I liked the furniture and the geometric designs on the carpet. Though the breakfast area was not in use I liked the layout and the bright colors of the seats.

A quick note that this hotel is in the flight path for the airport but flights are typically operating in the 0530-2130 timeframe so there shouldn’t be an issue with plane noise overnight.

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Categories: Hotel, Lodging Review, Louisiana, Marriott, North America, United States | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q4 Bonus Category Registration Now Available

Posted on September 15, 2018 by 2btravel

Can you believe we’re almost three-quarters of the way through 2018?  As we approach the end of the third quarter, that can only mean it’s time to register for fourth quarter credit card bonuses.

Discover Card

Discover’s Q4 categories are ones that are handy for the holiday season: Amazon and Wholesale Clubs.  To register, just log into your Discover account online or visit this link to log in.  Note that to receive the 5% cash back you must register first before making your purchase.  You can earn 5% back on up to $1500 in purchases.

US Bank Cash+

US Bank is offering the same categories as for Q3 though you can choose the ones that work best for you.  Select 1 of the 2% categories and 2 of the 5% categories, based on your needs.  For the 5% category you can earn the 5% on up to $2000 in purchases.  To select your categories, visit the US Bank Cash+ website.

Chase Freedom

For the fourth quarter the Chase Freedom card will earn 5x points at Wholesale Clubs, Department Stores and for using Chase Pay. As in previous quarters this offer is good on up to $1500 in combined purchases for the quarter. I no longer have a warehouse club membership, don’t use mobile payments and can’t remember the last time I bought something at a department store so these categories don’t help me much, sadly.  But be sure to register ASAP so you’ll earn your bonus points!

Categories: Cash Plus, Chase, Credit Card Promos, Credit Cards, Discover, Freedom, US Bank | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Lodging Review: Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown

Posted on September 10, 2018 by 2btravel

For the second consecutive year I found myself back in New Orleans just before Labor Day for an event at the Hyatt Regency. Last year I stayed at the Regency but this year a friend was coming with me and we were going to stay over for a couple of days to play tourist. As I started comparing prices, and knowing we’d need breakfast, I realized we’d be better off at the Hyatt House which is next door to the Regency but is connected by a walkway.

We stayed three nights here, using a combination of cash, the free night certificate that comes with the Chase Hyatt credit card and World of Hyatt points. I called in to make the reservation and got a fantastic agent who compared my corporate rate, member rate and the AAA rate to figure out which night was the cheapest so I could pay cash for that night and use the certificate and points for the other two night. Then she was able to put that all on one reservation for us, which was terrific. I’d hoped for a room with two beds, but none were available on points so we got a room with a king bed and a sleeper sofa.

The building housing the hotel is at the corner of Loyola Ave and Poydras Street, with the hotel occupying floors 11-17. The Hyatt House entrance is on the Poydras Street side and there’s an express elevator up to the 11th floor main lobby.

Check In

As I arrived after 10 PM there was no waiting to be checked in and the whole process was quick and efficient. Every staff interaction I had was very pleasant. My Discoverist status (a result of holding the Hyatt credit card) was recognized and I told I was being given a slightly larger room. I asked again about a room with two beds, just in case one had opened up, but none were available. I was offered a choice of two of several welcome amenities and I took the 1000 points plus a plate of fruit. I was also given a large bottle of water, and one was available each day per guest.

One large bottle of water per guest per day is complimentary

Hyatt House New Orleans/Downtown Elevator Lobby

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Categories: Hotel, Hyatt, Lodging Review, Louisiana, North America, United States | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

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