Tag Archives: pointbreaks

IHG Pointbreaks Thru March 31 – Possible Gateways For Eco-Tourists

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I know this has already been blogged to death so I am just going to point out a few of the properties that are suitable for eco-tourists to use as gateways to more interesting adventures.  You would use them when connecting to or from an early flight to your final destination.

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Best IHG (Priority Club) Pointbreaks For Eco-Tourists

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The long-awaited list of IHG Rewards (formerly Priority Club) Pointbreaks is out!  It’s a great list and there are several good options for eco-tourists; some of which I have personally stayed at and can recommend.  The website has been updated to reflect the new name of the loyalty program so you can see the whole Pointbreak list here.  These are the standouts I think eco-tourists should consider but also be sure to check your local airport gateway if you have an early morning flight.  I have provided notes where I have specific details on a hotel.   If you are lacking in IHG Rewards Points, you can buy some tomorrow and Monday very cheaply from Daily Getaways at 1pm EST only.  The details are on their website.  Quantities are reasonable over both days so there should be plenty to go around.

Central & South America

ARGENTINA
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS ROSARIO
HOLIDAY INN CORDOBA

BRAZIL
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS CUIABA – We stayed here last year after a late night flight from Sao Paulo.  We had a rental car to see the Pantanal.  The hotel itself is nice with very friendly staff and a good breakfast buffet.  The location is very inconvenient if you want to get out to the Pantanal, it’s on the opposite end of town. There are a lot of closed roads and detours because of the roadworks and we got hopelessly lost and had to pay a local to lead us to the Trans-Pantaneira.
CROWNE PLAZA BELEM – Very nice hotel and convenient location.  Belem is a gateway city for the Amazon region and there is a nice trip to Parrot Island which I will blog about tomorrow in case anyone is planning to stay here.

CHILE
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS PUERTO MONTT

COLOMBIA
INTERCONTINENTAL MEDELLIN

COSTA RICA
INTERCONTINENTAL REAL SAN JOSE – COSTA RICA – It’s a great deal for a beautiful hotel but don’t go overboard and spend all your time in the city.  Costa Rica has so much more to offer!

EL SALVADOR
CROWNE PLAZA SAN SALVADOR

GUATEMALA
INTERCONTINENTAL REAL GUATEMALA – Very tempting as it’s near the airport and we do have an early morning flight.

HONDURAS
INTERCONTINENTAL REAL TEGUCIGALPA

PANAMA
HOLIDAY INN PANAMA CANAL    – Not good for an early morning flight as it’s far from the airport.  For Panama, I prefer the Radisson as it’s closer to Soberania National Park.

ASIA

NEPAL
CROWNE PLAZA KATHMANDU-SOALTEE – We stayed here before and after a visit to Chitwan National Park in 2011.  Beautiful hotel, excellent breakfast buffet and free drinks in the club if you are platinum.  A bit far from town but taxis are cheap enough.

 

Priority Club Dishes Up Some Disa-Pointbreaks

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I had been up late last night (in my timezone) when reports of 5000 point hotels started trickling in on FlyerTalk.   Since I need 3 nights in Bali, I waited up to see what would transpire.   No luck for me, Bali was not included in the list finally released.  Although eco-travelers came out fairly unscathed with the recent award chart devaluations (big cities got hammered), most of us were expecting a halfway decent Pointbreaks list for Feb and March to make up for it; so there was disappointment all around.

Pointbreaks

The list finally went up after a few false starts and very few people had something to be happy about.  Here’s a few that may be of use:

Fiji Intercontinental – nice base to relax in between trips to outer islands and there are some bird species in the vicinity.

Auckland Airport – you’d pass through here enroute to Australia or the Pacific Islands so why not get a free night to rest up before the flight?

Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – useful if you are enroute to or from Kruger or Magoesbakloof.

Holiday Inn Sumare, Sao Paulo – inconvenient location but if you are taking a bus to the Pantanal and need an overnighter, it’s an option.

Crowne Plaza Maruma, Venezuela – with all the parrots in Venezuela, worth a look.

Crowne Plaza West Hanoi – people on FlyerTalk say it’s inconvenient to the city but it may have birding nearby so check it out.

Check out the whole Pointbreaks list.

Priority Club Pointbreaks – Gems For Eco-Travelers

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Once you get into the miles and points games, you begin to get more familiar with the deals that come out periodically and how to best take advantage of them.  One of the best is the Priority Club Point Breaks.   These come out roughly every second month and allow you to redeem only 5000 points for any of the designated hotels.  While most of the hotels are in cities and may appeal more to business travelers, there are often bargains to be had in resorts and more exotic destinations.  Priority Club is a great program for non-frequent travelers as they have many promos throughout the year to get points.  I will be sharing these opportunities as they come up.  If you are in a hurry and have no points at all, you can buy Priority Club points or get their Chase credit card.  More details HERE.

Here’s a few from the current list that can benefit eco-travelers and are valid through 31 January 2013.

Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria – You will pass through here if you are headed to Palawan to see the endangered Philippine Red-vented Cockatoo.  I did this trip in 2012, you can read my article.

Intercontinental Jakarta Midplaza – Although Aussies will usually access the birder’s paradises of Seram and West Papua via Bali, people coming from Europe and North America are more likely to connect in Jakarta to an Indonesian domestic flight.  Seram has the Moluccan Cockatoo and more!  West Papua is full of fascinating birds including many species of Birds of Paradise, Palm Cockatoos, Eclectus Parrots, several Lorikeets, Pesquet’s Parrots and more!  I will be there next year!

Holiday Inn Suva – You would be passing through here several times if you are using the domestic flights or ferries to get to Taveuni to see Red-throated Lorikeets or Red Shining Parrots; or Viti Levu to see Masked Shining Parrots.

Hotel Indigo San Jose Forum Costa Rica – Useful if you are traveling to Costa Rica to head out to Carara National Park for Scarlet Macaws, Selva Biological Reserve to see Great Green Macaws or Savegre to see Resplendant Quetzals.

Remember, whenever you economize on gateway hotels, you have more money to spend on staying in nice eco-lodges and supporting the local economy!