a mountain in the distance

Fat And Furious: My Gluttonous Tour Of Japan Via Singapore Suites

ByTerence Chan

I’ve had a great time this week filling in as a featured blogger on BoardingArea! To those that aren’t familiar with my blog, Hungry for Points, the best way to introduce myself is probably through one of my trip reports. Earlier this week I wrapped up my “Fat and Furious” trip report, detailing a recent trip to Japan which included stops in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Matsuyama. This is one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, and I instantly fell in love with Japan. That excitement must have carried over into my writing, as it quickly became my all-time most popular report over on Flyertalk.

a cake with bananas on top
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Eating Maui – Road to Hana, Hawaiian BBQ, and Shave Ice

ByTerence Chan

We arrived in Maui with an ambitious to-do list, but were barely able to put a dent in it. The problem? Our stay at the Montage was so relaxing that we literally spent a couple days just lounging by the pool. That’s something that we NEVER do, and was probably a testament to just how amazing the hotel was. However, we did get out a few times to explore the surrounding areas, mainly in search for food. The food options in Kapalua are somewhat limited, especially if you don’t want to eat at the hotel. And even though we had a full kitchen at our disposal, we didn’t feel like cooking, but did stop by the neighboring supermarkets to pick up tuna poke and other snacks.

a lighthouse on a cloudy day
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Hotel Review: Brewery Gulch Inn (Mendocino, CA)

ByTerence Chan

My wife and I aren’t really the types to plan our weekends well in advance, and actually prefer to make spontaneous, last-minute plans. So halfway through the week prior to the 3-day MLK weekend in January, we decided that it’d be fun to drive up to Mendocino for a couple nights. Despite having both lived in Northern California for essentially our entire lives, neither of us had been to Mendocino before, but we’d heard that the drive along the California coast was something that everyone needed to do at least once. Given that it was January, the weather wouldn’t be ideal, but we were fine with the gloom as long as there wasn’t constant rain.

a box with a silver cover
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Saying Goodbye To The JPMorgan Palladium Card

ByTerence Chan

It’s a process that I go through every year for each of my credit cards – the annual retention call. I throw on my most innocent sounding voice, and call the number on the back of the card. “Hello, I just noticed that the annual fee was billed and I’d like to cancel my credit card.” That sentence usually triggers a “WAIT STOP!” type of response from the customer service representative, and a couple minutes later I’m walking away with some free points or a statement credit.

a plate of food on a black surface

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants For 2015

ByTerence Chan

It’s a list that’s as controversial as the rankings of “Best Airlines In the World” and “Best Hotels In The World”, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t interested in the newly released 2015 World’s Best Restaurants. This is an annual list produced by Restaurant magazine in the UK with results based on a polling of chefs, restauranteurs, and food critics. In other words, the scores are probably about as subjective as a figure skating competition or college football’s BCS.

a white airplane on a runway
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Flight Review: Alaska Airlines First Class San Jose To Maui

ByTerence Chan

In recent years I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to the Maldives and the Seychelles. But while the Maldives and Seychelles provide ultra-exclusive island getaways, they also have the price tag to match, and are a 24+ hour journey each way from the USA. As beautiful and amazing as those destinations were, as I reflect on those trips, what I really walk away with is a renewed appreciation for just how lucky I am to have Hawaii in my backyard. From the West Coast it’s less than a 5 hour direct flight to the Hawaiian islands, and they are chock full of mainstream chain hotels to use points at. Also, since you’re still in the USA, it’s easy to drive around and there’s worrying about cell phone service.

an airplane on the tarmac
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Flight Review: ANA Boeing 787 Business Class Tokyo to San Jose

ByTerence Chan

I still find it interesting that you can fly from Japan into San Jose, the oft-neglected and less glamorous sibling of San Francisco International (SFO), located just 45 minutes south along the 101. I had taken SFO-NRT route before in First Class, and if I’m being honest would have definitely done so again if available, but the only premium cabin availability happened to be on the 2-cabin flight into San Jose. For those in a similar predicament, keep in mind that the San Jose route has very light loads in Business Class and almost always has availability last-minute. As an added bonus, the flight was operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner which I’d get to fly for the first time.

a seat with a seat and a seat with a seat and a seat with a seat and a seat with a seat and a seat with a seat and a seat with a seat and a seat with
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How Much Are You Willing To Pay To Reserve Seats In Advance?

ByTerence Chan

Last week, there were some great Business Class deals floating around for travel to Europe later this year and even into next year. It seems like the East Coast gets the majority of the European deals, but this wave included departures from the West Coast (SFO and LAX) on either American Airlines or British Airways as low as $2,100. While I’m never keen to transfer via London’s Heathrow airport, I was able to knock an additional $400 off the price by booking with British Airways and utilizing the AARP discount, so it was a no-brainer to choose BA over AA.

a two coffee machines on a counter

Lounge Review: ANA Business Class Lounge at NRT

ByTerence Chan

All good things must come to and end, and as much fun as we’d had over the past week eating our way through Japan, it was to time to pack up and head home. After checking out of the hotel, we jumped on the Metro for just 1 stop to Tokyo Station, and connected to the Narita Express (NEX) for a smooth 1-hour ride to the airport. By now we had been accustomed to the amazing Japanese efficiency, and took for granted how we were literally through security and at the entrance of the lounge in minutes.