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The Lab
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Hotel Reviews
16 Hours in Singapore
Amsterdam in August
East, Central & West Berlin
A Miami Stopover
Oslo in May
Prague in January
A Week in Melbourne
Q3 2026
Q2 2026
Q1 2026
Europe
United Kingdom
+4
Oct 28, 2026
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6 min read
Four Months, 28 Admissions, and a Benefit We Didn’t Expect
+3
4 min read
A 4:30 a.m. arrival after a canceled flight, an unexpected mezzanine room upgrade, and a $100 Amex credit.
Airports
Oct 18, 2026
5 min read
A 3:18 am arrival at Milan Malpensa, a Wizz Air flight from London Luton, staffed passport control and checked luggage. I timed the journey from aircraft door to public arrivals, then continued by taxi into central Milan.
Italy
Oct 11, 2026
I intended to book directly through Minor Hotels but ended up with a prepaid GHA DISCOVERY reservation. American Express paid the credit despite two exclusions in the offer terms.
Oct 5, 2026
TheFork combines restaurant discounts with its own rewards currency. I tend to wait until several offers line up.
Hyatt
+5
Sep 29, 2026
1 min read
AN EXPATVISTA COLLECTION
Santorini
Sep 15, 2026
We arrived after sunset, stayed past 1am and saw a rather different version of Santorini’s most photographed town.
Netherlands
3 min read
The day after visiting Moco Museum, we found KAWS, Erwin Wurm and Ai Weiwei somewhere unexpected.
Sep 11, 2026
We walked Fira from its narrow streets to the caldera, then stayed in one place long enough to watch the town change through sunset and into the night.
Sep 2, 2026
2 min read
A few free hours in Amsterdam took us to Moco Museum, where modern art fills the rooms of a historic Museumplein villa.
Aug 24, 2026
Quiet lanes, churches and centuries of wine-making in one of Santorini’s oldest villages.
+6
10 min read
Marriott Platinum, Fine Hotels + Resorts and a Different Side of Santorini
Aug 22, 2026
7 min read
How long does it take to arrive at London Heathrow? On this early-morning arrival at Terminal 2, I was through the airport 21 minutes after stepping off the aircraft, and on an Elizabeth line train 11 minutes later.
Aug 4, 2026
Award flights looked tempting, but airport choice, flight times, Amex airline credits and three hotel stays made cash the better decision.
Amex Platinum
+7
Jul 16, 2026
Why we chose three Fine Hotels + Resorts properties instead of one, and how pricing, loyalty programs and a little optimization shaped the weekend.
hotel strategy
Jul 3, 2026
Family Travel
Jun 25, 2026
Jun 24, 2026
Canals, ferries, public art, boathouses, and a city where the water never feels very far away.
+2
Jun 5, 2026
A city emerging from the Christmas holidays, viewed between hotels, trams, markets and long winter walks.
