Im finally on vacation and can take some time off not only to rest, but to rap up all the loose ends around the house. Baby is due next thursday and I still need a bathroom to paint. Crib will not be assembled as my mother in law seems to be very superstitious about having the crib done before hand (I know i said the same thing your thinking). My business trip to New Jersey was a nightmare and a half. Between the snow and dealing with a very weird and condescending dr. that only seem to be the beginning of the nightmare trip I had in-store coming back home. I got held up in Newark Liberty with a domino effect of canceled flights. Im gonna say this flat out. Continental Airlines just suck.

Customer service was simply the worse I have ever experienced. Newark being one of their hubs didn't help to the cause either. the way they treat their customers Im surprised they even stay in business. I ended up sleeping in the airport after the captain decided to turn the the airplane around back to the terminal, the ice was to sleek and the airplane could not take off. I spent a total of 14 hours in the airport. Im going to enjoy the next three weeks being off and more so being with my son.

I've been staying for the last two years in all Inclusive Hilton properties. I have managed to rack in total (without ever using points per stay) about a total of 277,000 points. In recent conversations with a colleague of mine, he asked if I ever gave Marriott a try. I have stayed maybe a couple of times but didn't see what all the grip was about. I've chosen to this year give my new home away from home a new design. Best part of it all is that I didn't have to pay a single cent to grab new furniture or paint the walls!

Im staying at a Marriott property right now. In fact, thats where Im creating this blog from. I truly can say and be one of the ones to attest that Marriott has far superior services than Hilton. I couldn't believe it! One thing that strikes me right of the back is how Modern and ubber geeky atmosphere their creating. The rumor is by 2011 they have turn around more than 80% of all their hotel properties to the new and design look and feel. Marriott has this new bistro where you can grab great breakfast and happy hour starts at 5:00pm till 10:00pm.

Their definitely catering as well to the business traveler. They understand the need and demand of certain things like for example. The Computers with printers right by the hotel (their calling those the Ticket airline stations) Then they got the OLED big screen where you can touch for on demand news, traffic, weather and of course CNN. Im very impressed with the new look and happy I made the right decision right at the beginning of the year. Heres to happier and new times from my a Marriott resort my new work /home sponsored crib.

Good god was I waiting for this one to ever happen. This year has been extremely busy for me. I fly a lot but never seemed to keep a steady rhythm with one single airline. I several trips to South America this year with American and well they bumped me up really quick. At the beginning of the year I started off with Gold status and now I have reached more than 60 segments, thus putting over the top at Platinum tear status. This definitely has its perks and advantages. I make no lines, get bumped up to first class more often than usual and well-traveling is just simply more comfortable. Im going to enjoy flying from now.

So I was lucky enough to get the opportunity and go work in Trinidad. Through out the years I had heard so much about the Island but never thought in a million years I would visit this beautiful place. My initial reaction to when I first landed was (this place looks just like Barbados) not so much. Barbados is clearly more tropical and caters more to the tourist type crowd. Trinidad is a bit different. If you've ever had the opportunity to visit places like, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua etc..this is exactly the way Trinidad looks like. I stayed in a a great hotel called the Kapok, very accommodating. Breakfast was my favorite time of the day. I had a private elevator that would escort me directly in the middle of the 8th floor where breakfast was being served. Trinidadians’ are clearly hustlers. You find your local vendors in the streets and bartering is really big in the island. I drove a right-handed stick shift car in a left-handed road-this was very confusing to say the least. The nightlife in Trinidad is one like you will ever imagine. One thing is Carnival in February but the truth of the matter is that Trini's never stop partying all year around. I visited the famous St James Street and got to feast myself with one of the famous local Roti-authentic style. Tobago is definitely what you want to visit if you’re going to Trinidad.

It’s nice to see I finally get something out of these guys. With all the rentals I do from month after month they have escalated me to their “Executive elite” tier membership. I no longer have to rent a mid size hoop-tie to get a round. National does have their emerald club which is highly convenient especially right after your red eye flight. But this executive tear means I can go ahead and rent any car from the lot for the same price. How suh-weet is that. Now those are the perks Im talking about. Now if only American Airlines would hurry up and do the same for me, I’d be in business!