10 SPG properties *I* want to visit

italdesign

Level 2 Member
OMAAT writes today on the 10 SPG properties he wants to visit. Not surprisingly, they are all super luxury ones. Being a CVA myself (that's Cheapskate Value Addict), here are 10 SPG properties I can't wait to redeem at cat1/cat2 rate, all located in destinations of high interest to me:

1. Sheraton Yogyakarta
a cat1 in an enchanting historic area in SE Asia.

2. Four Points by Sheraton Penang
Penang is the food capital of Malaysia and reportedly what HK was like 30 years ago - more than enough reason to capture my interest.

3. Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
cat1, 15min walk to JZG park entrance, one of the most beautiful places in the entire world.

4. Le Méridien N’Fis
cat1 in Marrakech, Morocco

5. Four Points Ljubljana
two words: Lake Bled!

6. Four Points Medellin
supposedly one of the great expat cities of the world.

7. Four Points Lhasa
it doesn't feel right to stay at a business hotel in an enchanting place like Tibet, but it's a decent location (20min walk from Potala Palace).

8. Le Méridien Angkor
I have a feeling its days as a cat2 are numbered. I plan to enjoy it soon.

9. Four Points by Sheraton Bolzano
Dolomites! Need I say more?

10. Four Points Taipei
The city isn't much to look at IMO, but the food and people are incredible.

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I haven't paid much attention to SPG historically, but I'm really impressed with their high # of cat1&2's in desirable destinations (to me at least) where you get 3cpp on average.

I haven't been to any of the above and know I won't make it to all before some die in the next devaluation (cat3 is double the rate of cat2, so when a cat2 moves to cat3 it effectively dies in my book). That's OK, we can't have it all. But we have some good ones to choose from.

Farewell to some old friends who left us in previous devals:
-Le Meridien Chiang Mai
-Le Meridien Chiang Rai
-Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort, Lombok
-Sheraton Dubrovnik
-Four Points by Sheraton Lévis Convention Centre
 

heavenlyjane

Level 2 Member
Look amazing, but too costly for this cheapskate. Would be perfect for free night offers.
Yeah, they've gone up in point price since I first set eye on them years ago. Sometimes you can find sale rates on the Ultimate Reqard portal, which make a night cheaper using URs.

The real challenge is getting to these remote locations. The airport in Merida is underserved so flights are pricey and with layovers in Houston or South Florida.

We haven't been to these haciendas yet but they're on my bucket list.
 

niehlin2

Level 2 Member
Four Points Taipei - the hotel itself is fine but the location is remote. It's not ideal for tourists IMO.

Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort - This is a great deal. Will stay here if I ever visit Jiuzhaigo again. I visited both Jiuzhaigo and Croatia's Plitviče. Jiuzhaigo is definitle much prettier. The only downside is the crowd.
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Four Points Taipei - the hotel itself is fine but the location is remote. It's not ideal for tourists IMO.
Agreed. We stayed at the new Courtyard (now a Marriott cat4), which is in a good location with easy MRT access. Good for anniversary nights. I consider anything above cat2 to be a splurge in Asia.

Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort - This is a great deal. Will stay here if I ever visit Jiuzhaigo again. I visited both Jiuzhaigo and Croatia's Plitviče. Jiuzhaigo is definitle much prettier. The only downside is the crowd.
Which month did you go to each one? Another downside to JZG is the cost.

I would like to go to both. Would like to hear any further comparison you can offer.

I could have gone to Plitvice this year after DBV, but chose Bosnia instead. Another time, perhaps.
 

niehlin2

Level 2 Member
Agreed. We stayed at the new Courtyard (now a Marriott cat4), which is in a good location with easy MRT access. Good for anniversary nights. I consider anything above cat2 to be a splurge in Asia.



Which month did you go to each one? Another downside to JZG is the cost.

I would like to go to both. Would like to hear any further comparison you can offer.

I could have gone to Plitvice this year after DBV, but chose Bosnia instead. Another time, perhaps.
Visited Jiuzhaigo on the 3rd week of Oct 2013. The fall scenery was breathtaking. Joined a cheap tour (8 days tour including JZG for $199 pp Sep and Oct, $99 pp rest of the year, land only including hotel, food, and entrance fee but also including shoppimg stops, do not recommend)
Went to Plitviče in Sep 2015. Much more relaxed because of less crowd.

The new high speed rail to JZG will be completed in 2019. will takes only 2 hours from Chengdu to JZG.
 

italdesign

Level 2 Member
Visited Jiuzhaigo on the 3rd week of Oct 2013. The fall scenery was breathtaking. Joined a cheap tour (8 days tour including JZG for $199 pp Sep and Oct, $99 pp rest of the year, land only including hotel, food, and entrance fee but also including shoppimg stops, do not recommend)
That's really cheap. But yeah, I've been to JZG as a child on a tour and want to go independently next time.

Went to Plitviče in Sep 2015. Much more relaxed because of less crowd.
Good to hear. Don't fancy a big crowd (as opposed to the avg Chinese person who is very used to it).

The new high speed rail to JZG will be completed in 2019. will takes only 2 hours from Chengdu to JZG.
Good deadline for when I must go - before the further explosion in visitorship :p
 

SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
I've stayed at 4 and 6 on your list. While the Marrakech property isn't all that, the value proposition is so high I regret moving into the medina where I paid a significant amount for a riad. TripAdvisor rated it very highly at the time but it wasn't a great stay. I'd rather pay x and have an ok stay than pay 10x and have an equally ok stay.
 

SanDiego1K

Level 2 Member
How was 4P Medellin and when were you there? I know it's away from most interesting stuff. Is it an OK location for first time visit?.
It's been a few years. The hotel was fine, a great value for points. I'm not sure there are any hotels close to "interesting" stuff. We went to the Botero Museum, highly recommended, and the surrounding area was a bit dicey. I wrote up my experience with the hotel in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-starwood-preferred-guest/175701-four-points-medellin-colombia-master-thread.html
 
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