Get instant Diamond status with Sandman / Sutton Place hotels
RSVP Rewards is a Canadian hotel rewards program. Two brands operate under the scheme: Sandman which is midscale and The Sutton Place which is upscale. Outside Canada they run two hotels in Texas and four hotels in the UK: London Gatwick, Newcastle, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
RSVP Rewards have four membership tiers: Red, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Both Platinum and Diamond tiers have the following benefits:
- Room upgrade
- Early check-in
- Late check-out
- Breakfast box or credit
- Corporate lounge access
The breakfast benefit seems to apply in Canada only. I didn’t figure out what the “corporate lounge” is – I thought it’s like the club lounge at other hotel chains, but couldn’t find any relevant information although I checked quite a few hotels.
RSVP Rewards has a partnership with Visa Canada:
- Visa Infinite cardholders receive instant Platinum status
- Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders receive instant Diamond status
Only cards issued in Canada are eligible. The gifted status seems to be valid as long as the partnership lasts, not just limited to the first year.
On the sign-up page there’s a Check Eligibility button, and you’ll need to verify with the full 16-digit number. A hint for you: both 451504 and 450003 are valid bins, although I don’t know whether they are Privilege cards or not.
If you are based in Canada, or have a plan to visit their hotels in the UK, the status might be useful.
Free eSIM with 1GB data roaming
Just saw this deal on hotukdeals, which might be useful to our readers.
It is a promotion run by Better Roaming, a company that provides eSIM service. If you scan the QR code below with your phone, you will be redirected to installing an eSIM:
Once activated, the eSIM comes with a 30-day plan including 1GB data. The package is valid at 148 countries, full list here.
It is a pretty good offer (and most importantly free). If you need more packages, you could consider Airalo as well which I’ve been using extensively in the last two years.
My review of Global & Mera Lounge, Cancun T3
My four-day vacation in Cancun has come to an end and I’m heading back to London. The last stop would be the airport lounge, and I do have some expectations since Cancun relies so heavily on tourists.
British Airways uses Terminal 3 of the airport, where all airlines as well as Priority Pass share the same lounge: The Lounge by Global Lounge. It is a landside lounge located at the departure hall, before security, which is not commonly seen.
It looks quite trendy from outside, but the indoor area appears tiny.
It has all the functions though: meeting room, work desks, bar and kids’ club.
And then I found out about the first floor, which is larger and bright.
There are some small plates for you to take, but you mostly order from a menu. All items are local Mexican food, including tacos, chicken soup and cheese pie.
I appreciate the effort they make. Many airport lounges, for understandable concerns, offer only “safe” options such as fried chicken, pasta and salad, and it’s a treat to be able to enjoy something local and special. The quality is quite good by the way – all the tacos I’ve had in Cancun are amazing.
The menu for cocktails shocked me!
As many as 35 different cocktails are on offer and prepared freshly by the bartender. I don’t expect this level of experience even in first class lounges!
We ordered one Sunrise and one Sunset to pair, which would cost around $15 per glass in the hotel zone. Although the facility here isn’t great, food and drink options are impressive.
There’s actually an airside lounge as well – Mera Business Lounge. It is part of the Plaza Premium group – they don’t take Priority Pass but Amex Platinum is fine.
Although slightly bigger, the furnishing is dire with zero natural light. It’s just about to closing so no longer taking any orders. I had a quick look at the menu, which is mainly the kind of pasta and sauteed vegetables etc. Alcohol is free but no cocktails.
So it’s a wise choice that the airlines pick The Lounge over Mera. If you like cocktails, reserve plenty of time before your flight from Cancun! But don’t get too drunk to board. As it is a landside lounge that accepts Priority Pass, I suspect that arriving passengers are admitted too.
My review of JW Marriott Cancun
Having spent three nights at the unusual Canopy hotel, I wanted to move to a proper resort – after all we are in Cancun right? I was very undecisive between JW Marriott, Westin Lagunamar and the Royalton Chic, and JW Marriott finally had the upper hand as it’s very close to the restaurants and snorkelling tour that I was interested in.
The JW Marriott hotel is located in the middle of the hotel strip, which is where many luxury hotels are. Although buses pass by, the hotel’s entrance is a good walk from the road, and there’s no immediate pedestrian cross.
We visited the Mayan site at the Westin Lagunamar in the morning and then took an Uber to the JW. We arrived at 1pm and the room wasn’t ready yet, so we headed to the Fred’s House for lunch first.
Unlike the Canopy, you can easily tell that the JW Marriott hotel is a massive resort, which is what most tourists expect to see in this destination.
The concierge offered us an ice lolly whilst we were waiting for checking in.
Many of the Marriott hotels in Cancun are part of the Vacation Club, implying minimum benefits for Bonvoy members, e.g. no breakfast or suite night award redemption. That’s exactly how the JW Marriott stands out – my suite night award cleared into the best suite of the hotel!
The hotel has a special club lounge, Club 91, and access isn’t complimentary to elite members. You can purchase at the daily price of $85 per person, but I wouldn’t recommend. If you intend to dine fully at the hotel, it’s better to choose an all-inclusive property instead.
My ocean view suite is located on the 11th floor.
Living room:
Bedroom:
Walk-in wardrobe and two bathrooms:
The design is simple and has got the chilled vibe, which suits a beach-side resort well. Coffee machine:
The living room and bedroom are connected to different balconies. It’s not a joy in Cancun’s summer though.
The ocean view however is impeccable, and you see people doing water sports, for example parasailing.
I’m only here for one night, so no poking around and let’s go down to the swimming pool! The outdoor pool is not so much “swimming” to be honest, more of a pretty venue to sunbathe and relax.
More photos of the pool:
You can walk down to the public beach, but remember to bring your key card as you need it to come back.
The sea is beautiful, and you can go down tens of metres yet the water is still quite shallow. The waves are not to be taken lightly though so swimming is not practical.
The indoor pool on the other hand, is absolutely empty.
The gyms:
My research suggests that elite members are entitled to free continental breakfast only, which is fine by me. When I’m in the restaurant however – what kind of continental breakfast is this?!
You can find everything you expect from an English breakfast buffet, with the addition of paella and some local specialties. There are also eggs cooked to order.
In honesty the quality is not great, and I definitely prefer the breakfast at the Canopy. But the spread is very impressive, and the only thing missing is the a-la-carte menu for the paying guests.
The hotel has many restaurants but we didn’t visit any except the pizza shop.
We requested 4.30pm late check-out, which was granted without any hassle. However as the suite was unavailable we were moved to the standard room instead.
Having a view of a construction site isn’t fun for regular guests, but we just need a room to rest so no complaints at all. I am very satisfied with the stay, and it was definitely a great decision to use my suite night award here!
My review of Canopy by Hilton Cancun
This is my first time in Cancun (and Mexico) and there are so many hotels to choose from! I did extensive research and finally set my eyes upon the Canopy by Hilton hotel. The deal is hard to resist: Amex The Hotel Collection comes with a 3-for-2 offer plus $100 credit, and I have the $200 Amex Travel credit from the Platinum card.
So I paid just over $300 for three nights. However, I had my doubts as this is not a traditional resort like others in Cancun. The Canopy hotel is not next to any beach and the nearest one is about 15 minutes away. Although they’ve signed a deal with an external beach club, you must pay $30 for entry and it’s a few minutes drive.
In summary, if you are looking for a staycation or beach holiday this hotel is not for you. However I had planned a lot of tourist stuff for the first two days so we didn’t mind.
There’s a pedestrian cross right in front of the hotel and a bus stop nearby. Frequent buses bring you to all the major sites at the cost of $1.
Uber is quite convenient too. Note that however Uber’s airport pickup is banned so I booked the hotel’s transfer at a fair $35. You can ride with Uber to the airport.
The hotel sits beside La Isla which is a massive shopping complex. There are many shops, restaurants and cafes here.
As you can see from the pictures above, the hotel is basically one standalone building and not very big. The lobby is nice though.
I booked a Sunset Double Double room, and got upgraded to Sunset Premium after I made an inquiry in the online chat. Then I arrived just to find that they changed my reservation to a Sunrise Premium instead.
Although they tried to convince me that it’s a better view etc I didn’t buy into that nonsense. They didn’t have any Sunset Premium Double left, and Premium King with a rollaway bed was not ideal, so I had to begrudgingly accept the assigned room.
The room is nice and functional, the bed very comfy. I was aware that there’s no balcony, but to my surprise there’s no bathtub either.
The so-called Sunrise view has an aspect of the opposite hotel, and the sea view is quite poor.
There’s a transfer lounge on the second floor, serving guests before their transfer to the beach club.
Come with me to the rooftop!
This is the very best part of the hotel, and ideal for your Instagram shots.
Sunset rooms have exactly the same view of this ferry wheel, and I hope you understand my perseverance with the room type now. The infinite pool is pretty good for a swim.
The jacuzzi on the other hand is pointless – who would want to soak themselves in hot water when it’s 32 degrees and humid?
Gym is next to the rooftop bar.
Breakfast is complimentary for Diamond members, which is buffet-only except for the egg-cooking station.
The spread isn’t the best that I’ve seen, but the quality is top-notch, and they change the hot dishes every day. They’ve put a lot of thoughts into the breakfast and the menu is very nicely curated, thanks to it not being a massive resort overwhelmed with guests.
In addition to the usual breakfast offering, there are some local delicacies including grilled fish and pork / beef stew. I’m most impressed by the dessert section – all the pastries here are incredibly fresh, special and tasty!
This is the only restaurant the hotel has, so I used my $100 credit on two dinners with my Mum.
Even better than the breakfast offering, the dinner menu here is outstanding. We ordered tacos, grilled octopus and spider (beef) steak, and every dish is simply amazing. The spider steak especially is probably the best steak I’ve ever had – awesome charcoal touch, crunchy surface and soft inside.
My 2pm late check-out is granted with no issues. This Canopy hotel has its very obvious pros and cons. If you intend to travel a lot when you are in Cancun, it’s a great base to explore the area at a very reasonable price.
My review of LATAM VIP lounge, Santiago
I’m making my way back to Europe from Santiago on LATAM. I flew LATAM a few years back – they didn’t and still don’t have an own lounge at Peru and I don’t remember anything about the one in Brazil, but now I get to try the Santiago Lounge, which turns out to be exceptionally good.
The lounge opened in April 2022 and is proclaimed to be the largest airport lounge in South America. After emigration and security check, turn left and the lounge is in front of you upstairs.
The receptionist lady puts on a very sweet smile after scanning my boarding pass and welcomes me to their best Signature Lounge. I was a bit surprised to find out there are three VIP lounges here:
- Signature – Business Class / LATAM Black Signature & Black / Delta Diamond & Platinum
- Premium – LATAM Platinum / Delta Gold
- WorldMember – Select Santander customers
As you can see from the entry requirements, Signature is clearly the most prestigious out of the three.
The wooden “huts” are eye-catching when you walk inside the lounge.
The Furnishing is mostly wood and leather in dark colours, which fits the “Signature” branding. Many Visa Signature cards are black or dark grey.
You have many different styles of chairs to choose from:
I find the dining area more comfortable though with proper desks and power sockets.
The bar is quite fancy, and they can make barista coffee!
There is a huge buffet section that includes cold and hot food, snacks and desserts. The selection is more than great.
Today’s hot food menu is:
- Rice with nuts
- Chicken breast with citron sauce
- Tortellini stuffed with ricotta
- Roasted beef
- Potato millefeuille
- Polenta
- Pea and mint soup
They are quite tasty.
There’s a kids club on the side. The press release mentions interactive games but I didn’t see any.
Hidden at the very inside is the sleeping and rest area.
There are quite a few sleeping pods here with real beds! No reservation is required, which is a luxury that you rarely see even in first class lounges.
Finally the bathroom:
The LATAM Signature Lounge at Santiago is not only the largest airport lounge in South America, but probably also the best if I hazard a guess. Except for not offering an a-la-carte dining experience, it is pretty much up to the standard of a first class lounge, so don’t miss out if you have the opportunity!
My review of the Amex Centurion Lounge, Buenos Aires
Having finished my trip in Buenos Aires I am making my way to Santiago. There are two airports in the city – AEP, which is rather central, mainly focuses on domestic and short-haul international flights, whereas more flights depart from the remote EZE. The time difference to travel to by car though isn’t significant, so I chose EZE which has a more friendly departure time.
All international-bound passengers need to clear emigration first before arriving into the waiting hall. Terminal A and B are linked, so you should be access any lounges no matter what your gate is.
There is a Star Alliance lounge near Gate 9 which is open to Priority Pass members. Dragonpass on the other hand works with VIP Club – confusingly it has the Visa Signature brand, but when I try to enter with one (Chase Sapphire Preferred) it’s not accepted.
Surprisingly there’s an Amex Centurion Lounge as well near Gate 15. Follow the sign upstairs and you’ll see the familiar logo.
It’s opposite to the Aerolineas Argentinas Lounge (Skyteam).
Entering the lounge you’ll first come across the working area.
If you’ve been to a Centurion lounge before the living wall and wall of suitcases shouldn’t be new to you.
Moving on there’s the station for snacks and drinks with a posh Nespresso machine. There are some sandwich for grab-to-go.
Dining area:
There’s a small salad buffet and a bar.
You can help yourselves to all the alfajors in the fridge, an Argentinian dessert specialty.
The American Express Centurion Lounge at Santiago airport is very new and spacious with all the facilities you need to either work or rest. However, there’s no hot food provided, so don’t expect to have a nice meal here before your flight.
My review of Buenos Aires Marriott Hotel
After three nights at Palacio Duhau I’m spending my last night Argentina at the Marriott hotel. Comparatively its rate is about a-third to half of the Park Hyatt so I wasn’t expecting much, but the stay turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
First of all you can’t get more central in Buenos Aires than the Marriott, as you are only about two hundred metres away from the Obelisco. It’s a great base to explore Buenos Aires – most attractions are within walking distance and there are all sorts of restaurants in the neighbourhood.
I had no problem checking in at just after noon, they also voluntarily offered me 4pm checkout which is a good start.
The hotel building is made of two “towers”. The taller tower (23 floors) has a rooftop bar, swimming pool and viewing terrace. The lower tower (18 floors) has the M Club.
They have very generously upgraded my reservation to an Upper Suite on the 20th floor of the taller tower. Upon entering the room you see a large bedroom with a working desk.
A separate living room:
Bathroom:
The layout is unorthodox and the whole furnishing is a bit rudimentary. My room has the “wrong” aspect and you can’t see the Obelisco from here.
For the M Club there’s a dedicated elevator for access. The interior is nice and the lounge is manned throughout the day.
Happy hour is every evening from 7pm to 9pm, and two hot dishes were served when I was there. I definitely don’t recommend mistreating your stomach on the lounge food though in Buenos Aires!
Breakfast buffet in the main restaurant:
The quality is very poor. I don’t know how the offering in M Club is like but hopefully it’s better.
Enough complaints and let’s head to the rooftop!
I was stunned when I stepped out of the elevator, wow!!
Unlike the rather boring design of the hotel rooms, this rooftop greenhouse is stunning. The pool is thoughtfully heated, and it’s connected to a smaller outdoor pool if you want a better view.
And finally, the Obelisco:
There’s a gym upstairs.
The food here might be underwhelming but that’s the least of my concerns in Buenos Aires. The Marriott has a great location and a beautiful rooftop swimming pool, and I recommend it if you are visiting.