Coincidentally the previous IHG Pointbreaks came out right as I was planning some travels through Europe.
I had just finished wrapping up an amazing three month stint exploring Argentina and Brazil and had a lot of IHG points I wanted to burn through...so what better way than 30 nights of Pointbreaks hotels? Right?
Driving towards El Chalten, Argentina
Hiking in Bariloche, Argentina
When IHG released the winter Pointbreaks list there were a few intriguing properties in Europe---and more importantly in cities and places I have never visited. I figured 'what the heck' why not book a full month at a few of the Crowne Plaza properties.
This also meant staying put in the same place for more than a week---which although isn't normally my travel style, I was ready for some slow travel after some long and frequent overland trips in Argentina.
150,000 IHG Points and 30 Nights at Crowne Plazas
I decided to book roughly 10 nights, blowing through 150,000 IHG points, at three properties spread across Europe. I'd travel by rail between the cities with the longest journey being six hours.
Overall it was an interesting experience staying 30 nights in IHG hotels in some not so touristy or necessarily exciting cities. Here's a sneak peek of my stays, before I catch up with a full review of each hotel.
Crowne Plaza Liège
Room Upgrade: No
Lounge Access: Yes
Breakfast Included: No
Entrance of the Crowne Plaza Liege
Bedroom at the Crowne Plaza Liege
Streets of Liege, Belgium
Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden
Room Upgrade: Yes, kind of
Lounge Access: No
Breakfast Included: No
Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden
Crowne Plaza Wiesbaden
Crowne Plaza Lyon – Cite Internationale
Room Upgrade: Yes, before arrival
Lounge Access: No (was told it was opening March 2015)
Breakfast Included: Yes
View from the room at the Crowne Plaza Lyon
Room at the Crowne Plaza Lyon
Welcome gift at the Crowne Plaza Lyon
I was booking so far in advance to lock-in the Pointbreaks properties at only 5,000 points per night, which also meant I reaped the benefit of grabbing some super low cost rail tickets to get to my next destination. The month in total cost me around 90 Euros in transportation and 150,000 IHG points for the hotel stays.
Would I Do It Again?
Staying in the same place for more than a week both has it's benefits and drawbacks. I did get to explore a city more than normal and live a bit more like a local. However, especially since Pointbreaks hotels are often chosen because they are not incredibly popular properties or off the tourist track, there were some days which meant just walking around town of going to a cafe to work.
Overall it was a interesting experience to stay for a full month in rather nice hotels for ~$35 per night...if you value IHG points at 0.7 cents a piece. Would I do it again? Probably not. I'll be the first to admit that it sounds like a great time staying in luxury hotels for a full month straight, but it can get boring too!
What's the longest Pointbreaks stay you've made? Did you enjoy it?
