We last left you with our sister’s trip to Greece in Athens before we started our trip to Italy on points and miles. From Athens, we traveled via Aegean Airlines to Venice, Italy. Aegean Airlines is part of the Star Alliance so we could use miles to fly this part of our trip. As you can see, there are certain days that are cheaper than others. I would choose the 8.8K miles, of course. Flexibility is key in saving points and miles.

 

 

Getting Into Venice

There are a few options to get into Venice from Marco Polo Airport. In the past, we used a water taxi (the more expensive option) but this time my sister and I decided to do the bus system. It was cheap and easy. We were staying farther outside of  San Marco Piazza this time so it made for a good option.

Near the baggage claim area, we saw the ticket machine for the ATVO and bought our tickets which were 8 Euros each. We then followed the signs to the bus pickup area, one aisle from the airport exit. Luckily for us, we were able to get right on. The bus runs every 20 minutes and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the Piazzale Roma, the main stop for the busses. From there, our hotel was visible – the Marriott AC Venezia.

 

Marriott AC Venezia

For this hotel, we used three 50k free night certificates. These had been earned by my brother-in-law, who had opened a Marriott card last year.

Here is where we almost got into trouble. Both Alex and I have used our husband’s free night certificates countless times in the United States without any problems. I guess we were lucky. Supposedly, those certificates are attached to the cardholder only and can’t be transferred. Oops! There we are in Venice, and our check-in guy doesn’t want to honor them. He said he needed my sister’s husband to call Marriott and authorize it. He talked to two different people, and it was a no-go. Then he called the corporate office, and they asked him to send an email explaining the situation, and they would see what they could do. It was never addressed again, so I guess they found a workaround. Moral of the story: YMMV (your mileage may vary) on using a spouse’s annual night certificates if they are not there. We had another two more booked that way in Milan and were concerned that they wouldn’t work either. They worked without a problem. I recommend at least putting your name down as an additional guest when making your booking and then hoping for the best!

 

 

The Marriott AC Venezia was a great place to stay. Modern, great staff, and, because I had Platinum status, we had free breakfasts, a suite the first night, and upgraded internet. They even gave us those elite benefits on the night my sister booked, which was really nice. Italy on points and miles is even nicer when you get elite benefits!

In the past, I stayed closer to the center of Venice. This time we were out a bit. We had to walk about 1.5 miles to get to the center each day, but we didn’t mind the exercise. It was also nice to wander in and out of the many picturesque streets of Venice. Again, photo-worthy pics at every turn. My sister fell in love with this unique and beautiful city. Italy has always had my heart.

 

First Day

Our first day consisted of walking, exploring, taking pics, and eating. Of course, it included a couple of gelato stops! We found the best gelato shop, and it became our twice-a-day stop! Amerena or black cherry, was quickly our favorite flavor.

 

 

We first wandered to the Rialto Bridge, the most famous bridge, crossing the Grand Canal. From here we had a vantage point of gondolas, vaporettos, restaurants, and more canals. We were following our GPS to get to San Marco, the main square, but it doesn’t work too well when the buildings are close together. Eventually, we found it easier to follow the signs pointing to it.

At every square, my sister would ask, “Is this it?” I assured you she would know when we got there. And she did. The magnificent splendor of the Doge Palace, the huge square filled with people and pigeons, all announced that we had arrived. The Doge Palace and the Bell Tower are huge tourist draws that we didn’t do on this trip. The lines were long, so make sure you pre-book tickets if you go. I had previously seen both, so didn’t feel a need to revisit them.

Instead, we parked ourselves in front of Cafe Florrian and ordered diet cokes. They have the most beautiful 4-piece orchestra that plays exquisite music. We ordered 2 diet cokes (12 Euros each) and listened to some amazing music (5 Euro charge each). In all, this priceless experience cost us 34 Euros. Totally worth it. About 21 years ago two of my daughters (not Alex) and I had gone on a 3-week Europe trip with my parents. This was the trip that started my passion for travel. Having this time together and doing something I had done with my parents who passed on was sweet and surreal. There were a few tears shared.

 

 

 

Views of Venice

 

 

 

Second Day

For our second day, we opted to do a boat tour of three other cities outside of Venice. Each is located on its own island. First up was Murano, known for Murano glass which is famous in Italy, especially in Venice. We watched a glassblowing demonstration, something I always thought would be boring. It was fascinating. I highly recommend doing that. You don’t even have to go on a tour. There are lots of boats going to the different islands around Venice that you can ride cheaply and go at your own pace.

 

 

Our next stop was Torcello. Supposedly, it used to have 20,000 residents and now has 11. We couldn’t figure that out because there were at least 8 restaurants on the island – does everyone have one, and do the workers’ boat in? There wasn’t much to do there, so we had pizza for lunch and relaxed.

Finally, we went to Burano. This island was heavily visited and has houses of every color. Supposedly, that was so the fishermen could spot their house when they came home. We had their famous cookie, the Bussolla (which tasted like a vanilla wafer), and, of course, more gelato.

 

 

Sometimes, when I travel, I just want a good burger, so we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe Venice for one and a gelato on the way home. We captured some last-minute pictures of beautiful Venice and called it a day.

 

 

Train to Lake Como

Our trip to Italy on points and miles continued from Venice with us catching a train to Lake Como. We went via Milan where we changed trains. I had bought our tickets online at Trenitalia prior to our leaving the United States. The train was very nice and comfortable.

At the train station, you find the train you are departing from on the timetable and wait until the binario (platform) number is posted. Everyone then heads to the right train.

Prior to boarding, they took our temperature and looked at our COVID vaccination cards. We then found the right train. Ours was #4 and they are all numbered. Our seat was also assigned and it was easy to find. There is limited large luggage space onboard and small luggage space above your seat. During these COVID times, we had to wear a mask and our seats were not next to another person. It was a very pleasant way to travel.

 

 

From Como to Menaggio

One of the hardest decisions on this sister trip to Italy was deciding where to stay in Lake Como. I wanted to use points, so that helped refine my choices. I had thought about the Sheraton Lake Como but saw that I could use Hyatt points to stay at the Victoria Concept Hotel and Spa in Mennagio and was inexplicably drawn to it. It is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Luxury with a boutique hotel feel. On my last trip to Italy, I loved Monterosso in Cinque Terre, which reminded me of that visit.

You can’t travel by train all the way to Menaggio, so once we got to the town of Como, we got a taxi that took us to Menaggio.  The taxi ride was 100 Euros, and it was on a winding and narrow road. I had once thought of getting a rental car in Como. I was so glad I changed my mind! I would not have wanted to drive that road.

 

Victoria Grand Hotel Concept and Spa – a Small Luxury Hotel of the World

We arrived at our hotel and were warmly greeted by the staff, who informed us they had upgraded us to a larger room with a large balcony. It had spectacular views of the mountains and village and a little corner view of the lake. We had a nice note from the staff, cookies, and a bowl of fruit waiting for us too. Each night they would bring by a couple of bottles of water and the cutest candy boxes.

The room has floor-to-ceiling windows that opened when we walked in. The staff member oriented us to the room, left, and we both said, “Wow, this is amazing!”  I spent 25,000 Hyatt points that I had transferred from my Chase Sapphire Preferred card for the room, and it sells for 735 Euros a night! Wow! That one signup bonus was worth almost $3,000 in this instance. Geez, I love using credit card points and miles! My whole bill for this stay was 28 Euros – 7 Euros a night for taxes.

 

 

Life Style of the Rich and Famous

My sister and I quickly dubbed this part of our trip as the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Our hotel was over the top luxurious with great treats each night, fruit served around the pool, a spa that was out of this world, and the most insane breakfast buffet that was free with the room. They would also cook eggs, pancakes, and crepes to order. On top of this, there was impeccable service at every turn! A trip to Italy where you get to be treated like rich and famous people is pretty easy to handle!

 

 

 

Bellagio

Lake Como is surrounded by lots of tiny towns and villages. One of the most famous is Bellagio. We took the ferry over there for a day at a cost of 9 Euros roundtrip. We wandered the cute streets, ate gelato, and bought some souvenirs.

 

 

 

Spa Day

Our hotel in Menaggio had an amazing spa. It was complimentary to use during our stay. They had a huge room filled with a giant jacuzzi and several lounge chairs around it. There were also multiple relaxation rooms, including one with heated rocks. Dry and wet saunas at varying temperatures and several rain showers were in the spa, as was a heated plunge pool and a cold plunge. The spa was quite massive! We enjoyed using several rooms and then splurged for massages. You need to splurge on yourself when you don’t have to pay for the room or breakfast!

 

Lake Como Views

 

Travel to Milan

After four blissful days, we had to leave Lake Como. We had traveled there via taxi but really liked the ferry system, so we checked into using that for our trip back. We found that it was much cheaper at about 15 Euros each. It took about an hour, and seeing the other towns from the lake was fun. Our plan was to get a taxi from the town of Como to the train station. We couldn’t find a taxi quickly, so we checked on Google Maps, and it was only half a mile away, so we walked there.

Once there, we bought our train tickets to Milan. We had only a few minutes to make the train and missed the first one. We rechecked, and there was another one 30 minutes later. It was only 7 Euros for first class, and we quickly settled ourselves into our seats. The porter came by to check our tickets and informed us we were on the wrong train. Luckily, it was headed to Milan in a faster, quicker train (not regional). He only charged one of us the 20 Euro difference, and we continued on. Not bad that on this trip to Italy, we only had one big mistake!

Milan train station is HUGE and beautiful. We arrived there and checked how far our hotel was. Only 0.3 miles away – hey, we can walk that easily!

 

Hyatt Centric Hotel Milan

This hotel was also booked via an annual night certificate, but we had zero problems checking in, although it was in my husband’s name. They were super helpful and hospitable, and our room, a little small but designed nicely, was a welcome reprieve from the heat. We quickly went to dinner and then looked for gelato – this was very hard to find. Everywhere in Italy, we have found a gelateria on every corner. Milan, no. We had to search to find them.

 

Tour of Milan

Since we only had one day, we took a Viator tour that included Leonardo’s Last Supper, the neighborhoods in Milan, and the Duomo. It was the perfect way to see Milan quickly. One thing we really appreciated was having phone service. I paid $10 a day to have service through my Verizon plan. Using a GPS takes out a lot of the stress of walking to different sites.

 

 

Return Home

We used a 50K Marriott Certificate my sister had to stay at the Sheraton at Malpensa Airport. Again, even though the certificate was in my brother-in-law’s name, we had no problems. Staying at the Sheraton with access to Terminal 1, where we were flying out, was genius. We slept in and walked over in just a few minutes. The American airlines like United, Delta, and American were in the last check-in area, so it was a bit of a walk.

Using Premium check-in, we were able to get through quickly. We showed our COVID test results and passport and were on our way to the gates. Prior to that, we had another COVID test (although they just glanced at it) and another passport check before we could get near our gates. We then showed our passports in two places before we could get on the airplane. Lots of checks.

 

Business Lounge Access

I was hoping to lounge hop, but many were closed. We were told we could go into the Sala Montale. This was a really large lounge with many comfy leather-type seats to relax in. They had a great assortment of juices and sodas. Their food choices were also quite plentiful – croissants, donuts, muffins, fresh fruit, small sandwiches, and yogurt. We spent about 30 minutes there and headed to our gate.

 

United Polaris Business Flights

I am a huge fan of the United Polaris Business Flights. I find their staff to be very welcoming, like the seats and amenities, and I always feel like I am “home” on one of their flights. The attendants were particularly pleasant on this flight. They introduced themselves, asked about our trip, and made us feel welcome.

This flight was an 8-hour flight to Newark, New Jersey. My goal was to get some sleep so I could feel more rested when I got home. The meal choices were filet tenderloin, chicken paprika, or cheese ravioli. I chose the filet. It was really good, but I miss those days of the hot rolls and the famous United sundaes for dessert.

 

 

Newark Layover

Customs took me one minute because I have Global Entry. This is a statement credit on many credit cards. I am so glad I have it, as it saves me time. On the other hand, it took my sister 30 minutes to get through customs.

Credit card benefits came through again when I had to check back in. I had CLEAR and TSA Precheck and was able to get through in about 5 minutes. Conversely, it took my sister about 30 minutes again. I love that some of the credit card benefits have saved me so much time in the airport.

We spent a few minutes in a crowded United Lounge and headed to our gate.  It seemed that the lounge was more crowded than the terminal – something that is not usually the case.

 

Bottom Line

We had the greatest time in Italy. Italy on points and miles is an amazing experience. It was a pinch-me moment that we could travel for over a week in Italy, stay at beautiful hotels, and pay so little. We paid for some taxis, meals, excursions, and A LOT of gelatos. Let us know if you have questions about travel to Italy. I think I’ve traveled now to most of the most famous locations, and I would love to help you plan your trip to Italy!