As much as I lovedlovedloved Greece this summer, I would not choose Athens for 7 nights. And although I also really loved Rhodes, I wouldn't base there, either.

So I guess my vote goes to either Paris or Cannes, both of which offer a fantastic base for exploring, daytrips, and lots of wine, since you said you loved to drink it!

And now, like Dukey, I'm wondering why the OP hasn't posted again?

Hi y'all,

I've been super busy the past two days and tonight has been my first chance to check back in.

Thanks for all of your advice so far.

Here's the deal with the Hilton points. I'm actually a Diamond member and have more points that you can shake a stick at. AND, because I'm Diamond, there aren't any blackout dates. I checked several of the hotels and they're all available anyway.

Niblette, in order to use the promo for 7 nights in a Cat 6 hotel, it has to be one hotel, not split. So, that's the scoop on that.

Dukey, I'm very much interested in Munich and that city will probably be shortlisted. I'd love any recommendations you may have and I'll continue my research.

Elainee, I'm not so comfortable with Switzerland. I spent 2 days in Zurich 2 years ago and it was extraordinarily expensive. I'm getting the hotel for free, but don't want to mortgage the farm for the rest of the trip. Any comparison on Geneva to elsewhere in Europe? Is my impression misguided?

The BF has had some feedback and is now leaning towards Prague, Amsterdam or France. Of course, I've been to all of those places. Ultimately, he gets to choose, but I want to arm him with unbiased feedback on which to make his choice.

I don't want to spend a week in Amsterdam, but we could possibly fly into Amsterdam, spend two days there with the hotel on us, and then take the train to Paris. Spend the 7 nights in Paris while doing a day trip or two and definitely spending a night in Beaune. There is so much in Paris that I either haven't done or want to do again.

As for Prague, definitely would spend a week there. I spent 10 days in 2005 and it was perfect. I'd like to do an overnight trip to Dresden, Vienna or Budapest with a day trip to Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov.

Any feedback or suggestions on above?

Thanks again and I apologize for being absent to your replies for a day or two!

Thanks again!
G

I stayed at the Hilton in Cannes on points and really enjoyed it. You could enjoy the coast via train for a couple of days and then rent a car and travel further afield. Or, just relax on the beach for a week! :-) The decor is a bit funky, but we truly enjoyed the stay.

geg5150,
A 7-day Cat 6 award is 205,000 points (BTW 205,000 points are not considered a whole lot of points by most Diamonds). If you truly have "more points than you can shake a stick at", you should be able to use points for your entire trip, whether you are staying 2 nights, 5 nights, or 7 nights per hotel, as long as you don't mind staying in a Hilton the whole time.

Prague is a Cat 5 hotel (a really nice hotel, highly recommend it). A VIP award for 7 nights would only cost you 175,000 points.
Paris is a Cat 6 (205,000 points). If you truly have a lot of points (much more than the minumum of 205K), you can use them to cover the 2 nights here and there as well.

Why pay for any of your hotel stays if you have THAT many points? The best use of the points is when the hotel prices are usually high (Paris, Prague). And with a lot of points, a free room is better than paying.
So even if you don't use a VIP award, but use points to pay for 3-4 nights in different hotels, you would come out ahead.
You can reserve the rooms even without enough points in your account as long as you will accumulate the proper # points before you leave. You will have a reservation # but no award certificate which will only be issued after the required points are deducted from your account. However, obviously, the award reservation will be cancelled if you do not have the needed points before you arrive.

BTW, there are no blackout dates for Diamonds but you can still be shut out if there is no award availability at the hotel. Has happened to me when the entire number of nights I wanted were not avaialable.

I've confirmed the availability in Prague, Paris, etc for the dates that we're looking to travel. If we book soon, which I'd like to do, we should be safe..

Not really wanting to get into a status debate about points. I don't want to deplete all I have, and I'd like to use them wisely. Ideally, I'd like to use as few as possible and keep the rest for other trips.

Additionally, I don't want to stay in Hiltons for the entire trip. I want to stay in a smaller, more European-style place for a couple nights.

I just want to use the points for the biggest chunk of the trip in the most expensive city.

I'm more interested in suggestions for where to go that my first time traveler BF might really enjoy.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions.

Based in Paris (where I live), you certainly would be able to keep busy in the city, plus be able to organise some (long) day trips via train or rental car. I would highly recommend a trip to the champagne region (either Reims or Epernay), which is doable in a long day. What's not to love about champagne-tasting? Plus Reims has some great architecture (there is an Art Deco tour; there was lots of post WWI reconstruction; plus there are stained glass windows created by Chagall for the Cathedral) and an interesting museum (the actual war room where the Germans surrendered in WWII). In Paris, head for the Oberkampf neighbourhood for its bar and restaurant scene.

Depending on the precise timing of your visit to France, though, you might have to contend with the minor disruptions caused by the fact that there are three statutory holidays in May in France (1, 8 and 17 May), so there will lots of French travellers clogging up train stations and airports, and some shops, restaurants and museums will be closed. French holidays would also a popular time for labour disruptions.

Prague could certainly keep you busy for at least 4-5 days, and the architecture is great. Better beer than wine, though. I'm not sure what would be accessible in terms of interesting side trips.

Another possibility in France might be the Hilton in Cannes. I am not a fan of Cannes or its neighbour Nice (too glitzy, too full of tourists), but they would serve as good bases from where you could explore the region.

You mentioned Munich as a contender, but have you considered Berlin, which is supposed to have a nice Hilton and is a significantly hipper city than Munich? We spent a long weekend in Berlin a few years ago, and loved the fact that, on a Monday night, the dance scene was diverse, rich and lively as on a weekend in most other cities. On our last night, we went out for dinner, back to our hotel for a nap (hey, we were 40) and then got up again at 1:30 am to go dancing.

Tied for first place (with Copenhagen) as my favourite city is Barcelona. I like it much better than Paris (and as I mentioned earlier, I live in Paris). The architecture is extraordinary (Gaudi's work is almost hallucinogenic), the cafe and bar life is great, there are a number of interesting museums, and there would be some interesting areas to explore on side trips (the mountain of Montserrat, the walled city of Girona, the beaches, etc.) Plus, dog owners stoop and scoop. And prices are probably a little lower than Paris. The shopping is good, too: Spain is Zara's home base (and the prices are lower here and the selection is broader); also Camper (funky shoes) and Massimo Dutti (like a Spanish Banana Republic).

If it were my choice, Barcelona or Berlin would be my first choice, Paris would be my second choice, then Prague, then Munich, then Cannes.

Oops, I forgot to mention that, if you stayed in Cannes, you could rent a car and drive into Italy - thereby indulging your interest in Italy without having to devote the whole vacation to it (since your boyfriend seems less interested in going there).

Hi G,

>There is so much in Paris that I either haven't done or want to do again.>

GO TO PARIS.

Stop dithering.

:) :) :)

((I))

Kate, thank you SO very much for your suggestions.

Barcelona or Berlin, huh? I'll pass that along to the BF for consideration.

It looks liks Paris is in first place at this point with 3 days in Amsterdam at the beginning or end. But, the BF is showing some hesitation about Paris for some reason. I think it would be great, but he gets to make the decision. Ira, I'm hoping for it.

Thanks so much! Have a great week.