<p>OK world travelers, I need some advice.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2009, my wife and I intend to cash in some of our Marriott points and spend seven nights in London and five nights in either Prague or Copenhagen. London is definite, but which of the other two would you chose?</p>
<p>I think both are amazing. I’d check to see what the cost of things are in both Prague & Copenhagen, and make my decision accordingly (I like to travel inexpensively, which is harder and harder to do). Also consider what you might do at both places and see which one floats your boat more. Time to make the list!</p>
<p>There will be no costs for the hotels or airfare. I do recognize that Copenhagen is probably more expensive than Prague. The list is a good idea though.</p>
<p>Prague. In a hot second. I’m all for Copenhagen but Prague is one of the world’s most beautiful cities.</p>
<p>I’d go with Prague. It is a beautiful and fascinating city. One word of advice, once you have your dates, book those Marriott Rewards EARLY! I attempted (ten months in advance) to use some of mine for a trip one of my Ds is taking this summer and there was nothing available. Apparently, they do not make all rooms available for rewards, similar to frequent flyer plans having a limited number of seats.</p>
<p>Id go for Prague too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice Always. I am aware of the 300 day thing. We have gone to London twice, Amsterdam, and Paris on Marriott points. We have had short stays in Aruba, Kauai, and NYC on points. Last May we sent our son and one of his friends to London and Amsterdam on points as a college graduation present. </p>
<p>Marriott points have significantly improved the quality of my life. Lol.</p>
<p>tsdad, you’re welcome. We, too, have used Marriott rewards for many trips, or portions of trips, over the years. This was the first time I have run into a problem and I was told by the Rewards ‘agent’ that there have been changes to the way they can be used in Europe, e.g., fewer rooms available, increased rating which means an increase in the number of points required, etc. I also, for the first time, had difficulty getting a rewards reservation at my usual NYC hotel for a fall trip this year, so, as a result of this and a bad experience with that same hotel last fall, I’m not as happy with Marriott these days as I usually am. :)</p>
<p>It’s just me, but I wouldn’t spend all seven days in London. How about a train ride to Edinburgh, or a drive to the Lake District? There used to be a high speed train (still might be for all I know) to Cardiff that makes a nice day trip from London, too.</p>
<p>Always: Sorry to hear that. I was aware of the increase in ratings in London. I’ll get moving on it as soon as we hit the 300 days.</p>
<p>WashDad:</p>
<p>I will not drive–the left/right thing is more than I want to deal with. As for day trips–I have always wanted to go to Edinburgh so I’ll check it out. We do use trips to London to go to the theater so we want to spend as many days there as we can.</p>
<p>Always: Out of curiosity I checked the Marriott website and found that there were rooms in all three cities using points during the first week in July 2008. In London the Park Lane had rooms. We’ve stayed there before, and I really like it. Great location. Nice rooms. Plus they give you shortbread cookies everyday.</p>
<p>If you’ve never been to Bath, go. Trains go there from London all the time and it’s a World Heritage City. Walk where Austen and Lord Nelson walked, sip tea in a place where they’ve been drinking it for 300 yrs, and visit the Aqua Sulis exhibit to see where they’ve been bathing for 2500 years. If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d choose Bath. It’s a very walk-friendly place, as long as you don’t try to go to the very farthest and highest reaches.</p>
<p>If you don’t feel like going that far afield, take in Hampton Court. More history per square foot than any place except the White Tower.</p>
<p>Been to Bath and Hampton Court. Certainly worth the trip.</p>
<p>Prague – scout out a film location for your son!</p>
<p>tsdad, I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to use those points to come to Pittsburgh on a Steelers Weekend!?!</p>
<p>That being said, Prague is definitely a #1 city destination, but Copenhagen has a certain distain for the western hemisphere inhabitants. Very expensive gas there, too.</p>
<p>Hey, tsdad, we leave for Prague in 6 weeks! We chose it because my D thought it sounded cool and my H likes the idea of all those specialty beers…</p>
<p>Prague by a mile! Anyone favor Copenhagen?</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Prague, but I LOVED Copenhagen. Sat out in cafes having coffee, watching the bicyclists go by. Rode the hovercraft over to Sweden (Malmo) for the day (this was when the bridge was still under construction). It was a wonderful summer vacation. But listening to everyone, now I want to go to Prague too!</p>
<p>tsdad, that’s interesting that you found rooms available for this July. Unfortunately, none of those cities are where my D is going, nor when(August). :)</p>
<p>We have friends who always stay at the Park Lane in London. I don’t think we’ve ever used our points for our London visits. We usually stay at Le Meridien Piccadilly because our trips are largely theatre-focussed and its location is perfect for that.</p>