We didn’t get to see Santa, but the food was delicioso!
After spending a week in the Emirates, we decided to make our return home. But first, we wanted to stop by one of the famous Christmas markets in Europe. Since we were flying out of Dubai, we wanted to fly on the Emirates A380 in business class. The closest airport that the A380 flies to Brussels is Amsterdam, so we decided to head over there! We purchased two economy tickets for $1500 and upgraded our tickets to business class by transferring over 60,000 AMEX points. From Amsterdam, we took a 1.5 hour train ride down to Brussels. The ease of being able to fly to one European capital and catch a train to another capital is something else!
We stayed at the Brussels Marriott Grand Place in downtown, with direct views of the Christmas Market – or should I say, part of the market because due to COVID conditions, the market was spread out all over downtown Brussels. We used our Marriott Suite Night Awards to upgrade our room to a suite, and for two straight nights we enjoyed the different foods and sounds of the market. It was also the first time we were walking around a big crowd, so although it felt kinda weird, folks needed to show proof of vaccination to walk through the markets. They even had us wear bracelets to ensure vendors were only selling to “verified” customers.
Finally, it was time to come back home. We booked business class seats on United direct to IAD. We transferred 120,000 AMEX and Capital One miles to our Aeroplan (Air Canada) account to book the two seats. A plus for us – the BRU to IAD route features United’s Polaris business class product, which quite frankly really surprised us! Great seats, good entertainment options, and a solid amenity kit came with the seats. Although the food options could be better, they were decent enough for our flight back home. After our 8.5 hour flight, we finally made it home, and our 3 week trip came to end.
Vamos viajando. The world needs to see us!
Latinos With Passports 