Instanbul/Bulgaria/Paris
About the Trip & How We Did It
Last summer, my daughter Leah was doing a summer service internship working with refugees through her College in Sofia, Bulgaria. I had never considered going to Bulgaria but this was the perfect opportunity and we decided we could meet her after her program ended. We love traveling to less touristy destinations because you can often find bargains as well as amazing opportunities. In searching for flights we decided to start our trip in Istanbul, followed by Bulgaria and ending in Paris. My sister Mary ended up joining us and we had Leah meet us in Istanbul. Highlights of trip included:
Discovering the amazing city that is Istanbul. The history, culture and food made this an unforgettable experience. Highlights include: visiting the Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia; Spice and Food tour which included visiting the Asian area of Istanbul; visiting the colorful area of Balat; going on a bosphorus cruise; swimming at our hotel pool; a visit to a Turkish Bath that I dream of repeating; and visiting the Turkish lounge at the Istanbul airport. I hope to visit Turkey again and see more of the country.
Bulgaria was a country unlike any I had ever visited. It has tons of history – during the War it was known as one of countries that best protected their Jewish citizens. From 1946 until the late 80’s it was a communist country. Plovdiv is the oldest town in Europe and you see ancient ruins there and in other cities. Standout experiences include: swimming in the black sea; bicycling along the beach; learning the history; food tour in Plovdiv; day trip to the Ryla Monastary; the spa pool at our hotel in Sofia; tasting local foods; and best of all having Leah show us her favorite spots in Sofia.
I added Paris onto the end of our trip since Leah’s French trip in HS got cancelled two years in a row due to covid. We spent 3 nights and 2 days there – favorites included: Sainte-Chappelle; Musee D’Orsay; seeing the Eiffel tower twinkle at night and going to the top of it the next day; Seine River cruise; and of course French food.
Here’s how we did points for the trip (note: Mary scheduled her flights and one room shared with Leah – not included in calculations - and Leah’s flight home was covered by her University so we only had to use points for her connecting flights).
We flew MCI – IAD to reposition. Used 7.5K points and $5.50 each to fly on American Airlines booked through British Air. We stayed at the Park Hyatt one night for the off-peak rate of 17K.
We flew business class on Lufthansa (booked through Air Canada with transfer bonus) for 59K each business class plus $93.95, flying on the top deck! We stayed 4 nights at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul for 12k/night for a total of 48K.
We flew Istanbul to Varna business class on Turkish Airlines (booked through United) for 15K each plus $24.90. In Varna we paid for our hotel ($220 for two nights) using our Sapphire Preferred hotel credits so saved $100 – hotels are very inexpensive in Bulgaria.
In Plovdiv we paid for our hotel – a Doubletree which was only $115/night including breakfast.
In Sofia we used 5k/night for a total of 15K for 3 nights at the stunning Hyatt Regency Sofia and were upgraded to a large suite.
We flew Austrian Air (booked through Air Canada) from Sofia to Paris for 6K each plus $71.97. First night in Paris Hyatt House for 5K, next two nights Hyatt Regency Etoile Suite for 21K/night.
Flight home Paris-ORD for 30K each and $211.75 on British Air.
We stayed one night Hyatt Regency Chicago ORD for 8K.
Southwest flight MDW-MCI 8K plus $11.20 (Mark flew free as companion except for taxes)
Total points used for airfare: 134.5K points each plus $413.67 each
Total used for hotels: 135K points and $350.00
-Erin
