CARD BENEFITS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM MY RECENT TRIP TO LOUISVILLE

We’re continuing to evaluate colleges for my daughter, who is a high school senior. Sitting on an offer from the University of Louisville, we decided to take a weekend trip to Louisville and explore the area.

We booked our flights from Washington Reagan Airport (DCA) to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF). Round trip pricing was about $240 per person, and points fares were about 30,000 round trip. That is a redemption value of less than a penny per point, so it didn’t make sense to redeem points for this trip.

We arrived at the airport early because our wonderful government representatives still hadn’t been able to agree on a budget, and our hard working TSA agents were still not getting paid to do their jobs. However, they were there and doing their jobs well. Total time to get through security was about 15 minutes. That is long for DCA, but much shorter than some of the 3 hour horror stories we had been seeing in the news. Thank you for your dedication, TSA agents!

Capital One Landing at Reagan National Airport (DCA)

Because we had time to kill, my partner and I decided to check into the Capital One Landing for a pre-flight meal. The Landing is located in Terminal 2, just before the D Gates. It is not anything exceptional to look at, but this is one book that should not be judged by its cover.

Reservations are recommended for The Landing, and like a restaurant, a specific table will be held for you. Aside from table seating, there is a small bar seating area as well as a standing bar area, which is often available when all tables are filled. While our teens explored the airport, my partner and I took a chance at walking in without a reservation. We were in luck, and were seated after just a few minutes of waiting.

The Capital One Landing has an excellent selection of beer, a limited selection of wine, innovative craft cocktails, and a terrific assortment of tapas including croquetas, gambas al ajillo, and carne asada con mojo verde. A QR code at the table brings up the menu, and the drinks and hot dishes are brought to your table quickly after ordering on your smart device. In addition, there are variety of snacks, side dishes, charcuterie and desserts that can be picked up at the tapas bar. ALL of it was excellent, and we ate our fill before boarding our flight.

Credits at the Hotel Bourre Bonne

In Louisville, there were multiple hotel options which enabled us to take advantage of credits offered by card issuers. We booked two rooms for our three night stay at Hotel Bourre Bonne right downtown. Bourre Bonne is part of the American Express Hotel Collection. A three night booking cost about $1,200 all-in, but thanks to American Express credits we received $300 off each room, as well as two $100 incidental credits for use on the property.

Bourre Bonne is a relatively new boutique hotel that is part of the Hilton chain. It has a modern design and decor, a nice bar, lounge and steakhouse on the first floor, as well as a comfortable lounge and pool on the rooftop. We were quite pleased overall with our selection.

Louisville

We found Louisville to be an interesting city with plenty to do and see. Kentucky produces 95% of the bourbon in the United States, and it seemed every block had either a distillery or a whiskey bar on it. We are not bourbon drinkers, so found other activities to keep us busy. Timing was fortunate for us to check out the NuLu (New Louisville) Block Fest, and we checked out the Louisville Slugger factory and Thomas Edison house and museum, and we had some racing simulator and axe throwing fun at Overdrive (we skipped the Rage Room). We also wandered around to check out the city, and stopped in the lobbies of a couple of the historic hotels in the city, The Brown and The Seelbach, to take in the atmosphere. All of this was within walking distance of the Bourre Bonne. Farther away are Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby museum, underground caverns with ziplining, and more.

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)

After our fun and an afternoon of checking out the Louisville campus, we headed back home. We had no lounge experience in the Louisville International airport, because the Louisville airport has no lounges! It hosts few, if any, international passenger flights, and only receives the “International” monicker because it is a hub for international cargo flights.

Max’s Take:

Louisville is an interesting city with much to see and do. If you are a bourbon drinker, tours are plentiful to learn about and taste some of the finest bourbons on the planet. Horse racing enthusiasts can get their fill as well with Churchill Downs nearby and a gaming center right downtown.

Hotel rates are reasonable and many are included in credit card issuer promoted collections, meaning credits can be obtained, often covering half to most of the cost for short stays. This can make for an inexpensive trip, indeed!

As a family, we managed to save $800 between two hotel rooms and incidentals, and enjoyed a filling stop at the Capital One landing for the price of one guest, $45.

I hope you enjoyed this article! Let me know your thoughts. Have you experienced ether of the lounges referenced? Do you have any travel hacks you’d like to share? Are there any topics you would like to see me write about? Please respond with any feedback you may have.

If you would like to have similar experiences and receive guidance on which credit cards are right for you, free of charge with no obligation, please contact me at email@maxyourplastic.com.