I started my latest European trip with a 5-night stay at the AC Hotel in Genova (Genoa) on the Mediterranean coast of Northern Italy. I have been interested in this city for a while and thought it was underrated and my stay confirmed that. It is lovely! The AC Hotel is located away from the city center in a fairly lively Italian neighborhood close to the beaches. There is a bus stop right by the hotel which I used every day to get to/from the city center. It is a pleasant 20-minute journey.
The room was big with a super comfy, kingsized bed. I think they gave me an upgrade from the standard room. The front desk staff were nice and the cleaners did a great job. For icing on the cake, when I was checking out, it decided to start raining cats and dogs. I didn’t have an umbrella but the manager lady kindly gave me one of the hotel umbrellas.
The best part of this stay was the cost. I booked the stay using Marriott Bonvoy points which I earned rather easily as a welcome bonus by signing up for a new credit card (with a $120 annual fee) and meeting the minimum spend requirement. The rooms were going for a cash price of around 170 Euro/night when I made the booking, for a 5-night total of 870 Euro. That is about $1219 CAD. I used 58,000 points which gives a return of about 2.1 cents per point. Anything above 1 cent per point is considered good value for money. I was only out of pocket for the tourist tax which was 3 Euro per night for a total of 15 Euro. It is definitely one of the best travel deals that I have ever bagged.
Cost: 58,000 Marriott Bonvoy points plus 15 euros for the tourist tax.
