EuroTrip Summer Trip Recap
Intro
I’m back home stateside and fully recovered from another incredible European vacation!
I’m privileged to be part of this community and able to do so many of these amazing free vacations.
Here’s a recap of all the highlights as well as a few hiccups.
The Flight
We flew from Newark → Geneva, a trip we’ve done many times by now, so we’re familiar with the Swiss airport over there.
As many of you know from my prior trip reports, my 5 year old daughter has been on many flights by now, so she knows what to expect.
This was my 10 month old son’s second flight and I must say, he was a champion!
He is too big for a bassinet so we just got a row of 3 seats in economy plus, and we used United points + travel bank to cover.
I definitely missed not having a lay flat seat, but understood my wife’s concerns about wanting be close to our daughter and make it easier for my son.
United Lounge Mishap
I had two United passes (thanks to my United Explorer card) and I thought I could try to plead my case to allow my two kids in as well as they are young.
Well, my preferred United Lounge in Newark had a sign that said “Full, we are not accepting passes at this time.”
I pleaded with the staff, but they directed me to a different lounge on the opposite end of the terminal.
Not the end of the world, but a bit annoying with two young children.
When we got to the other lounge, they told us they just closed.
I begged and they decided to allow two of us in, but said we had to pay $59 for our two children.
My wife refused to pay that out of principle, and had me go in really quick to grab a quick bite for my daughter and then meet them outside.
Well, let’s just say that would have been the biggest waste of $118 ever spent.
The lounge was really bland and unless you were drinking alcohol (we weren’t) there were some sad looking sandwiches, some soup and some cookies.
My daughter settled on some cookies and we got out of there.
Again not a huge deal, but this particular lounge was way worse than the Priority Pass lounges we are used to, so was definitely disappointing.
I even had to pay out of pocket for lunch! The horror!
Annecy, France
I’ve now been to Annecy, France numerous times and I have to say it gets better each time.
I’ll talk a bit about what I did, and give some tips for people who are interested in visiting one day, as I think it’s a place that should seriously be on everyone’s bucket list if they are into outdoor activities.
Lodging
For context, we stayed by relatives on the outskirts of the city in an AirBnB.
I’m usually quite biased to hotels especially because we get them for free with points, but an AirBnB made more sense this trip.
Funny enough, the AirBnB did not have AC as many apartments don’t in France.
This was the week after the major heat wave, so luckily it was only about 90F-93F instead of around 100F. It wasn’t ideal but we made it work and spent most of our time outside the apartment so it was cooler at night.
Another thing, WiFi didn’t work initially. We got instructions from the owner on how to fix it, but honestly we didn’t even bother after a day and it was nice to disconnect.
It was the first time I can remember I stayed somewhere without WiFi or cell reception (we had cell reception immediately after walking outside) and I have to say, it was honestly nice.
But for you guys visiting?
I strongly recommend hotels, and you want to look in the below area where the lake meets downtown Annecy.
Hotel Imperial Palace is an excellent option if you want to have stunning views of the lake, easy beach access, and still have an easy walk to downtown!
Activities
Tour du lac
This is one of the highlights of the trip for sure!
If you are visiting, you must bike around the lake as it is honestly the most stunning bike ride I have ever done.
It’s a 25 mile loop and most people go West to East.
While there are some serious bikers along the way…
Many people opt to get an E-bike as there are some steep climbs along the way.
We went this route as we were going with my father-in-law so wanted to make it easy for everyone.
We rented from Takama in downtown Annecy which is a quick walk from the start of the path. They spoke perfect English, and we had zero issues, just remember to use the locks they provide to lock your bike if you stop along the way.
23 Fbg Sainte-Claire, 74000 Annecy, France
Unless you’re a serious biker I definitely recommend getting a pedal assisted E-Bike.
There are plenty of cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, etc that offer a nice view of the lake and a good spot to rest.
There’s also a few spots to access the beach and cool off, so definitely back sunscreen, a towel, and a bathing suit!
Hiking (Semnoz)
Semnoz is a family friendly affordable ski resort that doubles as a great spot for hiking during the warmer months.
There are short family friendly hikes with great views of Mount Blanc and all of Annecy.
Don’t worry, you can drive all the way to the top, so you can make the hikes as long or short as you want.
There’s a nice little restaurant at the top Les Rochers Blancs which is nice for a post hike meal.
Lake Annecy
You can make a day or afternoon of just hanging out by the lake as well.
There’s crystal clear water and a nice sand beach so it made for a perfect day with the family.
We rented a boat for a 45 minutes for about 40 Euros, which was one of the highlights of the trip for my daughter.
If you have young kids they’ll likely love it!
The only thing is the boats go incredibly SLOW which is understandable given the lake isn’t that big and it’s a safety concern.
Other than that we had a great time!
There’s plenty of small places to grab food right by the lake (in the area where you’d swim) or you can pick up sandwiches and have a little beach front picnic.
Fine Dining
While I didn’t get to partake this trip…
If you’re into fine dining (Michelin Star restaurants) and tasting menus and whatnot, France is an amazing country for this!
I also found that compared to major US restaurant cities (NYC, LA, SF, Napa) you could get way better deals here and it costs way less.
I highly recommend Le Clos Des Sens…
A 3 star Michelin restaurant that features hyperlocal seafood and vegetables from the area surrounding Lake Annecy.
If you’re splurging for the tasting menu, you can’t go wrong with the drink pairing as well.
Fun Fact: It’s also a nice hotel if you want to splurge and stay there!
General Thoughts and Closing Remarks
This is a great part of France that gets overlooked, particularly by Americans.
I’ve had no problems speaking English everywhere I went, and didn’t experience any attitude from any staff.
To be honest, I really regret not hitting up another Michelin restaurant! With an infant and juggling lots of logistics, it just wasn’t in the cards this trip.
Other than the Boat excursion, and the minimum cost of the rental bikes, we spent a lot of time visiting friends, hanging out at the beach, hiking, and walking around the city.
Some of our best family experiences this trip were days we spent very little money and did free activities.
This trip made me reflect a bit about this game, particularly when my wife went to a fancy purse store and got a funny look from the cashier for buying a (relatively) expensive purse while being dressed quite casually.
As I’ve been thinking more about my health and fitness…
I often think about fitness in a “you need to earn it” mentality where you get in what you put out and you can’t fake it or hack it.
The points game feels like a glitch in the matrix where you’re able to do “rich guy stuff” for free!
Funny entering lounges, high end restaurants, and getting weird looks when you’re just a regular Joe that gets to experience the finer things.
Maybe I need to dress better? But I digress!
Anyway, with the greater changes in this game over the past year…
I’ll be taking a look at different opportunities to print points…Ones that took a back seat in the past.
Stay toon’d!
Good luck!
Disclaimer: None of this is to be deemed legal or financial advice of any kind.