We left Jenn and her family of four in Istanbul last Friday. Here is the continuation of her story to Christmas markets and Amsterdam:

 

After an amazing time in Istanbul, we took an inexpensive economy flight (around $100) on Turkish Airlines to Cologne, Germany. At Istanbul Airport, we had access to the IGA lounge courtesy of Priority Pass, which comes with the Capital One Venture X card. Currently, I hold the card and have my youngest son as an authorized user, so we each had access for ourselves and up to two guests. (But the Venture X lounge-access policy is changing on February 1, 2026.) The lounge was massive, with plenty to eat and drink.

 

Cologne, Germany

While in Cologne, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency. This is a Category 4 hotel that we stayed at for three nights using a combination of a free-night certificate and points. We loved the location—a quick walk across the bridge and we were smack dab in the gnome Christmas market.

 

 

 

We visited many of the markets, eating, drinking, and shopping the whole time. I know a lot of people love Disney, but I swear this was the most magical place on earth. Seeing the Kölner Dom for the first time in the darkness of night was surreal.

 

 

The next day, we went inside, and the beauty brought me to tears. I want to give context here. First of all, I don’t cry easily. Secondly, I have been fortunate to see many gorgeous religious sites, including La Sagrada Família, the Vatican, the Duomo, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, and Notre Dame, but none of them impacted me the way our time in the Cologne Cathedral did. This is a place I would return to in a heartbeat.

Now, back to the hotel. We had adjoining rooms, with one having a king bed and the other with two twins. We are Globalists, so we had access to the lounge on our floor, the minibar, and a gorgeous breakfast. SO MUCH VALUE!! 

 

On to Amsterdam

After Cologne, we booked first-class train tickets to Amsterdam. Yes, we love the bougie life, but honestly, it was about $30 more in total, and it allowed us a bit more space and the ability to sit together on the train. 

We spent the day exploring Amsterdam. It was beautiful, especially with the Christmas lights, but it didn’t steal my heart the way the other two places on this trip did. 

 

 

 

We decided to save some points and stay at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport, a Category 2 hotel. Again, we booked a king room that connected to a twin room. We were given complimentary drink tickets to use at their bar, and the additional drinks we had were not charged. The next morning, we ate at the included buffet (I’m not sure whether it was free for all guests or only for Globalists).  Then we took the hotel shuttle to the airport and found the lounges.

 

Flights Home

We flew AMS-ORD booked via Flying Blue, mainly using American Express Membership Rewards® with a bit of Chase Ultimate Rewards® to top off to get to the required number we needed to book the flights.

My husband and I flew KLM business class for 56.5K miles plus $329 taxes/fees each, and our kids flew in economy. Our oldest son cost 20K miles $176 in taxes and fees, and our youngest was able to use the 12 and under discount, so he only cost 15K miles plus $176 in taxes and fees. Our boys are experienced travelers and have been making multiple international trips a year since they were 9 and 3 (they were 18 and 11 on this trip). This gave us the confidence to try separating from them a bit on our journey home.

 

Lounge Experience

Once we were at the Amsterdam airport, we made our way to the Priority Pass Aspire Lounge. We got lucky as the attendant checked our boys in immediately despite being very far down on the waitlist.

Inside, it was busy, but the selections of food and drink looked good for breakfast. After getting them a spot to sit and connected to wifi, Adam and I went to find the KLM Crown Lounge. The space was beautiful and incredibly large, but despite that, we had a difficult time finding a place to sit. Eventually, we found a small table and got breakfast. There was complimentary food and drink available, but upstairs, there is a more upscale restaurant with food and drink available for purchase.

While I am always thankful for a lounge, I was honestly disappointed in KLM’s flagship lounge. Perhaps because it was breakfast, but there wasn’t much of a selection for food, and the overcrowding made it difficult to settle in. I honestly thought the food looked better in the Priority Pass Lounge.

 

Flight Experience

When it was time, we boarded together, but mom and dad went left while the boys went right. The business class area was bright, clean, and modern. Throughout the flight, the service was friendly, but not over-the-top. This was a daytime flight, so no sleeping allowed in the hope of fighting impending jet lag.

We were offered a welcome drink (always champagne), warm nuts, and a warm towel. The food was good, but it didn’t blow my mind. (I didn’t expect fine dining, so that was just fine with us.) We received an amenity kit with the basics, but the star of the show was the cute Delft houses the flight attendants gave each of us.

My oldest in economy also was given one, I think as a thank you for the box of chocolates they gave to the crew. (This, along with a handwritten note from the boys thanking the crew for helping to get them there safely, is something we have done for years. It has been an opportunity for our boys to practice gratitude and respect, while often reinforcing that behavior in real time with a bit of special attention.) We know how lucky we are to be able to travel the way we do, so a small thank-you always feels good to give.

One of our pieces of luggage was delayed on the way home, so thanks to EU261 and paying the taxes and fees with my CSP, I was able to purchase new toiletries and underwear for the family, knowing it would be reimbursed. The luggage arrived 13 days later, with no updates ever posted on the KLM lost luggage account.

 

Bottom Line

We loved this trip so much. We found the right pace of not rushing or overplanning, and everyone was better for it. We also felt like we hit refresh when we went to Cologne because it had such a different feel from Istanbul. Mentally, we all did so much better with two very different cities and climates. The Christmas markets were pure magic, and I can’t wait to travel again!

Thanks, Jenn, for your story about visiting four amazing cities! We love seeing family travel made possible with points and miles!

 

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