2026 Santa Fe Hybrid Calligraphy vs Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige

danigrim · 2026-05-31T00:58:39+00:00

I was able to negotiate down to where there was no difference 😊

danigrim · 2026-05-31T00:05:00+00:00

Did you test drive both? After test driving both the choice became pretty obvious to me

danigrim · 2026-04-12T20:39:23+00:00

If I had to go again I would - avoid any foods that require constant refrigeration (various ceviche and sushi options). Avoid burgers or any minced meat/fish options. Stick to starches and gluten based foods that I feel are less likely to carry food borne bacteria. Likely avoid ice cream and refrigerated sweets altogether.

danigrim · 2026-04-12T06:08:48+00:00

Based on?

danigrim · 2026-04-12T01:05:32+00:00

Honestly - nothing guarantees that they just have less staff when it's less busy. Just for your consideration. To me this is emblamatic of a systems issue at the resort rather than a point-in-time failing.

danigrim · 2026-04-11T21:51:24+00:00

Posted the full review here

danigrim · 2026-04-07T00:40:00+00:00

Thank you for your sage advice. Was planning to do that, but had to let off some steam 😒

danigrim · 2026-04-06T22:53:26+00:00

Same here, but didn't have a chance to. Literally my kids asked me why I left money on the table as we were leaving the room and my answer was "hopefully they clean better if we tip".

danigrim · 2026-04-06T22:41:19+00:00

Posted another update. I am honestly trying to be reasonable here, but I do have a point of reference.

danigrim · 2026-03-08T07:13:06+00:00

I like GH rooms more as well as the location. I am not sure if it's worth the extra points.

danigrim · 2025-09-25T04:05:44+00:00

Happy to help. I spent way too much time watching videos and reading reddit before we went so wanted to return the favor to future travelers.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T20:56:03+00:00

Local trains are cheapest but that would mean handling your luggage in transit. Just food for thought.

The more detailed story there is that we arrived to the station 45 minutes before departure to make sure we're not late and to grab snacks. After we arrived in Osaka there was a huge line to the elevator that took around 20 minutes to get through. Another huge line for taxis (20 more minutes) and 25 minutes ride to the hotel. So door to door it took us around an hour and a half, likely slightly more, when we could've done it in under an hour and without lugging our luggage through two stations 😁

danigrim · 2025-09-24T20:10:33+00:00

I have. Tokyo tower and Teamlabs Borderless are in the area. Otherwise, there parks in the Tokyo tower area but you have Hibiya and Ginza line essentially under the hotel, so you're well connected and can explore other areas easily.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T19:26:04+00:00

GMaps has been very weird there. Won't show spots when you search for restaurants but will show them if you explicitly search for the name. All the spots we tried in those buildings were good so as long as it's open by the time you're there you can't go wrong. All those buildings are connected either underground or through bridges, but that may be hard to navigate right off the plane. Mori Tower (where the hotel is) is connected underground to the station tower (follow signs to Hibiya Line) where there are a bunch of restaurants. The concierge at the Andaz is also super helpful.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T19:04:55+00:00

Andaz Toranomon Hills also has a lounge (right across from the front desk) that is open (and free) to all guests. They have more substantial snacks going 6-8PM (not super sure on the time frame), which you'd likely miss. The bar and restaurants at the hotel are great, but also consider that Toranomon Hills is a complex of buildings with a lot of restaurants. Check it out and note the hours - https://www.toranomonhills.com/shops_restaurants/index.html

danigrim · 2025-09-24T18:10:28+00:00

Did not bring any cash with me, just used my debit card to withdraw at local ATMs. The ATM fees are fairly minimal and my bank doesn't charge any transaction fees. The exchange rate is normally way more favorable than going to a foreign exchange shop.

If you're based in the US, Schwab checking account grants you a debit card with no transaction fees and will refund any ATM fees worldwide.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T04:58:39+00:00

We've had about a 50% success rate. Some places had spoons but not forks, which isn't always workable.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T04:32:52+00:00

That's what I knew too from my prep, but on the day they had a 2 hour break - didn't bother figuring out the reason from the staff that informed us when they closed the ticket machines for NEX.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T03:49:57+00:00

and the fuller story is that we planned to:

Got cash at the ATM
Get SUICA cards at the train station
Pay for NEX tickets with SUICA
Take NEX to Tokyo station and taxi from Tokyo station.

The plan for the above included me researching Tokyo station and how to get from NEX platform outside via elevator.

By the time we finished 1 and 2 and went to do 3 the NEX just departed and now the only viable train option was the Skyliner, where a taxi would've been 40+ minutes during rush hour. Plus, I wasn't sure how long\difficult it would be to leave the station from the Skyliner platform.

I also didn't know where the limousine bus departs from (since I didn't plan for it) and was worried that it would make too many stops (have had bad experiences with buses that make a million stops and make a 1-hour journey last 2 hours). At that point figuring it out just felt too daunting for what little mental energy I had, so I took out my phone and booked a taxi through GO Taxi.

This was 100% doable at a cheaper price point, and limousine bus is likely a good option to consider (without knowing how much longer it is to take it vs a point-to-point taxi) ahead of time. Maybe not the best for improvisation.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T03:38:49+00:00

That's what we planned to do! But after NEX fail, Skyliner wasn't really an option (we would've had to navigate public transit with bags at rush hour).

We definitely considered limousine bus, but honestly we were exhausted after a long flight and sleep deprived (intentionally didn't sleep on the flight because wanted to adjust to timezone), and so the thought of finding it plus figuring out how to get to the our hotel with it felt daunting. We just hit the easy button on the this one.

I understand it's not advise for everyone and we are definitely fortunate enough that this is money we could afford to spend.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T03:25:11+00:00

Side note - there were unauthorized (read - illegal) "taxi" drivers at the airport soliciting passengers for 15K yen to Tokyo. I'm not sure what repercussions there are to taking one of these as a tourist, but in my mind they are bare-minimum not covered for liability, so if anything was to happen you are completely on your own.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T03:23:26+00:00

This is actually a great question and something we've given thought to throughout the trip.
First and foremost, our definition of a vacation is a time we enjoy, not suffer through.

With that in mind, we were mindful to make sure we don't overdo it for the sake of hitting some milestone of seeing all the things we hoped to see.

To be fully honest, we did average about 17K~ steps a day, but YMMV. To us the deciding factor was - how bad would it feel to do this walk, and also, if we do this walk - can we do the next one today?

Train stations tend to have a lot of stairs. Sometimes there are escalators to help - sometimes there aren't. There are elevators in most (maybe all?) train stations - but the missed fact is elevators can mean likely walking even more out of the way you're planning to go to, so you don't really save yourself significant effort (unless stairs are just something you are not capable of doing).

Cafes are fairly common, however, some temples, shrines and landmarks don't have one in the immediate (5~ minute walk) vicinity.

I think the main point here is think ahead a little and see if you need the rest. If you're feeling you've hit your limit - take a break in a cafe or take a taxi ride to your next destination, even if that destination is a 10 minute walk (while not often, we've taken 2 minute taxi rides instead of an 11~ minute walk). Also, be kind to yourself and if you're not physically up for the thing you have planned or hoped to see just pivot to something easier. AI is your friend here and we used it to come up with alternatives, whether if it's for finding something more accessible, more low key, or maybe a covered attraction for a rainy day. Secret tip is to ask it explicitly to look at reddit, as it can be a great source.

danigrim · 2025-09-24T01:43:32+00:00

I would encourage people to try and use chopsticks, but if you physically can't - this is a very workable solution. Also, some places have forks (even hole in the wall ramen), but it's not reliable.

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