(This is part of a summer trip report using miles and points to fly first class on Emirates from JFK to Dubai/Paris, costing $41 and 100K Alaska miles; our return flight was on Singapore Airlines first class, Moscow to Houston, which cost $275 and 57,375 ultimate rewards!)

We took the fast train from St. Petersburg to Moscow, where we stayed at the Four Seasons! Having never stayed at one before, we were amazed by the quality of service. We were able to use Virtuoso benefits, which gave us one night free, breakfast, $100 credit, and room upgrade, plus the ruble to dollar exchange was in our favor, making this a great deal. It was in an excellent location and our view was amazing, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour from our balcony. Here are some photos of the property.

And our absolutely amazing breakfast buffet…

Outside our hotel was the gate into Red Square, and everything was within walking distance. The first day we walked to the Kremlin, which was not what I expected. The word means “fortress inside a city,” and that’s exactly what it is. Within the walled complex, there are twenty towers, five palaces, and four cathedrals! We went to the Armory Museum and saw more Faberge eggs, but no photos were allowed. Of course, the Kremlin is where the government is located, and there were guards everywhere. A helipad opened in 2013, so Putin can arrive more conveniently, and sorry, no photo of that!  (:

We saw the changing of the guard…

The familiar and iconic St. Basil’s Cathedral, commissioned by Ivan the Terrible in 1555-60, represents Russia! It’s inside Red Square, along with Lenin’s Mausoleum. Legend has it that Ivan ordered the architect to be blinded so he couldn’t build anything this magnificent again, BUT the architect went on to build another cathedral. Since it was right outside our door, I went different days/times…

One day we walked to Sculpture Park, which is next to Gorky Park and saw the huge (320 feet high) Peter the Great Statue on the Moskva (Moscow) River. Built in 1997, it was very controversial and has been voted “ugliest” by various entities. On our way back, we saw the cathedral up close, the one outside our balcony window.

We pre-booked tickets (a must during high season) to the Bolshoi Theater to see the opera, “Carmen.” The Bolshoi was built in 1856 after the old one burned, was closed some years ago for renovations, and opened again in 2011.

Another day we took the metro to the Hills of Vorobyovy Gory, ie, Sparrow Hills. It gives a good view of Moscow.

You can’t go to Moscow without eating at Café Pushkin, which is in a renovated building made to look like a Russian aristocrat’s home circa 1825. The food, service, and setting were extraordinary!

Gum Department Store and the Alexandrovsky Garden were right outside our door, so we enjoyed strolling around the garden and shopping…

We ordered room service for breakfast at the Four Seasons and it was delivered hot and on time early our last morning! We flew Singapore Airlines first class to Houston, which cost $275 and 57,375 ultimate rewards (received from the Ink Bold/Plus credit cards). The value of that flight was $4,569!

Good-bye to Moscow with various night shots…

Next, costs of the trip compared to value we received…