[mzb]

MGOR wrote:

Looking to book Mad-BA with Avios Y for 2 for next Feb/early March (no241 sadly) Flights bookable upto mid Feb at the moment with availability. Will go LPL/Man the night before on LCC.

Coming back from either Rio or BA depending on what we do as we are looking to go for at least 3 weeks could be a pain with IB looking like no longer serving Man. Either get to Mad and have another night on the way back before LCC to LPL/Man or try and get flights with BA/IB via Mad / LHR using Avios or cash flight on TAP via Lis in Y. May not be that expensive compared with an extra night in Mad and LCC flights with luggage?

Another option is cash with the likes of Latam etc and save Avios but for what?

Any thoughts or advice appreciated

Thanks

Only advice is that if you are planning to fly on two separate tickets into Madrid and then out, be mindful of the time it takes to collect luggage. From my experience at T4 it takes usually close to an hour since you aircraft gets to the gate before the luggage makes it to the carousel. In other words I would not book anything with less than 4 hours in between flights (and more if you need to switch from T4 to T1/2/3).

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No reason it wouldn’t work, all that’s required is spend at a qualifying venue.

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I went to Cuba in 2012, so when applying for my two previous ESTAs I get to disclose that. From memory there’s a question asking for specifics of travel (dates & reason). ESTAs were issued fairly swiftly.

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FWIW, I called BA twice (once to get quotes, the other time to make the booking). Neither agent pushed back on my open-jaw request (at origin). I called the BA Silver line.

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If anyone is interested in this datapoint, I was able to book on the phone MAD-MEX-MAD-LHR using a 241 voucher.
MAD-MEX-MAD was quoted at 101k Avios+£604.6 on Iberia in Business
MAD-MEX-MAD-LHR was quoted at 114k Avios+£620.80 on Iberia in Business, and BA in Economy on the MAD-LHR leg.
LHR-MAD (24+hr stopover)-MEX-MAD-LHR was quoted at 127k Avios+£624.80, with shorthaul legs on BA in Economy.

All done in 15 mins, eticket receipt received while on the call. Happy with this redemption.

[mzb]

I am about to attempt to book MAD-MEX-MAD-LHR, the long-haul in J, the short hop back to LHR in Y.
The inbound from MEX will arrive too late for the last IB flight, so will have to mix IB and BA, which in the past priced the BA leg using non-RFS pricing. Any idea how to find out what that pricing would be?
I’ll give BA a call later today, but wanted to be as informed as possible ahead of the call.

[mzb]

I am afraid not, there used to be a LATAM flight SCL-IPC (Easter Island)-PPT pre-covid. These days though the closest you can get with Avios is Auckland (QR, CX), and it’s then a 5 hour flight to PPT.

Most direct routes are via LAX (Air France and Air Tahiti Nui) and SFO (United). AF is Skyteam, United is Star Alliance, Air Tahiti Nui is not in an alliance (think you can use AA miles)

[mzb]

Flights to SCL are overnight flights and the timezone difference is actually small (3 to 4 hrs depending on the time of the year) so ideal for sleeping. I used to fly a lot between LHR<>GRU in all travel classes. A 789 is unfortunately rather uncomfortable in Y (given narrower seats than a 777 or A350).
However, if you are stuck in Y, what worked best for me travelling as a couple is to grab one of the central 3 seaters and book both aisle seats. If the flight is not too full, you can pick one of the further in the back rows and there may be a chance that the middle seat is not assigned. I found it more comfortable than bulkheads and exit rows (which have an even narrower seat at hip level due to the screen).

During the flight I would switch my watch to the arrival timezone, change into comfortable clothes. I’d pop two Advil PMs (ibuprofen with a sleeping agent) during dinner service, some earplugs, eye mask on and I’d usually get 5-6 hrs of sleep.

Chile is a great country to visit, so hopefully the flight will be a small part of the journey in the grand scheme of things.

[mzb]

Hotel: Radisson Hotel & Apartments Gdansk
Upgraded: yes – Cozy to Standard room with Spa access (hotel occupancy at 97%, so sadly a rather uninspiring inner courtyard room)
Stay duration: 2 nights
Welcome gift: none
Comments: The Spa pool was not very enjoyable with the amount of guests staying, despite pre-booking necessary. Breakfast was good and well managed given the crowds.

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jintycat wrote:

Decided to try my luck and I just bought a gift card on the Tragabuches restaurant website in Madrid and the £100 has been credited to my account. There are 2 in Madrid and this one is 15mins in a taxi from the airport so good for my positioning flights with Iberia as stay at the Meliá at the airport on departure and arrival. Off to purchase another with the OH platinum…

Thanks for reporting back! Only issue is that I see a 6 months validity for the gift voucher and I don’t currently have set plans to head to Madrid.

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Resurrecting this thread, @MJJ223 did you end up attempting to purchase a gift voucher at Aux Pres? Was it successful?

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Also looking for ideas that are not in the US. If anyone has pointers for restaurants in either Paris (didn’t realise how many there are!) and Madrid that could be used to purchase gift vouchers for, I am all ears!

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Hi Kat78, we did a fair bit of travelling around Brazil when I was based there a few years ago so happy to share my experience. We don’t have kids so can’t speak to what a 15-yr old may enjoy 🙂

July is the winter as you know in the Southern Hemisphere. Having said that Brazil is a very large country and you need to look at every region individually. Here’s what to expect:
– Route of emotions: should be perfect time to visit. It’s dry season, and the fresh water lakes in the dunes will be filled. Sunny but likely on the windy side. We went in August, it was also great.
– Amazon: we visited in July (near Manaus), it is rainy season but that didn’t prevent us from taking boat tours. On the plus side, river levels are high and mosquito count goes down.
– Cities: you probably want to spend a few days in Rio de Janeiro being the most iconic city in Brazil. Here the weather is harder to predict, it could be sunny and 25C, and it could be rainy and in the mid-10s.

July is also school holidays month in Brazil, so lots of domestic travelling by Brazilian families (e.g. the beaches in the North East will be busy). School resumes in August.

Other ideas in Brazil in July
– Iguazu falls (also visited in July, it’s the dry season so the water volumes are lower but it was still impressive)
– Brasilia if you have any interest in Brazilian modernist architecture (very dry in July, and the city tends to empty)
– Fernando de Noronha – a marine paradise off the coast of Brazil

In terms of how to get there: there’s definitely more value in flying Iberia which also recently launched flights to Fortaleza and Recife.

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@JDB. I don’t have recent experiences with the Centro Historico but it just didn’t feel particularly safe after dark, last time I visited (pre-Covid).

About SMdA, I shall retract my recommendation then. I am also going by my visit over a decade ago.

[mzb]

Think most has been said by others, CMDX is a great place to explore for 6 days. It is one of my favourite cities: food, architecture & history, art and people.
I won’t be able to comment on specifically the safety aspect for a solo woman traveller (as I am not one), but CDMX is like any very large latin american city, one where you do need to be careful but not paranoid. Ubers are plentiful, cheap and relatively safe. I haven’t taken the metro in a long time, but I know there are women only carriages. Sadly traffic is also quite horrendous.

Areas to stay: Condesa, Roma are the “cooler” areas (The Mexico City Soho house has just opened in Roma – tells you what you need to know); Polanco is the more upscale but still central neighbourhood. Lots of restaurants on Masaryk. Do not stay in the historical centre, best to visit during the day. Reforma is also fine (there are plenty of very nice hotels, mostly catering to business travel) – but maybe less happening and accessible at night (adjacent Zona Rosa is a bit less safe at night, but very much happening).

Things to do in town: I won’t repeat what was already said, you’ve already got a good list from everyone else! 🙂

Things to consider outside town: The pyramids of Teotihuacan. Further afield: San Miguel de Allende (cute colonial town – probably 2-3 hours drive), Puebla (2hrs drive away). The pacific coast is a good 4-5 hours drive so not really worth considering.

Airlines: all much of the sameness. Aeromexico is supposed to be the full service carrier, in practice that means not much on domestic legs. Viva aerobus and Volaris are the LCCs. I’d pick on schedule and price (inclusive of all the extras you may need). Make sure to fly into MEX airport not the newly converted military airport (NLU) which is much further away. CUN-MEX is just under 2 hours.

Enjoy!

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I would check on the delta.com or airfrance.com (or even Qatar) websites for availability, and then call VS to book. I did that a few months ago, and from memory availability matched. I ended up not booking but the agent confirmed availability and quoted a price.

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@ToffeeTom, 6 days in El Chalten, seems pretty long to me. It’s a small town, very welcoming, but it is clearly dictated by how much hiking you want to do. I personally would spend a bit more time in BsAs. The bus ride was very comfortable, and the scenery is spectacularly desolate.

In El Calafate it is indeed mainly about Perrito Moreno, which is impressive. We also enjoyed a boat ride amid glaciers, you get quite close and they come in a variety of colours! It’s a nice town, good food as well. You could take a day trip to Torres de Paine in Chile, but I would not recommend it. You spend a significant amount of time on the road, for a few hours in the park. You can also stay one night in Torres and come back the next day.

You need two days for the Falls; the Argentine side is bigger, much more to explore/walk around. The Brazilian one is small but has a spectacular panoramic view. You will be staying at the Belmond so will have it for yourself. Do check out the aviary at the edge of the Brazilian park entrance.

[mzb]

danimal wrote:

Thanks @mzb – I’ve done Mexico City (loved it!), Lima (loved it!) and Rio (loved it!) so I think Buenos Aires is the best bet. The falls may extend the trip by an extra day…

Sounds like BsAs is the pick then. We really enjoy it there, it isn’t quite the bargain it used to be a few years ago (based on our visit last November) but it’s still great. Iguazu falls are majestic, very much worth the trip. Personally I’d spend one day on the Argentinian side (it’s bigger, much more in terms of walking/hiking across the park), and pop over the border on the Brazilian side for a few hours to see the falls in a more panoramic view. There’s also a very large birds park just at the entrance of the Brazilian side, which is actually nicer than what it sounds. The airport is a 5 mins taxi ride from the Brazilian park entrance.

Not sure if useful but there are airports on both side of the border, which then gives you ad additional option to fly domestically into Sao Paulo or Rio if you want to catch a return flight to Madrid from Brazil instead of Argentina.

[mzb]

For 4 days, I wouldn’t recommend Bogota for the reasons mentioned by others, it’s good for 1-2 days before you explore the rest of the country (Cartagena, Medellin, etc). In Latam, I would consider:
– Mexico City: loads to do, historical, food, culture – just watch out for high altitude. Personally one of my favourite cities in the world.
– Rio de Janeiro: beautiful setting, beach, museums – would avoid Dec/Jan/Feb, very hot and humid
– Buenos Aires: loads to do, food, wine, culture, including day trip to Colonia in Uruguay over the river – day trip to Iguazu is a bit ambitious I would say, you’d want to go for 1 night at least. It is however a very long flight even if jetlag isn’t too big of a deal
– Lima: food and culture, although the situation on the ground is a bit dicey these days

I am off to Guatemala in November for a week, so don’t have first hand experience, but it looks like you could easily fill 4 days in and around Antigua (1hr away from GUA). I’ve been to Panama City 15 years ago, it was a fun destination for a long weekend (visiting the locks at the panama canal was quite cool), I don’t know if there’s anything around though.

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I am pretty sure TK would not status match from a fellow Star Alliance frequent flyer programme such as LH.

[mzb]

Don’t have much insight into TK sales – other than they happen on a regular basis. Your flights are a while away I personally wouldn’t be in a rush to book.
On the frequent traveller point, TK Miles & smiles has been significantly devalued a few years ago, so not really worth it and their phone support is rather unhelpful. You have LH *G, stick with that – you’ll get lounge access, priority boarding, etc. Especially if you don’t really care about the points.

[mzb]

Google Voice will also allow for free calls to US 1-800 numbers. If you need another option.

[mzb]

Just remember you transfer in chunks of 1000 points.

[mzb]

I don’t see a problem of amending your booking from BOG-MAD, to BOG-MAD-LHR so long as there is Avios availability on MAD-LHR. I am reading your post as you’re flying one-way? The difference in Avios will be the additional MAD-LHR segment, however you won’t be able to benefit from RFS pricing on BA flights (can’t mix that with IB segments on the ticket). If you are flying on IB then it’s whatever a MAD-LHR IB flight costs on ba.com.

In all cases, you’ll need to call and pay for the amendment fee.

[mzb]

The Amex site may be a bit more up to date that Tim’s map, but it also lists permanently closed locations (Miami – Jaguar Sun for instance). So unfortunately you do need to click through to Google Maps and see if it’s still operating.