[S]

Yes, currently seeing availability for the dates that I want to travel. They are both night flights from what I can see.

[S]

Wow getting to go on concorde using miles is incredible!

Another of my favourite redemptions is using around 50k Amex points in total on a 5th night free redemption at Le Meridian Mauritius.

When I booked, I had no clue the place had just re-opened after a £50m refurbishment and I assumed the low points prices were due to the pre-refurb occupancy/mixed reviews. We ended up having a better stay here than at the pricier Maradiva down the road where we went next. Le Meridien often goes for around £300+ a night so it turned out to be a bargain.

A not so nice redemption was using KF miles to get to Doha on Turkish Airlines including a lap infant. It was a nightmare trying to get the baby ticketed on the day as we weren’t correctly advised when we initially booked.

Anyways we get to IST…and we miss our connection (our fault!). TK want £1200 each in Y for onward flights to Doha. I check if there are any Avios flights available and lucky for us there were. 36k Avios for 3 people in QR bulkhead seats was a very small price to pay…all things considered!

[S]

We stayed at the MO for 3 nights on an Amex FHR 3rd night free rate. It’s downtown and located close to the Souq. Really nice area to walk around later at night but can also get pretty busy as there are lots of restaurants and cafes in the vicinity.

We really liked the hotel mostly due to the location. Was upgraded to a suite on arrival which was very nice.

We enjoyed the more laidback kind of vibe here than say somewhere like Dubai. Walking around Katara Village at sunset and Mina District at night constrasted well against the fun amd higher energy souq and downtown Msheireb.

We didn’t have time to get on a Dhow Boat but I think I will when I return to Doha later in the year. Lots of them around the corniche area where the Museum of Islamic Art is which is worth a visit too.

We took a taxi from the airport which is straightforward. Ubers to get around as it’s a small city. Very clean and safe city.

Looking at Hilton or RC when I go back as have a kid and want beach this time around. Would be good to know how you get on.

[S]

Do STARS/Luminous/Virtuoso bookings count or only bookings direct on Marriott website/app?

[S]

In case anyone else has this issue in future, here is what eventually happened:

Several phone calls to both Turkish Airlines and Singapore Airlines were fruitless. The same error always occurring when TK try changing the booking: no email address/phone number added to the original booking by SQ and we are redirected to SQ. One TK agent advised that they can do it within 24 hours of departure. This proved to be false too as when I called, the same error was occurring and they were unable to do it over the phone.

Emailed the Manchester TK office and was advised the same thing. That SQ need to add the infant. This in my mind is not the correct info as TK is the operating carrier. They said if TK or SQ cannot produce the ticket then it can be done on day of departure.

The Manchester TK “ticket sales office” number is not actually a number to a ticket sales office at all and is simply a generic TK sales number. The “sales office” in Manchester is a desk at Manchester Airport opposite check-in and has no phone number or contactable info.

So we went to the airport on the day. The desk took over 2 hours trying to process the ticket. Apparently they had to do this “manually”. They could only produce our boarding passes for the MAN-IST leg and gave us some other info to be taken to the TK desk at IST to produce our boarding passes there.

When we got to IST, the agent at the desk was a little confused by the info he was given and mentioned to us that the Manchester desk hadn’t properly checked us in. He produced our boarding pass in under 5 minutes.

So the conclusion: if you are traveling with a lap infant using SQ miles on a partner airline, maybe reconsider your options!

[S]

Never even considered the possibility of 16 MR per £ spend but it makes absolute sense.

Has anyone actually done this and can confirm the 16 MR per £ spend?

Not got long left as it ends Oct 22 but I think I’m going to make a referral and see if it works out!

[S]

Alot depends on budget and flexibility.

Properties that are well regarded but a big budget needed are Ritz Carlton Reserve Mandapa and Capella in Ubud and Four Seasons Sayan.

Nusa Dua is more chill and beach vibe. I stayed at the St Regis in Nusa Dua and still remains the best service I have received at any hotel, it really is brilliant. We had a meal at the underwater restaurant at the Kempinski (not worth it in my opinion) but the hotel looked very nice.

Nihi Sumba is highly rated also but didn’t stay here as couldn’t fit into schedule. And the Oberoi in Lombok which you have already booked.

[S]

Thanks for the replies.

@aq.1988 Those taxes on Saudia do indeed look very good, I’m assuming they don’t have fuel surcharges?
It has made me think a little more because I have Krisflyer miles expiring in a few months and was going to use these on maybe Turkish Airlines to return back to the UK but I’m aware fuel surcharges will apply.

@NorthernLass That is a good rate and it is a pain in the backside that UK APD is so high and that BA charge atrocious surcharges. I think Virgin charge 12k one way economy DXB-MAN on AF/KLM? Guessing the charges will be a lot higher than £60 though!

[S]

For two people I meant to add…

[S]

Were Avios redemptions priced at the same rate as SIN, for KUL?

GC map shows ~6500 miles and old award chart shows 175k Avios for J off-peak return for KUL.

Using Barclays vouchers, if same price as SIN, that would be 220k + £1200 tax for J off-peak return for two people

Does this sound about right?

[S]

warrior01 wrote:

Have you looked into Indonesia (Raja Ampat, Bunaken Marine Park or even Bali)? You can get to Singapore using the 2-4-1 and then a cheap Scoot/AirAsia flight over to Indonesia. Or look at the Tioman Islands in Malaysia – again, fly to Singapore with BA and short hop to Malaysia. Same for the Philippines.

There are quite a few overwater bungalow resorts in Malaysia that could easily compete with the Maldives. Look at Pangkor Laut Resort or AVANI Sepang Goldcoast. Compared to most places, luxury Malaysia accommodation is fairly cheap.

Pangkor Laut Resort looks good thanks for the recommendation. Are there any other similar kind of luxury beach resorts (not necessarily overwater villas but bonus if so) in Malaysia aside from those in Langkawi and the two that have been mentioned here?

[S]

4 x return F redemptions for SIN…Sensei teach me your ways!

[S]

Thanks to both of you, yeah that’s the sort of thing I was looking at and Singapore being a means to an end.

We really enjoyed our time at Singapore though which is why I don’t mind stopping there again.

I initially just considered Air Asia flights to somewhere like Langkawi to stay at the Datai or St Regis maybe in April if I could somehow find availability.

In terms of the Finnair fares from Manchester, are the lower fares Buisness Light?

[S]

NorthernLass wrote:

Barclays voucher requires you to pay the max avios and min surcharges. The avios price is that of PE so not exactly the same as the 241. You save the difference between PE and CW.

Yeah thanks. I checked and premium economy one-way off-peak is 55k LHR-SIN so 110k return which happens to be the same amount if Avios as a 241 in business if I have my numbers correct.

And thanks Aston I hadn’t checked price graph even though I’ve used Google Flights. I guess that answers the question as those prices on the graph are one-way whereas the £1500 I worked out was per person for a return journey.

Hopefully the domestic leg doesn’t add any more Avios and also the lap infant side of things doesn’t cause any issues in terms of getting it all to work and be ticketed with the vouchers.

[S]

We stayed at the St Regis Nusa Dua. One of the best hotels I have stayed at anywhere in terms of service. Very nice beach although it is facing Eastward so no real sunset shots. Rooms are pricey but good points redemptions can be had here.

[S]

Some products that helped us when we travelled to Singapore/Bali with our 8 month old:

Baby Jogger City Tour 2 stroller…folded up so could bring it on board for our long haul flights.

SnoozeShade universal stroller blind.

Aptamil ready-made cartons for the journey.

Joie Savvy Baby Carrier.

It helped us greatly that our flight times were mostly at night so he slept pretty much all the way through.

Bassinet was hit and miss. He slept mostly with us on board. One of the bassinets was lie-flat and he did sleep in for a while. Another one wasn’t flat and he didn’t like it.

We were apprehensive about flying with a baby but on balance I think it went better than expected. Hoping the same happens for you!

[S]

Hi FH2,

Where are you looking to to stay in Singapore and Bali from your initial searches? I ideally wanted to stay around the Marina Bay area for our three nights in Singapore and somewhere that is easily walkable with our baby. The Fullerton Bay and Ritz Carlton would have been my first choices but are beyond budget.

The other FHR hotels are appealing as can use Amex travel credit and get the FHR perks. Trying to decide between Four Seasons (best rated), St Regis (biggest room/best value) and Conrad (best location for us). Sofitel and Andaz are other non-FHR options which are cheaper. If anyone has experiences staying at any of these I would be keen to hear thanks.

[S]

BuildBackBetter wrote:

S wrote:

Thinking abit more outside the box, KLM have a fifth freedom route from Bali to SIN. I believe its 95k Delta miles with minimal tax one-way too.

Have flown that route pre covid. Probably the only widebody intra Asia from Bali. Nice and clean 787 with a proper meal.
Is that really 95k from SIN to DPS? 95k seems way too high.
Alternatively you can use Virgin points now.

Whoops…meant to say (DPS)-SIN-AMS with KLM is 95k points one way…95k points for DPS-SIN would be abit much!

[S]

Following this thread as I also have tentative plans on travelling to Bali from Manchester. Unfortunately I only have the old 241 so options are even more limited and it expires in November this year.

With the amount of Avios BA now demand for J even with a 241, what are the opinions/things to consider on using Avios on Qatar instead using Privilege Club for 80k one way? More Avios than BA 241 but paying less surcharges (I think?) and a better hard product than old club world?

Thinking abit more outside the box, KLM have a fifth freedom route from Bali to SIN. I believe its 95k Delta miles with minimal tax one-way too.

In terms of availability, I am using seatspy but would I be better served using Expertflyer (which I have never used) instead?

[S]

Useful website suggested. Bookmarked the site and thanks also for the advice on the little one @BuildBackBetter

[S]

This thread has so much useful info and was hoping to get some advice too.

Looking to travel to Malaysia or surrounding areas with wife and 7 month old in June.

We will stay in KL a few nights and then ideally wanted somewhere like a beach resort that isn’t too crowded. Redang Island and Perhentian Islands are of interest. Alternatively, Lombok/Bali are other destinations but I would ideally like to keep moving around to a minimum. Langkawi/Thailand has too much rain this time of year?

Any suggestions on both the destination we should look at and where to stay?

Also, am I mad for looking at flying ~16 hours with a 7 month old child?!

[S]

@Tracey

I did get an email from the hotel recently saying all villas will soon have heated pools which may explain the closure. Would definitely have been appreciated by us as the villa pool was too cold for us on the days when we visited!

[S]

What a brilliant detailed write-up. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

If you have other trip reviews would be great to hear about them too.

[S]

Trawling through this thread looks like not alot of joy for Business platinum holders. The best I was offered for my biz card was a £55 statement credit after I complained about the fee increase over chat. Pushed back but no dice. Better than nothing I guess.

[S]

Absolute nightmare customer service is some of the worst I have come across.

I got accepted after about a month of sending numerous bank statements and payslips and an SA302 which was a pain to get from HMRC in itself. Ended up making a complaint and eventually got accepted.

My wife’s application was a total debacle. Similar thing not accepting documents. After being passed from pillar to post, was told my wife’s income needed to be earned income (she’s a homemaker) even though it clearly says when making the application that income from a spouse is acceptable. Got so miffed arguing by this point as it had been six weeks since applying that I just cancelled. Utter shambles.