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Some pretty steep looking devaluations reported by LoyaltyLobby for Hilton redemptions.

Waldorf Maldives showing 200k points for standard rewards.

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Can anyone confirm the “normal” spend bonus for Amex platinum business? Is it 55k points for £6k spend in 3 months?

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

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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For two people I meant to add…

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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?

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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?

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

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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?

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

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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?!

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@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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Thought I would report back on my trip. Many thanks for all the comments/advice etc

The day we travelled happened to be the second day of rail strikes and flight cancellations but the airport itself wasn’t too chaotic. First time experiencing the BA lounge at Gatwick and was impressed (normally we fly from Manchester and stuck with Escape lounges). Nice and spacious and not crowded at all (out flight departed at 7.30pm) with good views across the tarmac.

The flight was an overnight one on a 777-200 with the old club world seats. I know some people don’t mind these but not a fan…the quicker the refit to club suites the better although I believe BA Gatwick long haul flights aren’t scheduled anytime soon for this.

Having the car made life so much easier. Highly recommended as it is very easy to drive around-traffic isn’t crazy and roads are generally quite good although I wouldn’t advise driving at night. Just driving around on the island is enjoyable as the scenery is beautiful with lots of mountain backdrops and lush sugar cane fields everywhere.

We pre-booked with a company called Mauriconnect via Discover cars. They had a desk not far from exiting the airport where you can also buy a sim card although I learnt afterwards that you get a slightly better deal if you pre-order an Emtel sim card rather than buying on the day. Although everything turned out fine, Mauriconnect were extremely aggressive with the upsell of full cover. The first car they gave had a flat tyre which they didn’t spot. They changed it quickly and the replacement car itself was new and we had no issues with.

We stayed at the newly refurbished Le Meridien at 81k Marriott points for 5 nights which we thought was an excellent deal. The lobby is very impressive with very high ceilings and a large balcony that overlooks the beach. Sunsets from here were amazing.
As lowly Marriott Golds we weren’t offered an upgrade and were told we did not get any F&B discount either when I asked about it. They did give us a 2pm late checkout and welcome gifts including a hat, scarf and some chocolates. We did have a balcony also facing the beach. Generally F&B is quite pricey at the hotel. We didn’t try the spa. The hotel beach unfortunately is not great as it is quite narrow and rocky. Overall though I would recommend staying here.

Our second hotel was Maradiva, part of The Leading Hotels of the World group. We booked a 4 for 3 nights deal via Emyr although this deal was available to anyone at the time. All rooms are pool villas here. The hotel is at the bottom of a long road and is quite secluded and private. Cold towels and drinks on arrival but no upgrade. Having a (almost) private stretch of Flic en Flac beach was great as other beaches we visited like Trou Aux Biches when the sun was out were semi-crowded. Dinner at the Indian restaurant here was quite good although I thought the breakfast offering for a hotel of this size and status was abit lacking.

Highlights included visiting Chamarel. Alexandra Falls was nice to view although you get even better views of the country a little further up at the Gorges Viewpoint. Further down from there on some fun roads is Chamarel where the large waterfalls are and the Seven coloured earth attraction. There are also giant tortoises here which was pretty cool to see. I did a Nepalese bridge walk and zip wire which was great fun as well as some archery at Lavilleon adventure park. All these attractions are fairly close together. We also visited the Botanical gardens which is a more relaxed day out. They also have giant tortoises and native deer here too.

Our regrets/oversights is that we didn’t realise sunset during the winter time is around 5:45pm which obviously impacts your beach plans etc, although we did book this randomly at 2 weeks notice so there is that. It was also quite windy on a number of days which meant the seas could be quite rough and certain water activities were not available. Thankfully it didn’t rain until the evening we left but a few days were overcast. You do need to cover up a little at night as it can get nippy. Best time to visit I believe is in October where the temperature is good, sunlight hours are long and rain is not so bad.

Overall though it was a great trip. Beautiful country, great food, hospitable and kind people. Will definitely be returning.