Can you say no to a flight from KL-London for about RM600?

Yeah its tempting eh?

Airasia has scrapped their admin charges so their all in prices have dropped even further. Could it be due to the drop in passenger traffic due to the AH1N1? Or is it a long term affair?

Have we seen the end of the “Free Ticket” days of Airasia? These days, they have implemented All in One fares so what you see is now what you pay.

No more hidden charges or surprises when you book a RM0 fare ticket and suddenly find yourself having to pay RM300 for a return ticket to Hong Kong. I did pick up some good travel deals the last time they ran those promotions but the most recent one involved travel in 2010.

Goodness! I don’t even know what I’ll be doing next week much less in 2010! Do you find the all in one fares helpful for you? I do. At least I know now exactly how much my “free air ticket” will cost and decide if its worth it.

On my last trip to Macau, I stayed at Riviera Hotel. There’s no internet presence, but do not be confused with the Riviera hotel in Vegas. I suspect they share the same name because in Macau, casinos are plenty and many originate from Vegas. However, this hotel I stayed in had no casino in it.

The Riviera Hotel is quite a distance from the rest of the casinos so if you’re there to gamble or have a little fun, I suggest you stay on the casino belt where you get the bigger hotels like Lisboa or MGM or even the Venetian. I wish I could afford that – the rooms are the Venetian look awesome but I don’t have thousands to throw on a hotel stay neither do I have the sort of luck that would win me a stay there.

So my tips for travelling to Macau is to decide on what you are there for and plan accordingly. I was there purely as a stopover to Hong Kong where my real interest lies so where I sleep doesn’t bother me one bit!

The last time I was in Singapore, there was a booth on Orchard Road set up by the Marriott hotel. They were selling their hotel privilege package which was quite pricey so I was not keen to really pay attention.

However, what caught my ears were the words “You get a free hotel night stay the next time you come to Singapore” and my ears perked up. Free stay? All I had to do, apparently was sit through a presentation that would last an hour or so and then redeem a free night stay.

I was keen, but it was during the sale period and my time in Singapore was short. So, I regretfully had to pass on the opportunity. I wonder if they still run the promotion – this time, I’d take it up!

The nice thing about this next destination is that unlike Ho Chi Minh City where I enjoyed the sights but deplored the shopping – seriously, there is only so much lacquer a girl can handle before I go nuts! It got so bad I refused to look at another piece of lacquerware or to buy anymore after getting fed up of bargaining with some really rude storekeepers.

At this next shopping paradise destination, I’ll be staying in an apartment not a swanky San Diego California hotel style place. Its not even a serviced apartment, but one being rented out by a local fully furnished. I don’t know what to expect but there’s always a first time for everything!

I just hope its decent

I am a member of the Starwood Privilege card which offers dining and accommodation discounts at Starwood affiliated hotels worldwide. It is very useful when entertaining because you sometimes have vouchers for free bottles of wine or a free cake or special discounts with a certain number of people dining. The best part of course is that when 2 people dine, one eats free which means hefty discounts of up to 50%! Woohoo! There are also vouchers for a free hotel night which can be nice but which I hardly use preferring to give it away instead.

However when I recently stayed at the Sheraton hotel in Ho Chi Minh city, I was asked if I was a Starwood preferred Guest. Curious, I asked if it was the same as Starwood Privilege and was told its not. The Starwood Preferred Guest card allows you to collect points to redeem for free stays and you don’t get discounts. Not very useful for me because I don’t stay in these sort of expensive hotels often enough to merit it. Still, membership is free and they signed me up immediately so now I’m a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest too!

Now where shall I stay on my next holiday? Sheraton, Westin, St. Regis, W hotels… or my usual budget choices?

That said, here are 3 tips I have for shopping in Vietnam especially in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon):-

• Bargain - the traders are now quite smart. The old rule of 70% discount no longer applies for big purchases. Its more like 50-60% now or they won’t bother to call you back because they know there will be others who will pay for it. For small items e.g. embroidered items you can still try to bargain it to a palatable level.
• Use Vietnam Dong - I’ve found that when I choose to pay in VND I get a better price. It might be due to the high exchange rate at this time between the RM-USD which is the other accepted currency in Vietnam. So, I ask for prices in VND and work from there.
• Don’t shop at the first store you see - in many cases, the most prominent store will be the most expensive store. I prefer to go deep into the labyrinth of the Ben Tanh market or to a store on a side road – I get the same item I want for a smaller price.

Hope this helps!

One gripe many people had with flying AirAsia was the rush for seats since it is free seating. However, Airasia has decided to do away with this hassle by introducing an option for you to choose your seats on your scheduled flight. (source)

So now when you book your flight, you can choose a seat from:-

• Standard seat – RM5
• Hot Seat – RM25

A hot seat gives you more leg room and is located towards the front and at the exits while the standard seats are normal seats. What I was more interested in was to see what would happen if I choose NOT to pick a seat.

Is this additional cost of RM5 incorporated automatically? What if I don’t care where I sit and don’t want to pay? How would I know which seats are taken?

Now, in addition to the insurance quote and baggage check in costs that you get included automatically most times when you book an Airasia flight (unless you are vigilant and opt out of the insurance scheme) it looks like seating might also be “pre-chosen” unless you opt out.

There are now even more reasons for me NOT to fly airasia anymore.

When I saw that MAS and Airasia were going head to head with promotions, I knew it was a good time to get my bearings right and book a ticket for an upcoming holiday. Nevermind to where – whats important is that you get a cheap air ticket.

Here’s a site that shows a quick comparison between the two airlines and how they fair in the airfare wars.

As I expected, there is a catch to both airlines’ fares. One requires you to book far far ahead while another offers immediate departure. One offers no fuel surcharge while the other does charge the fuel surcharge.

In the end, it comes down to where you want to go and when. If you plan to go during the MAS travel period, go with MAS – even if its a few dollars more expensive, the comfort makes up for it. If you are planning to fly outside the MAS travel period, go with Airasia – its cheaper.

Which did I choose? SIA!

HAha….

This is purely my view only so if you have had a bad experience with time shares I sympathise. Thus far, mine are fairly decent ones. I am a member of a time share where essentially, we pay RMX and get Y nights a year to stay at any hotel or resorts locally and worldwide. I actually got my package at a good price so I won’t complain too much.

I have used the time share nights allocation both locally and internationally and both times, I have no complaints. In fact, its saved me a ton of money on hotel rooms and vacation rentals which I would otherwise have to pay anyway!

If you are looking for a time share, you might want to bear these points in mind:-

• There are usually annual fees payable which aren’t that high but can add up.
• If you don’t use up your allocated nights within a certain period they are forfeited which means you end up losing money on them.
• If you don’t book early you risk not having any space available at your chosen hotel or resort or having to pay extra surcharges for an upgraded room
• You have to plan your holidays well in advance.
• You won’t be able to use your allocations in all hotels – some hotels might require a surcharge.

As I have said above, I have had decent experiences with my time share company (I will not name them) and my savings from overseas accommodation has far surpassed whatever I paid to join. So, for me, I would recommend it for those who plan their vacations in advance. Otherwise you might just want to stick to booking your hotels online.