Off on a jet plane to a shopping paradise
Speaking of hotels in a previous post, I’m going off somewhere else soon – its a favourite destination and somewhere I was not quite expecting to go again so soon but go I will – yay! 
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 
Starwood Preferred Guests card is different from Starwood Privilege
I always thought they were the same card!
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?
Shopping in Vietnam
I just got back from Vietnam last week and it was a gastronomic and shopping fest. At the rate I was eating I probably need to consider weight loss pills at some point in time before I balloon up hehe… But nope, I’m going to persevere and try to work it off the hard way
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!
Choose your seats on AirAsia
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.