Author Topic: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.  (Read 58034 times)

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #60 on: October 06, 2010, 01:45:02 AM »
How about Manila, Phillipeans? Anyone ever been there? Is it safe?
CX has amazing availability on the quick and easy flight from HKG-MNL in F.
Plus there's a great looking category 2 Hyatt in MNL.


Also Qantas availability just opened in F from LHR-HKG.  Is it worth making an extra stop in AMS or CDG to go in F on Cathay Pacific?
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Offline SuperFlyer

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #61 on: October 06, 2010, 03:54:59 AM »
Manilla is ok, an interesting city just to see how it lives, otherwise no major attractions.

The southern part of the Philippines, are a NO-go zone as there are loads of muslim fanatics there.

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #62 on: October 06, 2010, 02:47:08 PM »
Manilla is ok, an interesting city just to see how it lives, otherwise no major attractions.

The southern part of the Philippines, are a NO-go zone as there are loads of muslim fanatics there.
Thanks for the info.
Pretty much boils down to 2 nights in HKG and 3 nights in MNL or 5 nights in HKG.
Have you been to MNL before?

HKT would be nice but the flight times are just not working out.
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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #63 on: October 06, 2010, 03:10:46 PM »
3 nights in MNL is too much. 1-2 is enough.

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #64 on: October 06, 2010, 03:15:02 PM »
3 nights in MNL is too much. 1-2 is enough.
I would arrive in HKG on Wedneday morning, fly to MNL on Friday morning and fly MNL-HKG-MEL on early Monday morning.

Make sense?
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Offline damaxer91

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #65 on: October 06, 2010, 03:17:15 PM »
I would arrive in HKG on Wedneday morning, fly to MNL on Friday morning and fly MNL-HKG-MEL on early Monday morning.

Make sense?

MNL seems like a waste of time....

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #66 on: October 06, 2010, 03:24:46 PM »
MNL seems like a waste of time....
It's just that it's close to HKG, has excellent CX award flight availability, and has a great looking Hyatt where I can probably land the presidential suite for $120/night.

Any other city suggestions instead of MNL?
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Offline damaxer91

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #67 on: October 06, 2010, 03:29:04 PM »
It's just that it's close to HKG, has excellent CX award flight availability, and has a great looking Hyatt where I can probably land the presidential suite for $120/night.

Any other city suggestions instead of MNL?

What about Koh Samui? Bangkok Airways has a direct flight from HKG and there is a great new W opening there next month

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #68 on: October 06, 2010, 03:44:37 PM »
What about Koh Samui? Bangkok Airways has a direct flight from HKG and there is a great new W opening there next month
Doesnt seem to operate outbound nonstop on on 12/22, 12/23, or 12/24. 
12/21-12/24 is available but it's $1,140!

MNL on the other hand would be free on the OW ticket.
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Offline damaxer91

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #69 on: October 06, 2010, 04:15:15 PM »
Doesnt seem to operate outbound nonstop on on 12/22, 12/23, or 12/24. 
12/21-12/24 is available but it's $1,140!

MNL on the other hand would be free on the OW ticket.

What about spending a few days in New Zealand?

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #70 on: October 06, 2010, 04:43:46 PM »
What about spending a few days in New Zealand?
I feel like once I go there I want to spend a couple weeks and do it right...
Also no availability for now on CX for HKG-AKL for the dates I'm there.
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Offline chuchem

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #71 on: October 06, 2010, 06:16:42 PM »
From a client i heard manila is nothing special. Why waste your time, just because its free and you get a nice room? Go to macau, its really nice and you can chill over there.

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #72 on: October 06, 2010, 06:19:39 PM »
Now that i see you want to be in manila for shabbes instead of hkg, no way. By the way the phillipines are not that safe, even manila.

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #73 on: October 06, 2010, 07:53:31 PM »
Now that i see you want to be in manila for shabbes instead of hkg, no way. By the way the phillipines are not that safe, even manila.
I do kind've want to go somewhere else for shabbos.  The situation on Kowloon seems too political for my own taste and people said that the GH HK isn't walkable to the shul on HKI.

But I hear ya' about MNL though...
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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #74 on: October 07, 2010, 12:00:13 AM »
Is Mrs. Dan reading the trip reports this time? :)

Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #75 on: October 07, 2010, 12:15:32 AM »
Is Mrs. Dan reading the trip reports this time? :)
Odds are she's figured out something's up by now  ;)
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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #76 on: October 07, 2010, 02:26:17 AM »
Dan, its only politics, if you let it be. What do you care about local issues, you are a tourist there and are staying were the food and atmosphere is best in your opinion. You are not making a statement by eating in kz!

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #77 on: October 07, 2010, 03:54:16 AM »
I'm having second thoughts about the 280K Oneworld F award...

Maybe I should really use 160K Continental F award.  I found availability for my dates like this:
-Virgin to London in upper class.
-Paris to Bangkok on Thai on the 77W leased from Jet Airways in a private F suite and be able to get the free amazing Thai F treatment in BKK.
-Stopover in Phuket.
-BKK-SYD-BKK-ZRH on the Thai A346 in F
-ZRH-JFK on a Swiss A333 (this is the only flight I haven't been able to find availability on)

I'll still need to drop a bunch of AA miles for intra-Australia flights, probably about 50K.
So 160K CO + 50K AA for that itin or the previous OneWorld itin for 280K.
The other advantage of CO are the free changes, even after departure.  With AA there's no route changes after ticketing, although somehow I still have almost a month to ticket.

Opinions?
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Offline Dan

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #78 on: October 07, 2010, 03:57:49 AM »
Dan, its only politics, if you let it be. What do you care about local issues, you are a tourist there and are staying were the food and atmosphere is best in your opinion. You are not making a statement by eating in kz!
Generally I agree with you, but with so much bad blood between chabad and kz in kowloon I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be there all decked out in my chabad regalia.  And with our fellow forum member no longer at chabad of kowloon I'm not sure I want to support what's going on there either...
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Offline aussiebochur

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Re: December 2010/January 2011 Trip Planning Thread.
« Reply #79 on: October 07, 2010, 04:13:59 AM »
I'm having second thoughts about the 280K Oneworld F award...

Maybe I should really use 160K Continental F award.  I found availability for my dates like this:
-Virgin to London in upper class.
-Paris to Bangkok on Thai on the 77W leased from Jet Airways in a private F suite and be able to get the free amazing Thai F treatment in BKK.
-Stopover in Phuket.
-BKK-SYD-BKK-ZRH on the Thai A346 in F
-ZRH-JFK on a Swiss A333 (this is the only flight I haven't been able to find availability on)

I'll still need to drop a bunch of AA miles for intra-Australia flights, probably about 50K.
So 160K CO + 50K AA for that itin or the previous OneWorld itin for 280K.
The other advantage of CO are the free changes, even after departure.  With AA there's no route changes after ticketing, although somehow I still have almost a month to ticket.

Opinions?
I've been looking for ages for the ZRH-JFK flight and can't find a single seat, even a year out...
Have you found any dates that do have availability bichlal?