The HfP chat thread – Friday 9th July

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• Jake says:

  9 Jul9 July 19:06

  Hi all,

  Would love to hear some thoughts/opinions on a stay in London at the end of the month with IHG. Options are:

  1. 2x Credit Card free night at Kimpton Fitzroy (with option of getting Ambassador for 40k points if that is likely to yield any benefits.
  2. Hotel Indigo Paddington/Tower Hill/Kensington with cash (using £50 off £200 with Amex) – both showing cash rates ~£80-90 per night

  Any other ideas/suggestions?

  • SteveJ says:

    9 Jul9 July 19:09

    Albert Embankment CP?

    • Jake says:

      9 Jul9 July 19:16

      Annoyingly all the usual recommended Crown Plazas don’t seem to be opening until September! As a Spire, I quite fancied my chances getting the exec lounge.

      • John says:

        9 Jul9 July 21:56

        The lounges may not be open in September – they will probably only open them if there are lots of people paying (no idea whether they will want to let spires in for free in that case)

• Gb says:

  9 Jul9 July 20:11

  Can anybody recommend an excellent hotel for a one night stay on Monday night within 45 minutes drive of Redditch? I have Hilton diamond if that helps, but doesn’t need to be a chain hotel and no real budget.

  • AFKAE says:

    9 Jul9 July 20:45

    Nuthurst Grange-10-15 mins drive
    Chateau Impney 20 mins drive
    Brockencote Hall 20 mins drive
    Coombe Abbey 25 mins drive

    Not sure about chains that have anything interesting.

  • mark2 says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:34

    Arrow Mill, Alcester c20 min drive (Redditch is a big place having got lost there this after).

  • John says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:47

    I’ve heard good things about the Doubletree Stratford, if you want Hilton

    • Memesweeper says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:02

      +1

      We like it

  • Gb says:

    9 Jul9 July 23:56

    thanks everyone!

• The Savage Squirrel says:

  9 Jul9 July 20:44

  Well nice to have some good news; Beardy have just upped my credit limit from 20 to 25 despite me not even asking, and some fairly blatant abuse 😀

  • Bigmaggot says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:43

    Is this virgin+ card? I applied last month and got 25k, I would have applied for standard card but thought would get a rubbish limit

  • Brighton Belle says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:46

    From next month it be any use . . . .T’s&C’s

    • Brighton Belle says:

      9 Jul9 July 21:47

      wont

      • Bigmaggot says:

        9 Jul9 July 22:06

        I hoping bendy is still fine

  • C says:

    9 Jul9 July 22:06

    Spend the limit quick before the new T&C’s come in

    • Bigmaggot says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:06

      I’m trying 🙂

• LessCleverAndrew says:

  9 Jul9 July 20:45

  Has anyone used the expresstest service at T5?

  https://www.expresstest.co.uk/directions/#heathrow

  Is it in the building? Or some kind if drive through in the short stay car park? And how long did it take to get the result?

  Thanks!!!

  • Mr. AC says:

    9 Jul9 July 20:51

    There are different options. I used the one in Terminal 2 – it’s in the building, on the same floor as check-in (past the A section unless they moved). Test taken 4PM, results next day around 6 PM. This was for a Fit to Fly certificate. Overall no complaints.

  • pigeon says:

    9 Jul9 July 22:46

    Yes, there are both walk-in and drive through options at LHR. I went for walk-in at Terminal 5 Departures, was in and out without any queuing.

    Results arrived as advertised, but note customer service isn’t top notch (e.g. they cannot tell you the status of your specimen if you’re worried as there’s a tight turnaround, e.g. with Spain travel).

• Grant H says:

  9 Jul9 July 20:54

  We booked the Bath Indigo IHG rewards last November for this weekend (many thanks for this tip!) and were fortunate enough to be assigned a vault suite which is absolutely incredible.

  I have just learnt that we are in fact in the only vault suite that they have finished and the others remain in situ with the construction team on hiatus. This may explain why others are being downgraded although it appears for once we have come out very lucky and are quite literally staying in a one and only (for now). Happy to share any photos that you may need for an article, Rob/Rhys, do let me know.

  • Memesweeper says:

    9 Jul9 July 22:12

    Fingers crossed for my stay!

• Rimmingtown says:

  9 Jul9 July 21:18

  Has anyone had any adverse reaction from the covid vaccination jab?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:36

    What do you regard as adverse?

    Terrible Migraine? Knocked out for a couple days? Hospitalisation?

  • AJA says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:36

    The only person I know of is my mum’s neighbour who is 71 who had a really bad rash which manifested itself a week after she received her 1st AZ vaccine back in early March. It went away after she applied calamine lotion but took 14 days to completely disappear. Put her off having second vaccination but she had the second vaccine three weeks ago after much persuasion with no side affects at all.

    • AJA says:

      9 Jul9 July 21:38

      Meant to add she also took cetirizine which is an antihistamine used for hay fever which I think helped. I think the calamine lotion just helped calm the surface itching sensation.

    • Rimmingtown says:

      9 Jul9 July 21:50

      No hospitalisation thank goodness but I had to go with a friend as he is scared of needles, the first jab was only a little prick and wasn’t too bad, but after the second he has come out in blotches.

      • Travel Strong says:

        9 Jul9 July 22:17

        Same happened to a friend of mine with pfizer. Blotches and hives for a week that didn’t shift with antihistamine. GP’s response essentially “But did you DIE though??” 😂. Personally I would be asking for the other type as 2nd jab if I had such a reaction to whatever 1st type.

        • Tracey says:

          9 Jul9 July 22:20

          Unlikely to be given it, more likely you would be advised to take citirizine half an hour before your second jab.

          Not that the tail should wag the dog, but you may find it hard to be considered fully vaccinated with different jabs.

      • Travel Strong says:

        9 Jul9 July 22:19

        P.s. bit rude to call him that at the first jab

  • John says:

    9 Jul9 July 21:54

    The chances of adverse reactions are much lower than the chances of having a bad case of covid, except for the clot thing (which is still extremely rare)

    • Tracey says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:18

      Covid also has a risk of clots, possibly higher than the risk from the vaccine.

  • Peter K says:

    9 Jul9 July 22:27

    A handful people I know have had severe/very severe reactions to the jab (both pfizer and AZ), but the best majority (I’m talking about scores of people I personally know, and 100’s I have spoken to at work) only minor or no issues.

    • Peter K says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:31

      By severe/very severe I mean things like anaphylaxis (the person carries an epi-pen anyway) and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
      The likely number I know who are still alive from having a vaccine far outweighs this however.

    • Nick says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:31

      I know of at least half a dozen people (all young and healthy) who’ve had horrible reactions to the second Pfizer jab. But in all cases it lasted 24-36 hours and went away again. For that reason I’m going to try my hardest to get mine on a Friday or Saturday, just in case I need to lay low away from work for a few days. Still absolutely worth it of course for the benefits, but it doesn’t sound at all pleasant.

      • Ben says:

        9 Jul9 July 23:12

        Had nothing apart from a sore arm from first Pfizer and second one had a tiny bit of the shivers before I went to sleep but felt fine the next day

  • BJ says:

    9 Jul9 July 22:31

    Yes, I got caught in a torrential downpour on the way home from mine.

    • Peter K says:

      9 Jul9 July 22:33

      Ha ha ha. So did I! It took an extra 1hr 45 mins, plus going down c-roads to avoid 3 closed A-roads that were too flooded to traverse, to get home.

  • Harry T says:

    9 Jul9 July 23:40

    Just a slight fever after second Pfizer. Went away after a few hours.

  • JDB says:

    10 Jul10 July 00:16

    Trigeminal neuralgia day after AZ…

• Marie says:

  9 Jul9 July 22:45

  Arrived at Manchester today from green destination. Random covid paperwork checks only – we weren’t checked. Sailed through e gates in less than 2 minutes. Poor Ryanair at Palma checked EVERY passenger’s passenger locator form and antigen test .

  • C says:

    9 Jul9 July 23:02

    Do they check this at the boarding gate or a check in desk? It’s not clear on Ryanair’s website

    • Andre says:

      10 Jul10 July 00:52

      Check in desk if you check in at the airport, if not then at the boarding gate.

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