The HfP chat thread – Tuesday 5th October

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Save East Coast Rewards says:

5 Oct5 October 08:05

I read here that Dixons Travel was closing and replaced by something from WH Smith. Anyone know if that’s still the plan? Dixons is still open in Heathrow but they seem to be running down stock levels. They don’t have the new Apple iPhone and iPad and their website no longer shows if something is in stock in a particular store.
- Rob says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:03
  
  Definitely happening but, I agree, taking longer than I thought.
- AL says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:35
  
  MAN, last week: Dixons was being ripped out. There’s already some Dixons-like thing in MAN run by WH Smith but it looks useless. Given the recent HMRC changes about duty free, is there much benefit in these stores any more?
  - TGLoyalty says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:43
    
    For Dixons model no. However, this WH Smith’s run model is to sell you all of those you might’ve forgot at home for high street prices and you’ll pay it because you need the item.
  - Save East Coast Rewards says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:54
    
    I’m just around £200 off renewing the Heathrow Rewards premium tier so it would have been nice to keep double points for next year if they had something I wanted in stock that was at least equal in price to what I’d pay elsewhere. Although I think it might be pointless retaining it as I can’t see myself spending much in LHR next year
    - Andrew says:
      
      5 Oct5 October 10:22
      
      And why hassle yourself with shopping at the airport anymore when it’s the same price as elsewhere – and anything from Dixons could be bought from John Lewis online with multiple points earning opportunities via portals.
      - Rob says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:28
        
        You have no understanding of how airport shopping works Andrew.
        
        My wife is in Heathrow this morning for a 1pm flight to Athens and will hit the shops. She has a very high-level, very busy job. She has two kids. She has a husband who tends to work evenings and weekends, pushing even more onto her. When, exactly, is she actually meant to nip off to Bond Street or Oxford Street for a couple of hours?
        
        The majority of people who shop in Heathrow do it purely for convenience. You can mark up the prices to 20% above the High Street and it won’t make any difference. This isn’t why people are shopping there.
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:45
        
        Completely agree. However the dynamic on WHERE you choose to do your airport shopping changes as the discount disappears.
        
        For example why wouldn’t she do it when she’s leaving for her return flight (assuming they have the same calibre of shopping) save resell the hassle of lugging it around an extra flight and perhaps even get vat/duty free prices?
      - TGLoyalty says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:49
        
        Also most(all?) of the high end stores in London/Bicester etc now have WhatsApp numbers and they’ll send you a catalogue (perhaps even with private sales) and you can have it all sent to your home.
        
        All while eating lunch / in a taxi / sat back in the lounge / waiting for taxi perfect for someone whose time poor.
- Lady London says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 14:14
  
  You used to be able to phone Dixons in your terminal 3-2 weeks ahead and have them source something for you to pick up on your outgoing flight day if they had it at another branch.
Save East Coast Rewards says:

5 Oct5 October 08:13

Hilton:
Hilton Bournemouth (I was there end of September) said exec lounge was reopening early October (but initially weekdays only) they’ve had staff shortages but are getting close to filling all roles.
Hilton Canary Wharf (early October) – lounge still closed but you get a card to use in the bar that lets you order unlimited drinks (except cocktails and champagne) between 6-8pm. There’s also food provided. It seemed a decent replacement for the lounge
- Gavin says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 10:30
  
  Drinks vouchers seem to have died out in Covid. Not had any as a diamond this year
  - John says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 11:55
    
    Got some in about half of the UK DTs I stayed at this year
    - Oh! Matron! says:
      
      5 Oct5 October 14:31
      
      Ditto: DT Piccadilly gave me some a couple of months ago. DT Tower of London had the exec lounge open too.
      - Gavin says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 21:42
        
        I’m staying in the wrong hotels clearly
Michael C says:

5 Oct5 October 08:37

I remember during lockdown @rob mentioned a crazy good champagne offer, but buying a dozen (or two?!).
LPCR is currently GBP45 at Costco: reckon any pre-Xmas offer will beat that?
Dave says:

5 Oct5 October 08:42

SSDV for us next week.

Any recommendations?

We should have breakfast included as Ambassador, is it worth negotiating an upgrade to half-board?

Planning to get a rental car from Porto, 200eur transfer each way seems rather punchy. Presumably not worth risking alternatives such as Uber?
- Rich says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 08:57
  
  The road journey has a lot of motorway. The train is much nicer, I think, if you have time and not too much luggage.
  
  Train to Régua, then 5 min transfer.
- BP says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:14
  
  Half board is absolutely worth it. What they don’t tell you is that absolutely everything is included. Order 3 courses, £54 euro steaks for main course, the 90 euros Summer BBQ menu… All included. Soft drinks too. The “Clandestine Entrecote” was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.
  
  Book your 2 free 50 minute massages in advance by emailing them. They were excellent!!
  
  I stocked up on some wine at Garrafeira do Carmo in Porto before going. A fantastic little shop with excellent service and a great selection from smaller producers. I spent 47 euros on 3 bottles and a half bottle of port. One of the bottles I bought, an Aluze 2015, happened to be in the room at Duoro and on sale for 43 euros!!
  
  I don’t think you’d find an Uber back from SSDV but getting there may be ok. I’d assume an Uber would be quite expensive too.
- Andrew H says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:25
  
  Ok… SSDV?
  
  Planning to go to Lisbon/Porto NEXT year (or 2023) after two postponements, so what is this SSDV and should we visit?!
  - BP says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:27
    
    Six Senses Duoro Valley. Lots of us visiting as they made all rooms available on points. I stayed in the top suite for 5 nights.
    
    It’s a very nice place to visit but expensive if you are paying cash at over £500 for the basic room.
    - Andrew H says:
      
      5 Oct5 October 09:34
      
      Look lovely though. Tempted to do a couple of nights there as well as Lisbon and Porto. Thank you
      - Jonathan says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 09:48
        
        Rob is confident it’s one of the best hotels in Europe. I hope to find out if that’s true in April next year but there’s been some mixed reviews on here from others who got in on the intern deal. To be fair, I think a lot of high end hospitality is suffering from loss of experienced staff at the moment.
      - meta says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:34
        
        @Jonathan yes, I think housekeeping needs extra training to make sure that everything is clean, especially for the outdoor area in the top suite. GEMs also need to a bit more training. Hopefully the feedback I gave the general manager was taken onboard.
- meta says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 10:22
  
  @Dave benefits are based on your IHG status, not Ambassador. You need to book spa in advance as they are busy. You don’t need to stock up in Porto unless you want to. There are plenty of wineries (quintas) around – Pacheca is only 5 minute drive. You can see SSDV from their estate and it’s actually a lovely view towards it from there.
  
  Half board – make sure to negotiate a deal because if you have Gold status with IHG or above breakfast is included. I managed to get it for less than half price the publicly available rate. And yes, everything on the menu is included as @BP said. Not sure if the outdoor pool is open now, but staff passed around with free shots and food during the day. There is also free cake and tea at any time of the day in one of the lounge areas by the main restaurant.
  
  There are lots of activities to do – mostly paying. We did a picnic by the river in the summer and if the weather is nice then it’s a good value.
  
  Regarding travel – you can take a train to Regua and then taxi from there. You can also do it by boat from Porto, really a must if you can, though expensive and you can rent a car. Uber doesn’t work in Porto, but Bolt is there.
  - Rui N. says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 14:33
    
    There is Uber in Porto.
- Toppcat says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 12:33
  
  I actually quite enjoyed the drive – it is motorway, but not motorway as you would know it in the UK… Significantly greater changes in direction and altitude than you would get here. Also lots of bridges. And there is also the scenic route, if you want a more interesting drive. Motorway about 80 mins from OPO IIRC, there scenic route about 120 mins.
PMG says:

5 Oct5 October 08:58

Anyone have any experiences of taking a WestJet flight under BA Holidays booking?

Looking to book to Halifax, Nova Scotia next summer and the option of paying later with BA Holidays is great. However, the second leg of flights (Toronto to Halifax) would be WestJet…

Can luggage be checked through etc.?
Ever any issue regarding CS?

Thanks in advance 😊
- Rhys says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:06
  
  If it is a single ticket then luggage ought to be checked thorugh, unless BA Hols is warning you otherwise
  - PMG says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:52
    
    Thanks Rhys!
    - ChrisA says:
      
      5 Oct5 October 10:39
      
      Sorry if this is a stupid question – but how do I get Westjet flights through BA Holidays? We would like to do a trip to Calgary next year but since BA stopped the flight BAH offers AA flights through DFW. I would much prefer the direct Westjet from LGW, but BAH only offers LHR?
      - PMG says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:59
        
        Our holiday is Halifax so a BA flight to Toronto (or Montreal) and then a Westjet flight as a connection for the 1.5 hours to Halifax.
        
        I would be surprised if BA Holidays offered the direct flight from Westjet as I think they are closer to SkyTeam than OneWorld…
- mark2 says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 11:34
  
  When you leave Halifax, check out the live lobsters for sale in the departure area.
Craig says:

5 Oct5 October 09:01

Put in a service request to Verifly after I had trouble with the app the other day. I did get a reply, about 24 hours later, unfortunately the reply made no sense whatsoever. It certainly didn’t answer the questions I asked and looked very much cut and paste. I also Tweeted BA, their answer, contact Verifly and check government guidelines. I like to think of myself as a savvy traveller, god only knows how those that aren’t cope with this omnishambles.
- Rahaney says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:48
  
  Flying BA to Sicily on Friday. The VeriFLY app only seems to allow AA/Aer Lingus flights to be added on the app? Any help appreciated. Ta,
  - Rahaney says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:59
    
    Further to this.
    Best COVID/qr app to use travelling in Italy? There’s a couple of Italian apps I’ve seen mentioned today and the U.K. nhs travel pass… heading for 2 weeks. Will we need to get tests whilst there?
    - JDB says:
      
      5 Oct5 October 10:23
      
      You can use the NHS app (make sure it hasn’t expired) as for foreigners difficult to get Green Pass. You can check on the Verifica app that yours (second jab) scans OK. Take paper copy in case. Was systematically checked in restaurants, museums etc in Bologna ten days ago when my wife and son were there.
      - meta says:
        
        5 Oct5 October 10:39
        
        I never had a single issue with Verifly all summer. I honestly don’t know why people complain so much.
- Craig says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 11:02
  
  Meta, because it completely dumped my data twice forcing me to start again. It wouldn’t accept QR codes for vaccinations however I formatted them and their support is useless. Apart from that it’s great!
CarpalTravel says:

5 Oct5 October 09:20

Datapoint in case of interest: No cash fees for a September HMRC payment via Virgin.
- BP says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:23
  
  No bendy bonds fees either in October.
- Gary says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 10:03
  
  Helpful thanks. HMRC probably chuffed taxes due in Jan in place by 1 Dec.
- Michael C says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 11:48
  
  Which card was that with CP? And is it ongoing, or a special offer¿! Thnx!
  - CarpalTravel says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 15:45
    
    With the R+ card and nothing special going on. Obviously done via Bendy.
SwissJim says:

5 Oct5 October 09:26

Following on from my earlier email, thinking of abandoning Italy for week away with kids at half term (private schools, so this is the week before main half term holidays, so hopeful hotels/flights available – on points or – ahem, dirty word… – money). Any suggestions – TBH, just somewhere warm enough with a pool would be fine, even if not our usual holiday. Just want to make it as normal as possible – so minimal testing whilst there (noting children aren’t – and cannot yet be – vaccinated so have to continually re-test in Italy…), minimal mask wearing, and especially not outdoors, etc. The great wisdom of the HFP community welcomed….
- Harry T says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:44
  
  Canary Islands or Southern Greece. Weather is still pretty good in Crete at the moment and you don’t have to wear masks outdoors. I haven’t eaten inside since I arrived. I also really enjoyed Tenerife last November and mask wearing outside wasn’t enforced very often – they’ve now dropped that requirement anyway, as Spain’s national government no longer requires it. https://www.hellocanaryislands.com/safety-measures/
- Anna says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:48
  
  If you want to be swimming outside southern Spain is your best bet for the weather, or Canaries even better (it will be about 28 C in mid-October). Madeira possibly (might be different rules though so check). Kids will need pre-arrival test but that’s it. Also IMO the more time you can spend outdoors, the better (lower risk of infection plus you can generally avoid wearing a mask).
  What points have you got? The RC Abama in Tenerife is usually available for award nights and is highly recommended.
  - Harry T says:
    
    5 Oct5 October 09:54
    
    RC Abama is very good but I wouldn’t stay there again unless I was in the Villas section. The main hotel isn’t as exclusive or luxurious. We ate at one of the hotel restaurants for my gf’s birthday and it’s the only time I’ve refused to pay for a meal in my life. The Villas are a fantastic experience though. RC Abama also had a great gym and spa. The elite treatment is top notch too.
- Sarah says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 09:58
  
  I went to Corfu last October around the same time. Weather was lovely, warm enough for sunbathing during the day, just got a bit chilly at night. We were without kids and stayed in Corfu Town which was actually very nice, but there look to be lots of resort hotels on the island. I think kids over 12 would need a test to get into Greece, but otherwise life is pretty normal there, just need masks in shops really, no testing whilst you are there.
- Tracey says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 11:54
  
  Madeira, easy no-hassle direct flight. Funchal only 40 minute taxi ride away. Lots of decent hotels, lots of very decent restaurants, prices are lower than the UK for food. Mask wearing in August was only required when walking through public areas of the hotel, taxis and indoor shopping. Belmond Reed’s palace for 5* and traditional, savoy palace for ultra modern and large.
- K says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 13:37
  
  Rhodes is pretty warm then. Checked yesterday, quite a few award seats available.
- SwissJim says:
  
  5 Oct5 October 20:21
  
  Thanks for all the helpful comments. Really appreciated, I’ll get on to it tomorrow (been a little frantic with work this afternoon…). Anna, in terms of points, awash with Hilton & IHG, then a few hundred thousand each elsewhere.