partyanimal

Almost nothing reasonable in New York. You might try the Hotel 17, not fancy, but in a safe residential neighborhood, 17th between 2nd and 3rd for about 85 bucks a night.

My November Sat departure and Tue return still seems OK. Does anyone if their armrests are removable/adjustable? If I find out flight is empty will try to snag 4 seats across in back of plane.

Anyone know if the Thai NYC-BKK non-stop has removable armrests? Sing does not which is a big minus if there are any empty seats.

It seems to me that if you like to travel to places other than the LOS, you're better off using your China Air miles on Delta. It takes 100K for a free China Air trip from the US (or Canada) to the LOS. However it appears that you can use only 35K China air FF miles to fly Delta (not Delta codeshares) from the US (or Canada) to Peru! OK, not too many of us want to go to Peru, but it's only 35K to Costa Rica or 50K to Brazil. Has anyone ever used their China air miles on Delta? Am I missing something? http://www.china-airlines.com/en/club/program-5-1-02.htm http://www.china-

Thanks for ideas Upena. Never thought about NY-Amsterdam to get over 100K miles. I'd consider cheap Delta flights to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, or Dominican Republic but those places will still leave me a bit short of the miles I need.

Samui is airport is my vote for most beuatiful in the world. The taxi ride from Pattaya to U Tapao is a no hassle, no traffic ride. The airport is easy to navigate. Bangkok Air is a fine airline. Think some flights from Phuket to U-Tapao are non-stop. I pretty sure I took a non-stop. I lust after star Alliance miles but I'd never go to DonMaung instead of U-Tapoa for a trip to Phuket or samui if I was already in Pattaya. The new airport might be a different story.

Your total balanced mileage is : 96,223 miles hey guys, any ideas how i can get to 100K for a free flight to the LOS? american carriers have so many ways to get extra miles but it seeems not so with china air. one idea is to take a delta flight and put the miles into china air, but there's no place i wanna go except the LOS.

i'm a coach guy and coach on the Sing non-stop is called something like "executive economy" and it's really roomy. teh non-stop has a 2-3-2 config and even aguy in the dreaded middle seat said he was comfortable. i didn't want to get off the plane wanted to watch another movie. wheels up in 5 weeks on the Thai non-stop, we'll see what that's like.

Which is a big deal IMO. Also taxes of about 50-100 bucks not included either. Also not good for the JFK-Spore non-stop. Sing is my favorite airline though.

Thanks Hub!

interesting.......................

Where are the moneychangers on Samet? Is the rate as good a sPattaya?

any other 100 baht breakfast bufffets with all the coffe u can drink? is beach road and soi 2 still that kind of deal?

Hub, As i recall, 300 was the cheapest bike. Some places are 400 on Samet. Maybe expensive cause the dirt roads beat the shit out of the bike? What's nice about the Tahiti Overwater Bungalow place is that the bike ride home at night is all paved. What I don't like is there are some unleashed dogs that are a pain when u get off the bike to take the motorized boat to the water. The name of the general manager is/was Vuttichai Boonthrivach. On their card they list two phone numbers, 038-644188-(9), and 01-7729155. Don't know if info is still correct. Their sister resort is Ploy T

with Thai Air you get Star Alliance FF miles, obviously not worth double the price.

I would not recomend the RG for a first timer. IMO a first timer should be within the main baht bus route.

if you are staying for 2-3 nights, consider staying at a more expensive hotel. i'm a cheap charlie but the values not there at the low end for a guy and his girl on a romantic trip. check out the otehr thread ofr a couple of specific recomendations.

If you want a Tahiti overwater bungalow experience at rock bottom prices try: http://ash-hotel.com/banploysamed.htm Stayed there for 1200 baht in January '04 though the website is quoting much higher reates. We inquired at their sister resort on Hat Sai Kaew, and since we were two couples without luggage they gave us the great deal. You do NOT want beachfront, these units suck. You want out on the water. No tV, or hot water though. If you're not staying tehre, check it out for lunch though. Hat Sai Kaew is the best beach IMO. I don't like the vibe of Ao Prao. Unlike Pa

On United, from the USA, the cancellation fee for the suposedly "non-refundable tickets" is only $150. But if you follow up with a doctors note you will probably get the fee waived. I did. On China Air the cancellation fee is $100. It's possible that some travel agents could tack on a fee over and above the airline fee. For hotels, Priceline has a medical cancellation fee of $25 per night for hotel bookings if it's for medical reasons.

http://www.omnitowerbangkok.com/ Websites a pain, but Omni Tower looks like a good deal. Next time I'm satying 3 nights or more I'll check it out. Next trip though I'll probably be in Bkk for about 18;00 Sunday till 21:00 Monday and hate paying their rate fior two nights so will probaly go with a 1000 baht place instead.

I had good experince with these guys too. alex is good too but alittle more expensive. no matter who you're booking with, I recommned folow up emails a week before and a couple days before.

like both these places

Hey BigD, I thought you always flew SkyTop class?

I dunno, call her or email her. But my guess is the boys on Canal Street give the good deals on the Taiwain/Hong Kong carriers.

I like the Grand Inn very much. It's perfect for a short stay of a night or two. If I were staying longer think I'd go somewhere else though, maybe with a pool. Very friendly staff. Always give the bellman a tip in advance to bang on my door if I'm not in the lobby to leave for the airport. But the phone wake up is always on time anyway.