[Anonymous]

[MarcusUK]

Some of the larger / Business 4/5 * hotels have had complete floors closed in the last year!
Often checking the search engines will currently bring up the better rates than for a 2/3 * as in Amsterdam currently. these have reached E 180!
Staying at the famous American Hotel Leidseplein, great Art Deco with a Grande Cafe, for E 94 a night, excellent.

Amsterdam has been overpriced & over-serviced with 350 hotels in a small area, business travellers are spending less or not staying, so leisure trips are a bargain for the hard working BT members now maybe?, Some are simply too large, 200+ rooms, in the current climate. So great deals are around, & such a relaxed great city, wonderful Dutch life, culturally rich, & one of the best Airports in the EU at Schipol to make travel enjoyable.

[dutchyankee]

Hey Mark, just wanted to first say you were bang on target with regard to SQ A380, seats and all. Had the seat of choice on three segments out of the four (as I changed to come home earlier, segment from SYD-SIN seat was already allocated). I may be a convert to SQ, at least for that sector, although I only do this once a year. For transit in SIN, I actually went into town to try the new-ish St. Regis, which was likewise, fantatsic, great Day rate, and super location just off of Orchard.

As for Amsterdam, there really are a lot of deals to be had now, and I can concur being from Holland that the American is a brilliant hotel. Now run by a small Dutch Brand, Eden Hotels, they have really done their best to position the hotel correctly while retaining the ‘protected’ Night Watch cafe which is in a perfect location. My favorites in Amsterdam still include, however, the incredibly high priced Amstel, although even there thay have some great packages under the €400 mark (cheap for them), the Hilton for its residential location and great garden, and the Pulitzer for its quirkieness. All with chain affiliation so deals can be had especially when booking early! Living now in Belgium, of course the same is true for over here, great prices to be had, but truth be told, not the same atmosphere as Amsterdam except maybe for Antwerp and Gent/Brugge, but on a smaller scale.

Thanks again for the SQ advice!

[MarcusUK]

Hi DY.
Thanks great that the forum been used positively n we can enhance each others travels.
I think a day in Singapore is quite restful & more healthy, & makes it easy to make the trip quickly to Oz rather than full night stopovers

Alex made a great Article in depth re the variations on SQ, but the Australia route is being clarified with SQ now. They are changing the SQ231 to a 777-300ER which should have the same A380 seating.
I think the “regional” attitude of them is wrong for Australia.
If they wont give away miles flights on SA for SQ’s business class, then there only leaves one flight a day, the old re-furbished 773 now?
I was checking for my flights next week, but rather mad prices!

I just redeemed miles for a KLM 777-300ER flight to Manila next week, then few days break & via BKK to SYD with Thai, (then as zone to zone, added an Auckland with A.NZ Business which would have cost A$1,000, using a “technical stopover”!)
Chosen the A333, & the A346 down there though, all Business class. Don’t want the old 747’s with their maybe or not new seating.

Fares are astronomically high at the mo, so maybe good to use the miles up. Hope you had a great time in Australia, wonderful people, much like the Dutch! Lots of common values & life is enjoyable alongside them.

Is The American still part of Eden? they are in the Summit group it seems now, but maybe this is a sub Co?
Love the Grande Cafe, a glorious place to meet business colleagues or simply meet up with friends.
All the best…

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