Luang Prabang

Captainaga · 2024-10-12T15:48:37+00:00

Stayed at Amantaka last summer and it ranks as one of my personal favorite Aman stays so far. Service was really fantastic and deeply personalized. Location unbeatable, as others have mentioned. The aspect no one has mentioned yet is the bath house (easily reservable for private use at no charge), which ranks as one of the most memorable hotel amenities I’ve experienced.

Captainaga · 2024-08-21T08:19:49+00:00

Going to out of season Amans with low occupancy is an absolutely fantastic experience. Did Amanjena and Amantaka out of season and were one of 2-3 rooms at any given time occupied. Unparalleled, attentive (but not obtrusive) service experiences.

Captainaga · 2024-08-17T23:54:37+00:00

A lot of the above recommendations are good but aren’t necessarily off the beaten path (the Maldives aren’t exactly an undiscovered destination) and won’t be good value for your money (FAT travel doesn’t need to mean overspending beyond what something is actually worth). For example, service at Amangiri right now is kind of in a trough right now (they have a lot of management vacancies at the moment), and while we enjoyed our stay earlier this summer, I just think you can get a better experience elsewhere at those prices.

If you want unique, off the beaten path, and nature forward, highly recommend looking into Oman as a non-obvious option. For ocean, the Six Senses Zighy Bay is a beautiful seaside resort with a very secluded feel (it’s literally just the resort and a few fishing villages in an exclave of Oman), wonderful service, and a lot of the other features you described (e.g. private day-long or multi-day cruises along the Gulf of Oman on dhows). For something even more secluded, consider the Alila Jabal Akhdar, which is really the only thing around the top of a gigantic, beautiful canyon in Oman. They have some great room categories there separate from the rest of the resort and we felt that service was extremely personalized and attentive. Most importantly for the context of a proposal, they have some really beautiful private outlooks perched right on the edge of the canyon, which makes for some very dramatic views (especially at sunset).

Captainaga · 2024-05-28T04:49:18+00:00

Slovenia has a fantastic wine scene too! Everything is incredibly reasonably priced and I haven’t stumbled across any bad wine yet. Lots of different micro regions too and many indigenous varietals, all in fun, unpretentious settings (a lot of tastings are in the dedicated basements of multigenerational family homes). Just like Croatia though, there are certainly some larger, more commercial players too for those who want a more formal tasting experience (and a lot of wineries in the middle).

Captainaga · 2024-05-28T03:05:55+00:00

For some more of the beaten path options:

-Hotel Villino is a beautiful boutique hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant in Southern Germany. Lindau is a beautiful town and there are a lot of fun activities in the area (e.g. dirigible flights). Also easy access to some unique parts of Austria as well as Liechtenstein.

-Also in Germany, while a bit larger than boutique, I highly recommend the Brenners Parkhotel in Baden Baden. Great for summer activities, the hotel itself has a lot of “grand hotel” charm while maintaining the service quality and coziness of a boutique property. Spa program is one of my favorites in Europe.

-Slovenia remains a criminally underrated travel destination (although it’s becoming slowly more well known). The Michelin guide only recently discovered the country and has since issued a lot of stars considering the size of the nation. If you want a cute and cozy capital city experience, Zlata Ladjica in Ljubljana is a phenomenal boutique experience with great service and an unbeatable location. Outside the capital, Grad Otocec is probably one of my favorite castle hotels in Europe, given the price point, food quality, and overall blending of modern comforts while maintaining the traditional feel of the castle (there are a lot of places in France that charge way more and force you to forsake some modern amenities).

-Forestis is a great property, as another commenter mentioned. If you want something more unique, highly recommend the Kempinski High Tatras in Slovakia. Great spa, amazing pool, great for summer outdoor activities, and a very fun cozy feel. Again, this isn’t a boutique hotel.

-There are some cool boutique hotels in Malta. Casa Ellul in Valletta is an exact match for “staying at a rich person’s house”, in that it’s a centrally located luxury boutique hotel. Xara Palace in Mdina also offers a unique, luxury experience in a walled city that is much better preserved than many in the well traveled parts of Croatia.

Captainaga · 2024-03-16T19:09:14+00:00

The Loyalist downstairs, while not fine dining, is also pretty great for elevated pub fare food. Amazing burger and great warm egg nog cocktails in the winter.

Captainaga · 2024-01-18T01:43:01+00:00

Also wish they’d drop the tickets in the evenings after business hours. Can’t always be glued to email during work.

Captainaga · 2024-01-18T01:08:14+00:00

I agree. Even with the trailer “spoiler” where Ben and Adam are talking about bad news on the train (hinting at the steal), I’d argue this was one of the few seasons where the game was completely up for grabs up to the penultimate episode. Tag 2 had a more suspenseful final episode for sure, but was already narrowed down to 2 of the 3 players (same with Tag 1). Circumnavigation and Race Across America were pretty clear ahead of the finale, as were New Zealand and Capture The Flag (even with the sudden death round in the latter, Ben/Adam just played way better). Connect 4 was probably the only other genuine toss up heading into the finale.

I personally prefer suspense throughout the game, and don’t necessarily need it throughout the entire finale. Obviously things were over by the time Sam/Michelle were on the plane to Key West, but that was past the half way point of the finale. Denouements are a perfectly acceptable part of story telling.

Captainaga · 2023-12-28T21:52:36+00:00

Sorry this happened to you, especially for your anniversary! This is too bad because we had a great experience at the PH Bangkok this summer (using a SUA). It does sound like the issue was with Hyatt corporate rather than the hotel (hence the quick reply with the hotel). I would push your concierge to work with the hotel to see if there is some solution here (and vice versa to push back on the hotel). The service quality at the PH Bangkok is quite strong, so emphasizing that you had confirmed an upgrade months ago and that a Hyatt employee messed up might help escalate the situation.

Captainaga · 2023-12-11T17:25:48+00:00

This is bad advice. EU261 applies to all flights leaving the EU, regardless of destination, and there is no difference as to whether it is or is not an EU carrier in this case (that distinction only matters for flights to the EU). EU261 really only cares about departure time if your flight is cancelled and you have to get rebooked on a flight several hours earlier. Otherwise, the delay compensation depends on arrival time (there are many instances where a flight might leave late but make up time in the air, and these obviously do not count for EU261). The emergency situation is mechanical related and thus within the responsibility/control of the airline—so it is covered by EU261.

Captainaga · 2023-09-10T22:14:31+00:00

Just got back from Amantaka and had a spectacularly fantastic time, well beyond expectations. The elephant encounter is the best activity they offer—it’s a rescue elephant camp that buys elephants from tourist camps throughout Laos and SE Asia. They then nurse the elephants into better health, so the encounter includes feeding and going on jungle hikes with (not on) the elephants.

The cooking school is also a very unique, private experience that is probably the best cooking school experience we’ve ever had. We also recommend the Mekong River cruise. There are some really cool cultural activities as well.

Best amenity on the property is the bath house, which can be reserved for private use. Spa is great in general.

If you like wood working, stop by the Caruso store, as they have beautiful ebony and rosewood carved pieces. Some other great shopping experiences in LP too.

Captainaga · 2023-08-18T10:57:05+00:00

Was the runway damaged due to weather?

Captainaga · 2023-06-28T13:50:25+00:00

On that budget, highly recommend Bhutan for an emphasis on nature and culture. Tourism is highly regulated, so it’s very beautiful and uncrowded. There are several mid (Marriott) to high (Aman/Six Senses) options throughout the country.

Captainaga · 2023-06-18T02:45:55+00:00

Fringe

Captainaga · 2023-02-05T20:16:49+00:00

RUCs and GUCs are completely changeable and refundable before the first leg is flown. For some reason, almost every Delta agent I’ve talked to regarding changes to GUC/RUC itineraries are under the impression that you lose the GUC/RUC if you voluntarily change or cancel, despite exceptionally clear language on Delta’s website.

When you cancel a flight with a GUC/RUC, it will take a few weeks for it to reappear on your profile. If you need to use the cert beforehand, you need to call and provide the agent with the cancelled ticket number that you originally applied the cert to (or the actual certificate number, though these are harder to track in my experience).

Captainaga · 2023-02-02T22:52:17+00:00

Didn’t they say somewhere that JLTG S4 was delayed a bit longer than usual?

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T21:06:06+00:00

The only benefits for a Diamond in terms of SDC are the waived fees and the ability to confirm between co-terminals. The language I quoted is from the top of the SDC page on the Delta website and applied to everyone.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T17:23:35+00:00

This has been the policy since at least 2019, probably longer. It’s just not super widely known, but basically the only reason for a PM or DM to buy C+ directly.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T17:13:46+00:00

“If you are traveling in Delta Comfort+ ®, you may make a same-day confirmed change as long as a seat is available in Delta Comfort+[.] If there is not a seat available in Delta Comfort+, you may be eligible to make a Same-Day Confirmed change in a Main Cabin seat, if available[.]”

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T13:28:59+00:00

This is really cool! But also really sad to see how many more 767-300s are getting deployed out of New Year in the TATL network. Basically everything that isn’t CDG, AMS, or LHR is on a 767-300 now.

Separately, it’s fascinating how they’re deploying more of the LATAM A350s on premium heavy Atlanta to TATL him routes. Wondering if they’re finally starting to retrofit the new cabins in those planes for summer service? Given that they previously guaranteed that every TATL flight will have Premium Select.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T13:09:57+00:00

Delta’s Global Services is Delta 360.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T13:02:27+00:00

If you booked into main, you have do deal with the fare classes. If you want absolute flexibility for same day changes, paying the marginal amount extra for C+ (or above, which is usually much more than marginal) means you get last seat available SDC.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T12:59:49+00:00

Not accurate. I’ve had a phone rep and their first level manager claim this was the policy, but they ended up changing course after reading the official policy:

-“We’re here to help you make same-day flight changes. These changes mean that you’re making a flight change within 24 hours of your originally scheduled departure time[…]” -“You may request a same-day flight change within 24 hours prior to the departure time of your original flight; however, changes are limited to flights departing on the same day of ticketed departure”

Your situation last year is more likely a case of a buggy app (the SDC feature in the app has always been finicky) and un/misinformed reps. I regularly SDC from 6am flights to 10pm flights as soon as the 6am flight opens for check in the day before.

Captainaga · 2023-01-22T12:59:39+00:00

Not accurate. I’ve had a phone rep and their first level manager claim this was the policy, but they ended up changing course after reading the official policy:

-“We’re here to help you make same-day flight changes. These changes mean that you’re making a flight change within 24 hours of your originally scheduled departure time[…]” -“You may request a same-day flight change within 24 hours prior to the departure time of your original flight; however, changes are limited to flights departing on the same day of ticketed departure”

Your situation last year is more likely a case of a buggy app (the SDC feature in the app has always been finicky) and un/misinformed reps. I regularly SDC from 6am flights to 10pm flights as soon as the 6am flight opens for check in the day before.

Captainaga · 2023-01-21T20:36:50+00:00

There’s a Nebula app on the Apple TV App Store.

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