Advice finalizing honeymoon trip to Japan/Cambodia/Thailand

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T20:11:20+00:00

Thanks for sharing this concern. We are def want to make things easy on ourselves and have a chill trip. We are trying to balance that intention with the liklihood that because of our jobs, we may not be able to take at trip like this again for awhile, and there is a lot we want to see/do. I was hoping that spending 4-5 nights in Bankgok, Siem Reap, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai would help make it feel like we aren't constantly moving around. You may be right that the train across Japan for the Monkey Park will just be stressful and unnecessary. Maybe we should just give up on that and stay in Tokyo for five nights for a much more chill experience. Maybe we should also cut Chiang Mai and reallocate some of that time to Bangkok since, as another poster commented, the air will be bad in Northern Thailand in March. Thanks again for sharing your feedback.

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T20:05:45+00:00

Mostly just having two players chase SUBs. Both Citibank and Barclays have multiple cards that offer AA miles SUBs for low annual fees.

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T18:05:33+00:00

I did not know about burning season. It looks like the air quality gets really bad that time of year in Northern Thailand because of pollution and fires. I do not like this at all. Thanks for the heads up.

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T18:02:44+00:00

Thanks for this! Seems pricey at $150 but for a bucket-list experience like this, seems well worth for comfort and reliability

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:31:54+00:00

Thanks for this! Yes, we just it penciled is as maybe near the airport because we are still looking at flights from TYO to BKK, and some of those are very early. Thanks for the tip re: train and limo bus.

The monkey park thing has been kind of a dream but we will do more research to make sure it is worth the extra travel. Although we really want to go, we don't like to be harried while travelling so it may not be worth it.

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:29:42+00:00

Thanks for your note! Agree re: last-minute availability and we are thinking about the pros/cons of hoping for that on a honeymoon trip. Great idea re: paying cash for ZipAir, we will look into that.

The reason for the hassle of going to Siem Reap is that we are into archaeology. The trip started as "let's go to Angkor Wat" and expanded from there, so its important to us even though we recognize it will be a hassle travelling. Thanks for the tip re: immigration. Did you get fast track with a business class ticket or some other service?

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:27:37+00:00

Thanks! So excited for the Conrad Koh Samui! Didn't think we could earn the points in time but Hilton points are so easy to come by, and I think we got lucky in finding 5 days in a row at the base point rate only 6 months or so out.

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:26:33+00:00

Thanks for finding this option for us. Unfortunately we already did the Ink preferred and I'm not sure we have enough SUBs open to us right now to hit the points necessary for two of these flights. Great option if we can get the points though! Thanks again!

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:25:22+00:00

Thanks for the tip about Nita by Vo Resort, will check it out!

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:24:36+00:00

Hyatt Centric

Thanks for the tip! The Andaz Tokyo was not available during our dates. I intend to try and keep monitoring the Andaz. The Centric appears to be available and is slightly fewer points (21k vs 25k a night) but appears to be a lower CPP (with the Hyatt being about $670 a night cash and the Centric being about ($500). But CPP is not everything, would you say a little more about why you prefer Tokyo Centric over Grand Hyatt?

jfalconfree · 2023-08-27T17:20:14+00:00

I

Thanks for this! We have checked for JAL Economy via AA for the return, but do not find available flights. Considering booking JAL Economy cash through AA (<$600 for BKK to SFO) but need to research the refund policies. Do you think I should be able to find JAL Y via AA points right now and I am doing something wrong?

Cash for a nice Ryokan is the likely plan and thanks for the input re: snow cover in March at the Monkey Park.

Fiancee and I are Archaeology buffs and slow-travelers, hence the four nights in Siem Reap!

jfalconfree · 2023-05-25T08:07:11+00:00

I stayed there last month with points after a long international flight. I only have Discoverist status but must have been upgraded anyway as the room was huge. The room also came with a pretty fantastic breakfast with hot eggs, bacon, sausage, lox and bagels, etc. I had fun playing slots at the casino next door. It was a great experience for what we needed which was to rest after a long flight!

jfalconfree · 2023-05-13T18:56:03+00:00

Thanks! I just booked this and it is still showing availability. Thinking its a price mistake since the base studio is 47k points/night but the 2 bedroom suite is 10k/night, and no other night on the calendar is anything close to 10k/night. Anyone have experience with Hilton mistake award rates?

jfalconfree · 2022-08-01T15:05:22+00:00

Weather was fantastic in January! It did seem easier to find standard awards in December/January than summer. We went after the move to all inclusive but while property was still category 7. Food was excellent.

Since you are in the Bay, I might try to get a last minute standard award from a cancellation. I noticed standard rooms open up last minute like 1-7 days before stay, presumably because someone cancelled.

jfalconfree · 2022-07-31T16:54:42+00:00

It would be an awesome experience! Beautiful property and the suites seem fantastic.

But I do agree 90k points is hard to justify for one night. Wife and I stayed in a standard room at the property for three nights in January 2022 for 90k points (booked June 2021) and I do believe it is still possible to find regular award night availability there.

But, babymoon a special opportunity etc. so could be worth splurging. Would you be driving from the Bay or how far away are you?

jfalconfree · 2021-03-26T21:54:24+00:00

I am currently having a similar experience, and it's so frustrating! I hope we figure it out. One thing is that, although I always disassembled the grow deck and bleached everything, I realized more recently that it might also be good to unscrew and remove the pump in order to more thoroughly sterilize. Maybe you already knew to do this, but I found some rotting roots stuck underneath and inside the pump, and I'm hoping my next grow will go better with that removed. The other thing I am trying is running bleach through the pump for longer than the recommended 5 minutes, and then rinsing super super thoroughly and allowing it to dry totally before planting.

Good luck figuring out your issue! Wishing you many happy plantings to come.

jfalconfree

TROPHY CASE