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Welcome to Ian’s Top 10 travel deals and tips for this week

Excellent value in Paris

The Saint Petersburg Hotel is located in a quiet street close to plenty of cafes and restaurants plus major shopping stores, Printemps and Galleries Lafayette, are a short walk away. The property was fully renovated a few years ago – we stayed on the fourth floor in a new room that even included a rooftop balcony. Nice touches include USB plugs. Book direct for special deals that can include breakfast. Have a look here.

Cathedral at Reims classic Gothic

This latest trip included the home of Champagne in France, Epernay and the nearby city of Reims with its beautiful Gothic style Cathedral of Notre-Dame. None of the glitz and glamour of St Peters in Rome here – however visitors are equally overwhelmed by the soaring columns and glorious stained glass windows. You can spend an hour or more wandering about this architectural wonder. Most of the kings of France were crowned here. Details here.

Benefits of business class

Our trip back to Australia aboard Emirates was in business class – and just as well. There was a huge rain storm in Dubai so we circled for nearly two hours before landing and missed the connecting flight. Hundreds were affected. Emirates quickly provided us with a hotel, cars to and from the airport and three meal vouchers. The Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre is first class – try the steakhouse. All  Emirates Skywards (FF) members can earn up to 300% bonus Skywards Miles for Economy and Business class tickets booked between now and 31 March 2019. Details here.

Stopover and see the space age city

You really need to see Dubai – the WOW factor is everywhere. When we first started travelling there the road from the airport traced through desert. Now lush kerbside gardens and spectacular highrise buildings demand attention. Europe Holidays has a special package on sale that includes your airfare – 5 days 4 nights with departures from May to September from $1478pp – AND there is 15% off this month. See here.

Early bird catches the train

Being an early bird traveller and taking a holiday don’t usually go together – but if you like to get going really early the French railway system is happy to support you. SNCF trains operating between 6am and 7am will cost you less than 19€. The offer is valid until 17th April. Examples include Paris to Marseille19€ and Paris to Rennes 16€. More details here

Up to 35% off at TFE Hotels

If you are happy to book yourself TFE Hotels has announced a global sale with discounts of up the 35%. The brands include Adina, Vibe, Travelodge or Rendezvous Hotel and selected TFE Hotels Collection across Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark and Hungary. If you are a TFE  eClub subscriber, you save an extra 10%. In Singapore for instance if you are subscriber you can save up to 37%. Details here.

Love Hong Kong and Rugby?

If you love rugby then Hong Kong is the place to be next month. Now in its 44th year, the 2019 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is bigger and better than ever.  More than 120,000 fans will gather at Hong Kong Stadium from 5 to 7 April for the seventh leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series, which welcomes 40 teams from 34 countries. More details here.

Philippines luring more Aussies

Just an 8-9 hour flight away from Australia, the Philippines will attract a record number of visitors this year.  Cebu Pacific has launched a new Melbourne route and Qantas has introduced a seventh weekly flight on its Sydney to Manila route. PAL offers daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne along with four weekly flights from Brisbane to Manila.  From March 31, 2019, PAL will also offer nine weekly flights from Sydney to Manila

Sleep with the sharks at the Maldives

Indulge in an otherworldly escape to the world’s first undersea residence at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. Instead of swimming with sharks, guests sleep with them in The Muraka, an extraordinary three-bedroom, two-story residence that’s both above and below the surface of the Indian Ocean. The master suite sits 16 feet below sea level and offers one-of-a-kind 180-degree views of the surrounding marine life. Above the surface, guests can enjoy spectacular views from their living area and two decks. Details here

Don’t lose your Amex points

According to the Australian Frequent Flyer, on Monday 15 April 2019, a significant devaluation will hit Amex credit cards and the Amex Membership Rewards program in Australia. If you have Amex Membership Rewards Ascent or Gateway points, even your existing points will lose their value after 15 April. Be sure to act now to avoid this happening – one suggestion is to transfer your points to say an airline FF program. More details here.