Destination Dollymount: simple, modern but cosy interiors make up this revamped 1950s home - The Times

Destination Dollymount: simple, modern but cosy interiors make up this revamped 1950s home  The Times

* This article was originally published here

Qatar QSuites Awards Using British Airways Avios

Qatar QSuites are by most measures an excellent business class experience. Since Qatar Airways is a member of the Oneworld Alliance, there are several loyalty programs where redemptions for business class awards are a decent value.  Historically American Airlines was among the best options, especially for US to Africa awards, which cost 75,000 miles for flights. On Qatar, this means connections in Doha, and possibly both flights in QSuites. Thanks to a scoop and a good summary by ThriftyTraveler, there is now another good option to book awards in Qatar Airways business class.

Using American Airlines miles is still probably the best value for awards on Qatar airways, especially for lower taxes/fees. But what if you don’t have AA miles? Due to limited transfer partners, there aren’t many ways to earn AA miles other than by flying. With British Airways Avios, miles can be transferred in from Chase, Amex and Capital One, plus transferred between Avios partner programs like Iberia, and now Qatar.

Qatar QSuites – an excellent way to fly

Qatar Airways’ Qsuites – image courtesy of Qatar Airways

I recently reported on my first experience in Qatar Airways QSuites. In addition, I have another long delayed trip coming up soon that will give me another chance to try out the product.  Stay tuned for that.

Instead of British Airways typical distanced based pricing, the Avios cost matches what Qatar charges. Here are some examples of awards on Qatar using British Airways Avios with random dates:

70,000 Avios plus $101.85 for one-way tickets between Chicago and Doha.

Same cost for flight from Seattle to Doha.

Taxes/fees are a bit higher for flights to the US, but still pretty reasonable.

Connecting itineraries are more, but in most cases still not terribly expensive, and cheaper than they used to be when booking with BA.

More options is a good thing

Booking award travel is undoubtedly a complicated process. This news does add to that complication, but I firmly believe that having more options is a positive. Looking to book award travel on Qatar Airways? Check prices on various programs, using AA miles, British Airways Avios, and now Qatar Avios.  Remember that Avios are transferrable between programs (BA, IB, and QR), and once accounts are linked, are instant.

With the ease of these transfers, these awards could be booked using either BA or QR Avios, so be sure to check each program to find the best pricing.

Final thoughts

A big fan of Qatar Airways premium products in flight. Having more options to redeem miles to experience it is a good thing. There seems to be some good values to be had using BA Avios, which are generally easier to earn than AA miles via transferable point programs.

Read the rest of this article at Qatar QSuites Awards Using British Airways Avios.

* This article was originally published here

Alabama holidays: Exploring the history of To Kill A Mockingbird in America's Deep South

Sara Lawrence drives to Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee. 'This corner of The Cotton State is the epicentre of Civil Rights history,' she says.

* This article was originally published here

15 BEST BEACH RESORTS IN BATANGAS: With Pool, Budget & Family-Friendly, and Beachfront Resorts

Looking beach resorts to have an amazing getaway that's just a couple of hours away from Metro Manila? How about staying in a lovely beach resort in Batangas? Check out this updated list of best Batangas beach resorts that are open now to tourists! With a long coastline, Batangas offers wide array of beaches - from white sand to the rocky and black sand beaches. If you're planning to visit

* This article was originally published here

Alaska Airlines BOGO Promotion 2 days Only

Alaska Airlines is back with another Buy one ticket, get one for just the taxes and fee. The promotion at Alaska Airlines has been somewhat common during the pandemic. Usually the Promotion is tied to their Chef Football officer Russell Wilson, and Seahawks wins. Yet, we’ve seen BOGO sales for just about any reason over the last two years to help drum up business. Now, Alaska Airlines is back with another BOGO sell to help fill plans after the busy holiday season.

Alaska Airlines Promotion

The Alaska Airlines BOGO promotion is good for tickets purchased before 11;59 on December 7, 2021. Travel is between January 5 – March 9, 2022. You must use the promotion code STARBUCKS, which means the deal cannot be stacked with other promotions.

From Alaska Airlines:

Buy one coach class Alaska ticket and get one for just the taxes and fees*. Use discount code STARBUCKS by 11:59 pm (PT) December 7, 2021. Day of week restrictions and blackout dates apply.

Here’s how it works:

1. In the booking form on this page, enter your departure and arrival cities, dates, and at least 2 travelers.
   • Travel is valid January 5 – March 9, 2022.
   • Travel to Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, or Belize is valid Sundays through Wednesdays
   • Travel from Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica or Belize is valid Tuesdays through Fridays.
   • All other travel is valid Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
   • Blackout dates of February 18–28, 2022, apply.
2. Enter STARBUCKS into the discount code field, and then click “Find flights” to start your search.

Bottom Line

Alaska Airlines BOGO is a great way to save on winter travel. When traveling on a BOGO fare, both passengers earn miles and elite benefits apply to all main cabin fares. Elite Upgrades are even available! Furthermore, all tickets are eligible for free ski lift passes at participating resorts. The promotion is only for two days and only for two people. If you a single flyer, there is no discount. If you’re traveling as a group of 4 or 6. Search in groups of two to maximize savings.

Read the rest of this article at Alaska Airlines BOGO Promotion 2 days Only.

* This article was originally published here

5 Kid-friendly Attractions in Kuala Lumpur That You Can Visit

Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malaysia is a busy, modern city full of activities for children of all ages. Choose from cultural experiences that train and expand youth, attractions solely for child-friendly enjoyment, and nature and wildlife [...]

* This article was originally published here

Now Available: Alaska Airlines Awards on Iberia

Alaska Airlines awards are now available on Iberia. After Alaska Airlines joined the OneWorld alliance, earning miles have been available on all 13 OneWorld members. Yet, award travel has not been introduced across the alliance. Alaska Airlines has been very slow to add new partners awards. Now, nearly 8 months after joining OneWorld, Alaska Airlines has quietly introduced Iberia awards. Award prices are higher than other partners, but do open up new award opportunity for travel.

Iberia Airlines Airbus A-350. Photo credit Iberia Airlines.

Alaska Airlines Iberia Award Costs

Alaska Airline Mileage plan awards on Iberia start at 35,000 miles between the United States and Europe. Business class awards are shockingly high at 75,000 miles. Alaska Airlines still does not allow for mixing partners. Iberia awards can only include Alaska Airlines and Iberia flights. Stopovers at hubs are still available. Thus meaning, one could fly between the United States and Europe with a stop in Madrid for several days or weeks. Currently, awards are only available in business class and economy. Iberia awards do not have fuel surcharges, which is a differentiator from Avios awards or AAdvantage tickets. Taxes and Fees between the US and Europe are as low as $19.

Origin	Destination	Economy	Business
North America	Europe	35k	75k
USA/Canada	Africa	50k	100k
USA/Canada	Middle East	50k	110k
Europe	Middle East	25k	55k
Europe	Africa	17.5k	45k
South America	Europe	50k	90k

Award are available to book online via Alaska Air’s website. Do note, cheaper options for Alaska Airline award to Europe include American Airlines for just 22.5k miles in economy. In actuality, all of Alaska Airline partners require fewer miles to fly to Europe in economy or business. Only Iceland air awards are also 35,000 miles in economy. Iberia’s business class awards are the most expensive, costing even more miles than British award first class awards. Of course, being surcharge free make these awards somewhat attractive. Then again, other partners also do not have fuel surcharge and charge fewer miles. Finnair is a being prime example.

Bottom Line

Alaska Airline miles can now be redeemed on Iberia. As a partner, Iberia offers some new great rewards redemption routes. These include between South America and Europe.  Award costs are higher than other partners and represents a concerning trend at Alaska Airlines. As new partner award options are coming available, Alaska Airline is increasing requiring more award miles for tickets. Alaska Airlines remains the last airline in the United States to reward miles on distance, no revenue. This makes earning miles somewhat easier. Yet, with this comes the downside of higher cost awards. I expect further devaluation of Alaska Airlines awards as more partners and mix partner awards are introduced. It’s only a matter of time until Alaska Airlines sweet spot awards disappear.f

Read the rest of this article at Now Available: Alaska Airlines Awards on Iberia.

* This article was originally published here

Disneyland kicks off 2022 with Lunar New Year, foodie events

A celebration of the Lunar New Year followed by a celebration of food and wine are on tap early next year at Disney California Adventure Park.

* This article was originally published here

Drone vision captures the remarkable moment a blue whale yawns during a swim near south Perth

Drone footage by Sharky Aerials has captured the rare moment a Blue Whale yawns while swimming off the coast in South Perth.

* This article was originally published here

15 Must Visit Attractions in Takayama Hokuriku Region, Japan

1. Maruoka Castle “Maruoka Castle is the only castle in the Hokuriku region with the remaining original castle towers built before the Edo period (1603-1868) and registered as national important cultural property. Maruoka Castle, also [...]

* This article was originally published here

Popular coastal destination hit by COVID scare just one week after SA border reopens - ABC News

Popular coastal destination hit by COVID scare just one week after SA border reopens  ABC News

* This article was originally published here

Review: Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska

During our trip up Alaska’s Dalton Highway, we decided to break up both the trip both ways. Theoretically, you can make the entire trip from Fairbanks to Deadhorse in a single day. In summer, you’re pretty much guaranteed daylight the entire way, thanks to the insanely long days this far north. But the 495-mile trip means 13-15 hours of HARD driving on mostly gravel roads. Not ideal, especially with a small child in tow. So, we decided to break it up. Unless you’re camping, options midway are few and far between, though. There’s Coldfoot Camp, though they didn’t offer advanced reservations in summer 2020. Thankfully, I found Boreal Lodging in Wiseman, just up the road. This turned out to be a unique spot, which we were really glad to find.

Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska

• 9000 Dalton Highway, MP 189, Wiseman, Alaska
• Website: https://www.boreallodge.com/
• Features: 4 lodge rooms with shared kitchen and bathrooms; 2 cabins with kitchens and private bathrooms; hiking trails; coffee & tea; Dish TV in day room; limited satellite WiFi

The lodge is normally open May through September. They do accept reservations October and November, and March and April, with sufficient advance notice. Nonrefundable deposits of 50-75% are required; there is also a 5% surcharge on credit card payments. And of course, your hotel/airline loyalty points don’t work here.

In talking to the owners, things book up in fall/winter more than summer. Why? The area around Coldfoot is prime viewing area for the the aurora borealis. The lack of light pollution, and a greater chance of clear skies than up on the North Slope, give you a better chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

Location

Wiseman is just shy of the halfway point of the Dalton Highway, and 14 miles north of Coldfoot. It’s a 6-7 hour drive both up to Deadhorse and back to Fairbanks. The only place to obtain food and gas is at Coldfoot Camp, about a 20 minute drive away. However, Coldfoot usually carries no groceries, nor does Deadhorse, so get everything you need for your full trip in Fairbanks. Remember, if you forget your toothbrush, it’s a 7 hour drive back to Fairbanks to get a new one.

To reach Wiseman, going northbound, turn left just past the Middle Fork Koyukuk River bridge #1. Southbound, turn right just before the bridge.  The approximate milepost is 189. It’s another 3 miles down the gravel road to Wiseman; beware, it’s rough and gets potholed after heavy rains. You’ll see this sign as you enter Wiseman.

Continue through town, and you’ll find a reassurance sign just before a sharp bend to the left.

Continue about another 1/2 mile to find the bridge.

Past the bridge, it’s about another 1/2 mile to Boreal Lodging. You can’t miss it; you’ll see the office/owner’s house behind a big pile of moose antlers.

Date of Stay: August 2-3 and 5, 2020

Check-In/Reception

The lodge only has 6 rooms, and the owners (Scott and Heidi) double as Park Rangers at the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center in Coldfood. Thus, there aren’t set hours for check-in. Scott and Heidi just ask that you contact them a day or two before arrival with your approximate arrival plans. Heidi was still at the office on our drive up from Fairbanks around 7 pm. She also gave us a quick run-through of the property and some things to do in the area. On the way back, she had the key taped to the office door for us.

I also have to give Scott and Heidi extra props for working with me to reschedule our trip. Originally, we planned our trip for mid-June. That ended up becoming a non-starter because much of what we wanted to do in Anchorage and Denali remained closed until July due to pandemic restrictions. Fortunately, Heidi let me have a “do-over” and applied my deposit to our rescheduled trip in August. We greatly appreciated her flexibility!

Boreal Lodging Wiseman – Cabins and Guest Rooms

We booked the “Boreal” cabin, one of two cabins at the lodge. Current rates are $160 per night for two, plus $25 for third and fourth guests. Add $10 to the base rate during the winter season (October through April). The cabin has a very rusting log cabin look – perfectly appropriate for the remote surroundings.

First, some background to keep your expectations appropriate. You’re not just off the beaten path, you’re WAY off it. As mentioned, there’s one gas station and restaurant about 15 miles away. Otherwise, you’re 270 miles from the nearest city of note (Fairbanks). Many of the services you’d expect even in a fairly remote area like Yellowstone simply don’t exist in the Alaskan backcountry. There’s also no cell phone service, and WiFi is very, very slow and limited. Then again, if you came to Wiseman for a working vacation…you probably should re-assess your priorities. Boreal Lodging provides an alternative for those who don’t want to camp, and offers a few more amenities than the work camp-style accommodations at Coldfoot Camp. But it’s still a very much basic level of accommodation.

The cabin measures a cozy 320 square feet, but makes good use of the available space. Step inside, and you’ll find a fully equipped kitchen to the right.

The kitchen comes impressively well equipped. In addition to a full set of utensils and pots and pans, the pantry comes well stocked with various spices, as well as tea and coffee.  The tea and coffee comes courtesy of the owners, though the spices are orphaned by previous guests. You’re free to use whatever you want, but the owners kindly request you leave some behind as well. There’s even a French press to make coffee if that’s your thing.

To your left is the living room, equipped with a couch, a couple of tables, and a TV. Note that you can’t actually get any TV signal up here; Fairbanks is 270 miles away, after all. Instead, it’s there to watch DVDs if you brought your own.

Head straight back, and the downstairs bedroom is to the left. It’s small, but comes with a pair of twin-sized beds, and a well-placed power outlet.

Meanwhile, straight ahead at the very back of the cabin is the bathroom. Continuing a theme, it’s tight, but has both a tub and shower. I didn’t expect the tub, but greatly appreciated it for ease of giving the munchkin a bath. The water heater is rather unique; it’s on demand, in that it turns itself on when you turn on the hot water faucet.

There’s also an extra bed upstairs in the loft. To reach the loft, climb the wooden ladder from the living room.

Once up the ladder, you’ll find a queen-size bed, along with a fair amount of storage space. We had enough room to unfold Ashok’s travel crib up here. Watch your head, though; the ceiling is pretty low. There is also an extra outlet up here to plug in your gadgets.

Both Ashok and my mother enjoyed posing from the loft. My son in particular couldn’t get enough of going up and down the ladder.

The cabin has an oil burning space heater for heat. Granted, it’s not terribly cold in August, but still, it kept the cabin plenty warm. One thing to also keep in mind when visiting in summer – the days are ridiculously long. The sun doesn’t set from late May through mid-July. By early August, you still have nearly 19 hours of daylight, with sunrise around 4:30 am and sunset around 11:30 pm. The curtains do their job, but just remember to draw them shut. Lest you fancy the sun shining in your face at really odd hours.

Finally, the unit was clean, and most importantly, everything worked as it should.

Next door to the Boreal cabin is the “Polar” cabin. It has a similar layout to Boreal, except there’s only one bed in the downstairs bedroom; thus, maximum occupancy is three persons.

If you’re looking to save some money, Boreal Lodging also has four standard motel rooms. Each room has two single beds; prices are $90 for one and $110 for two in the summer. Add $10 to each during the winter.

In the middle of the main building is a shared kitchen and common living room.

The main lodge has two shared bathrooms next door.

Boreal Lodging Wiseman – General Location and Property

If you’re looking for someplace to truly get away from it all, this is about as good a place as there is. The property itself is beautiful, situated on the banks of Wiseman Creek. You can enjoy a quiet hike along the creek in both directions. The lodge property itself is plenty large to enjoy a nice walk and enjoy the scenery of the foothills of the Brooks Range.

If you do plan on hiking here, don’t forget the bug spray. Alaskan mosquitoes are a special breed of evil in the summer.

Wiseman itself is a truly beautiful place, nestled in the Koyukuk River valley in the Brooks Range foothills. Think the landscape of the Rockies, but with a fraction of the people. (Because there are very few people crazy enough to actually drive this far north.)

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself heading up the Dalton Highway, Boreal Lodging in Wiseman is a great option to break up the trip. The family-run establishment offers clean, comfortable accommodations a cut above the other option along this stretch of the Dalton. It’s a great area to stretch your legs for a couple of days headed to or from the Arctic Ocean, or a good spot to watch the Northern Lights.

Read the rest of this article at Review: Boreal Lodging, Wiseman, Alaska.

* This article was originally published here