Virgin Atlantic is dropping flights to St Lucia and moving Havana to Heathrow

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• Max says:

  27 Jul27 July 18:31

  O/T – I have 5,500 SAS Eurobonus points expiring next week. It’s not much, but I can’t find any way to use up those points online, not even through the Eurobonus gift shop – all the redemption options seem to be for Swedish gift cards etc. Does anyone have any suggestions?

  • Lady London says:

    27 Jul27 July 19:42

    A long stretch but i know Ikea Family Membership cards work across countries. Wondering about if SEK Ikea gift cards (if they exist) would.

    Alternatively are there vouchers/gift cards for any of thé hotel groups that you could use [thehotelchain].se’s website to book a hotel room somewhere else?

    • bsuije says:

      27 Jul27 July 20:15

      IKEA gift cards apparently do not work across countries (overheard from an ikea employee on the returns desk).

• Taylor says:

  27 Jul27 July 20:37

  OT- I’m going to San Francisco in September. The hotels seem very expensive for a decent hotel. Can any one recommend anywhere to stay outside of downtown that is cheaper and has good transport links to get into the centre?

  • Shoestring says:

    27 Jul27 July 20:43

    you can still get motels for $60

    • Shoestring says:

      27 Jul27 July 20:44

      according to my reading of the Jack Reacher series, I’m up to 2012 so pretty current

      • BJ says:

        27 Jul27 July 21:12

        Your sources are usually very respectable but this one takes the biscuit 🙂

        • Shoestring says:

          27 Jul27 July 21:16

          you have to reckon on ‘Lee Child’ wanting to get his Americana facts right – he’s a Brit but writes an American MP (Military Police) thriller bestselling series, where 80% sells in the US, so he needs to get his MP & US stuff right.

        • BJ says:

          27 Jul27 July 21:43

          In that case I hope none of his readers have gone looking for Mother’s Rest! Try Karin Slaughter; Lena Adans and Angie Polasky would wipe the floor with Reacher.

        • Shoestring says:

          27 Jul27 July 21:51

          grab one and try the Harry Reacher series, BJ – you won’t regret it – it’s thriller Hemingway

          I’ll look at your authors as well

        • Shoestring says:

          27 Jul27 July 21:53

          * damn Jack Reacher

        • BJ says:

          27 Jul27 July 22:03

          I’vd read them all through to Maje Me where you will encounter Mother’s Rest. Agree with both Harrys that they are enjoyable escapism. But if you like Child you have to try Slaughter, Blindsighted and Kisscut both hgave me the creeps.

      • Harry T says:

        27 Jul27 July 21:40

        I reckon Lee Child can be trusted. The Jack Reacher novels are always a good time.

        • Spurs Debs says:

          27 Jul27 July 22:41

          Karin Slaughter is also one of my favs.

  • BJ says:

    27 Jul27 July 21:03

    If your budget will stretch to The Chancellor on Union Square I highly recommend it. It is old and worn but this hotel is special, check out the reviews. Sometimes you will find decent offers on their own website but check out the usual online travel agents and places you can get money b@ck on top to see if you can make the price work for you. Factor in the cost of transport if you were to stay outside downtown. If you really need something around the £50 mark then better to stay out by airport in a decent budget chain offering and use shuttle plus BART. There are other areas but I am hesitant to recommend any as what is comfortable and acceptable to some is not to others.

    • Taylor says:

      27 Jul27 July 22:52

      It’s just staying for 2-3 nights from the 6th. I’m currently seeing 250-300$ a night for anything reasonable. I’d prefer to stay somewhere better further away than somewhere down market closer in.

      Thanks for the advice

      • BJ says:

        28 Jul28 July 06:23

        Don’t equate old and worn with down market, The Chancellor is far from that.Many, including me, walk past it’s more famous beighbour to stay there.

      • AB says:

        28 Jul28 July 10:26

        I had this problem earlier this year visiting San Francisco – even on a business budget it was tough! Ended up staying at the Club Quarters near Embarcadero for a decent price.
        I did consider, however, places further out – namely Hotel Shattuck Plaza in downtown Berkeley (right by the BART station) or some mid-range chain hotels in the Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill area (near the BART stations of the same name). For example, there is an Embassy Suites immediately adjacent to the Pleasant Hill BART station. Hope that helps!

  • ChrisC says:

    27 Jul27 July 21:17

    When in September? Dates matter .

    There is a huge (adult) fair the last Sunday of the month and in the middle a massive Oracle conference that both fill out the city.

    You could try down near the airport or Oakland.

    • BJ says:

      27 Jul27 July 21:32

      Yes, anything big at Moscone sends downtown rates upwards of $350.

      • Bonglim says:

        27 Jul27 July 22:20

        I once made the mistake of looking for a cheaper hotel on a map, in my earlier days of travelling. Found myself staying just a couple of blocks from the nice part of SF in an area called ‘The Tenderloin’.

        It is called The Tenderloin because it was so dangerous that they had to pay police extra to go to that area, so they can then afford the best cuts of meat. Anyway it was not the best experience. A taxi driver ‘strongly recommended’ we didn’t walk around in that area. And the first morning we woke to found a homeless man taking a dump in the hotel corridor.

        Anyway, don’t stay there.

        • ChrisC says:

          27 Jul27 July 23:49

          There is a small but perfectly formed Museum of The Tenderloin. I visited it today on holiday.

          It wasn’t actually that dangerous an area. A lot of single women and office workers lived there for example. The police chief who named it that said it was because the bribes the police were laid to look the other way on gambling, prostitution etc meant he could afford ‘tenderloin instead of chuck steak’

          But yes an area not really unintended for tourists.

  • Louise says:

    28 Jul28 July 00:01

    The Coventry Inn was a cheaper option which we went for when we stayed second time round, and a free car park

  • Graham Walsh says:

    28 Jul28 July 11:13

    I’m guessing anywhere is expensive in SFO. Its popular for tourists and work.

    Just like SEA, I was at a HI 20 min walk out of town and that was £250 a night in August (for work).

• DStRose says:

  1 Aug1 August 17:45

  So you’re just going to drop a popular and lucrative destination like St.Lucia just like that? I see you’ve also ceased flights to Dubai. What’s going on Virgin?

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