I am currently writing this after getting off my British Airways Club Europe flight from ITB Berlin back to Heathrow. Apart from being sat next to a well known fellow blogger, I kept glancing across the aisle at someone who bore an uncanny resemblance to Prince Harry. I am assumed it couldn’t possibly be him although he was in 1A and the cabin crew did appear to be making a special effort with him and his seatmate (not Meghan). Then when we arrived a burly policeman with a very large gun and various others arrived and whisked Prince Harry through a side entrance. So for all of us that moan about Club Europe on BA – if it is good enough for Prince Harry….
In this post:
Emirates new First Class Suite cheap fare
If you read my articles on Emirates First class you will have seen that I managed to get a cheap fare by doing a rather strange routeing and returning in economy. Although the original deal has gone up in price there is another similar deal which is good value. You can read about the fare is my review of Emirates old first product and read my review of their amazing new first class suite here. The new suite was hands down my best flight ever!
The flight is from either Cairo or Tunis to Dubai and then on to Haneda (Tokyo). The first leg would be in the old first class which is still very good. Dubai-Haneda is currently the longest flight on the new First Suite so you would certainly be getting your money’s worth! Plus Tokyo is one of my favourite cities in the world to visit, so if you haven’t been I highly recommend it. Where else can you visit beautiful temples as well as visit a robot café?!
The route from Dubai to Haneda is only 5 times a week so you need to pick the right day. To get the cheap price of $2150 (approx £1640) return you would then come back in economy to either the starting point or Delhi also gives the same cheap price.
To book you need to go to this Emirates booking page and use the advanced search tab to enable you to input two different booking classes.
Burj Al Arab offer but is it a good deal?
There are two similar sites that offer permanent ‘sales’ on hotels – Voyage Privé and Secret Escapes. However, it is always worth shopping around rather than assuming that you are making a genuine saving. The latest Voyage Privé offer caught my eye when I saw it was the Burj Al Arab which is a 7-star hotel in Dubai.
So what is the offer?
Without flights
From £1,516/pers (instead of £1,945) for 3 nights
With flights
From £1,852/pers for 3 nights
Durations available: 3 to 7 nights £2295 Love Holidays
This includes some extras:
- One Bedroom Deluxe Suite
- Breakfast (upgrade to Half Board available)
- Resort Credit of 500 AED per night per suite
- Access to Burj Al Arab Terrace
- In-suite check-in and check-out
- Unlimited complimentary access to Wild Wadi Waterpark
- Complimentary access to Sinbad’s Kids Club for up to three children
- Complimentary access to Burj Al Arab’s private beach and Talise Spa’s mixed and female only facilities
- Kids go free up to 11 years old when sharing room with two paying adults (extra bed or sofa bed with breakfast)
This may seem like a good deal based on the headline price reduction but a lot depends on whether you will use the credit. The credit is worth a reasonable £100 per night but obviously, somewhere like the Burj, it won’t go very far!
If we assume you would use the credit then you could price the package at around £1350. However, there are cheaper deals to be found online. I found a deal with loveholidays for £1147 per person for 3 nights which did not include the credit but did include breakfast also in a deluxe one bedroom suite.
Obviously, you need to compare the prices for your specific dates as it may work out cheaper to use Voyage Privé for certain dates. The offer is available throughout the warmer months until September 2019
You can find the link to the Voyage Prive offer here.
Hilton status match
If you have any high status in a hotel chain you may wish to take advantage of the current Hilton status match. This will give you 90 days at the equivalent level in Hilton plus you will be able to extend that to the full year if you make a minimum number of stays during the 90 days. I really like Hilton Gold and Diamond status as for my travel patterns they offer a lot of value for money. With free breakfast for both tiers and automatic lounge access for Diamond, it’s a good scheme. I also have a good success rate for suite upgrades as a Diamond.
There are two different criteria depending on whether you match to Gold or Diamond.
Match to Gold
- Complete 4 stays in 90 days to keep your status until 31 March 2020.
- Hilton Honors Gold also gives an 80% Bonus on All Base Points
Match to Diamond
- Complete 8 stays in 90 days to keep your status through 31 March 2020 (or 4 stays to earn Gold).
- This gives a 100% Bonus on All Base Points.
You will have to provide evidence of your current hotel status. This needs to be a screenshot of your current account status or your current and active membership card. You will also have to show you have actually stayed at the hotel chain you have status in. This can be done with a screenshot of your previous reservations or hotel receipt. (Make sure you redact any personal information other than your name and membership number.)
You can find the special Hilton status match page here.
