NEWS & OFFERS: Bangkok on Qatar from £1318, EU entry ETIAS postponed & Luxury hotel offers inc Mandarin Oriental

Bangkok on Qatar Airways from £1318

EDIT: Today fares have popped up for 2023 as well. April to June and then August to January 2024.

A great fare with Qatar has popped up, but it is a slightly more complex one, although easy to book when you find availability. The fare is what we call an open jaw, so out of one airport and back to another. Sadly it doesn’t work at this price into the UK. The best fares are out of Oslo and back to Amsterdam. However, if you don’t mind paying a bit more you can come back to Oslo for £1840. The current 20% off discount does not apply as it is outside of the booking period. 

• Book by: 31 March 2023
• Travel:
  • Outbound -permitted Sun through Thu.
  • Inbound – permitted Mon through Fri on the first international sector.
  • Outbound – travel is not permitted 16 Dec through 31 Dec for departure from fare origin.
  • Inbound – travel is not permitted 1 Jan through 10 Jan for departure of first international sector.
• Availability: January 2024 onwards
• Minimum stay: Travel from last stopover must commence no earlier than 5 days after departure from fare origin.
• Stopover: 1 free in Doha

You can check availability on Qatar Airways here. 

HT: Flyertalk

EU entry ETIAS postponed

The farce of the EU’s new entry system ETIAS has been postponed again. The system will require non-EU citizens such as from the UK to pay a fee to apply for a two-year visa waiver in effect. Apparently, the latest delay is because the Entry/Exit electronic system (EES), which ETIAS will rely on will not be ready. ETIAS can only come in 5-6 months after EES is working. 

I actually would welcome ETIAS if it meant we could use the automatic entry gates and not get a stamp on our passport every time, which should be the result. The costs of it should be relatively cheap, although given the amount of bureaucracy the EU love, I dread to think what the application will be like! However, there are some concerns about how long the process will take given that you will need to give biometrics, at least on your first entry. 

There is no expected date for ETIAS to become operational except that it should be in 2024. 

Luxury hotel deals

The Lowry Manchester from £185 inc dinner

If you plan to head to Manchester anytime soon, there is an interesting offer via Travelzoo. The Lowry is a well-regarded 5* hotel in a waterside central location. It’s around a 10-minute walk to the main attractions. Many celebrities have stayed and it gets 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor.

What’s Included

• Valid Sunday-Thursday until 31 August, 2023. Fridays and Saturdays are £50 more, payable direct to the hotel
• An overnight stay for two people in a Superior River View room, with full English breakfast
• A 3-course dinner for two from the set menu in the River Restaurant. 
• Parking for 24 hours (worth £19.50)
• Non refundable

If you don’t think you would use all the extras, then I’d advise looking at booking direct as on some nights the same category room is cheaper. However, there are nights where room only in a basic room costs £240 so you could make a great saving. 

You can find the offer page here. You will need to join Travelzoo to take advantage, but it is free.  

 

Mandarin Oriental 3 for 2

Book two nights and receive a third free. All Fan Club benefits are included: full American breakfast daily for two, credit towards Food & Beverage or Spa, personalised welcome amenities, and more. The offer is available until 30 April.

This offer applies to MO London and many other properties on a 3 for 2 or 4 for 3 basis such as MO Barcelona, which is 4 for 3. 

Check prices and availability with our partners GTC.

The Mayfair townhouse London – 25% off with 3 night stay

The Mayfair Townhouse has a good location in Mayfair and is a luxury boutique 5* property. It’s the newest creation from the people who brought you Cliveden House and Chewton Glen.

• 172 rooms and suites (including 12 suites; 3 of which are Signature Suites and 2 are Garden Suites)
• The Dandy Bar, a stylish cocktail bar at the heart of the property
• The Lower Ground is a vibrant space to work, connect, eat and explore
• Fitness Suite
• Dog and family-friendly
• Home to a collection of 550 hand-picked pieces of art

For availability and prices please contact our partners GTC. 

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort – Complimentary Night Promotion 

The offer is valid for stays until 18 December 2023.