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My
wife and two children are visiting London this summer for a short
vacation. Where can we stay at a good standard hotel, not too expensive,
yet close to the city? Do you think apartments are a good alternative?
Ajay
Bihani, Pune
The
centrally located budget hotels in London are:
1 Hotel Paragon - USD 148 per double with CBF (Continental breakfast)
2 Hotel Hyde - £ 87 per double with CBF
3 Royal National Hotel - USD 135 per double with CBF
Apartments
are a good option for a stay of minimum one week as they offer the
facility of cooking etc, which may be useful with children. Prices
for a one bedroom apartment range from £ 60 to 185 per night
depending on location, period etc.
I
am visiting the UK this summer, if I have time, would like to make
a side trip to Oslo in Norway. Do any airlines offer cheap fares from
London? Minal Parekh, Kolkata
If
your travel to Oslo is subject to time, it would be better to pick
up the ticket at London. We do have fares available in India, but
as the fares are economical, they come with restrictions such as
no refund after the ticket is issued, no change in reservation for
the outbound, one Sunday stay etc. This fare is in the region of
£ 78 currently.
What
is the definition of ‘open jaw’ as used in airline fare calculations?
Is Mumbai-Singapore and Kuala Lumpur-Mumbai classified as a return
ticket or an open jaw? Will I get a better price on my ticket, if
I buy an open jaw? Sumit Shinde, New Delhi
Open
Jaw is a term used when there is part of an itinerary not included
in the air ticket. The routing above would be an open jaw journey.
For this routing, there will be no fare difference as both SIN and
KUL have the same fare from India.
I
am planning a trip to Europe with my family this summer. I have a
long break and would like to tour Europe on my own, as I feel packaged
tours are too rushed. I would prefer to relax and may be take the
train. Could you provide more information on the rail passes and the
their prices? Sharon Fernandes, Bangalore
European
Rail Pass, better known as the Eurail pass covers the following
countries in Europe: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
a)
15 day pass - Individual: USD 572 Saver: USD 486
b)
21 day pass - Individual: USD 740 Saver: USD 630
c)
10 day Flexipass (valid for 2 months) - Individual: USD 674 Saver:
USD 574
SITA
Holidays has also launched its new product ‘Holiday Pass’.
The Europe Holiday pass includes return Airfare ex-India, arrival
limo transfer in the first city you enter, inter-city transfers
by Eurail, accommodation with breakfast and half-day tour of the
city you are staying overnight. You can select the cities you want
to visit. It is extremely flexible and gives you the opportunity
to extend the pass, add the additional sightseeing etc. There are
many holiday passes to choose from with a special introductory offer
from - 07 days for USD 999, 11 days for USD 1,299 etc. There are
also 7 day passes for Switzerland, Italy, France and UK starting
from USD 899.
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