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Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages
I often get asked for the “Ultimate” south east Asian itinerary. Where to go if time is not limited? as well as “how far could you keep going, on the same trip”.
Well, I think, the “ultimate” single journey through South East Asia, would be as follows;
Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages
One bit of advice on Penang Hotels, and getting a good deal, IS….shop around!!!! I have always found there to be a huge variation in the prices of even some of the best hotels in Penang.
Most of the hotels in Batu Feringgi, the major beach area on the north coast, are not conductive to walk up rates, so Internet booking in advance is definitely recommended. Georgetown is a little better for walk up rates, but not in 4 and five star. I have found travel booking websites also vary a lot.
I have found and use continually, Hotels Combined, as it is an excellent comparison site, examining and presenting the results from over 40 of the major booking engines. Consider this when comparing Hotel rates in Penang.
the link - Hotels Combined
Click Here to consider Asian Itineraries’ 3 levels of travel packages
Having recently returned from Kuala Lumpur, I have found getting the best hotel deal can be a bit of a difficult scenario. From various trips, including this one, walk in rates in the mid to high range of offering is definitely not the way to get a good deal. Also, I have tried some of the major hotel chains websites, but again, you pay top dollar, and that is just not how I roll!
I have used Air Asia for more than half of the 9 flights I have recently made around South East Asia, and although most were excellent, I must say their flight from KL to Perth was extremely disappointing. Not that there was any real problem with the fight, it was quite smooth, BUT what a ridiculous time!
One flight a day, and it is 00.05 departure and 05.45 arrival! And its not as if Air Asia flights are comfortable for sleeping on! The chairs don’t recline for gods sake! Doest matter how cheap it is at those times (and it was cheap at about $80!).
Really, If Air Asia are serious about the route to Perth, they need to put the flight at a reasonable time, and put some of their shorter flights on during sleeping times. 6 hours from midnight onwards is just a too inconvenient time! Then they may find the seats will sell for more!
Also, what happened to the good plane? On our flight out of Perth in early March had LCD screens on the back of each chair, and you could buy the entertainment pack and watch movies etc at your leisure. Not any more - I assume this plane has been re-routed onto their new KL to London flight?
I get the feeling maybe Air Asia are loosing interest in the KL - Perth route?
I have never seen such a shambolic airport terminal in my life! The departures area, which has about 50 – 60 different book-in windows (almost all Air Asia), is chaotic, to say the least.
It is impossible to find the window you need to book in for your flight, as there is so many that look the same. The destination flashed occasionally across an electronic sign, but not that it is able to be seen from far away. In addition, there is queue’s from all windows, as all are actively boarding flights. The queue’s are uncontrolled and branch out in all different directions, adding to the confusion.
Once through to the boarding gates it is not so bad, and then proceeding to the aircraft is OK. You do have to walk across the tarmac though.One noticeable thing about the LCCT terminal is that the security seems extremely lax. Luggage screening seem almost voluntary, security into boarding lounge, and out to tarmac is almost non-existent, and once on the tarmac, you could probably wander anywhere you wanted!
There are renovations underway, so hopefully, this terminal will improve soon!
Getting off the Air Asia flight from Perth 40 min early, and seeing the LCCT terminal waiting facilities at KL, we decided, at about 11.30pm, that we needed to find a hotel, as we didn’t need to be back at LCCT terminal until about 6am, for a 7.05 flight to Phuket.
I had tossed up whether to book the Concorde Inn many times days before, but had decided to leave it until we got to KL, just to see how we felt. I had noticed an add in the in-flight magazine of Air Asia, for Tune Hotels, and it said they had a new hotel at the LCCT. We looked around for this, but, alas, it did not exist yet!
So we got a Taxi, to Concorde inn, about 15 mins away, close to the KLIA airport.
Concorde Inn is a single level “motel” style development, but with a reception and restaurant 24 hours.
Arriving at midnight, without a booking, we were not surprised that we would be told only executive rooms were available! At 250RM this was considerably more than we wanted to spend, but, hey, what can you do?
Needless to say, the executive room was nothing special. Very overpriced at 250 RM! Would I stay there again – No
Having never flown with Air Asia before, and given they have only been operating their flights from out of Australia for about a year or so, I was very apprehensive as to how it would be.
My impressions were as follows
1. Ticketing at Perth Airport – no better or worse than Qantas, Garuda etc
2. First entering the plane – impressed – very clean, clearly quite a new plane, with nice leather (vinyl) seats, and polite staff
3. Takeoff – on time and very smooth!
4. Service – good if you had pre-booked, but not particularly interested if you hadn’t
5. In-flight services – back of seat personal screens excellent, fair selection of movies etc
6. Flight and landing– couldn’t fault it, very smooth, arrived 40 min early on a 5 hr flight, good landing
7. Other passengers – noisy, rowdy, bawdy, riffraff – maybe a side effect of cheap air travel?
Overall – excellent plane and excellently handled. Only disappointment has the cabin staff service. Considering the Low Cost nature of the Carrier, I would have expected more food and drink runs, more promoting their services. Instead we had to ask for entertainment pack, had to ask twice for comfort pack, asked for beer and was told they ran out (only an hour or so after takeoff?)
Would I use Air Asia Again – Yes
As with any low cost carriers, your flight cost will be very cheap, and every other service you usually get for free on a regular flights, you need to pay extra for! In addition, you often get a lot of the extra services cheaper if you book them with your ticket, instead of paying for them at the terminal or on the plane.
With the Air Asia flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur, the following are extras that you can pay for in advance if you wish, and get varying degrees of discount if you book early
A few days into active planning of the 3 month travel plan, and already I have run into a problem, associated with day 1 of the trip!
As you would remember, We have booked Air Asia flights, from Perth, Western Australia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, followed by another flight about 7 hours later, from KL to Phuket in Thailand. As 7 hours was going to be a long time to hang about in the terminal, and I specifically booked a night flight, assuming we could the stay at the Airside transit hotel in KLIA airport!
Wrong!
Fired off an email to Airside Hotel, and as they are in the KLIA terminal, and Air Asia use the KLCC terminal, it is not possible to stay with them.
This now means either 7 hours in the terminal, or going to another, out of the terminal hotel. Therefore, we will have to pay for the whole night even if we only need a room for about 4 hours (allowing another 3/4 hour to get from landing to hotel, after exiting building etc).
Looks like the Concorde Inn will have to be the go - at about $75.00 AUD per night (Airside was going to be about $60.00)
Not a huge difference in price, although it is getting the budget off to a bad start!
Well, Everything that needed to come together, has come together, and therefore, the extended travel trip is now a definite go-er!
I have today confirmed flights, and can advise we will depart Perth, Australia, on Tuesday March 3rd, for what is intended to be a 3 month travelling scenario.
First point of arrival, and at this stage the only confirmed Itinerary item, is Phuket!
We have booked to fly with Air Asia, as the price it just too hard to go past. two people, to KL in Malaysia, is costing me $398.00 for the flights, plus an extra $9.00 for 15kg of luggage, and $20 to book seats (so we can sit together). We leave at about 6.30 in the evening, and arrive at KL at 23.30. Onward flight to Phuket, leaves KL at 7.10 the next morning.
The KL - Phuket flight is costing a grand total of MY100, IE 100 ringgit, equivalent of $45.00 AUD!! for two of us!!! It is so cheap it is almost unbelievable. that is including an extra 15kg in luggage!
On first glance, the timing looks terrible - arrive at midnight, flight out 7 hours later, at the crack of dawn!. But, after consideration, this was probably the best timing of the flights available over that week. All the other days had similar gaps between arrival and departure in Kl, but are at different times of the day.
I concluded that the night in KL airport would be easiest to kill the time, and have sent off an enquiry to book 6 hours (the minimum block) at the Airside Hotel, within the departure area of KLIA. The big advantage hear is that we can sleep for 4 or 5 hours, and don’t need to pass in and out of customs, immigration etc. We can get off the plane from Perth, and be in bed in 20 Min’s or so! We have done this before, in Changi Airport, Singapore, when flying to Vietnam a couple of years ago, and found it to be easy and simple.
The Airside is costing us RM140 , equivalent of $61.00 AUD. We expect it will be money well spent! (although it is more than we are budgeting per night for “real” hotels rooms, for the rest of the trip)