I booked a hotel through Qantas. When I arrived, I felt unsafe

Letter of the week: Stairway to hell

I booked a seemingly nice-looking hotel situated in Plaza de Armas, Cusco, Peru, via the Qantas Hotels app, but it didn’t exist as was advertised. A solo female traveller, I turned up at night to check in, and it ended up being via a nondescript staircase under a different name. The place was akin to a halfway house. A man was staying in the room I booked, so I was given another room. Qantas hotels said it couldn’t help as it was out of its hands, while the hotel’s receptionist advised me to talk to my travel agent. Not feeling safe, I booked another hotel down the road. Sadly, the booking was non-refundable and went down the drain with no resolution from either party. I will not go through Qantas Hotels again.
Alyssa Lim, Frenchs Forest, NSW

Editor’s note: You are not the first Traveller read to run into issues with hotels booked through Qantas. See another reader’s experience here.

Downside of upgrade

When I checked in late one night at my regular hotel in Singapore, the staff member on duty kindly upgraded me to one of the hotel’s newly renovated rooms. First impressions were, “wow, that’s different”, as I collapsed into bed. The morning revealed my full disappointment. There was a large screen outside the window to shield my room from a pool, where normally there is a great view and ample natural light. A huge bed – not necessary for a skinny, lone traveller – took up most of the space, a flimsy coffee table replaced a solid writing desk and rattling tin bedside stands replaced built-in wooden ones. There was no wardrobe to store away my clothes for a long stay and along with far too many light switches – with no useful lighting – and power points, there was no ironing board. Yes, it was shiny, colourful and modern, but of no use to me. I asked to be downgraded.
Jenny Pender, Kerang, Vic

Had it with Etihad

Has anyone received a refund from Etihad? My eligibility for refund was confirmed, a refund request was lodged around April 10 and then resubmitted around May 29, as Etihad rejected a number of requests claiming mismatched names on ticket and refund request – its error. The request was “escalated to head office for priority handling” another four weeks later with no refund. That makes, at the time of writing, 11 weeks so far. Did it ever intend to refund?
Karen Forbes, Newcastle, NSW

Failure incoming

So, a digital form of the incoming passenger card for Australia is about to be rolled out. The last attempt at an upgrade was a failure, and a failure of operatic proportions. It took multiple attempts to try and finally get it right, as regular readers of Traveller will attest. Can’t wait to see how this one goes.
Ross MacPherson, Seaforth, NSW

Instant gratification

Your reader Mark Hubert laments the lack of vegetarian options on his flight (Traveller Letters, July 11). I have found that even when pre-ordering vegetarian options it is either awful or does not arrive. I carry muesli bars, which are light and easy to pack, instant miso soup and instant noodles. Hot water is always available.
Stephen Trevarrow, South Brisbane, Qld

Pat-down downer

Setting off on a recent trip to Europe, the excitement of my trip was ruined by the treatment meted out to me at Melbourne Airport security. I’m a 74-year-old, grey-haired lady and the woman checking me over seemed determined to find something hidden about my body, scanning me and feeling me all over for what seemed like 10 minutes. Finding nothing, she forced me to rub my own breasts up and down, and I swear she laughed while looking at one of the other personnel. Then in Frankfurt Airport, Germany, I was treated to something similar, with the female security agent wanding me all over way too vigorously, concluding with the wand up between my legs, which hurt. Are there no limits to the way they treat people? I was so shocked each time, but didn’t want to be dragged into a side room if I complained. It has definitely put me off travelling.
Jan Hart, Narre Warren South, Vic

Wrong track

I must put the counterpoint to Lee Tulloch’s Italian train experience. Having recently spent five weeks travelling in Italy, Austria and Poland (all by train), I found the Italian trains the peak of comfort and efficiency. They are consistently on time, clean, pleasant, modern and I strongly recommend their sleeper services for long legs. Hard to fault, actually. So, as Lee describes, there was a noisy Italian family on an Italian train. Who’s surprised? No one to help you with your luggage? Have you tried flying Qantas recently? The price was high when booking close to the departure date. Try long-haul flying at short notice if you want expensive tickets. I recently did a round trip to Vienna via Salzburg, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Vienna, all by train and booked through Italo, I can only commend Italian trains.
Will Murray, Coogee, NSW

Change driven

Lee Tulloch’s description of the difficulty of catching trains in a foreign country brought to mind an incident many years ago. On our first trip to Europe, after three months of travel, we were about to fly home from Rome. Our train was the last train to the airport that night, and we had walked a long way to get to the right platform. As we were settling in the carriage, I heard an announcement, in Italian, and repeated several times, that convinced me that the airport train was now to leave from a different platform some distance away. I speak no Italian at all, but stood up and announced to everyone in the carriage that we needed to change platforms. Many moved and were about to start running when I asked the man in the next compartment why he was reboarding the train. He said, “I asked that man there, and he said this train is going to the airport. And he is the driver.” Oh.
Jennifer Bell, Croydon, Vic

Tip of the week: God bless New Zealand

Our two-week self-drive trip around New Zealand was a great lesson in time efficiency. Renting a car and planning everything ourselves gave us the freedom to travel at our own pace and make the most of each day. We visited Auckland, Rotorua, Lake Taupo, New Plymouth, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne, Whakatane, Coromandel, and back to Auckland. By staying overnight in the right places and combining nearby attractions, we reduced backtracking and saved valuable time. Early starts and realistic driving plans made the journey smoother and less tiring.
Michael and Yenny Bent, Goulburn, NSW

Man, oh Man

After absorbing a full dose of Beatlemania in Liverpool, UK, we visited the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. What a great decision. IOM was fantastic. It was just a two-hour ferry ride to the capital at Douglas and our hotel on the picturesque promenade around the bay. We bought a Travel Explore card for the equivalent of $84 which gave us access to unlimited transport for three days. There was so much to do. We took a steam train to the south coast, the 1893 Manx Electric Railway to the north, another vintage train to the top of Snaefell mountain, a horse-drawn vintage tram along the busy Douglas promenade and multiple bus trips around this scenic island, from where you can see England, Scotland and Ireland. We did all this, and didn’t need a car, in three days.
John Hibbard, Westleigh, NSW

Puffin stuff

A week in the Faroe Islands revealed a surreal, off the beaten track place for adventure. Eighteen islands connected by 22 tunnels enables unhurried travel to key locations. There are amazing scenes as well as great walking and hiking options. The puffins are the highlight and there’s some fabulous, if pricey, eating.
Russell Huntington, South Yarra, Vic

Pause for thought

Two of the “Trips of a lifetime” were to Namibia and Nepal; wonderful countries with unique, beautiful people. Individuals in those countries have annual per capita carbon footprints of 1.1 and 0.6 tonnes respectively. Australia’s is 14.5 tonnes. Taken from Melbourne those lifetime trips, generated 4.9 and 3.9 tonnes of CO2 equivalents, for just the return flights. The comparisons are just dreadful. Maybe if they were truly once in a lifetime trips we might just call ourselves blessed in life’s lottery and leave it at that. If they are happening much more frequently, maybe we should be looking at ourselves a little more closely.
Mark Wills, Northcote, Vic

Greece is the word

After quite a few holidays over the years, we landed in Greece. This place showed us how to have a holiday – how to slow down, take it all in and not rush around. Instead of spending two days in every place hunting for your Instagramable photos, spend at least four days in each area and immerse yourself in the culture, eat at the same place twice, get around without a map. That is the definition of a relaxing holiday.
Michael Cox, Caves Beach, NSW

Maldives content

Your story on the Maldives reminded me of our honeymoon there 41 years ago. However, any similarity ended with talk of overwater bungalows and luxury. During our 30 kilometre tinny ride, we watched our Singapore Airlines jet fade into the night but on Villivaru, we had our own pristine beach with harmless reef sharks, few guests and a peace the digital world can only imagine. Breakfast included baked beans and bacon from a cook trained by the British Navy, who prepared – perfectly – our freshly caught fish. A second honeymoon? Talk of a luxury makeover for our Villivaru doesn’t tempt me.
Rosemary Fitzgerald, Gladesville, NSW

Splutter contempt

I just returned from Thailand on a 10-hour day flight and there were about five different people near me who were coughing, sneezing, and hacking throughout the flight. It was clear they were sick and other passengers were giving them dirty looks. Given the mechanics of a plane (everyone breathing the same air) people who are obviously sick and decline to wear a mask should be denied boarding. I understand people have to fly when they’re sick, but selfish, mask-less ones should wear a mask so no one else will get sick. Incidentally, the airline didn’t offer them masks onboard when it was obvious there was a need. Shouldn’t they do so?
Bob Konig, Shell Cove, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com