Traveller letters: Iceland knows how to wow their visitors

Thanks, Traveller!

Julie Stephan, Ballina, NSW

GREET EXPECTATIONS

For me, even worse than "Howz'ya day been so far?" (Traveller, October 10-11) and even more irritating, is "How ya going?" It could be someone you meet walking and say "Good morning" to in a shop or just about anywhere. I'm often tempted to reply, "I'm just walking at present", or "I'm catching a train later", or similar variants.

Brian Holley, Yamba, NSW

MUSCLING IN

On a recent Singapore Airlines flight from Brisbane to Singapore flying economy, my experiences was spoiled by an extremely large male in the seat next to me. It wasn't that he was overweight, but just that he was large and fit-looking, like a rugby player.

Due to his bulging muscles, he couldn't keep his body, especially his arms, in his own seat space and continually invaded my seat space, hogging the arm rest. I tried to sit as far to the left of my seat as possible, but as it was an aisle seat I was continually bashed by people walking down the aisle, and by the food trolley.

I have written to Singapore Airlines on this matter asking for a refund of 20 per cent of the airfare, considering that is my estimate of the amount of my seating space that was invaded.

Really, it's clear by the size of the seats that economy class seating is really only meant for fairly small people and it's time everyone recognised this fact and booked accordingly.

J.M. Grey, Kangaroo Point, Qld

MUM'S THE WORD

For a number of years I have always read reviews before booking accommodation (Rants & raves, October 10-11). Usually they are conflicting and I often wonder if I am reading about the same place. However they are interesting and helpful. You do need to know that room 12 in a certain Paris hotel has a hole in the floor covered by carpet.

Recently I was about to book what looked like a wonderful hotel in Venice. On reading one last review it said, "great as long as you don't minding carrying suitcases up four flights of winding stairs". Not being known to travel lightly, we booked elsewhere.

Finally I have started writing my own reviews. On writing about a hotel in Cairns where we had exceptionally good service, I was amazed to get an email from booking.com to say I had 24,000 hits, which prompted my daughter to say, "Mum has gone viral".

Margaret Zarifeh, Doncaster, Vic

BAD VIBRATIONS

I write on behalf of four Australian retired couples recently returned from a Regent Seven Seas Navigator 21-day cruise between San Francisco and New York via the Panama Canal.

Although we booked and paid for four suites with balconies many months before the sailing date in early September, we were not assigned suites until embarkation.

Our suites were all located in the aft section of the ship. From the first night the noise and vibrations from the engine made it impossible to get a good night's sleep. Upon complaints to the crew, including the captain and cruise director, the issues with the ship were acknowledged.

One of the couples was offered, and accepted, a lower-grade room without a balcony in the bow of the ship as there were no other rooms available. The other three couples were sleep-deprived and miserable.

One of the group even resorted to sleeping in the public bar area, midship, where the vibration was not as bad. The ship's doctor advised that person to change rooms and prescribed anxiety medication when she asked for sleeping tablets.

I have received an offer of $1000 credit towards our next cruise with them. But there is no mention of the other couples and, on behalf of my travelling companions, I have requested a full refund as the company has not honoured their part of our contract in providing a "most inclusive luxury cruise experience".

Helen Kam, Killara, NSW

MY, OH, MYANMAR

Myanmar is often portrayed as the impoverished country, with a harsh undemocratic dictatorship. People and politics are different. Most people I met in my five-day trip in Bagan​ and Yangon​ last month were smiling and beaming with energy.

The beauty of my trip culminated with my travelling companion wanting to buy some food for the only lady that we saw begging in the street. She was totally oblivious to our status as travellers and chatted away in Burmese while munching on some sweets. And her beaming smile at the end of her small feast said it all.

Go visit Myanmar.

Toby Razeed, Waterloo, NSW