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Couldn't resist the cheap promotional Qatar Airways launch fares to Oslo from the far east. Could only squeeze in 4 nights in Norway with 2 nights in Tromso with the hope to catch some Auroras. As usual, the trip report will be on my blog with the installments below:
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Last edited by calvinoeh; 31 October 2011, 09:23 PM. -
Introduction
We were already traveling too much and had exceeded our travel budget for this year. It took 3-4 days of research and deliberation before deciding that a fare of ~$450USD from Kuala Lumpur to Oslo via Doha was too good of a deal to say no to. Qatar Airways was just launching flights to Oslo and as part of the launch promotion was offering fares of ~$400-500USD from their Far East destinations like Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. Sure, it would have been great if this was a business class fare but heck, you can't even get to London from Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia for that price.
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Getting to Oslo
We had flew in to Kuala Lumpur on Air Asia and took the bus shuttle from the LCCT to KLIA. For the benefit for others who might go cheap like us, the shuttle costs 2.50 ringgit a person and is available on the outer traffic lanes of the airport right outside arrivals. A taxi transfer instead would have cost 15-20 ringgit but we didn't check.
After flying first and business class on our last few holidays, I kinda forgot how it felt like to fly economy. As we arrive at KLIA, we were greeted by a long queue of passengers already waiting in line to check-in. Like everyone else we got in line and then at that point appreciated flying in business or first class. It took about 30 minutes before we got to the check-in counter where thankfully it was only a couple more minutes until our boarding passes were provided and bags tagged all the way to Oslo. Calvin tried to see if there were cash upgrades available but the check-in agent said they didn't do that kind of thing. Oh well..
We made a short stop at the plaza premium lounge thanks to Calvin's priority pass card where I had a shower and some snacks before we headed to the departure gate.
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Sweet! another TR
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Oh goody, another OSLo TR
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Exploring Oslo - The Attractions
It was still bright and sunny when we were done with the hotel check-in and a quick shower at about 4pm. Despite being somewhat tired from the flight, it was time to head out and explore the city. We just walked and walked while enjoying the great weather and beautiful architecture. We made our way from our hotel near the main train station all the way to the water front area of Aker Brygge.
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Exploring Oslo - The Hotels
We spent two nights in Oslo. Hotels as with everything else in Oslo is EXPENSIVE. A room at a decent hotel would cost about $200-$300 USD per night. We ended up splitting the two nights with the first night at the cheaper Radisson Blu Plaza thanks to a friends & family rate and the second night at the Doubletree to get a stay count to eventually get a free night as part of Hilton's Q4 Promo.
Radisson Blu Plaza
The Radisson is conveniently located 5 minutes by the main train station. This is the train station that you arrive in if you take the express from the airport. Check-in was prompt and efficient but we were not offered any upgrades as a Club Carlson Silver member. I didn't pursue the upgrade as I was using a friends & family rate and wanted to keep a low profile.
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Oslo to Tromso on SAS
We headed back to the airport using the airport express train. Although relatively expensive if compared to other airport transportation options in Europe, it was really convenient. There was plenty of space for luggage, had power points for laptops and the seats were comfortable. We were at the airport 20 minutes after leaving the main train station in Oslo.
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The Hunt
Tromso is touted as one of the best places to catch the Aurora or Northern Lights due to it's location within the aurora belt. To catch the Aurora, you would have to be outside the city itself as it is generally too bright to see it from the city due to the city lights. There are many tour or guide services that would drive you out of the city to locations that have a good chance of catching the aurora. The guide service typically range from 700 Nok to 1500 Nok depending on what's included. If you want to go on the cheap, I reckon that renting a car would be an option but you would need to know where to go.
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Exploring Tromso
The light rain did not stop us from exploring Tromso. Tromso's a pretty small and cozy town with almost everything reachable on foot if you stay in the town center. There's really nothing much to do except exploring the number of churches and buildings while taking in the beautiful (albeit wet and cloudy for us) scenery. In the summer months, the hiking in the nearby mountains and hills should be pretty good also.
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Aurora is elusive. Weather is always fickle especially in that part of the world. We were fortunate to have a window of very clear weather just outside Reykjavik earlier this year.Originally posted by calvinoeh View Post
If you see one, treat it as a bonus. But don't plan your trip just around it.
Anyway, even if you saw it, you would not have found it as colourful and as fantastic as the ones in postcard pictures. All the colourful pictures are taken with long exposure, large aperture, and low shutter speed. They are not exactly what human eyes will see.Comment
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Review of City Living Apartments, Tromso
Instead of staying in a hotel, we decided to stay in an apartment primarily because it was cheaper than a hotel and there was a fully furnished kitchen allowing us to cook to further stretch the money. We paid about $150 USD a night. In addition, we booked through hotels.com allowing us to earn two night credit as part of their loyalty program.
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Oslo to Tromso on SAS
Our flight to Oslo was scheduled to depart at 8.30am. We had pre-booked a taxi for a pick up at 6am with to help of hotel front desk since we weren't sure if catching a taxi that early in the morning would be easy. The airport was still deserted when we got there with no one manning the check-in counters yet. In hindsight, we should just have slept in slightly longer.
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Oslo to Doha
We decided to wait it out in the airport even though we had about 6 hours to Doha since it costs about ~$60 USD for a round trip on the train to the city. There were no lines when we checked in so we were done with the formalities in less than 5 minutes. We did ask about paid upgrade to business class but was told that there was only one seat available. Obviously I didn't leave the wife back in economy. There are only 2 lounges in Oslo airport one for Star Alliance airlines and one for the rest. Both of the them were not associated with Priority Pass so we had to slum it out with the rest of the folks. We had one of the most expensive lunch at the Kontiki restaurant (was more like a cafeteria where you pick up your own food) - ~$45 USD for a beer and chicken curry rice.
The boarding gate was pretty packed when we got there. The ground staff was paging for connecting passengers who flew in on SAS flights to approach the counter to get a Qatar boarding pass. There seemed to be a few that flew in and if that's any indication, looks like the route is doing pretty well for Qatar.
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Exploring Doha
We arrived in Doha around midnight with our flights to Kuala Lumpur only departing the next day at 8 pm. We purposely planned in this long layover to allow us to see Doha since we've never visited before. Immigration formalities through Doha was relatively quick with visa on arrival available for Malaysians albeit at a cost of ~$30 USD per person that was settled through credit card.
There were no Hiltons or Accor hotels that we usually stay in available in Doha so we had to look at other options. The prices of hotels like the Sheraton and W which were in the newer parts of Doha were beyond our budget so we settled for the Ramada Encore instead. As usual with our non Hilton and Accor hotel bookings, we booked through hotels.com giving us another one night credit so towards a free night.
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