No point selecting your seat if the airline gives it to someone else

Musical chairs

We recently flew on QF82 from Singapore to Sydney and had booked and selected our seats nine months earlier. The day before the flight, we received an email from Qantas confirming our seat numbers, but when we got our boarding passes we found we had been reassigned less comfortable seats near the rear of the plane. No explanation and no alternatives were offered. After complaining to Qantas later, we received an apologetic email, but we are still none the wiser why our seats were given to someone else at the last minute. Apparently, there is little point in selecting a seat any more when booking with Qantas.
Peter Beveridge, Drummoyne, NSW

Fool’s gold

We booked return Qantas flights in March to Santiago, with the return flight on LATAM codeshare in October. We are both Qantas Gold and, despite numerous requests to Qantas and LATAM, we could not make seat selections or upgrade – we had to wait until the day before flying to find we were jammed in down the back of the plane for the 15-hour flight. However, at check in, the LATAM staff helpfully moved us forward. Our joy was short-lived when we went to the LATAM lounge, only to be told they no longer honour Qantas status even though the LATAM boarding pass had a QF number.
Andrew Vivian, Sawtell, NSW

Tassie treat

Last week my husband and I stayed at The Tasman in Hobart. On check in, our host enquired as to the reason for our stay. I replied that it was for my husband’s mum’s funeral. Immediately we were advised that breakfast would be complimentary to make our stay more comfortable. Each morning, we were warmly greeted by the staff. The fresh produce sourced from local producers was just what we needed to start the day. That small gesture from the team at The Tasman epitomises the spirit of hospitality.
Amanda Cenin, Brunswick, Vic

Floating an idea

Your recent story on Romania set me thinking. I recently went on a Ponant cruise of the US Great Lakes passing through several canal lock systems and ending up in Milwaukee with its many moveable bridges. I am not an engineer but found the “mechanics” of the trip very interesting. The ship’s hull was cast in Romania and fitted out in Norway. Your article on Romania covered some of its political background, but is there a tourist path to the industrial part of the country, so one could learn more about ship hull casting?
Diana Blom, Turramurra, NSW

Unbearably scenic

Seeing magnificent brown bears in the Carpathian Mountains was the highlight of our Romanian holiday. Organised through a local guide, we drove into the mountains and then a short walk led us to a remote bear hide where we watched a sleuth of bears in their natural habitat. Another highly recommended side-trip is the overnight sleeper train from Bucharest to Chisinau, Moldova – a truly beautiful, interesting city.
Annemarie Casey, Woolwich, NSW

Making a splash

Regarding ocean pools, my swim buddy, Maree, and I have swum kilometres up and down the coast in our state’s beautiful ocean pools. We have glided through Sydney’s diverse pools, Newcastle’s mix, including The Bogey Hole, and those north of Wollongong. Towradgi was one of our favourites in the Illawarra. This easily accessible 50-metre ocean pool has stunning vistas to beaches north and south. Dawn paints a canvas of oranges and reds and is a magical time. After a sunrise swim, a welcome coffee on the gentle, grassy slope above the pool completes the experience.
Sally Spurr, Lane Cove, NSW

No safety net

I recently went through the usual, wholly unsatisfying task of organising travel insurance. I approach this with the same trepidation as jumping out of an aircraft. I know I need a parachute, but what if it doesn’t work? Which brings me to my point: what is the point of all those comparison websites? They’re replete with reviews praising how helpful insurers are when extracting money but what I’d really appreciate is a comparison website based solely on people’s experiences with the claims process. What matters isn’t how helpful an insurer is when taking your money, but how helpful it is when you’re trying to get some back.
David Fox, Beaumaris, Vic

What makes the best hotel breakfast?

We invited readers to share their thoughts on hotel breakfasts. Here’s a selection of your responses. See below for this week’s question.

The best hotel breakfast makes you feel deliciously rebellious because it consists of everything you crave but wouldn’t dream of eating at home. In Istanbul recently, I ate the sweetest melon, then an array of medjool dates, olives, gozleme, and a salad of juicy tomatoes, cucumber, marinated eggplant and capsicum topped with mint and cucumber yoghurt and hummus. To finish, I had home-made Turkish delight and baklava and either strong Turkish tea or coffee served in a traditional Ottoman glass.
Jennifer Taylor, Pymble, NSW

What makes a good breakfast? Mimosas. I discovered the breakfast mimosa late in life, and like late converts to many causes I have become a zealot. A hotel breakfast doesn’t get five stars from me unless I get my mimosa.
Sam Ross, Niddrie, Vic

The best hotel breakfast I had was a dosa filled with a mild potato curry and some sweet chutney at a buffet in a Kuala Lumpur hotel. Delicious. A close second would be the noodle bar at an all-you-can-eat breakfast in Hong Kong. Freshly prepared noodles for breakfast? Yes, please! It was also a great place to take my teenage son. I could point him at the various chef stations with the words, “It’s all paid for, so eat whatever you like, and as much of it as possible”.
Philip Nugent, Kambah, ACT

Your say: Window or aisle?

Which is your seat preference, and what does your choice say about the kind of traveller you are? Share your thoughts via the box below or email us at travellerletters@traveller.com.au and we’ll publish a selection of the responses in an upcoming edition.