Ok just checked Jetstar and the have direct flights available In December ( Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) running at about $148 ( Australian) with one checked bag..... So what that about £75 or $115(usd) each? One way. Flight is 09:10am.

Oh my god, Nicky. You just saved me a fortune. I had no idea Jetstar flew there and it's half the price. $150/each all-in. Thing I liked about the SilkAir flight is that it gets in really early giving us that day to tour Yangon. But, for the cost savings this would be worth it.

I owe you big-time!

My pleasure, I just suddenly remembered them as I considered them last time but we couldn't make the flights works ( I think) and I occasionally check them out when Air Asia fails me. think the trick is book early though and I do believe they are strict re the baggage thing. As I said we used them in Australia a few years ago and they were fine.
Anyway, you KNOW I will be needing loads of details from you ref my trip to California.

FW you could still do that day tour of Yangon, get the guide to pick you up from the airport, have a very quick pitstop at the hotel and you're good to go, that way you can finish at Sunset at Shwedagon......

Hi Bill, I didn't read through this whole thing, but I did notice the question about guides. I was pretty disappointed in general with the guides and drivers in Yangon and Mandalay (Inle was excellent) that SM provided. We ditched them and hired a taxi outside the hotel and then finally got to get off the cow path a bit. Highly recommend you do the same. The SM drivers/guides we had just WOULD NOT veer from their itinerary, no matter what, it was super frustrating. The dudes in the little blue trucks are like the tuktuk drivers in Siem Reap, all of them friendly, speaking great english and ready to jump through a hoop for you.

moremiles give me a shout~!

Lori

I have via the website and thanks filmwill! Good luck with your planning.

Have a follow-up question regarding travel insurance. Normally we just insure the non-refundable portion of our trip (so anything that we'd lose if we canceled up to the day before our trip.) But I've never paid upfront for complete service like we are with Santa Maria.

With SM, as many of you know, you have to pay half the cost (or a portion of the cost) upfront as a deposit and the rest when you arrive.

In keeping, I was planning on only insuring the non-refundable portion of that deposit. For those that have used them before, I assume we're not obligated to the 2nd payment due to cancellation (in the VERY unlikely chance of that happening)--that the down payment is essentially a non-refundable security deposit to cover that exact scenario?

I don't know the answer to that question, but expect that if for some reason you had to cancel, SM could resell those rooms in a New York minute. Ask Santa Maria.

Hey Will! I just happened on this post doing research for an upcoming trip to Burma myself, and guess what? We have several small world connections: I live in LA, have a degree in Film, and I am on the PLF Board of Directors. I will be going back to Siem Reap after my trip. When are you in Burma? We should talk, I think perhaps our trips overlap.
And oh, Kristina says Hi!