In this trip report you'll find 4 long-haul LH F segments, an SQ C short-haul segment, TG C and TG F, a lovely suite at the Intercontinental Bali Resort, the Westin Beijing and more, plus lots of photos of lounges, food, and activities along the way and a bit about award booking techniques.
When thinking about whether this was worth a trip report, it first struck me “I’m not flying SQ F, there’s no A380 involved, what could be more pedestrian than other report on award redemption in F?”
But I also thought, perhaps I can offer some specific suggestions of the hows and whys I chose to do certain things… so that others could either benefit from the experience or know what not to do to make their own trips better.
Plus, I'm posting the beginnings to the report from the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, so that has to count for something. :D
So here I go, it’s a long one but mostly because I’ve tried to impart enough detail that folks coming across this report might be able to find it useful, or to spark specific questions that I might be able to answer. Drop a reply here and I’ll see what I can do. :)
Prologue: Booking the Award Tickets
mrs. gleff had been telling me for some time that she wouldn’t take more than a long weekend away from home until she finished writing her book. We hadn’t been to Asia since July, and in December the end of the book was close enough in sight that she could commit to a couple of weeks’ vacation by March.
Each year when we vacation in Asia or the South Pacific we book time at a nice South Asian resort, and pair it with a brief stay in another city.
In 2005 we went to French Polynesia and to Sydney and Melbourne (TN F, QF F, Bora Bora Nui).
In 2006 it was Tokyo, Bangkok, and Pattaya (NH F, TG F, Hilton Tokyo @ $3/night, IC Bangkok Diplomatic Suite, and a lovely Deluxe Pavillion room at the Sheraton Pattaya)
In 2007, Khao Lak and Hong Kong (UA ps F, UA F, OZ F, UGX rate for the 2-bedroom Presidential Oceanfront villa at the Meridien Khao Lak and a lovely stay in the Towers section at the Sheraton Hong Kong)..
This time we agreed on Bali, but where else? I decided to start checking award availability, with a bit of an open mind on where else we’d go. The goal: two first class awards, preferably using United miles (as I didn’t expect my AA miles to yield 2 CX F seats easily).
Crossing the pacific in First Class has become a good bit harder using United miles recently, however.
ANA used to be easy with the Super Style first product, but the New Style has fewer seats and awards are very hard to come by outside of waitlisting using Diamond Club miles. I do see first class award seats open up occasionally days before departure, but otherwise have checked across an entire year from each US gateway and come away without spotting a single F award seat.
Singapore is actually not that tough a first class award to find, sticking especially to the old seats in the 747. But Singapore is notorious for almost (?) never opening up more than one award F seat at the time. Sometimes you can book an F award and a C award on the same flight, and keep checking in hopes that an additional F seat will open up. My own preferred strategy would be try for two different flights (eg different North American gateways) and waiting for a second F seat to open up on either way – this way you’d double your chances. Sometimes, though, you just want to come up with a plan and stick with it, rather than playing a waiting game. This is especially important when planning a vacation with my wife. More and more she’s developed the spirit of Flyertalk, and later this month will be attending her third Freddie Awards. But I know when not to push too far, too fast. As jfe when I first got engaged, “Happy wife, happy life” ;)
Meanwhile, Asiana seems to be blocked at times on StarNet. Those unfamiliar with Starnet blocking can search the term in the United Mileage Plus forum, but suffice to say that United will tell you that award seats being offered by one of their partners aren’t in fact available (and the unknowing agent will usually blame that partner airline, rather than realizing it’s United while won’t give you the seat). I’ve especially seen JFK-ICN blocked, which is a shame because award availability isn’t otherwise bad for the route and it already has the new F most of the time.
(And the thought of Thai’s two-cabin product across the Pacific doesn’t really appeal to me, if I can do better.)
Of course there are some UA flights where F can be had quite easily. SFO-KIX isn’t all that hard to get, and SFO-NGO will most days have several seats a day. That has to be the easiest UA transpacific award to come by, actually. But I didn’t want to fly United, at least not without their new seat product (and once the new product is phased in, with fewer seats in the cabin, even it will be harder to get) let alone their improved soft product (whatever that may wind up ultimately being in practice).
But then I had a thought. Since we’re going all the way to Bali, and we’re based in DC, why not cross the Atlantic instead? IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS is less than 50 miles longer than IAD-NRT-BKK-DPS.
Off to check availability. The transatlantic flights would be easy, with first class usually easier to find than business and LH being rather generous at least from their US East Coast gateways. I knew the difficulty would be Europe – Asia, so that’s where I started. Checking out LHR-BKK and FRA-BKK on Thai, I went a little bit crazy and found better than 50 flights with 2 “O” (first class award) seats available over about a month and a half. But I also knew that Thai long-haul premium class seats were perhaps the single most frequently blocked award through Starnet. For some reason, United just doesn’t want to pay Thai for these seats. A call to United found that of the 50+ flights I found availability on through the ANA website, a whopping zero were bookable by United! :mad:
Time to try a different tack. New phone call. “Please find me two first class awards between London, Frankfurt, Munich, or Zurich and Singapore or Bangkok. Start with the 15th of March, let’s check each day, and then stop when we find something.”
“On March 18th I have 2 first class seats from Frankfurt to Singapore on Lufthansa.”
“Great, thank you.” I’m sorta wishing they were 2 SQ seats, but at least this will bring us through the First Class Terminal.
“When would you like to return?”
“Let’s find something back from anywhere in Asia, starting 10 days later.”
I wait as this patient fellow keeps checking… and checking… and checking… I’m on the line for half an hour.
“I finally found something, Hong Kong to Frankfurt on April 9th.”
April 9th? There’s no way I can take three weeks away. Ok, I have an outbound that I like. I’ll hold the award and come back to the drawing board later.
“Would you like me to book it for you?”
“Well, I’m going to ask you to hold it. But I’d actually like my departure city to be Washington-Dulles. Can we find a flight from IAD that will connect to the FRA-SIN flight we’ve already found?”
“Ok let me check. We can do IAD-LHR on UA, and then LHR-FRA on LH.”
“Nothing non-stop?”
“I’m sorry, nothing is available.”
“Ok, I’ll take the connection you suggest. Let’s find a connection for the return flight also (and I didn’t really care what it was, I just needed to be able to hold the award).”
He holds it at 120,000 miles, the price of North America to South Asia… via the Pacific. The correct price would be 140,000 miles but I won’t complain!
Hang up. A few minutes at the computer and I saw plenty of availability IAD-FRA non-stop, it just wasn’t being offered by the UA CSR.
And I found a bunch of flights back from Asia, all sorts of places we could return from (HKG, PVG, PEK, SIN). It was a bit out of the way, but mrs. gleff and I haven’t spent any time in Beijing.
I called back. “I have an award on hold and I’d like to make some changes. My record locator is….”
I asked about flying non-stop, IAD-FRA.
“I’m sorry, those flights aren’t available.”
“Even LH 419?”
“I don’t see that flight on my screen. I can check it, though. Oh, well, it looks like that’s available.”
Score. An agent willing to manual sell some segments. I’ve hit the jackpot. ^
“Can we add a flight to the end of my outbound, perhaps SIN-DPS?”
“That’s available on Singapore, but it’s business class.” (Fine, I know there’s no 3-class offered on this shorthaul route.)
“Great. Let’s look at the return. Can we find anything back from Asia a bit earlier? Let’s have a look at Lufthansa back from PEK to FRA on March 27.”
“Sir, Lufthansa does not appear to fly that route on March 27.”
“Really? Are you sure LH 721 isn’t operating?”
“I don’t see that flight. Let me request it. Yes, yes, that’s available for two passengers in first class.”
“Great, how about FRA-IAD?”
“You’ll have to overnight in Frankfurt, but Lufthansa has a flight in first class the next day with availability.”
Ok, back to DC the long way, but to do otherwise would mean crossing two oceans and kick us into RTW award territory. Plus the PEK-IAD non-stop on UA wasn’t available anyway, and neither was NRT-IAD. I’d have to double-connect at least if I were returning via the Pacific.
“Great. I see we now have an award with an open jaw, flying from Washington DC to Denpasar, and then flying from Beijing to Washington, DC. Can we see if it’s possible to get from Denpasar to Beijing on March 25?”
She explains that Thai Airways has a flight in Business Class to Bangkok, and connects to a two-cabin overnight flight to Beijing. Well, I like the once-daily Bangkok flight just fine. It leaves after 5pm, giving us a full extra day in Bali. But I don’t really feel like waiting 4+ hours for an uncomfortable Thai business class redeye that’s too short to sleep, and arriving in all likelihood too early to check-in to a hotel. :eek: So instead we decide to overnight in BKK and take the 11am to PEK. And that TG flight is 3-cabin, and first is available. ^
I put the flights on hold. They re-price it to 135,000 miles, which is curious as it’s still the wrong amount. But they found me flights I liked, and it was fewer miles than it was supposed to be. So who am I to complain?
When I finally called back to ticket, it was re-priced correctly at 140,000. Oh well, you win some, you win some. :)
Lessons:
Know the flights you want / that are available by checking the ANA frequent flyer website.
Successful awards may take more than one call. If you find flights you want, hold them (and be thankful you aren’t trying to use Delta Skymiles which no longer allows holds for awards booked by phone :eek: :mad: :td: ). Then call back.
When a flight doesn’t show up as existing on the CSR’s screen, that’s a good hint that availability is being filtered by Starnet. It may take many, many calls to find an agent willing to do a manual sell, but that’s how you get the award to come back confirmed.
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 2:50 am
Monday, March 17, 2008
Washington, DC (IAD) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
7:00pm Lufthansa 0419, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81A, 81C
Scheduled flight time: 7h 40m
I took the metro to work today with my bags loaded into mrs. gleff’s Acura. She came by the office to pick me up around 4pm. We were at Dulles just after 4:30pm, waited about 5 minutes behind just a single customer at F check-in, and were told we’d have to pick up onward boarding passes at FRA… except our boarding passes all the way to DPS spit right out. ^ Bags checked there as well. Through the premium security line while the regular line was starting to back up (it was, after all, 5pm at IAD – the peak time for transatlantic departures).
At check-in we had been given an invitation to the Virgin Clubhouse across from gate B-32. We were welcomed right in and I immediately decided that this small lounge (so small that the attendants really try to persuade you to leave your carryones in the closet area so as not to crowd the seating space) was the very best at Dulles. I chided myself for not finding an excuse to have visited it in the past. It’s not opulent, really. There’s a shower but not a fancy one, and there are admonitions about low water pressure for the toilets. Still, there’s a proper menu to order off of and the staff bring you your drinks, your food, and are genuinely pleasant as they assist you. What a world away from my usual UA RCC experiences here!
It’s a very stylish lounge, at least for DC. It lacks the architectural grandeur of the LHR Clubhouse, but then DC has at times been known as “Hollywood for Ugly People.”
Internet is available, they’ll hand you an instruction sheet which includes the password.
Chicken saltimbocca skewers with sun-dried tomato dressing
Bigger bites
Flying Club sandwich – a frequent flyer on the menu. Roti turkey breast, Swiss cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and gorgonzola mayonnaise in sourdough roll
Tuscan flank steak served with orzo pasta
Penne pasta with baby Roma tomato, bocconcini mozzarella & roasted garlic oil
Naughty but nice
Calvados tart with whipped cream
White chocolate cheesecake served with raspberries
International selection of cheese with accompaniments
While they said they’d announce boarding for our flight, after some quick snacks we really did feel like walking around so we left the lounge early and walked over to the gate.
We found only one other couple in F, and they hadn’t been in the lounge with us. The flight had only 4 of 16 seats filled. A nice sign indeed :)
Now, it must be said that the LH F product is outdated, especially on the 747s with 2x2 seating. No suites, just old style lay flat seats. But traveling with mrs. gleff I really don’t mind it at all, in fact we both rather prefer it. We’ve only been married for nearly 3 years, after all! ;)
We settled into seats 81A and 81C. I know this isn’t a popular viewpoint. Row 83 is the most spacious, but you’ve got the carts in front of you. And for me, I prefer not having a view of the entire cabin. Row 81 just feels a bit more private when you don’t see the other passengers, or the FAs serving everyone else. As far as you can tell for the flight, they’re there serving only you. So my little controversial stance to be sure, but I’m sticking by it.
The seats themselves are comfortable enough for daytime, perhaps not quite enough padding on the back or else they’re a bit worn (though they look fresh). And I will always enjoy the climb up the staircase of a 747, something I really haven’t done in quite awhile since there’s no longer a UA 747 running IAD-LAX or IAD-SFO, and my international flights recently have been on 777s.
There are some things LH does nicely on board, and some things really missing. The dinner rose, left in a special holder in the seat throughout the flight, is a nice touch. They give you a blanket but don’t make your bed. The pillows aren’t that thick, but with a light load there were plenty of extra pillows on other seats. The amenity kits are nice enough (and the ladies kit is a small handbag!) but don’t contain what for me is a must: a proper roll-on chapstick.
And, of course, there isn’t enough storage space! The overhead bins are tiny, they won’t fit a standard roll-aboard. You can leave them at your feet, at least the FAs were comfortable with this, but that would detract from unobstructed foot space. You could put them behind your seat, but then your seat won’t fully recline. So that leaves either (1) the closet, leaving them a bit harder to get to during flight or (2) in the case of a flight with a pretty empty cabin, beside an empty seat (or row).
Dinner service was nice but the first notable piece missing – caviar but no caviar spoons! Am I expected to spread caviar with a metal knife? What am I, one of GEICO’s cavemen? :eek: :D
Sean Hardy of Belvedere at the Peninsula Beverly Hills was the featured chef.
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional garnishes
Cardamom roasted Duck Breast with Haricot vert, Butternut Squash and Walnuts
Cilantro marinated Shrimp with Jicama, Corn and roasted Peppers
Baby stuffed Eggplant and Tomato Fondue
Salad
Seasonal Salad
With your Choice of Balsamico or Potato Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Beef Tenderloin with charred Chayote Squash and Oyster Mushrooms, Sweetcorn Truffle Vinaigrette
Pan seared Thai Snapper served with Tamarind Banana Curry
Breast of Chicken with herb Spatzle and Cider foie Gras sauce
Butternut Squash Risotto with toasted Pecan Mascarpone
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Brie, herbed Goat Cheese, Morbier, Gruyere, and Roquefort garnished with Grapes
Yogurt Panna Cotta with Kumquat Sauce
Chocolate Custard Cake with Raspberry Coulis
Specialty Dessert Wines
The “dreamer’s delight” menu featured seared guinea hen and New Mexico Chili. I won’t reproduce the wine lists here, unless anyone requests to know…
I enjoyed dinner and went to sleep while mrs. gleff read. I caught about 4 hours of sleep on the flight and woke just in time for breakfast.
Fitness Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Granola
Continental Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Yogurt with dried Fruit
Pork Hame Cure, Salami, Herb Boursin, Cheddar and Cream Cheese
American Breakfast
Coffee or Tea
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Sliced fresh Fruit
Herb Omelette with Potato Brie Souggle, Veal Chipolata Sausage and grilled Roma Tomato
Landing was on time, and we had a gate, no apron arrival which was nice. Thought about stopping by a First Class Lounge on arrival, but decided against it – maybe on the return – we had booked a day room given the extremely long layover.
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 2:56 am
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch Frankfurt
Lufthansa First Class passengers are entitled to a complimentary day room at the Kempinski hotel. I saw it mentioned in the LH forum and found the details on the LH website. I emailed the hotel when making arrangements for the trip, mentioned I was a Lufthansa first class passenger (but didn’t mention the free room benefit) and they replied with a discount rate of 79 euros. Well, if I was going to pay for the room I’d just book the airport Sheraton! A quick email back with a link to the LH website, and they replied with apologies –
yes you are right.We are very sorry about that fault.
We do not remember about that possibility, because we don not had this very often.
We send you a confirmation for the requested day use room free of charge as a first class member. Please be so kind and send us a copy of the ticket and also bring along the original one for check in.
Nice, a free dayroom with complimentary airport pickup and dropoff.
They pick up from Terminal 1 Exit A1 and C8 and Terminal 2, between Exit D and E. You have to ring them, though, using the hotel call stand, and they dispatch someone to the airport. Traffic was especially bad and it took a full 40 minutes for them to arrive; not especially enjoyable in the early morning cold with just a sport jacket (me) or sweatshirt (mrs. gleff) on.
Check-in was a breeze, they didn’t even ask for a credit card against room charges. They gave us our key, and it was off to bed immediately. Having both worked a full day before (and several really crazy weeks) we were too tired to do anything but crash. We both slept a solid 5 hours, got up and freshened up, and let the hotel know we’d be returning to the airport at 4pm.
They had the hotel van ready to take us, asked us which terminal we’d be going to, and when I told them “First Class Terminal” they changed their mind and put us into a waiting BMW instead.
gleff, you are very lucky with the award reservation!
You didn't pay for RTW, only paid for 13.5K somehow, and an open jaw :eek:
I envy you for this success.
And great TR too. ^
27R
Mar 28, 08, 3:17 am
A really enjoyable TR so far!
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 4:00 am
gleff, you are very lucky with the award reservation!
You didn't pay for RTW, only paid for 13.5K somehow, and an open jaw :eek:
I envy you for this success.
And great TR too. ^
Actually not an open jaw:
IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS
DPS-BKK-PEK
PEK-FRA-IAD
So destination DPS, stopover in PEK on the return.
Of course, I overnighted in BKK but that stop was less than 24 hours. And I overnighted in FRA on the return, but that was ~ 22 hours. So neither was a stopover, all legal.
UA permits routing North America to Asia via the Atlantic for a small premium, and I found much better availability on LH. So I figured, why not? :)
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 4:19 am
First Class Terminal
For those who haven’t been, or might be visiting for the first time, the First Class Terminal is on the upper, departure level in a separate building, just west of Terminal 1. The building has a large "First Class Terminal" sign. There’s a pretty sharp turn-off, though, as you approach, which can be easy to miss. (It’s also walkable back from the Terminal 1 arrivals level where the hotel vans pickup and dropoff.)
Our car pulled up and a personal assistant met us out front. She asked for our passports, and I handed them over along with our boarding passes. She asked about luggage to check and I noted that our bags were already checked. She took our bag tags in order to check on them.
We were quickly through a perfectly pleasant and polite security screening, with no line of course.
Once we had our seats over in the far left hand side of the terminal, our PA came over to check on us and return our boarding passes in a proper First Class folder (something they didn’t have any of at IAD).
I actually did have a matter for her to help sort out.
When playing around with various award flight options, our tickets were done correctly and our itinerary displayed correctly on the United website. Naturally, though, I called each of the operating carriers to get their record locators and request seats (and in the case of SQ and TG, to pre-order meals). When I looked up my LH record online at checkmytrip.com, I saw that there were extra segments!
LH telephone reservations told me they couldn’t make changes, as it was a UA mileage booking, but that I was fine for travel. The extra segments worried me, though, because I would wind up no-showing one of them during travel and I was afraid Lufthansa would cancel the rest of the itinerary. But United couldn’t even see the segments were there. Others have had a similar problem when UA reserves and then cancels segments, and one person mentioned having UA and LH conference each other. But somehow I just didn’t trust United to get it right, I was afraid that in the end they’d cancel the wrong segments and they wouldn’t be able to restore them, so…
I decided to wait until the First Class Terminal in order to get things in order. I showed her a copy of my LH reservation from checkmytrip, and I marked off the segments I wanted her to cancel. She understood, went away briefly, and confirmed that it was taken care of. I went online and checked and sure enough my itinerary was in proper order.
One note about internet, I do find it odd that the Lufthansa First Class Terminal has a pay internet connection for which you must get a username and password from the attendant in order to avoid paying. It seems like they could manage to have the internet in this terminal simply free. They’ll give you as many passes as you need, but some are one hour and some two hours and when you have five hours to spend here…!
Also of note is that the power outlets are European only. They may well have adapters, I didn’t ask since I carry my own, but again for a 5-hour visit… It would seem to be not that difficult to make various plug configurations possible.
mrs. gleff relaxed, had some refreshments, and checked our e-mail while munching on absolutely delicious nuts. Then we went into the restaurant and had the most wonderful – amazing, even -- wienerschnitzel.
My wife has what she called her “Taronga Zoo theory.” A few years back when we were in Sydney we had fish ‘n chips as a snack at the Taronga Zoo. It was really good. We mentioned it later that day to my family in Sydney and they were aghast. To them that was the worst possible place to get fish ‘n chips, of course. But to us – to our American standards, which are much beneath Aussies’ on this subject – it was amazing. Even the worst Fish ‘n Chips in the country, at the Taronga Zoo, is likely to be better than what we’re used to at home. And so it was with wienerschnitzel, which at the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, Germany would almost have to be better than anything we’d get at home in DC.
After that it was back online and the occasional snack from the buffet.
I had some calls to make, and needed to check my voicemail, so it’s worth noting that this was my first trip using an international sim card (09 mobile) and callbackworld. (Thanks to Dubai Stu for the suggestion.)
As many folks know, the cheapest option is usually to pick up a local sim card. I hate this though as I wind up with too many sim cards, all with some money remaining at the end of a trip. And I’m not usually going to the same destination with enough regularity. So this is a pretty good option. 09 mobile from Iceland has pretty good rates and most importantly free incoming calls in 90 countries.
Paired with a callback service, you can make outgoing calls at the incoming call rate and pay only the callback service charge. From Frankfurt it’s less than 9 cents a minute from my cell phone to the U.S., which is really great in that I can avoid the hassle of a local SIM.
This functions as a ‘double callback’ which can take some getting used to. You dial the callback service, the call ‘fails’ and then 09 mobile calls you back. You pick up and you’re connected to your call with the callback service. That rings once, you hang up, and the callback service calls you back! Then you dial the number you’re trying to reach somewhere in the world.
There are simpler ways to do it, of course. You can trigger the callback service call from another phone, and since you’re not actually waiting for anyone to answer the call is free even from a regular US cell phone. Or you can trigger the callback directly with the number you’re trying to reach via the web.
It’s actually easier than it sounds, it’s all pretty straightforward after the first or second try.
At about 9:45pm our personal assistant – the same one who greeted us 5 hours earlier – came to collect us and brought us downstairs to their personalized immigration processing (it’s easy to forget that they never gave you back your passport when you arrived, you get it back here with your immigration already handled) and to the fleet of vehicles for transfer to the plane.
There were two other passengers headed to the same flight, so they brought us to a Mercedes van. There were many more private cars than vans, I only saw one other van in the lot at the time. And I had thought about requesting a private transfer (it’s no longer a right, but still I thought I’d ask) but didn’t bother.
kkjay77
Mar 28, 08, 4:32 am
Actually not an open jaw:
IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS
DPS-BKK-PEK
PEK-FRA-IAD
So destination DPS, stopover in PEK on the return.
Of course, I overnighted in BKK but that stop was less than 24 hours. And I overnighted in FRA on the return, but that was ~ 22 hours. So neither was a stopover, all legal.
UA permits routing North America to Asia via the Atlantic for a small premium, and I found much better availability on LH. So I figured, why not? :)
Hmm... IAD-FRA-SIN-DPS-BKK-PEK-FRA-IAD just might have been legal routing as IAD-DPS is 10,211 miles while DPS-BKK-PEK-FRA-IAD is 12,821 miles according to GCM.
Great none the less and keep your fantastic report ^
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 4:53 am
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Singapore, Singapore (SIN)
10:10 pm Lufthansa 0778, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A
Scheduled flight time: 11h 45m
Our Mercedes van arrived planeside, up a staircase into the terminal and down the jetway where we were handed over to the FAs and led upstairs once again to the upper deck of a 747. And once again to my pre-selected bulkhead seats.
This time the load was 8 out of 16, so 6 other people instead of just two. And the FAs, which weren’t all that memorable on the first segment, were downright disappointing on this one (with one redeeming piece of assistance, in a moment).
Service was rushed. Now, it’s a 10pm departure so passengers may want to sleep. But I’ll let them know when I want their “Dreamer’s Delight” quick service or if I want the full meal presentation…(and, for that matter, -- not to be a first class snob but also when I’d like to take it as well). We started our meal shortly after reaching cruising altitude
The FA bringing us our meal kept wanting to serve what I preferred as multiple courses at the same time
She insisted that we should take our appetizers along with our caviar service (on the previous flight, each appetizer was served one-by-one.. on the next LH segment we got the three-tiered tray, but I really didn’t want all together with the caviar!). I politely but firmly insisted that she slow things down a bit. Then she wanted to serve us both our cheese and our dessert at the same time, I asked again to finish my cheese before she brought dessert.
The featured chef was Marcello Fabbri. Dreamer’s Delight menu was Tuna with Curry Dressing and Vegetable Salad accompanied by Goat Cheese Terrine with truffled Zuchini Salad or Eggplanet coated Saddle of Veal with Balsamico Stock and braised Iceberg Lettuce.
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
King Prawns and Eggplant Tart with Pesto
Rosted Saddle of Veal in jellied Borlotti Beans served with Balsamico Jus
Goat Cheese Terrine with marinated Bell Pepper servied with Taggiasca Olives
Salad
Seasonal Greens with fried mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots and herbs with your Choice of Ramson or Balsamico Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Saddle of Lamb Medallion gratinated with Parmesan Cheese and Olives, Thyme Jus and Potato Pancetta Pave
Loup de Mer filled with Arugula, served with baked Tomatoes and mashed Potatoes with Olives
Arugula Risotto with Taleggio, Shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes, spring onions and walnuts
Roasted Duck Breast with Balsamico Sauce, red Cabbage with Orange and Potato Cake
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Gorgonzola, Peccorino, Taleggio, Livatot and Fougeru garnished with Grapes and Walnuts
Apple Clafoutis with Almond Ice Cream
Mango Caramel Tart with exotic Fruit Salpicon
Speciality Dessert Wines
Over dinner I read the latest Inside Flyer (a few weeks late) and learned that you can redeem 4,000 Choice Privileges points for an AARP membership. Not the best rate of return on a redemption, perhaps, but maybe time to check who still offers senior discounts and what their requirement are…
Incidentally, the crew never gave us our dinner roses. Though it’s possible they were saving the roses for another passenger, across the aisle in 81K. Shortly after midnight FRA time they came over to wish him a happy birthday and they presented him a handful of roses. A nice touch for him, but we never got even one…
It was somewhat difficult finding the FAs during flight to get more water. There wasn’t any on the drink cart, and there weren’t any FAs upstairs in the galley. mrs. gleff actually went downstairs to find someone.
I did, however, get 6 hours of sleep so the flight really wasn’t so bad. Again, I woke up for breakfast prior to landing in Singapore the next day shortly before 5pm.
Cold and hot Specialties
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Yogurt with fresh fruit, Crunchy Nuts and Milk
Dialogue of cured Salmon and Salmon Strudel, Parma Ham, smoked Turkey Breast, German, Salami, Yogurt Cheese, Cream Cheese with Chives and Savory Cream Cheese
Scrambled Eggs freshly prepared upon your Request with your Choice of Bacon or Chives
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 6:21 am
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
We arrived at SIN T2, and the LH arrival gate was right next to our SQ DPS flight’s departure gate. We went to the Silverkris lounge in T2, alas the business class side since we were connecting to a 2-cabin SQ flight. (For a few more days SIN-KUL 2-cabin gets F lounge access, alas…)
Naturally in SIN it was really quite warm, so I took off my jacket and button-down shirt from work the day before and changed into my House of Miles ‘Staff’ t-shirt that I picked up at the Freddies in COS in 2003.
Then I heard my name paged over the loudspeaker, and I went to the service desk just inside the F section of the lounge. It seems that I had left a DVD on LH flight. The LH staff offered to bring it to the lounge, but since we’d be departing for DPS around the same time that the LH plane made its way onward to Jakarta, I just met them back at the gate prior to departure. But for us, LH had certainly redeemed itself from an otherwise unspectacular F flight.
Singapore (SIN) to Denpasar Bali, Indonesia (DPS)
7:00 pm Singapore Airlines 0948, Boeing 777-200, Business Class
Seats 16H, 16K
Scheduled flight time: 2h 30m
There’s not a whole lot to relay about this short regional flight, except that the SQ FAs are regimented, efficient, yet still friendly and thoughtful… even in business.
I pre-ordered the Lobster Thermidor, and mrs. gleff preferred to wait for the menu and she chose the lamb. Lovely meal service, capped off by a cup of ice cream at the end, and we were in Denpasar in no time.
A Savoury Note
Salad of avocado with scallops
Corionder dressing
The Main Event
Stewed lamb osso bucco, asparagus, saffron potato
Chicken Imperial
Braised chicken with Chinese herbs and rice wine, leafy greens, carrot, mushrooms and ee fu noodles
Tumeric rice with tamarind prawns and egg
A Sweet Note
Ben & Jerry Ice Cream
Choice of Vanilla for a change or berry nice
A Connoisseur’s Choice
Gourmet coffee
Selection of tea
The avocado and scallops salad was outstanding, I really loved the dressing. ^
gleff
Mar 28, 08, 7:13 am
My PA at the LH FCT is beckoning me, so more will have to wait until I'm back home. :)
27R
Mar 28, 08, 11:48 am
My PA at the LH FCT is beckoning me, so more will have to wait until I'm back home. :)
Rub it in, why don't you????? ;)
Really enjoying this one. A shame LH weren't up to scratch on the FRA-SIN leg though.
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 7:42 am
Intercontinental Bali Resort
We landed just after 9:30 pm, and I expected the hotel to meet us on the walk from the plane to immigration, apply for our visa on arrival, escort us to their lounge, take our passport and luggage tags, and collect our bags. But there was no one waiting.
Now, the above service is a published benefit of a club booking at the Intercontinental in Jimbaran Bay. And there really shouldn’t have been any confusion.
Back on January 17th – right after I made the booking -- I emailed my flight arrival information to the hotel.
On January 18th the hotel confirmed we have updated your flight details in our system. The transfer from and to the airport will be included as a Club InterContinental guest and you will be greeted by our club host at the airport and they will escort you to our VIP lounge at the airport and they will also assist you with your luggage and visa on arrival.
I’m paranoid, so again on March 11th I reconfirmed my flight arrival information.
That same day the hotel confirmed our Club Representative will Page by your name before Queue in Immigration for Visa on Arrival.
But no one met us. We took care of our visa on arrival, collected our bags, paid a porter to assist us and found someone to help contact the Intercontinental. At the airport I was shown the hotel’s arrivals sheet with no flight information down for me and I was told that “if I had only told the hotel my flight information someone would have been there” to meet me. :eek:
Instead of a leisurely and stress-free arrival after 36 hours of travel, we had the stress of figuring out our details on our own. (Ok, whoa is me, but still.)
We waited outside while the property found an older van to bring us to the hotel. Things weren’t starting smoothly at all.
Next problem… my room upgrade
On January 18th I emailed the hotel to learn what I might expect as a Royal Ambassador member in terms of an upgrade.
On January 21st I received a reply “we are pleased to inform as you are Royal Ambassador member we will upgrade to our Balinese suite which is 2 next level category from club room.”
See, this hotel is sometimes known to upgrade a single room category for both Ambassadors and Royal Ambassadors, to a Club Duplex Suite. I emailed in hopes of securing something a little better, and they delivered!
But when I arrived at checkin my room card had a room number whited out and a new room written in. I asked what kind of room I had been given – this could be very good or very bad, I figured -- and I was informed that I was ‘given an upgrade’ to… a Duplex Suite. :td:
I showed them the written correspondence from the hotel confirming me into a Balinese Suite (I get everything in writing… and I bring it with me… just in case.). They were a bit stunned and shell-shocked, didn't know what to do. It was late at night, a bit of running around to get ahold of a sufficiently empowered manager I suppose. There were no available Balinese suites so I was upgraded 2 further categories to a Jimbaran Bay Suite (http://www.bali-intercontinental.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=105). Checkin took 45 minutes, though. :eek:
The room had a bedroom, sitting room, master bath with separate shower, jacuzzi tub, toilet room, and dual sinks (toileteries were Aveda). There's a guest bath, living room, dining room, and small complete kitchen (with separate butler's entrance). The balcony stretches the entire length of the room with three separate sitting areas and looks out over the Bay.
There were two minibars, one in the kitchen and one in the living room. Plenty of waters (refreshed several times throughout the day) in box minibars, in the bedroom and the bathroom. But the liquor was entirely removed from both minibars, with empty spaces where the bottles previously had been. I didn’t press for a refill of the half-empty mini-bar. Some hotels really don’t like the Royal Ambassador free mini-bar drinks benefit, the Intercontinental Bangkok did this to me a couple of years ago as well.
In-room internet is available wired and wirelessly, for a fee but with a twist. They have several different price points and 24 hours amounted to ~ US$20. The twist is that this was 24 hours of actual use so it was well more than enough for my five night stay. Even with a wireless router plugged into the wired connection, their password system was pretty clever and mrs. gleff and I could not both be online at the same time with the same password.
The hotel has the best club lounge of any Intercontinental, anyhere. There’s an extensive breakfast, afternoon tea, evening h'or dourves, and nighttime snacks. In addition the lounge is open 24 hours and has a menu to order off of all day long (six items, changes daily). All complimentary. It amounts, if you want it to, to full board. ^
And breakfast can actually be taken elsewhere as well, in any of three other locations including the main buffet restaurant and beside the club pool. We tried the main restaurant one morning, but actually left our mostly uneaten plates and retreated back to the club lounge. The main restaurant, trafficked by guests from throughout the hotel, was just too busy. And too loud (with live music, too early for me before I’ve had my coffee) and really not that much more extensive a selection. I far preferred the service and ambiance of the club lounge, whether seated inside or outside.
It's worth noting that the hotel is really 3 hotels in one, a main hotel... the upscale Sinjara Wing, and the deluxe Club section. I much prefer the more exclusive and quiet club section to mixing with the rest of the hotel which feels like a huge uber resort (which it is, though they pull it off well).
So I was ensconced in an absolutely wonderful suite, but I was still miffed about the airport pickup incident. I had mentioned it at checkin and all they gave me was an apology and a “thank you for letting us know, we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen to any future guests.” :mad:
I realized that at that hour no one was apparently empowered to fix anything on the spot, which really is something that the hotel could improve upon. I asked to me contacted by a manager the next day.
The next day, though, mrs. gleff and I went for afternoon tea in the lounge and the club manager approached me, asking if I was mr. gleff. She explained that they had just switched over to Opera several days prior and some data was lost in the conversion, including my airport pickup info. She gave me what amounted to $240 in spa credit as an apology. That worked. ;) Spa was lovely. ~ US$50++ per person per hour for treatments, which is quite good for a top resort (though impossibly expensive for Indonesia of course).
I still think my all-time favorite overall spa facility belongs to the Sheraton in Pattaya. And the treatment rooms were probably a little nicer at the Le Meridien in Khao Lak. But overall, just outstanding. And those two spas are wonderful places to be compared to!
We had a couple of treatments during our trip, one comped because of the mixup with our arrival.
So, why did I choose this property and how did I pay for it?
Sure, I’m a Royal Ambassador but I might well have stayed at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua.
Well, I redeemed a bunch of Priority Club points back in December for Any Hotel, Anytime cards. I used a free weekend night certificate (the one that comes with the Ambassador and Royal Ambassador kits) and I paid for the rest with the pre-paid Amex hotel gift cards. At the 50% off redemption rate offered in December, a paid stay with these cards amounted to fewer points than an award. Plus you could book a club room (this hotel doesn’t generally upgrade to the club) and be upgraded from there. So, a great leveraged use of points.
But use of the points -> Any Hotel, Anytime cards aside, this hotel is well worth $279/night for club room. I definitely prefer a club room + upgrade here over an entry-level room at the nearby Four Seasons (pictures of which later, similar nights asking US$630).
Mats
Mar 29, 08, 8:03 am
Wow!
My vacation plans are a bit booked-up for now, but I'm going to aim for the Intercontinental on my next available trip. It looks fantastic.
Thank you for your report.
Mats.
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 8:11 am
Central Mountain Tour
On the advice of several Flyertalkers (including SanDiego1K), we booked a tour with Wayan Sueta (who has a very nice website (http://www.hiddenbali.com)).
We had him take us up to the Central Mountain region, saw a coffee plantation up in Munduk, and naturally some temples.
Here was another glitch in our trip. We had booked him for March 21, we were supposed to meet him in the hotel lobby (and I had re-confirmed just days before). He didn’t show. I called him on his cell and it seems that he had gotten confused. He knew I had booked the 21st, but wrote it in his calendar for the 22nd. Since he lives up in Ubud it was really too late to get started for the day. Not a huge deal, we just rescheduled a spa appointment and agreed to meet up on the 22nd instead.
Wayan Sueta is an incredibly friendly gentleman with outstanding English skills. (He sends his best to SanDiego1K and to Mr. SanDiego1K). His jeep wasn’t great, with vinyl seats it’s quite hot! And his windshield wipers weren’t working properly. It was raining heavily on the way back to our hotel and he kept having to pull over to yank on them to try to get them going again. But he was wonderful to work with, since he didn’t take you anywhere you didn’t want to go… didn’t push shopping for commissions.
We had one dinner off-property. With the suggestion of some on Flyertalk, we sought out the most acclaimed restaurant in Bali … Mozaic (http://www.mozaic-bali.com). It’s in Ubud, and nearly an hour and a half’s drive each way from our hotel, but was a nice experience. On the whole a lovely dinner, with wonderful service (though in a very practiced, memorized Balinese way).
An advance booking is pretty much required, and then the restaurant requires same-day confirmation (and they also maintain a waitlist) so we had the club lounge staff ring them up the morning of our reservation.
And then rather than taking a cab up to Ubud we had a hotel car drive us there, wait, and drive us back. It’s just so impossibly inexpensive (even with the current value of the dollar, and even at a resort) that this sort of luxury ran less than US$50 roundtrip.
Meanwhile, the restaurant offers two different set six course menus and a ‘surprise’ menu where you let them know any preferences and they’ll prepare a variety of items for you, either the same for each person at the table or different. We opted for the surprise menu, and something different for each of us. We only traded dishes once ;) (I don’t like goat cheese but mrs. gleff is rather partial to it).
After reading your comments about IC, I'll check them out on my next visit to DPS.
I'm looking forward to the rest of your report :cool:
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 10:03 am
Wow!
My vacation plans are a bit booked-up for now, but I'm going to aim for the Intercontinental on my next available trip. It looks fantastic.
It was fantastic, but let me be clear about one thing: I would consider the hotel nice but not 'special' in any way if booked in a regular room. The club experience is an absolute must here, otherwise I'd be just as happy elsewhere. ;)
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 12:05 pm
One of my pet peeves with travel is the last day in a resort destination. If your flight leaves too early, it’s a hectic morning rushing to get things together and get off to the airport… defeating the very relaxation you’ve been trying to accomplish. But a flight departing in the afternoon inevitably means waiting around and pining, “we have only X hours left” rather than relaxing. So I’ve found it’s helpful when taking a late afternoon flight to book activities during the day.
We decided to book a cooking class over at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay (http://www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay/cooking_school/) roughly next door to the Intercontinental. Monday morning is the Balinese cooking class (other days feature different cuisines, but when in Bali…)
The day started off at 8am in the lobby of the Four Seasons. We took a cab over, INR20,000. Cost for the class was US$90pp.
The class is taught by the hotel’s sous chef, and staff first take you to a local market to see all of the local vegetables, and the local fresh fish catch. Naturally water bottles and cold towels are provided for this lttle hour-long excursion five minutes down the road.
Back at the hotel golf carts take you down to the cooking school kitchen and dining room for a light breakfast, and class begins. It’s hands-on, everyone cooks most everything on the menu for the day, but all the preparation has already been done. Staff provide you pre-measured ingredients for each dish, and clean your station for you.
Then it was back to the hotel to pack and off to the airport.
lucky9876coins
Mar 29, 08, 12:18 pm
Awesome report gleff!^
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 12:21 pm
And the best flight of the trip is actually yet to come... :)
f4freeJunior
Mar 29, 08, 1:32 pm
And the best flight of the trip is actually yet to come... :)
...and I'm already looking forward to that one! Thanks for writing all this down. A very enjoyable read ^.
Club_IC
Mar 29, 08, 1:47 pm
And the best flight of the trip is actually yet to come... :)
Fabulous report gleff - thank you very much.
I am definately going to try to get to Bali sooner rather than later. I unfortunately - due to pressure of work, had to cancel a planned trip there late last year.
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 2:12 pm
Monday, March 24, 2008
Checked out in the club lounge, and the hotel car was ready for us this time with our bags ready to load into it. A quick drive over to the airport and airport porter’s met us at the curb (there’s very few as aggressive in Bali in search of tips).
This is one of those ‘failure of the last mile’ sorts of moments. The club lounge experience at the Intercontinental Bali – small issues aside – really is quite sublime. They provide you with complimentary transportation back to the airport. I understand they may not be able to leave the vehicle on the curb and come inside, but it seems easy enough to provide an extra staff member who could help you with your bags, through security, and to the checkin gates. Just a suggestion, I guess. :o
Denpasar Bali, Indonesia (DPS) to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK)
5:20 pm Thai Airways 432, Airbus A330-300, Business Class, Seats 11J/11K
Scheduled flight time: 4h 15m
The Denpasar airport has baggage screening immediately as you enter. Once through with your checked bags, you head to the checkin lines. There were makeshift signs indicating Thai Airways checkin, with a single line for business class. After a couple folks were checked in ahead of us, we were processed rather quickly and given lounge invitations. The passes specifically mentioned the Parai Cyber Lounge which is the nearest to gate 8 which is used by Thai, but I believe you can use the Garuda Indonesia lounge as well (confirmed by the lounge attendant there).
No doubt the Garuda lounge would be nicer. The Parai Cyber Lounge appears to advertise itself to any travelers willing to pay a fee, though it was deserted except for another couple on our flight. It has a smoking lounge outdoors, a couple of computers, and wireless internet that requires a password. Rather than writing it down, a gentleman came over to whisper it to me. Very sparse buffet which appeared to have been sitting out longer than I wanted to know. But it was close by the gate…
The flight itself was rather unremarkable, with what I’ve come to regard as rather typical Thai matronly service. Still, a short regional business class flight offered a full enough meal service and amenity kits. The ancient seats on the A330-300 were fairly uncomfortable.
And another instance where SeatGuru doesn’t know what it’s talking about (I’ve found too many of these the past year or so), the plane has empower rather than direct seat power.
Hot Savoury
Shrimp Siew-mai
First Course
Smoked Salmon, Beef Roll Teriyaki, Chicken with Dry Fruits, Asparagus Tip
Salad
Mixed Green Salad with Thousand Island Dressing
Main Course
Braised Beef Rib
Buttered noodles, buttered broccoli, carrot
-or-
Grilled Prawn with Ginger Sauce
Fried Rice with Spring Onion, Vegetables
-or-
Grilled Dory Fish with Citrus and Honey Sauce
Potatoes with Sauteed Onion, Oriental Vegetables
-or-
Chicken Curry “Mussaman” (with Peanuts)
Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice with Peas
Landing at Bangkok was on-time, but we didn’t have a gate and were bussed to the terminal. The wait wasn’t long, though, and we were quickly through immigration. (The last two times I was here I had transit immigration with no line and first class immigration, so this was my first time using the regular line at Suvarnabhumi.
Ok, I just have to call the next part… “One Night in Bangkok.”
aquaguy
Mar 29, 08, 2:59 pm
Hey there
Wonderful trip report. I just can't figure out how the F award was only 140k, all I get from the LH Mileage calculator is 180k. Or am I missing something here?
Thanks
Cheers
aquaguy
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 3:03 pm
Wonderful trip report. I just can't figure out how the F award was only 140k, all I get from the LH Mileage calculator is 180k. Or am I missing something here?
United Mileage Plus miles. :)
Gatwick Alan
Mar 29, 08, 3:54 pm
I clearly need to learn lessons from people like you, ive never had enough miles to worry about, but will have after my current trip. Thank you for your insights.
Really enjoying reading your report, hope you enjoy Thai F
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 7:56 pm
Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport
With the time change it was about 9pm local time when we got out of the BKK airport. We were heading back to the airport for a morning flight, wanted to get there early enough for the first class spa, and so decided not to head into the city and instead spend the night at the Novotel on the airport grounds.
While the in-room materials describe the walkway from the terminal, that isn’t built yet. Instead there’s a shuttle that runs every 15 minutes. After clearing immigration and customs, there’s a Novotel representative standing by door 4 ready to assist you into the hotel’s van. A quick loop around the airport access roads and you’re at the hotel.
Contra several reports, check-in was a breeze although there were curiously many forms to sign, including one for expedited checkout so I could just drop my key off n the morning and go. Although when I tried to do this they again wanted me to sign several forms. This wasn’t as easy as it should have been!
Still, it’s a nice enough hotel and right at the airport, an A+ for an airport hotel (certainly compared to the others close by, and given my desire to risk any morning traffic) although impossibly expensive for BKK… ~ US$150++ which would buy something much nicer downtown or near the river..
Next up: best flight of the trip, TG F BKK-PEK, and quite frankly this came as a real surprise to me because I haven’t been that impressed with TG’s premium cabins in the past.
OPFlyer
Mar 29, 08, 8:43 pm
Great trip report--really enjoyed the pics.
g_leyser
Mar 29, 08, 8:59 pm
Fabulous trip report so far ^
hairpeace
Mar 29, 08, 9:35 pm
Fabulous trip report so far ^
Ditto. ^
gleff
Mar 29, 08, 9:51 pm
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) to Beijing, China (PEK)
11:05 am Thai Airways 0614, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 2J, 2K
Scheduled flight time: 4h 25m
We left the Novotel around 7:45am and took the shuttle over to the airport. Another couple was on the shuttle with us, heading to a domestic destination, so we were both dropped off at the same point – Royal First/Royal Silk checkin comes first, right before domestic.
We got out of the shuttle, had only our carryons, so none of the porters stirred.
We approached the Royal First check-in room and as soon as we entered we were greeted and brought inside to sit down.
We turned over our passports, paid our departure tax (they dispatched a staff member to pay it and brought us our receipts), and gave us our boarding passes. Then they walked us – pulling our carryons for us -- through first class immigration (no line, right next to business class immigration, no line). Right on the other side of immigration was a golf cart waiting for us, ready to drive us to the Royal First lounge.
Now, a recent poster on Flyertalk described this part as especially decadent. The drive can’t be more than several hundred meters. They drive you through the business class lounge to get to the first class lounge, where they deliver you to lounge attendants who help you find a place to get comfortable.
Food is on offer. There’s an attended room with the various selections, much of which is made to order. You point at the items you’d like, and they’re brought to you in courses.
After some breakfast (absolutely wonderful shrimp wonton soup, by the way, perhaps my wife’s Taronga Zoo theory at work) we let the lounge attendants know that we’d like to visit the spa. We hadn’t pre-booked anything earlier in the morning, but fortunately that wasn’t a problem. It was 8:45am at this point, 2 ½ hours until our flight, so that was plenty of time for the full spa massage offering. It’s a 60-minute massage, but with a brief wait for the treatment, a shower, and relaxing over a cup of tea afterwards it’s best to leave an hour and a half for it.
After our treatments we returned to the lounge, checked our email, and the staff came over to bring us to our flight. Outside the lounge we were escorted through security, and then a golf cart was again waiting for us to whisk us (and another passenger) to the plane.
I realized that this was the second out of five flights so far this trip that I had never even looked to see what our gate was…
Load for the flight was 4 out of 12 seats in this old-configuration 747. No seat power (again, contra seat guru although I haven’t checked if my prodding has finally caused them to correct this). Old yet comfortable seats. Video isn’t on-demand, and (as I already knew) contra-Seat Guru there’s no seat power.
I’ve gotten incredibly used to indifferent service from Thai. I know that some people say they’ve had wonderful service on TG and they’re impressed, but with admittedly fewer than a dozen flights over the past couple years in premium classes I had yet to see it.
But this time, we had a true gem of a FA who made the flight absolutely wonderful, and the food was far better than anything I’ve had on Thai before too.
Amenity kits and menus were passed out. The FA knew that I had pre-ordered the Lobster Pad Thai. Mrs. gleff had the Thai Curry option. I had recommended against, since this was also what we ate on our DPS-BKK flight the day before so I figured it was just the repackaged business class meal. But it was a much more generous and flavorful portion.
The highlight of the meal had to be the cheese course. I initially had just some bleu and gruyere, but mrs. gleff had a cheese she told me I had to try… I tasted hers and then had a substantial portion for myself. It was the best cheese I’ve ever tasted, a combination of a triple cream and a center filled with truffle butter. We’re now on a mission to find a cheese like it at our local cheese shops in DC.
Hot Savouries
Pork and Chicken Satay / Cucumber Salad Thai Style
First Course
Balik Salmon, Horseraish Cream in Tomato Cup
Couronne of Leek Stuffed with Pumpkin and Zucchini Salad
Bayonne Ham, Melon Ball
Lobster Medallion Marinated with Basil
Soup
Fish Maw Soup
Main Course
Chicken Curry “Mussaman”
(Chicken cooked in Coconut-Chili Paste, Peanuts, Potato, Onion)
Steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice, Taiwanese Cabbage, Chateau Carrot
-or-
Stir-fried Seafood in Soy Sauce
Yellow Noodles, Vegetables
-or-
Grilled Veal with Boletus Sauce
Chateau Potatoes, Zuchini, Pumpkin, Carrot
Assorted Breads, Crackers, Butter
Cheese and Fresh Fruits Tray
This was the last day that a large number of airlines would be housed in the old Terminal 2, and the place was even more barren than usual. Just a couple of women hawking local SIM cards on the way to immigration. We were through quickly, though bags took awhile to come out. First and business bags were on the carousel at the start, we walked out the customs hall and over to the taxis for a cab to our hotel.
anc-ord772
Mar 29, 08, 11:05 pm
This is an excellent report gleff. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful trip with us.
gleff
Mar 30, 08, 9:33 am
About 1h15m in traffic, the cab deposited us at the Westin for 118RMB. I had had a map to the hotel with the address in Chinese (which I had emailed the hotel for), but the dispatcher simply asked us our destination and communicated it to the driver and all was fine.
Upstairs to the club lounge to checkin (since Platinums have access to the lounge, they can necessarily check in there).
I had reserved the hotel on a cash and points award, US$60 + 4000 points a night. 500 point Plat amenity has already posted, along with points from two room service coffee orders, but no points for the cash portion of the rate – will have to followup.
We were informed the hotel was full (and it certainly was, with a huge American tour group of seniors) but that we had been upgraded to a suite that seemed to me something of a junior suite. They did offer to upgrade to something larger in the residences, but I was perfectly happy with what they had given us.
The lounge offers a very substantial breakfast and evening cocktails, appetizers, and desserts. There’s table service throughout for drinks as well as offers to bring things to you, but the main affair is the buffet. Some of the items were delicious, others sort of missed (the evening bagel with lox had mayonnaise instead of cream cheese on it, for instance).
The lounge had a few Americans, but seemingly mostly Chinese on business.
Club guests also receive a complimentary pressing during their stay, you just put the card that comes in your checkin folder into the laundry bag so that you aren’t charged.
The room had a bedroom, somewhat separated office area, walk-in closet area, and a large bathroom. There was a toilet room, dual sinks, shower, and beyond the shower a tub in the window with a shade that operated electronically. Toileteries were Ashford & Hall.
The lobby bar had both smoking and non-smoking, and our second evening there was a woman demonstrating martial arts and another woman offering complimentary back and shoulder massages.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Starwood property so keen on promoting “instant awards.” They have fully preprinted materials pushing the offerings, not of which represent enough value to entice me.
Give more value to your Starwood awards in the Westin Beijing, Financial Street
Food & Beverage
One glass of wine from the ‘starwood wine of the world’, 750
Treats, box of chocolates, 750
Senses, breakfast buffet, 2250
Senses, lunch buffet, 2250
Prego, a set menu and a drink, 3000
Jewel, a set menu and a drink, 3000
Senses, dinner buffet, 3000
One bottle of wine from the ‘starwood wine of the world’, 4500
Room Upgrade
Upgrade to westin renewal room, 1 night, 1000
Upgrade to Westin workout room, 1 night, 1000
Upgrade to westin executive club floor, 1 night, 1500
Upgrade to renewal suite king size, 1 night, 10000
Upgrade to deluxe suite king size, 1 night, 15000
Limo Service
Limousine airport pick up service, one way, 6000
Half day city tour, 4 hours in an audi a6, 7500
Limousine airport pick up service, roundtrip way, 10000
Whole day city tour, 8 hours in an audi a6, 15000
Westin Store
Book, memories of hutong, 750
Umbrella, 1500
Panda teddybare, 1500
Short sleeve t-shirt, 1500
The food of asia cookbook, 1500
Long sleeve t-shirt, 2250
Hotel cuff link, 2250
The Beijing guide book, 2250
White scent potpourri, 3750
White scent candle, 4000
Westin bath robe, 5250
Heavenly Spa
Wings manicure, 3000
Roots pedicure, 3000
Aromasoul massage, 5250
All about face facial, 6000
Specials
Westin bubbly Sunday brunch with unlimited soft drinks, juice and mocktail, 3000
Westin bubbly Sunday brunch with free flow of piper champaign, wine, and brunch beverage bar, 3750
Kiwi Flyer
Mar 30, 08, 12:54 pm
Fantastic report gleff ^^^
view
Mar 30, 08, 2:01 pm
A very enjoyable read, thanks ^
gleff
Mar 31, 08, 3:25 am
Ok, I grant you most will find it crazy to fly up to PEK to spend just one full day. But we packed a good bit in, had a nice time, so why not?
At the suggestion of AZ Travels the World we booked a lovely and knowledgable tour guide named Alice. He had warned me that she wasn’t especially responsive to e-mail, but actually if I waited a couple of days she’d get back to me. I really do prefer to work by email rather than phone.
She called us at the hotel the night we arrived, and confirmed the time we’d be meeting in the hotel lobby. She did ask something we hadn’t discussed earlier – whether I’d have a car. I rather assumed she would! No problem, she assured, she would take care of it.
So in the morning after breakfast in the lounge we met her downstairs, she found us without difficulty.
She had brought a car and driver. That made the day more expensive, I suppose, but really quite reasonable. She said that the car would be RMB600 if we stayed in town, or RMB1000 if we also went up to the Great Wall. She charged RMB80/hr with a four hour minimum, so our 8 hour tour cost 640… and while this is China, she was a wonderful guide and I did tip her.
We started off at Tienanmen Square, then walked over to the Forbidden City.
A very full day, I naturally bought a Mao watch (RMB40) and we ate some truly interesting street food, much of which our guide wouldn’t go near (like the grilled snake). We tried 10 different things, but didn’t go in for the scorpion…
After breakfast in the lounge we checked out (removing the 8RMB opt-out charitable donation, as I’ve noted elsewhere I take my charity seriously and make gifts on my own, and don’t participate in these sorts of arrangements; separately my understanding of the empirical research is that the corporate giving level remains the same independent of guest participation, so the contribution really amounts to a contribution to the company rather than providing incremental dollars to a charity) and left for the airport around 8:30am. Traffic was bad getting out of the city, but clear afterwards, and we pulled up at Beijing’s new Terminal 3 at about 9:30am. Cab was 103RMB.
Beijing’s new terminal is certainly impressive. It’s an architectural marvel, if a little bit sterile, and it’s opening was certainly smoother than Heathrow’s new terminal 5. And of course Beijing T3 is larger than all 5 Heathrow terminals combined.
We walked inside, found check-in pier E for Lufthansa and walked up to the First Class line. There were plenty of staff around the airport directing people and providing general assistance, as well as several announcements looping in English, to help people figure out their way around this behemoth of a terminal. Most of the airlines had only moved in the day before, so for the vast majority of people there it was their first time in the terminal.
LH staff checked our bags to IAD, issued our boarding passes, and gave us lounge passes for the Air China first class lounge.
Stapled to the back of the passes was a map with quite clear instructions on what we needed to do – proceed forward into the terminal, down the escalator, to the train which the sign says comes every three minutes and drops you off at the E gates. Then through passport control followed by security, and you’re airside. Tons of duty free shopping and the lounges.
The Air China First Class lounge is large, like everything in this terminal. It’s airy. But it’s offerings really aren’t impressive. You’re greeted as you enter, hand over your passes, and there’s not much staff attention after that (except in the restroom). There are some (very) light refreshments. There’s wired internet only, though you can sort of pick up an unsecure wireless signal from the Cathay Pacific lounge.
There’s a buffet that looks as though it would be quite nice, but it doesn’t get set up until 11am – just a tad too late considering our 11:25am departure.
What they do have, though, is a bathroom attendant to get towels for you after you’ve used the sink.. and a small wall mounted LCD TV in the restroom as well.
I caught a glimpse of the ‘VIP rooms’ in the lounge, which I suppose are for high government officials not flying private, but it seems odd to have a first class lounge where first class passengers are not amongst the VIPs. (Yes, I know, there’s ‘special services’ all over the place that pay extra attention to VIP passengers above and beyond what first class folks receive, but this is an obvious walled-off do not enter zone inside the F lounge. Strange to me, anyway.)
My wife and I will be in Beijing for one day in September. Do you have
Alice's email so that we can contact her as well?
aSiAnRiCk
Mar 31, 08, 5:40 pm
Again, nice report ^
Just want to say that I'm craving for sushi after looking at your meal pictures :p
gleff
Apr 1, 08, 4:52 am
My wife and I will be in Beijing for one day in September. Do you have
Alice's email so that we can contact her as well?
YHPM.
gleff
Apr 1, 08, 8:31 am
Beijing, China (PEK) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
11:25 am Lufthansa 0721, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A
Scheduled Flight time: 10h 10m
This was my best Lufthansa flight out of my four long-haul F segments – best food, best service, I didn’t sleep on the flight but the ten hours just flew by.
We had a 10 minute departure delay which the captain came on to tell us “was not because of the new terminal.” Rather, a checked-in passenger didn’t board and they had to offload bags.
Load in F was 5/16, and this time we had a wonderful crew eager to provide service and quick with every request.
In fact, they were happy to adjust the speed of each course or provide things whenever you wished. The man seated in row 82 took his first meal about 4 hours in. That may not seem worth mentioning, but the earlier two long haul LH F segments that would have felt like quite an imposition on the crew.
Menus, pajamas, and amenity kits were handed out. This was my 3rd set of LH PJs this trip, figuring I’m pretty well set on LH stuff for awhile (and mrs. gleff now has 3 already as well).
Shortly after takeoff the canapé was served, a teriyaki beef roll.
I spent some time working on this trip report and watched National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It has been on many many flights, but I’ve still never watched it. It’s actually my first time watching any inflight entertainment, other than a route map, this whole trip. Didn’t finish the movie, though, so I may fast forward an hour in on my FRA-IAD flight tomorrow.
Incidentally, this was the only flight on which we were served all three non-caviar appetizers on the three-tiered appetizer tray. All other flights the appetizers were pre-plated and placed on the appetizer trays, but those trays were left on the cart and each appetizer that we were interested in was served individually.
I know the change in standard practice to the three-tiered trays is controversial, to me it’s just different rather than better or worse. The tiers trays are kinda cool, actually.
The spare ribs were some of the best plane food I’ve ever tasted, they were really good and flavorful.
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
Drunken chicken with Sauce and Asparagus Spears
Chinese Vermicelli Salad with marinated Crab Claw
Mozzarella Cheese Ball with fresh Basil and Pesto Sauce
Salad or Soup
Mixed Lettuce Salad
Presented with Dressing
Asparagus Cream Soup with Bread Croutons and chopped Parsley, whipped Cream
Choice of Main Courses
Roasted Tenderloin of Beef with Jus, Mushroom Confit, Gratin Potatoes, turned Carrots and green Asparagus Spears
Pan fried Turbot served with Cream Sauce, turned Carrots, Rigatoni Pasta and Ratatouille
Bowtie Pasta with Tomato and Pesto Sauce, Olives and Parmasan
Wu Xi Spare Ribs with Sauce, steamed Rice and Cabbage Roll with Mushroom, Asparagus Spears, Chili and Soy Sauce
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Danish Blue, Cheddar, Brie, Gruyere, Goat Cheese garnished with grapes
Five Spices Chocolate Cake with Apricot
Chilled Mango Pudding with whipped Cream
Specialty Dessert Wines
A mid-flight snack was served, followed by dinner.
Hor d’oeuvres
Turkey and Asparagus Roll with Cherry
Kalamata Olive Potato Terrine with Crab Meat
Five Spiced braised Beef Shank
Entrees
Sauteed Shrimps with Pine Nuts, Rice and mixed Chinese Vegetables
Siew Mai, Har Kau and Tou Mio Dumplings with Carrot Flower, Cabbage Leaf, Soy and Chili Sauce
Dessert
Apple Mille Feuille with Pistachio
Fresh Fruit
We arrived right on-time… so far 6 flights and not a single delay worth mentioning. ^
Since we had eaten so much on the flight, really the best food so far of our 3 Lufthansa long-haul F segments, we decided to forgo the F lounge on arrival and head over to our hotel. Sure, we had 22 hours or so in FRA but we really just wanted to relax, chill out, and watch some movies or such after freshening up. And knowing this would likely be so, I had booked us into…
gleff
Apr 1, 08, 6:45 pm
Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers, Conference Center
We cruised through immigration with not a single person in line ahead of us and walked over to the departure level and up again to the escalator to the pedestrian bridge, and across the way to the Sheraton.
I had reserved the hotel on a cash and points award, US$60 + 4000 points a night.
Walked up to the check-in desk, though I suppose we could have headed up to the Towers lounge on the 9th floor for checkin.
We were given a room on the club floor. I asked if suite was available as a platinum upgrade (not that I cared, actually, on a one-night stay at the airport).
The woman checking me in said "We don't normally do that."
I asked, "Are you sure, I thought that if a standard suite was available, I might be able to have it for an upgrade?"
She went in the back, and came out after a minute or two and said, "You've already been upgraded (to a club floor room). If you'd like a suite, you have to pay for it."
Just to be clear on what she was saying, I asked "You have a standard one-bedroom suite available, not the Presidential suite or something, and I can have it if I pay for it?"
She confirmed this was the case.
I declined, took the keys to my club floor room, and I’ve already sent a note off to Starwood’s Corporate Customer Service – figuring there's a training opportunity in here somewhere.
We checked out the lounge, got online (18 Euros for 24 hours, fortunately that’s expensable), and quickly faded away…. About 5pm local time.
We were up by 2am, went up to the lounge to snag some drinks and bring them back to the room, and both got some work done. Dressed and up and about before 7am, we went up to the lounge again for a quick bite prior to checking out and heading over to the First Class terminal.
SanDiego1K
Apr 1, 08, 7:28 pm
Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel & Towers, Conference Center
We were given a room on the club floor. I asked if suite was available as a platinum upgrade (not that I cared, actually, on a one-night stay at the airport).
The woman checking me in said "We don't normally do that."
I asked, "Are you sure, I thought that if a standard suite was available, I might be able to have it for an upgrade?"
She went in the back, and came out after a minute or two and said, "You've already been upgraded (to a club floor room). If you'd like a suite, you have to pay for it."
Just to be clear on what she was saying, I asked "You have a standard one-bedroom suite available, not the Presidential suite or something, and I can have it if I pay for it?"
She confirmed this was the case.
I declined, took the keys to my club floor room, and I’ve already sent a note off to Starwood’s Corporate Customer Service – figuring there's a training opportunity in here somewhere.
We have a lengthy thread (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=543046) in the Starwood forum about this practice at this hotel. Supposedly it was resolved with them no longer denying the suite upgrade. I guess not.
Kiwi Flyer
Apr 1, 08, 8:18 pm
LH staff checked our bags to IAD, issued our boarding passes, and gave us lounge passes for the Air China first class lounge.
Stapled to the back of the passes was a map with quite clear instructions on what we needed to do – proceed forward into the terminal, down the escalator, to the train which the sign says comes every three minutes and drops you off at the E gates. Then through passport control followed by security, and you’re airside. Tons of duty free shopping and the lounges.
The Air China First Class lounge is large, like everything in this terminal. It’s airy. But it’s offerings really aren’t impressive. You’re greeted as you enter, hand over your passes, and there’s not much staff attention after that (except in the restroom). There are some (very) light refreshments. There’s wired internet only, though you can sort of pick up an unsecure wireless signal from the Cathay Pacific lounge.
There’s a buffet that looks as though it would be quite nice, but it doesn’t get set up until 11am – just a tad too late considering our 11:25am departure.
What they do have, though, is a bathroom attendant to get towels for you after you’ve used the sink.. and a small wall mounted LCD TV in the restroom as well.
I caught a glimpse of the ‘VIP rooms’ in the lounge, which I suppose are for high government officials not flying private, but it seems odd to have a first class lounge where first class passengers are not amongst the VIPs. (Yes, I know, there’s ‘special services’ all over the place that pay extra attention to VIP passengers above and beyond what first class folks receive, but this is an obvious walled-off do not enter zone inside the F lounge. Strange to me, anyway.)
Thanks for the info on the new terminal. By absence of mention of disruption, I assume things were smoother than BA's new terminal T5 at LHR? I don't suppose you happened to notice international transit arrangements?
gleff
Apr 2, 08, 6:01 am
Things were much smoother than T5 :eek:
I didn't notice the transfer arrangements, but since passport control occurred after I reached the E gates by train it is likely the case that if you have to switch to another pier then PEK transfers still require going through immigration.
But there could be another arrangement that I didn't notice or pay attention to...
gleff
Apr 2, 08, 8:59 am
We have a lengthy thread (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=543046) in the Starwood forum about this practice at this hotel. Supposedly it was resolved with them no longer denying the suite upgrade. I guess not.
A suite wouldn't have actually enhanced my stay. I got a perfectly good rest, they had a lovely club lounge, no real complaints (although the hallways to the guest rooms feel a bit dorm-like).
But I'm not a fan of non-compliant hotels, and do feel it's important to followup. So I'm on the case. :)
chitownflyer
Apr 2, 08, 1:55 pm
We have a lengthy thread (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=543046) in the Starwood forum about this practice at this hotel. Supposedly it was resolved with them no longer denying the suite upgrade. I guess not.
Maybe someone can get StarwoodLurker to follow up on this.
gleff
Apr 2, 08, 2:07 pm
Will write more of a followup, but the hotel has already acknowledged that they were wrong, that there is a re-training situation here, and commits to followup. So I'm willing to take their word that this is not a continuation of the past problem, at least until we see how others' stays work out.
gleff
Apr 3, 08, 4:57 am
Friday, March 28, 2008
The First Class Terminal is eminently walkable from the Sheraton, although it did involve being outside on a rather crisp morning. Back across the passenger bridge to Terminal 1, downstairs to the arrivals level, to the very end of Hall A and out by the hotel shuttle pickup we just continued walking against the direction of vehicle traffic and there was the First Class Terminal, lower level.
We buzzed the entrance and someone came down to meet us and let us in. Back up the elevator and through ever-so-polite security, and now I’m ensconced in here a bit before 8am with a bloody mary in hand. :)
We arrived a full 5.5 hours before flight time, but figured it was better to hang out here than across the way at the Sheraton. Since we already ate a small breakfast in the Sheraton lounge, we didn’t partake of the breakfast buffet.
Free range eggs
Scrambled eggs / boiled eggs / ham & eggs (5 minutes)
Crispy bacon / grilled ham / sausages
Baked beans / mashed potatoes
Asian Breakfast
Selection of Asian breakfast specialties
from the DO & CO bakery
white bread
Baguette / Tuscany style sour dough bread / rolls / ciabatta / melba toast / home made Demei-Brioche
brown bread
Whole wheat bread / Pumpernickel / Finn Crisp
toast
White / whole wheat toast
freshly baked
Croissants
Selection of home made Danish pastries
pancakes
Plain / banana / blueberry
Maple syrup
coffee / tea / hot chocolate
American coffee
Espresso / cappuccino / café latte
Wide choice of tea
Hot DEMEL chocolate
We waited until lunch, and went over for the buffet and sit down service.
Desserts
DO & CO’s Mousse au chocolat
Chili Chocolate & Coconut Crème Brulee
Green Tea Tiramisu
Ginger Chocolate Cake
Mango Lime Cocktail
Wasabi Ice Cream
Fresh fruit salad
DO & CO’s Berry ragout
Viennese apple strudel
Selection of Sorbets
Austrian style chocolate soufflé
Vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate sauce
Because it was so good the first time around, we both ordered another wienerschnitzel. We also ordered an extra small portion of the Leberkase to share.
About 30 minutes prior to scheduled flight departure, our PA came over to let us know that our flight had just posted a 45 minute delay and that she would be returning for us. The 45 minute delay stretched to 60 minutes, and so an hour or so later we were collected and taken downstairs to pick up our passports at the private passport control and then to our waiting driver for the ride to the plane in a Porsche.
We boarded about 15 minutes prior to re-scheduled takeoff.
f4freeJunior
Apr 3, 08, 5:09 am
and then??? can't wait for the next post :)
sentom
Apr 3, 08, 12:09 pm
Also of note is that the power outlets are European only. They may well have adapters, I didn’t ask since I carry my own, but again for a 5-hour visit… It would seem to be not that difficult to make various plug configurations possible.
they do indeed have a wide range of adaptors and phone chargers to borrow. you can also get laptops from them if you dont bring your own. the cubical work areas do have multiple outlets (UK, US, EU if i remember correctly)
cheers
sentom
FlyerBeek
Apr 3, 08, 5:07 pm
I won’t reproduce the wine lists here, unless anyone requests to know…
Gleff,
Thanks for providing such a great trip report. It has been a pleasure to read throughout the last week.
Sorry to be demanding, but would you mind posting the wine list for one of your LH F segments and your TG F segment?
Thanks!
-FlyerBeek
Bretteee
Apr 4, 08, 12:57 pm
I am surprised that on an Award you can get the day room at the Kempinski. Do you think they knew. Anyway I would do the same. The hotel and grounds always looked gorgeous in the brochures but seems less nice now.
gleff
Apr 4, 08, 12:58 pm
The website doesn't make a distinction regarding award tickets.
The reservation is made directly with the hotel, LH isn't involved.
So there shouldn't be any problem, at least as far as I know, regarding an award. I wasn't asked, and haven't heard of any difficulties.
It certainly wasn't a 'special' hotel, but it was a comfortable enough place to sleep and a respite from the airport, a very different place than the Frankfurt Sheraton which is obviously more convenient.
gleff
Apr 4, 08, 12:59 pm
Sorry to be demanding, but would you mind posting the wine list for one of your LH F segments and your TG F segment?
No doubt I will get to this over the weekend.
And I need to finish the report off, too :)
Cheers,
Gary
gleff
Apr 5, 08, 5:33 pm
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) to Washington, DC (IAD)
1:15pm Lufthansa 0418, Boeing 747, First Class, Seats 81C, 81A
Scheduled Flight time: 8h 45m
The flight was 100% full in economy and business, and packed to 12 out of 16 in First. This would be our most crowded F cabin of the trip.
After our hour-long delay we were onboard and ready to go. Only we weren’t. Apparently there was a problem with an indicator regarding one of the doors and its associated slides. They thought it was fixed, but it wasn’t. So another call to the mechanics, and we sat on plane for about two hours while they worked out the troubles.
Plenty of drink services in First, and they eventually served the canapé as well while we were still on the ground.
Clearly the FAs were bored, and they wrote out a welcome greeting on each First Class passenger’s menu, with their name on it. But this isn’t SQ, and the special touch was a bit diminished by the need to write seat #s on the menu as well so that the FAs could keep track of whom to give which menu to.
Once aloft we opted to wait to take my main meal. I slept nearly five hours and then asked to eat. This actually turned out nicely because we had two flight attendants serving just the two of us.
The featured chef was again Marcello Fabbri.
Choice of Hors d’oeuvres
Caviar with the traditional garnishes
King Prawns and Eggplant Tart with Pesto
Roasted Saddle of Veal in jellied Borlotti Beans served with Balsamico Jus
Goat Cheese Terrine with marinated Bell Pepper served with Taggiasa Olives
Salad
Seasonal Greens with fried Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrots and Herbs with your Choice of Ramson or Balsamico Dressing
Choice of Main Courses
Saddle of Lamb Meddalion gratinated with Parmesan Cheese and Olives, Thyme Jus and Potato Pancetta Pave
Loup de Mer filled with Arugula, served with baked Tomatoes and Mashed Potatoes with Olives
Arugula Risotto with Taleggio, Shiitake Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Spring Onions and Walnuts
Roasted Duck Breast with Balsamico Sauce, red cabbage with Orange and Potato Cake
Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Gorgonzola, Peccorino, Taleggio, Livarot and Fougeru garnished with Grapes and Walnuts
Apple Ciafoutis with Almond Ice Cream
Mango Caramel Tart with exotic Fruit Salpicon
Specialty Dessert Wines
I did find that on this flight my reading light was broken. And when I woke up from my nap I wanted a cappuccino, but the espresso machine was broken. My AVOD crashed a couple of times. And towards the end of the flight when I went to put my seat back into its upright position, I found that the seat was broken! The foot rest wouldn’t go back down, and eventually the purser managed to shove it and jump on it until it was ready for landing.
Still, the flight was just fine since I slept so well and the private meal service was so attentive. Since I had just eaten, though, I skipped the pre-arrival snack which was served about an hour and 20 minutes prior to landing
Cold and Hot Specialties
Sandwiches with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Bell Pepper and Cucumber
Curd Rolls with Porcini Marinated Roast Beef and Cornichons
Cream Cheese and Olives in a Tart
Mixed Pickles
Mixed Meat and Vegetable Casserole
Dessert
Orange Cake and Chocolate Eclairs, Cream of Vanilla with fresh Fruit and Cherry Tart
Fresh Fruit
We came into IAD and had to board the mobile lounges out to immigration. Another large flight had come in ahead of us, and the lines were quite long for US citizens. There was virtually no line for non-citizens. I thought about just getting into that line, but the government scares me and I just didn’t have it in me to take them on over something like a cue trying to get back into the country.
gleff
Apr 6, 08, 10:51 am
As promised, I'll type up the wine lists and I'll also share final thoughts on the trip. Just have to get there :)
WonderDude
Apr 6, 08, 1:42 pm
I'm amazed at the time and effort you've spent on this extensive report. Thank you for the great read!
gleff
Apr 6, 08, 3:35 pm
Thanks :)
Gotta tell you, the notes of appreciation mean a lot, they tell me whether I'm on the right track here in terms of providing useful information, and whether it's worth doing another report on my trip to Spain this week. :)
restlessinRNO
Apr 6, 08, 4:41 pm
Gotta tell you, the notes of appreciation mean a lot, ...
Then let me add my thanks as well. Great trip report. Enjoyed the travel hints and pictures too. :)
gleff
Apr 6, 08, 7:50 pm
Here's the beverages from my TG F, BKK-PEK, flight .. as promised above.
WHITE WINE
Mercurey Domaine Michel Juillot 2001 Chardonnay
Le Divinus De Chateau Bonnet 2006
RED WINE
Chateau Dauzac Margauc Grand Cru Classe 2004
Givry 1er Cru, Le Manoir Murisaltien 2002
CHAMPAGNE
DOM PERIGNON VINTAGE 2000
APERITIES
Campari
Gin Martini
Screwdriver
Bloody Mary
Black Russian
Vodka Martini
Warre's Warrior Port
Bristol Cream Sherry
SPIRITS
Bacardi Rum
Tanqueray Gin
Jack Daniel's Bourbon
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Chivas Royal Salute Scotch Whiskey
Glenfiddich .. Ancient Reserve 18 Year Old
LIQUEURS
Hennessy Paradis Extra
Kahlua
Drambuie
Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
"Kubota Manju"
BEERS
Heineken
Chang Beer
Singha Beer
SOFT DRINKS
Fruit juices
Diet soft drinks
Perrier Mineral Water
A range of soft drinks
BEVERAGES
Espresso
Cappuccino
Decaffeinated Coffee
Special Blended Coffee
Ceylon Tea
Oolong Tea
Earl Grey Tea
Japanese Green Tea
English Breakfast Tea
Peppermint Tea
Camomile Tea
Ovaltine
Seat 2A
Apr 7, 08, 12:12 pm
What a marvelous collection of text and photos! Truly a joy to read. ^^^
Anyone considering a flight aboard any of the airlines covered in this report will be very well served by the information, transcripts and photos provided.
Thanks gleff for all your hard work!
Moomba
Apr 7, 08, 1:04 pm
Fabulous report and pics gleff. Thanks for spending the time to put in so much detail. I know how long it takes. ;)
You were lucky with the loads on LH or I have been unlucky. On both my F experiences on LH ex FRA there have been 16 pax in F.
upgrade lover
Apr 7, 08, 8:08 pm
Thanks ever so much for a great trip report^^^ What a wonderful adventure made better by your great pictures and observations. I really can't wait to have the pleasure of the First Terminal in FRA.
Again, thanks for a great read:D
LH431
Apr 9, 08, 1:58 pm
Hey gleff!
Thanks for your trip report and the detailed pics. Especially the description of the booking process and all the check-in's at the Hotels are worth reading! I've been a couple of times to Bali and have been on the same flight from SIN and to BKK too! Even had the same menu on the TG sector out of DPS.
But the way I make holidays in bali is a little bit different ;) I prefer Legian and some smaller/cheaper hotels.
I thought the departure tax at BKK is now included in the ticket price. During checkin for a TG flight on 19th march we did not had to pay anything.
planeluvr
Apr 9, 08, 2:05 pm
:-::-: Great report, gleff!!^^ Enjoyed the detail and experiences!! :-::-:
gleff
Apr 9, 08, 7:05 pm
I thought the departure tax at BKK is now included in the ticket price. During checkin for a TG flight on 19th march we did not had to pay anything.It's supposed to be. But UA didn't include it ... since they ticketed a connection (less than 24 hrs) rather than a stopover. If I had stayed airside I wouldn't have had to pay it. But for the privilege of staying at the airport Novotel, there was that extra charge. :eek:
(Incidentally UA didn't collect it on my July '07 award which was issued in December '06, and I was never asked to pay it when departing HKT.)
RTW4
Apr 9, 08, 8:26 pm
An absolutely amazing report. Thank you for sharing your travels.. I was eager to hear about the NOVATEL in BKK.. so thanks...
gleff
Apr 11, 08, 7:58 am
An absolutely amazing report. Thank you for sharing your travels.. I was eager to hear about the NOVATEL in BKK.. so thanks...
Indeed, a nice enough airport hotel, not a special place by any means and crazy expensive for what it is, where it is. Still, I wanted to head right to sleep and make it back relatively early to the airport to take advantage of the ex-BKK TG F departure experience so I'd do it again. Getting in a little early, though, I would have headed into BKK to one of my favorite places for dinner.
eba205
Apr 14, 08, 9:47 pm
Gleff,
Thanks for the wonderful report. Very interesting read. One question about your PEK stopover, as it relates to a trip my wife and I are taking in June. I have been told by CO and the Chinese Consulate that if staying in PEK less than 24 hours and not leaving the airport, no transit visa is required, also another FT member confirmed this in a PM. Is this also your experience/understanding?
Thanks much!
gleff
Apr 16, 08, 5:01 am
One question about your PEK stopover, as it relates to a trip my wife and I are taking in June. I have been told by CO and the Chinese Consulate that if staying in PEK less than 24 hours and not leaving the airport, no transit visa is required, also another FT member confirmed this in a PM. Is this also your experience/understanding?
That appears to be correct, according to the Chinese consulate in the US:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84242.htm
BRUNOREM
Apr 18, 08, 4:47 am
Dear Gleff
What a very nice report.
I'll have an award flight LH in a few weeks.
I'll try to make also such a nice report.
But I have 2 questions:
1) On my return flight out of SFO (LH First) to FRA I'll have to wait in FRA for a few hours for my next flight to BRU (Business cl).
Do you think I can use the First Class Terminal (the first lounges can be used) ?
I asked LH and the reservation agent told me that this was allowed.
But other FT members are saying that access will be denied.
2) The night before our departure I have booked an overnight at the Sheraton also by redeeming points (+60$).
Do you think that I should call the hotel to pay their attetion to get an upgrade as I am Platinum?
Kind regards
gleff
Apr 18, 08, 5:15 am
1) On my return flight out of SFO (LH First) to FRA I'll have to wait in FRA for a few hours for my next flight to BRU (Business cl).
Do you think I can use the First Class Terminal (the first lounges can be used) ?
I asked LH and the reservation agent told me that this was allowed.
But other FT members are saying that access will be denied.
Here's the definitive thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=421423) on the subject. General consensus is that the rule was changed to no longer permit First Class Terminal access to arriving F passengers connecting to business class. However, some folks still go over to the terminal and it appears as though they are usually given access rather than being turned away. "Your mileage may vary." However the First Class LOUNGES are very nice - very similar just without the car transfer to the plane.
2) The night before our departure I have booked an overnight at the Sheraton also by redeeming points (+60$).
Do you think that I should call the hotel to pay their attetion to get an upgrade as I am Platinum?
If a suite upgrade is meaningful to you, you might email the hotel and ask them what their upgrade policy is and then clarify things if needed before arrival (and bring a copy of any correspondence saying that they upgrade to suites).
Or you might bring a printout of the SPG terms and conditions.
But I've been assured that my situation was not policy there, I'm curious to hear about future folks visiting and their experiences.
Truth be told, though, a suite really wouldn't have enhanced my stay. Their club lounge is quite well provisioned, the room large by European standards, and the bed was comfortable. After a long PEK flight that's all I needed. You may feel differently as this is prior to your travel...
Kiwi Flyer
Apr 18, 08, 5:30 am
That appears to be correct, according to the Chinese consulate in the US:
http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/zgqz/t84242.htm
While that site seems clear enough, I've seen other "official" sites that state the exemption holds for transits to a third country (ie turnarounds are not eligible).
gleff
Apr 18, 08, 5:46 am
Interesting. Not that everything about China makes sense to me, but why should it matter what country you're arriving from (as opposed, perhaps, to what your home country is) in determining whether you're eligible for a transit visa on arrival?
Kiwi Flyer
Apr 18, 08, 6:14 am
Interesting. Not that everything about China makes sense to me, but why should it matter what country you're arriving from (as opposed, perhaps, to what your home country is) in determining whether you're eligible for a transit visa on arrival?
they don't want people doing xxx-China-xxx without a visa
xxx-China-yyy is fine (subject to the other rules)
A lot of countries have that requirement. I've even been denied boarding because of it (not to China though).
eba205
Apr 18, 08, 9:06 am
I spoke with Continental this morning about this issue and they assure me that no visa is required when using China only as a short transit stop to a 3rd country, i.e., Thailand-China-USA (as I am doing). They even informed me that I was welcome to leave the transit area if I so desired, as long as the stop was less than 24 hrs. Needless to say, printouts of all the email "confirmations" will be making the trip in my briefcase!
Condition One
Apr 18, 08, 10:10 am
Great trip report! I have IAD-FRA-SIN in LH F being held by UA at the moment. I popped by Trip Reports to see what I could expect and your report was right there! Thanks!
gleff
Apr 19, 08, 5:07 am
Enjoy the Virgin Clubhouse and First Class Terminal!
cblaisd
May 2, 08, 10:49 am
Wow!
I want to travel with you :) :D
egtravel
May 10, 08, 10:36 pm
Awesome report and beautiful pictures! I agree...I want to travel with you as well! Very comprehensive and informative, thanks for taking the time to write/post it! ^
SASfan
Jun 3, 08, 12:26 pm
Thanks :)
Gotta tell you, the notes of appreciation mean a lot, they tell me whether I'm on the right track here in terms of providing useful information, and whether it's worth doing another report on my trip to Spain this week. :)
Your best TR yet, fine sir! I am referencing it heavily when planning our trip to JFK-HKG-DPS-SIN-HAN-BKK-DPS-HKG-JFK in September.
A few questions: How many nights did you spend in Bali, did you think 4 days in the IC Bali is enough? Was the new Crowne Plaza SIN open when you were going through Changi? It looks very nice, albeit expensive, but with a 5,000 point Priority Club bonus.
Well done again, gleff. ^^^
gleff
Jun 3, 08, 6:26 pm
A few questions: How many nights did you spend in Bali, did you think 4 days in the IC Bali is enough?
We did just the 5 nights at the IC Bali for Indonesia on this trip, and definitely not enough. Our last morning mrs. gleff didn't want to leave. But it really depends on your style of vacation, we don't usually enjoy staying in one place for much longer, after 5-6 days we're usually really ready to move on. In fact, 3-4 days in one place is usually perfect, unless the place itself is wonderful (which Bali is and the IC club rooms are). In retrospect I could have easily done 6-7 nights here and then a few up in Ubud as well.
Was the new Crowne Plaza SIN open when you were going through Changi? It looks very nice, albeit expensive, but with a 5,000 point Priority Club bonus.
Actually didn't pay any attention, came into T2 and actually left out of the gate right next to the one I landed at, though went into the lounge for a bit.
Glad you enjoyed the report, hope your trip is as enjoyable!
gleff
Jun 3, 08, 6:42 pm
Actually the Crowne Plaza just opened last week
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=811228
Mr H
Jun 9, 08, 2:06 pm
Gleff - thank you for the wonderful report. It's made me really impatient to fly again and blow my remaining miles.
gleff
Jun 14, 08, 6:01 am
Gleff - thank you for the wonderful report. It's made me really impatient to fly again and blow my remaining miles.
And of course we'll expect a trip report when you do! :cool: